“Let us carefully consider, brothers, the material from which we have been made, and who and what sort of people we were when we entered into the world; and let us consider from what kind of tomb and darkness we were led into the world by the one who fashioned and made us, after he prepared his kindly acts in advance, even before we were born.” 1 Clement 38.3.
Clement, Bishop of Rome (c. 96), here reminds the Corinthians that we were dead and then made alive in Christ to be sent forth to perform the “kindly acts” (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10) that God has already prepared for us to do. What are we waiting for?