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we have become unconquerable. And he has added, "who walk not after the flesh," showing the ease of the achievement. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." He calls grace the law of the spirit. The law of sin, he does not mean that of Moses; for how could he, when he often called it just 95.500 and holy? but that which wars against the law of the mind, that is, sin. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." The meaning is this: Since, he says, the law came to justify man because sin tyrannized the flesh, for this reason He sent the Only-begotten, so that through His own flesh He might condemn sin; and he rightly called the flesh of Christ the likeness of sinful flesh. For it was not sinful flesh itself, but a likeness of flesh. For, it says, no guile was found in his mouth. And the phrase, "for sin," declares the reason for his arrival; that the Father sent the Son to abolish sin. By flesh he means the carnal mind. "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." What is "the righteousness"? In place of, "the end," and "the purpose." For what the law wished to do, and could not; and this was to justify man, this Christ has done. See how everywhere he puts "not walking according to the flesh," as if to say: The flesh has been freed from the law of sin, since sin has been removed; let us not again draw upon ourselves a voluntary slavery. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit; for to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace; because the carnal mind is enmity against God." Instead of, those who are filled with a carnal mind, that is, of wickedness. "For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." He calls the carnal mind the earthly reasoning, which is devoted to the things of this life and to wicked deeds. He does not say this, that it is impossible for the wicked man to become good; but that it is impossible for one who is wicked to be subject to God. However, being changed, it is easy to become good and to be subject, and, as the saying is true, history is full of examples. Paul from a persecutor a preacher of the truth, the thief among the plants of paradise; Manasseh, the Ninevites, and countless others. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Again he calls "flesh" the carnal and worldly life, full of luxury and debauchery which makes the whole man carnal. 95.501 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit." He shows that he who lives rightly is not even in the body, but, as it were, while still walking on earth, has his conversation in heaven. "If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." The phrase, "if so be that the Spirit," he puts in many places, not with doubt, but with very strong belief, and in place of "since," as when he says: "If so be it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble us." Instead of, since this is righteous. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." He did not say, "but if you do not have," but applied the painful statement to others. "And if Christ be in you." Again Christ upon them, increasing for them the pleasure and the longing for him. "The body is dead because of sin." What he says is such as this: For those in whom Christ dwells, their body is dead to sin; that is, it in no way obeys sin, but is as if dead to it, our bodies differ in no way from bodies lying in a coffin, with respect to the working of sin. "But the Spirit is life because of righteousness." By righteousness he means Christ himself. For he has been made unto us righteousness from God, according to the voice of the Apostle himself. Therefore our spirit will live, having Christ dwelling in it. "But if the Spirit of him that raised us from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies through his indwelling

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ἀχείρωτοι γεγόναμεν. Τὸ δὲ, μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσι, προστέθεικεν, τὸ εὔκολον τοῦ κατορθώματος δηλῶν. «Ὁ γὰρ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου.» Νόμον πνεύματος τὴν χάριν λέγει. Νόμον ἁμαρτίας, οὐ τὸν Μωΰσεώς φησι· πῶς γὰρ, ὃν δίκαιον 95.500 καὶ ἅγιον πολλάκις ὠνόμασεν; ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς, τουτέστι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. «Τὸ γὰρ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ ἠσθένει διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς, ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Υἱὸν πέμψας ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί.» Ὁ νοῦς οὗτος· Ἐπειδὴ ἦλθε, φησὶν, ὁ νόμος εἰς τὸ δικαιῶσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον διὰ τὸ τυραννεῖν τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τούτου χάριν ἔπεμψε τὸν Μονογενῆ, ἵνα διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ κατακρίνῃ ἁμαρτίαν· καλῶς δὲ τὸ ὁμοίωμα σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας, ὠνόμασεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν σάρκα. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν σὰρξ ἁμαρτίας καὶ αὐτὴ, ἀλλ' ὁμοίωμα σαρκός. Οὐ γὰρ εὑρέθη, φησὶν, δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, περὶ ἁμαρτίας, τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀφίξεως δηλοῖ· ὅτι διὰ τὸ καταργῆσαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀπέστειλεν τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατήρ. Σάρκα τὸ σαρκικὸν φρόνημά φησιν. «Ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα.» Τί ἐστι, τὸ δικαίωμα; ἀντὶ, τὸ τέλος, καὶ ὁ σκοπός. Ὃ γὰρ ἐβούλετο ὁ νόμος ποιεῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν· τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ δικαιῶσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ὁ Χριστός. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς πανταχοῦ τὸ μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατεῖν τίθησι, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Ἠλευθερώθη σὰρξ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐκ μέσου γενομένης τῆς ἁμαρτίας· μὴ πάλιν αὐθαίρετον δουλείαν ἐπισπασώμεθα. «Οἱ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες, τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα, τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, θάνατος· τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη· διότι τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρα εἰς Θεόν.» Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἱ φρονήματος σαρκικοῦ πεπληρωμένοι, τουτέστι κακίας. «Τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται.» Φρόνημα σαρκός φησιν, τὸν γεώδη λογισμὸν, τὸν πρὸς τὰ βιωτικὰ καὶ τὰς πονηρὰς πράξεις ἐπτοημένον. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, ὅτι ἀδύνατον τὸν πονηρὸν γενέσθαι καλόν· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀδύνατον πονηρὸν μὲν ὄντα, ὑποταγῆναι τῷ Θεῷ. Μεταβαλλόμενον μέντοι, καλὸν γενέσθαι καὶ ὑποταγῆναι ῥᾴδιον, καὶ, ὡς ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, μεστὴ τῶν παραδειγμάτων ἡ ἱστορία. Παῦλος ἐκ διώκτου κήρυξ τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁ λῃστὴς ἐν παραδείσου φυτοῖς· ὁ Μανασσῆς, οἱ Νινευῗται, καὶ ἄλλοι μύριοι. «Οἱ δὲ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες, Θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται.» Σάρκα πάλιν τὸν σαρκικὸν βίον καὶ κοσμικὸν λέγει, καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ ἀσωτίας γέμοντα τὸν ὅλον σαρκοποιοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. 95.501 «Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν Πνεύματι.» ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐν σώματί ἐστιν ὁ ὀρθῶς βιῶν, ἀλλ' οἷον ἔτι περιπατῶν ἐν γῇ, ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτεύεται. «Εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν.» Τὸ, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα, πολλαχοῦ τίθησιν, οὐκ ἀμφιβόλως, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα πιστικῶς, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπείπερ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἴπερ δίκαιον παρὰ Θεῷ ἀνταποδοῦναι τοῖς θλίβουσιν ἡμᾶς θλίψιν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐπείπερ τοῦτο δίκαιόν ἐστιν. «Εἰ δέ τις Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ.» Οὐκ εἶπεν, εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἔχετε, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἄλλων προήγαγε τὸ λυπηρόν. «Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν.» Πάλιν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπ' αὐτῶν, αὔξων αὐτοῖς τὴν ἡδονὴν καὶ τὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ πόθον. «Τὸ μὲν σῶμα νεκρὸν δι' ἁμαρτίαν.» Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οἷς Χριστὸς ἐνοικεῖ, τούτων νεκρὸν τὸ σῶμα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· τουτέστι κατ' οὐδὲν ὑπακούει τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλ' οἷον τέθνηκεν αὐτῇ, οὐδὲν διαφέρει τῶν ἐν σορῷ κειμένων σωμάτων τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν, πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐργασίαν. «Τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωὴ διὰ δικαιοσύνην.» ∆ικαιοσύνην αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν φησιν. Γέγονε γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου φωνήν. Ζήσεται οὖν ἡμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα ἔνοικον ἔχον τὸν Χριστόν. «Εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος ἡμᾶς ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὁ ἐγείρας ἐκ νεκρῶν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, ζωοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ