Homilies on the Gospel of John

“'The Son can do nothing of Himself.'”

Man! He does the contrary. He says this not to take away, but to confirm, His Equality. But attend carefully, for this is no common question. The expression “of Himself” is found in many places of Scripture, with reference both to Christ and to the Holy Ghost, and we must learn the force of the expression, that we may not fall into the greatest errors; for if one take it separately by itself in the way in which it is obvious to take it, consider how great an absurdity will follow. He said not that He could do some things of Himself and that others He could not, but universally,

4. “The Son can do nothing of Himself.” I ask then my opponent, “Can the Son do nothing of Himself, tell me?” If he reply, “that He can do nothing,” we will say, that He has done of Himself the very greatest of all goods. As Paul cries aloud, saying, “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant.” And again, Christ Himself in another place says, “I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again”: and, “No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” Do you see that He has power over life and death, and that He wrought of Himself so mighty a Dispensation? And why speak I concerning Christ, when even we, than whom nothing can be meaner, do many things of ourselves? Of ourselves we choose vice, of ourselves we go after virtue, and if we do it not of ourselves, and not having power, we shall neither suffer hell if we do wrong, nor enjoy the Kingdom if we do right.

What then means, “Can do nothing of Himself”? That He can do nothing in opposition to the Father, nothing alien from, nothing strange to Him, which is especially the assertion of One declaring an Equality and entire agreement.

But wherefore said He not, that “He does nothing contrary,” instead of, “He cannot do”? It was that from this again He might show the invariableness and exactness of the Equality, for the expression imputes not weakness to Him, but even shows His great power; since in another place Paul says of the Father, “That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie”: and again, “If we deny Him — He abides faithful,” for “He cannot deny Himself.” And in truth this expression, “impossible,” is not declaratory of weakness, but power, power unspeakable. For what He says is of this kind, that “that Essence admits not such things as these.” For just as when we also say, “it is impossible for God to do wrong,” we do not impute to Him any weakness, but confess in Him an unutterable power; so when He also says, “I can of My own Self do nothing”, His meaning is, that “it is impossible, nature admits not, that I should do anything contrary to the Father.” And that you may learn that this is really what is said, let us, going over what follows, see whether Christ agrees with what is said by us, or among you. You say, that the expression does away with His Power and His proper Authority, and shows His might to be but weak; but I say, that this proves His Equality, His unvarying Likeness, (to the Father,) and the fact that all is done as it were by one Will and Power and Might. Let us then enquire of Christ Himself, and see by what He next says whether He interprets these words according to your supposition or according to ours. What then says He?

“For what things soever the Father does these also does the Son likewise.”

Do you see how He has taken away your assertion by the root, and confirmed what is said by us? Since, if Christ does nothing of Himself, neither will the Father do anything of Himself, if so be that Christ does all things in like manner to Him. If this be not the case, another strange conclusion will follow. For He said not, that “whatsoever things He saw the Father do, He did,” but, “except He see the Father doing anything, He does it not”; extending His words to all time; now He will, according to you, be continually learning the same things. Do you see how exalted is the idea, and that the very humility of the expression compels even the most shameless and unwilling to avoid groveling thoughts, and such as are unsuited to His dignity? For who so wretched and miserable as to assert, that the Son learns day by day what He must do? And how can that be true, “You are the same, and Your years shall not fail”?, or that other, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made”; if the Father does certain things, and the Son sees and imitates Him? Do you see that from what was asserted above, and from what was said afterwards, proof is given of His independent Power? And if He brings forward some expressions in lowly manner, marvel not, for since they persecuted Him when they had heard His exalted sayings, and deemed Him to be an enemy of God, sinking a little in expression alone, He again leads His discourse up to the sublimer doctrines, then in turn to the lower, varying His teaching that it might be easy of acceptance even to the indisposed. Observe, after saying, “My Father works, and I work”; and after declaring Himself equal with God, He adds, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” Then again in a higher strain, “What things soever the Father does, these also does the Son likewise.” Then in a lower,