Vessels of Honor and Dishonor

There is no doubt, then, that on the day of judgment the good will be separated from the bad, and the just from the unjust, and that all of them, by God’s sentence, will be distributed according to what they deserve, through the places they are worthy of. Just so, in my opinion, some such state of things existed before as well — as, God willing, we will show in what follows. For God must be believed to do and to order all things, at all times, according to his judgment. [a]

For consider the words the apostle uses when he says, “In a great house there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor,” and then what he adds: “If anyone cleanses himself, he will be a vessel for honor, set apart, useful to the Master, for every good work.” These words undoubtedly point to this: that the man who cleanses himself while he is in this life will be prepared for every good work in the life to come, while the man who does not cleanse himself will be, in proportion to his uncleanness, a vessel for dishonor — that is, an unworthy one.

It is therefore possible to understand that there were formerly rational vessels too, cleansed or not cleansed — that is, vessels which either cleansed themselves or did not — and that as a result every vessel received, according to the measure of its purity or impurity, a place, or a region, or the condition it was born into, or an office to carry out in this world. God provides for all of it, down to the humblest, and distinguishes it by the power of his wisdom; and he arranges everything by his governing judgment, according to a repayment that is entirely impartial, so far as each one ought to be helped or cared for in keeping with what he deserves.

In all this, certainly, every principle of fairness is on display, while the unevenness of circumstances preserves the justice of a repayment measured by merit. But the grounds of the merits in each single case are recognized truly and clearly by God himself alone, together with his only Son the Word, and his Wisdom, and the Holy Spirit.