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to sin.” Since he has discussed the life of Christ, so that no one might say, “What then does what was said have to do with us?” he adds such things, saying: If he raised those who were dead, much more will he be able to hold fast to those who are alive. He did not say, “let it tyrannize,” which would be a matter of necessity, but “let it not reign,” which is a matter of choice. “in our mortal body, so as to obey its desires. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you.” Our body before the coming of Christ was easily overcome by sin. For neither was the Spirit present to help, nor was there a baptism able to put sin to death. But since Christ has come, and we have received baptism, and the Spirit through baptism, the struggles have become easy for us. “For you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” This shows that the contests are temporary. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Having set forth the objection which says, “What then? Shall we sin?” and having brought forward the first solution, the one from prohibition, by saying “By no means,” he brings forward also the second from the enemy, and a third from punishment; the one from the enemy is this: Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey? It is as if he were to say: I do not yet speak of Gehenna, nor of that great punishment, but of the shame in this life, when you become slaves, and willing slaves, and slaves to sin, and for such a wage as to die again. For if before baptism it worked bodily death, and the wound required so great a cure that the Lord of all went down to death, and thus undid the evil, what will it not do after so great a gift and freedom, when it takes you again as you willingly incline to it? 95.488 “But thanks be to God, that you were slaves of sin.” He reminds them again of the benefits, that they were delivered from great evils; and not by their own labors, but by the grace of God. “But you have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were delivered.” The phrase, “from the heart,” indicates free will; the phrase, “you were delivered,” alludes to the help from God. “But having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.” Two gifts of God are shown here: to be freed from sin, and to be enslaved to righteousness, which is better than all freedom. “I am speaking in human terms, because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness.” Since he demanded great strictness of life, commanding them to be dead, wishing to show that he demands nothing excessive, but something very moderate and light, he establishes it from its opposites, saying, “I am speaking in human terms,” as if he were to say, “from things that happen in common practice.” “so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.” When you lived in wickedness and impiety, you lived with such obedience as to do nothing good at all; for this is what “you were free in regard to righteousness” means. Therefore now also, since you have changed over to righteousness, give yourselves wholly to virtue, doing nothing of wickedness at all. “But what fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?” Such was that slavery, he says, that even the memory of it now brings shame. But if the memory brings shame, much more the practice. You were doubly harmed then, he says, both doing things worthy of shame, and not knowing how to be ashamed. “For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God.” Since shame does not seem to be very burdensome, he comes to what is altogether terrifying, speaking of death. “you have your fruit to holiness, and the end is eternal life.” See how he shows some things already given, but others in

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ἁμαρτίᾳ.» Ἐπειδὴ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ζωῆς διελέχθη, ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ, Τί οὖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸ εἰρημένον; τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπάγει λέγων· Εἰ νεκροὺς ὄντας ἀνέστησεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ζῶντας κατασχεῖν δυνήσεται. Οὐκ εἶπεν, τυραννείτω, ὅπερ ἀνάγκη ἦν ἀλλὰ μὴ βασιλευέτω, ὅπερ ἐστὶ προαιρέσεως. «Ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ἡμῶν σώματι, εἰς τὸ ὑπακούειν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ· μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ, ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας, καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ. Ἁμαρτία γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐ κυριεύσῃ.» Τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας εὐχείρωτον ἦν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Οὔτε γὰρ Πνεῦμα παρῆν τὸ βοηθοῦν, οὔτε βάπτισμα τὸ νεκρῶσαι δυνάμενον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Χριστὸς παραγέγονεν, καὶ βάπτισμα ἐλάβομεν, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα διὰ βαπτίσματος, γέγονεν ἡμῖν εὐχειρῆ τὰ παλαίσματα. «Οὐ γάρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χάριν· τί οὖν, ἁμαρτήσομεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ χάριν; Μὴ γένοιτο!» Τοῦτο δείκνυσι προσκαίρους ὄντας τοὺς ἀγῶνας. «Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ᾧ παριστάνετε ἑαυτοὺς δούλους εἰς ὑπακοὴν, δοῦλοί ἐστε ᾧ ὑπακούετε, ἤτοι ἁμαρτίας εἰς θάνατον, ἢ ὑπακοῆς εἰς δικαιοσύνην;» Ἀντίθεσιν θεὶς τὴν λέγουσαν, Τί οὖν; ἁμαρτήσομεν; καὶ πρώτην αὐτὴν λύσιν ἐπαγαγὼν, τὴν ἐξ ἀπαγορεύσεως, μὴ γένοιτο εἰπὼν, ἐπάγει καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, τρίτην τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κολάσεως· ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αὕτη ἐστίν· Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ᾧ παριστάνετε ἑαυτοὺς δούλους εἰς ὑπακοὴν, δοῦλοί ἐστε ᾧ ὑπακούετε; Ὅμοιον ὡσεὶ λέγοι· Οὔπω λέγω τὴν γέενναν, οὐδὲ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην κόλασιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐνταῦθα αἰσχύνην, ὅταν δοῦλοι γένησθε, καὶ ἑκόντες δοῦλοι, καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ δοῦλοι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ μισθῷ ὥστε πάλιν ἀποθανεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος θάνατον εἰργάσατο σωματικὸν, καὶ τοσαύτης ἐδεήθη τῆς θεραπείας τὸ ἕλκος, ὥστε τὸν ∆εσπότην ἁπάντων εἰς θάνατον κατελθεῖν, καὶ οὕτω λῦσαι τὸ κακὸν, μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην δωρεὰν καὶ ἐλευθερίαν λαμβάνουσά σε ἑκόντα αὐτὴν πάλιν κλινόμενον, τί οὐκ ἐργάσηται; 95.488 «Χάρις δὲ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ἦτε δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας.» Ἀναμιμνήσκει πάλιν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, ὅτι τε μεγάλων ἀπηλλάγησαν κακῶν· καὶ οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείων πόνων, ἀλλ' ἐκ χάριτος Θεοῦ. «Ὑπηκούσατε δὲ ἐκ καρδίας, εἰς ὃν παρεδόθητε τύπον διδαχῆς.» Τὸ μὲν, ἐκ καρδίας, τὸ αὐτεξούσιον δηλοῖ· τὸ παρεδόθητε, τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν αἰνίττεται. «Ἐλευθερωθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.» ∆ύο ἐνταῦθα δείκνυνται τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεαὶ, τό τε ἁμαρτίας ἐλευθερῶσαι, καὶ τὸ δουλῶσαι τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, ὅπερ ἐλευθερίας ἁπάσης ἄμεινόν ἐστι. «Ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν.» Ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν ἀπῄτησεν ἀκρίβειαν βίου, νεκροὺς εἶναι κελεύων, δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὑπέρογκον ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα σύμμετρον καὶ κοῦφον, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει λέγων, ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν συνηθείᾳ γινομένων. «Οὕτω νῦν παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν· ὅτε γὰρ δοῦλοι ἦτε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.» Ὅτε ἐν πονηρίᾳ ἔζητε καὶ ἀσεβείᾳ, μετὰ τοσαύτης ἔζητε ὑπακοῆς, ὡς μηδὲν καθόλου πράττειν καλόν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ μετέστητε πρὸς τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς ἔκδοτε τῇ ἀρετῇ, μηδὲν καθόλου τῆς κακίας πράττοντες. «Τίνα οὖν καρπὸν ἔχετε τότε, ἐφ' οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνετε;» Τοιαύτη ἦν ἡ δουλεία, φησὶ, ὡς καὶ τὴν μνήμην αὐτῆς νῦν αἰσχύνην φέρειν. Εἰ δὲ ἡ μνήμη καταισχύνει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ πρᾶξις. ∆ιπλῆ τότε παρεβλάπτεσθε, φησὶν, καὶ αἰσχύνης ἄξια πράττοντες, καὶ οὐκ εἰδότες αἰσχύνεσθαι. «Τὸ γὰρ τέλος ἐκείνων θάνατος· νῦν δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ Θεῷ.» Ἐπειδὴ ἡ αἰσχύνη οὐ σφόδρα δοκεῖ φορτικὸν εἶναι, ἐπὶ τὸ πάνυ φοβερὸν ἔρχεται, τὸν θάνατον λέγων. «Ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν· τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Ὅρα πῶς τὰ μὲν δείκνυσιν ἤδη δεδομένα, τὰ δὲ ἐν