Serving The Lord

Quid est, quod dixit Iesus ad populum: Non poteritis servire Domino, quia Deus sanctus est. An quia illius sanctitati perfecta servitute quodam modo contemperari, humanae fragilitati impossibile est? Quo audito, isti non solum eius eligere servitutem, sed etiam de adiutorio eius et misericordia praesumere debuerunt: quam ille intellexit, qui dicit in Psalmo: Ne intres in iudicium cum servo tuo; quoniam non iustificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens. Isti autem de se potius praesumere delegerunt, quod Deo possent sine ulla offensione servire, ut iam tunc inciperent, quod de illis expressit Apostolus: Ignorantes enim Dei iustitiam, et suam volentes constituere iustitiae Dei non sunt subiecti. Ita eis iam Lex subintrabat, ut abundaret delictum, et postea superabundaret gratia per Dominum Christum, qui finis est Legis, ad iustitiam omni credenti. Sanctus Augustinus Hippoensis, Quaestiones In Iesum Nave, Liber VI Source: Migne PL 34.790

Why did Joshua say to the people: 'You cannot serve the Lord, because God is holy'? 1 Is it because that it is impossible that human frailty perfectly serve His holiness? Which hearing, they should have not only choosen His service, but also presumed His help and mercy, which he has understood, who says in the Psalm: 'Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for nothing living shall be justified in your sight.' 2 They, however, chose to presume concerning themselves, that they were able to serve God without any offence, so that then they began to do what the Apostle said about them: 'For ignoring the justice of God and wishing to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God.' 3 Thus the law was introduced for them, that sin would abound, and that after grace would abound even more through Christ the Lord, 4 who is the end of the law for the justification of every believer. 5 Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on Joshua, Book 6 1 Joshua 24.19 2 Ps 142.2 3 Rom 10.3 4 Rom 5.20 5 Rom 10.4