Finally, Augustine guards firmness with charity. He warns that knowledge without love puffs up, whereas love builds up (echoing 1 Cor. 8:1; see On Christian Doctrine 1.36). Clarity must therefore include moral intention, and action must remain answerable to the good of others. This balance restrains zeal from becoming zealotry. By keeping charity as the measure and ordered love as the map, we can think with light and act with strength—seeking the truth clearly, then holding it firmly, for the sake of the common good. [...]
