Letter 145

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theon
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore explains Romans 8:28 ("to those who are called according to his purpose"), showing how divine grace and human resolve work together.

On the text: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose" [Romans 8:28].

Divine grace, joined with human resolve, saves the person. This is why the one who had Christ speaking in him said: God works with those who are called according to his purpose.

Not the calling alone — for all were called, and not all obeyed. But the resolve of those who were called worked together with the grace extended to them to bring about their salvation. The calling was not forced or compelled. It was an invitation; the response was free.

This is the mystery: grace does not override the will, and the will cannot achieve what grace alone accomplishes. The two work as one.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.