John Chrysostom, On Romans

He shows again from another side, that it was not possible to receive the inheritance through the law; and having compared it with circumcision, and having won the victory, he brings it out again against the law, saying thus; For if those of the law are heirs, faith is made void. For lest someone say that it is possible to have faith and to keep the law, he shows that it is impossible. For he who holds to the law as saving, dishonors the power of faith. Therefore he says: Faith is made void; that is, there is no need of salvation by grace; for it cannot display its own strength; and the promise is made of no effect. And 60.459 for the Jew might perhaps say: What need have I of faith? If, then, this is true, with faith the things of the promise are also done away with. 4. See him in all these things fighting from the beginning from the patriarch. For having shown from there that righteousness was allotted with faith, he shows the same for the promise. For lest the Jew say: What does it matter to me, if Abraham was justified through faith? Paul says, Not even that which concerns you, the promise of the inheritance, can come to effect without it; which especially frightens them. But what promise, he says? That he should be heir of the world, and that in him all should be blessed. And how is this promise made of no effect, he says? Because the law works wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression. But if it works wrath and makes men liable to transgression, it is clear that it also works a curse; but those who are liable to a curse and punishment and transgression, these are not worthy to inherit, but to be punished and cast out. What then happens? Faith comes, drawing grace with it, so that the promise may come to effect, For where there is grace, there is forgiveness; and where there is forgiveness, there is no punishment; and punishment having been done away with, and righteousness having come from faith, there is nothing to prevent us from becoming heirs of the promise that is from faith. Therefore it is of faith, he says, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise of God might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Do you see that faith not only establishes the law, but also does not allow the promise of God to fall through; while the law, on the contrary, being kept out of season, both makes faith of no effect, and hinders the promise? Through these things he shows not only that faith is not superfluous, but also so necessary, that without it there is no salvation. For the law causes wrath; for all have transgressed it; but this [faith] does not even allow wrath to arise in the first place; For where there is no, he says, law, there is no transgression. Did you see how it not only makes sin disappear once it has occurred, but does not even allow it to grow? For this reason he says: By grace. To what end? Not to be put to shame, but, To the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. He sets down two good things here, that the things given are both sure, and to all the seed, bringing in those from the Gentiles, and showing that the Jews are outside, if they contend against faith. For this is more sure than that; for faith does not harm, do not contend, but it even saves you when you are in danger from the law. Then, since he said, To all the seed, he defines to what seed. To that which is of faith, he says, joining the kinship with the Gentiles, and showing that those who do not believe like him cannot even pride themselves on Abraham. Behold, faith has worked a third thing also; for it made the kinship with the just man more exact 60.460, and showed him to be the forefather of more descendants; wherefore he did not say simply, Abraham, but, The father of us who believe. Then also sealing what was said with testimony, As it is written, he says, that I have made you a father of many nations. Did you see these things being arranged from the beginning? What then, he says, if he says these things about the Ishmaelites or the Amalekites or the Hagarenes? Now, as he proceeds, he shows more clearly that this was not said about them; but for now he hastens to another point, through which he also shows this very thing, defining the manner of such a kinship, and with much of its

∆είκνυσι πάλιν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν, ὅτι οὐδὲ δυνατὸν ἦν διὰ νόμου τὴν κληρονομίαν λαβεῖν· καὶ παραβαλὼν αὐτὴν τῇ περιτομῇ, καὶ λαβὼν τὰ νικητήρια, ἀντεπεξάγει πάλιν αὐτὴν τῷ νόμῳ, οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἐκ νόμου, κληρονόμοι, κεκένωται ἡ πίστις. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι καὶ πίστιν δυνατὸν ἔχειν καὶ νόμον τηρῆσαι, δείκνυσιν ὅτι ἀμήχανον. Ὁ γὰρ ἐχόμενος τοῦ νόμου ὡς σώζοντος, ἀτιμάζει τῆς πίστεως τὴν δύναμιν. ∆ιό φησι· Κεκένωται ἡ πίστις· τουτέστιν, οὐ χρεία τῆς κατὰ χάριν σωτηρίας· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται τὴν ἰσχὺν τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπιδείξασθαι· καὶ κατήργηται ἡ ἐπαγγελία. Καὶ 60.459 γὰρ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος ἴσως ἂν εἴποι· Τί γάρ μοι χρεία πίστεως; Οὐκοῦν εἰ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς, μετὰ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀνῄρηται. δʹ. Ὅρα ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου μαχόμενον. ∆είξας γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν τὴν δικαιοσύνην τῇ πίστει συγκεκληρωμένην, δείκνυσι καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ὁμοίως. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος· Τί γάρ μοι μέλει, εἰ διὰ πίστεως ἐδικαιώθη Ἀβραάμ; λέγει ὁ Παῦλος, ὅτι Οὐδὲ τὸ σοὶ διαφέρον, ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῆς κληρονομίας δύναται εἰς ἔργον ἐλθεῖν ἐκείνης χωρίς· ὃ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἐκφοβεῖ. Ποίαν δὲ ἐπαγγελίαν, φησί; Τὸ κληρονόμον αὐτὸν εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ πάντας ἐνευλογεῖσθαι. Καὶ πῶς κατήργηται ἡ ἐπαγγελία αὕτη, φησίν· Ὅτι ὁ νόμος ὀργὴν κατεργάζεται· οὗ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις. Εἰ δὲ ὀργὴν κατεργάζεται καὶ παραβάσει ὑπευθύνους ποιεῖ, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ κατάρᾳ· οἱ δὲ κατάρᾳ καὶ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ παραβάσει ὄντες ὑπεύθυνοι, οὗτοι οὐ κληρονομεῖν ἄξιοι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δίκην διδόναι καὶ ἐκβάλλεσθαι. Τί οὖν γίνεται; Ἔρχεται ἡ πίστις ἐφελκομένη τῇ χάριτι, ὥστε τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν εἰς ἔργον ἐξελθεῖν, Ὅπου γὰρ χάρις, συγχώρησις· ὅπου δὲ συγχώρησις, οὐδεμία κόλασις· κολάσεως δὲ ἀνῃρημένης, καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἐπιγενομένης ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως, οὐδὲν τὸ κωλύον κληρονόμους ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἐκ πίστεως, φησὶν, ἵνα κατὰ χάριν, εἰς τὸ εἶναι βεβαίαν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι, οὐ τῷ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἐκ πίστεως Ἀβραὰμ, ὅς ἐστι πατὴρ πάντων ἡμῶν. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐ τὸν νόμον ἵστησι μόνον ἡ πίστις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἀφίησι διαπεσεῖν· ὁ δὲ νόμος τοὐναντίον καὶ τὴν πίστιν καταργεῖ παρὰ καιρὸν τηρούμενος, καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν κωλύει; ∆ιὰ τούτων δείκνυσιν οὐ μόνον οὐ περιττὴν τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἀναγκαίαν, ὡς μηδὲ εἶναι ταύτης ἄνευ σωθῆναι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος ὀργὴν ποιεῖ· πάντες γὰρ αὐτὸν παρέβησαν· αὕτη δὲ οὐδὲ συστῆναι τὴν ὀργὴν ἀφίησι τὴν ἀρχήν· Οὗ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶ, νόμος οὐδὲ παράβασις. Εἶδες πῶς οὐ μόνον γενομένην ἀφανίζει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ φυῆναι αὐτὴν ἀφίησι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Κατὰ χάριν. Εἰς τὸ τί; Οὐκ εἰς τὸ καταισχυνθῆναι, ἀλλ', Εἰς τὸ εἶναι βεβαίαν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι. ∆ύο τίθησιν ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὅτι καὶ βέβαια τὰ διδόμενα, καὶ παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι, τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν συνεισάγων, καὶ δεικνὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐκτὸς ὄντας, ἂν πρὸς τὴν πίστιν φιλονεικήσωσι. Τοῦτο γὰρ βέβαιον μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνο· οὐ γὰρ ζημιοῖ ἡ πίστις, μὴ φιλονείκει, ἀλλὰ καὶ κινδυνεύοντά σε ἐκ τοῦ νόμου διασώζει. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, Παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι, διορίζει ποίῳ σπέρματι. Τῷ ἐκ τῆς πίστεως, φησὶ, συνάπτων τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη συγγένειαν, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐδὲ δύνανται φρονεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες ὁμοίως ἐκείνῳ. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τρίτον ἡ πίστις ἄλλο εἰργάσατο· τὴν γὰρ συγγένειαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον ἀκριβεστέραν 60.460 ἐποίησε, καὶ πλειόνων ἐκγόνων ἀπέφηνε πρόγονον· διὸ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ, Τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν τῶν πιστῶν. Εἶτα καὶ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ ἐπισφραγίζων τὸ εἰρημένον, Καθὼς γέγραπται, φησὶν, ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε. Εἶδες ταῦτα ἄνωθεν οἰκονομούμενα; Τί οὖν, φησὶν, εἰ περὶ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν ἢ τῶν Ἀμαληκιτῶν ἢ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶνταῦτα λέγει; Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν προϊὼν σαφέστερον δείκνυσιν οὐ περὶ ἐκείνων εἰρημένον· τέως δὲ ἐφ' ἕτερον ἐπείγεται, δι' οὗ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν, ὁριζόμενος τῆς τοιαύτης συγγενείας τὸν τρόπον, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸ τῆς