Living By Faith Blog

Icon

Biblical, battle-tested, real-life help for "living by faith in the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). — Steve Fuller

Conquered by Sovereign Joy: Augustine’s Conversion

Augustine by Peasant Duares on Flickr JPEGWho is Augustine?

Augustine was born in 355 AD in what today is Algeria in North Africa.  His early years were full of vanity, sexual sin, and godlessness.

After being saved he became a bishop in the North African church, preaching, teaching, and writing books that have shaped Christian thought for centuries.

Conquered by Sovereign Joy

Here’s how Augustine described his conversion —

How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose …

You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy.

You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood,

you who outshine all light, yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts,

you who surpass all honor, thought not in the eyes of men who see all honor in themselves …

O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation.

(St. Augustine, Confessions, IX, 1; quoted in John Piper’s The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, p.40)

Take-Aways

  • Before God saved us we had only fruitless joys which, even though they were fruitless, we feared losing (Jer 2:13; Isa 55:2).  Fruitless joys are better than no joys, we thought.
  • But then a miracle happened.  Sovereign Joy revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ as the One who surpasses all honor, outshines all light, and is sweeter than all pleasure (2Cor 3:18; 2Cor 4:6).
  • When we saw and tasted the One who is sweeter than all pleasure, we gladly turned from those fruitless joys we had feared losing (Matt 13:44; Phil 3:8).
  • So being a Christian does not mean squelching our desire for pleasure – it means satisfying our desire for pleasure in trusting, worshiping, obeying, and glorifying the One who is the sweetest of all pleasures (Psa 4:6-7; Psa 16:11; Psa 43:4; Psa 73:25-26).

Thoughts on the Conversion of Augustine?

I’d love to hear them.  Leave a reply below — thanks.

If you know someone who would be helped by reading this, email it to them using the “share” button below.  Or use the other buttons to share it on your favorite social media.

If you would like to interact with others who are seeking to live by faith in Christ, visit our Forums page.

If you would like to receive a Saturday email summarizing the week’s posts — subscribe here.  (I will only use your email address for Living By Faith Blog communications, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

And here are some related posts you might find helpful –

 

(Picture used with permission by Peasant Duares on Flickr.)

Category: Finding Peace and Joy, Stories about Other People

Tagged:

3 Responses

  1. Mr. Fuller,
    Really appreciated this post! What a good reminder! Truly our joy before and outside of Christ is empty and fruitless! I re-posted it on our blog. Thank you for sharing!

    God Bless!

  2. QingXiao Cui says:

    I have to remember to not be deceived by the world and the devil and to not forget about God, the One who created us in His image for His glory and our good in the first place. Sure, the worldly, fleshly things might bring quick gratification, but they’re not worth eternity. They’re temporal, like the world, but God is unchanging. God is forever. All things, though my limited wisdom may not see it, though I’m fleshly and sometimes can’t feel His presence, happen for a reason and can bring me closer to Him if I only let it and trust. Praise The Lord for what He has done in our lives!

Leave a Reply to Breanna Alexander × Cancel reply

Join 3,436 people who receive Living by Faith updates —

More Help for Your Faith

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Feedback

"I just found your blog recently, and I've NEVER found such clarity, understanding and comfort before." (Sarah)

"AWESOME. Going to mangle this sin tonight with the Promises of God." (Alec)

"If I could subscribe to only one blog, yours would be it." (Lyn)

"I think you are really on to something with this blog. I don’t know of anything else like it." (Doug)

"Excellent comment. Really well put and wisdom that is strangely lacking in much evangelical thinking." (John)

"Thank you -- I needed to hear this. So clear and concise yet captivating." (Stacey)

"Such a helpful post. I’ve bookmarked it and reread it two or three mornings just this week." (Doug)