79

and the ruin of that, and the greatness of the gift of God. For consider, he says, what you were, and what you have become. What then were you? Dead and lost in a destruction that could in no way be repaired; for there was no one who could help. And what have you become from those dead? Living an immortal life. And through whom? Through the all-powerful God. Therefore it is right to be ranked under Him with as much eagerness as is fitting for those who have become alive from the dead. And your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Therefore the body is not evil, if indeed it can become an instrument of righteousness. And in saying instrument, he has shown that a difficult war is at hand. For which reason we need strong full armor, and a noble spirit that understands the ways of these wars well, and above all a general. But the general is present, always ready for an alliance, and remaining unconquered, and He has fashioned strong weapons for us; what is needed henceforth is a will that uses them for their proper purpose, so as to both obey the general and to use the weapons for the fatherland. Therefore, having exhorted us to such great things, and having reminded us of weapons and battle and wars, see how he again encourages the soldier, and stimulates his zeal, saying: For sin shall no longer have dominion over you; for you are not under law, but under grace. If then sin no longer has dominion over us, why do you enjoin so many things, saying: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body; and, Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin? What then is meant? He here lays down a certain seminal principle, which he intends to develop later, and to elaborate with much preparation. What then is this principle? Our body, before the coming of Christ, was easily subdued by sin. For after death a great swarm of passions 60.488 entered in; wherefore it was not very easy to run the course for virtue. For neither was the Spirit present to help, nor baptism which could put to death, but like some unruly horse, it ran, but often missed the mark, while the law prescribed what must be done and what must not, but contributed nothing more to those who struggled than the exhortation of its words; but since Christ has come, the struggles have henceforth become easier. For this reason greater contests have been set before us, since we have partaken of greater help. For this reason Christ also said: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he speaks of this more clearly in what follows, while for now he hints at it briefly here, showing that unless we are exceedingly remiss, sin will not overcome us. For it is not the law which only commands, but also grace which has both forgiven the past and secures against the future. For the one promised crowns after the labors, but this one has first crowned, and then has drawn us to the contests. But it seems to me that he is not alluding here to the entire life of the believer, but is making a comparison of baptism and the law; which he also says elsewhere, that The letter kills, but the spirit gives life. For the law convicts the transgression, but grace dissolves the transgression. Just as then the one by convicting establishes sin, so this one by forgiving does not permit us to be under sin; so that you are delivered from this tyranny in a twofold way, both by not being under law, and by having enjoyed grace. 4. Since, therefore, with these words he has caused the hearer to take breath, he again secures him, introducing an exhortation from the opposite point of view, and speaking thus: What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means. For first he uses the prohibition, because what is said is exceedingly absurd; then he also brings the argument to an exhortation, and shows the great ease of the contests, speaking thus: Do you not know, that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto

79

κἀκείνης τὴν λύμην, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾶς τὸ μέγεθος. Ἐννοήσατε γὰρ, φησὶ, τίνες ἦτε, καὶ τί γεγόνατε. Τίνες οὖν ἦτε; Νεκροὶ καὶ ἀπολωλότες ἀπώλειαν οὐδαμόθεν διορθωθῆναι δυναμένην· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν τις ὁ βοηθῆσαι δυνάμενος. Καὶ τίνες ἐξ ἐκείνων γεγόνατε τῶν νεκρῶν; Ζῶντες ζωὴν ἀθάνατον. Καὶ διὰ τίνος; ∆ιὰ τοῦ πάντα δυναμένου Θεοῦ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦτον τάττεσθαι δίκαιον μετὰ προθυμίας τοσαύτης, μεθ' ὅσης εἰκὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ζῶντας γενομένους. Καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ. Οὐκοῦν οὐ πονηρὸν τὸ σῶμα, εἴ γε ὅπλον δικαιοσύνης αὐτὸ γενέσθαι δυνατόν. Ὅπλον δὲ εἰπὼν, ἐδήλωσεν, ὅτι καὶ πόλεμος ἐφέστηκε χαλεπός. ∆ιὸ καὶ παντευχίας ἡμῖν δεῖ ἰσχυρᾶς, καὶ γνώμης γενναίας, καὶ τὰ τῶν πολέμων τούτων ἐπισταμένης καλῶς, καὶ πρό γε πάντων στρατηγοῦ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν στρατηγὸς παρέστηκεν, ἀεὶ πρὸς συμμαχίαν ἕτοιμος ὢν, καὶ ἀχείρωτος μένων, καὶ τὰ ὅπλα δὲ ἰσχυρὰ κατεσκεύασεν ἡμῖν, δεῖ δὲ λοιπὸν προαιρέσεως τῆς εἰς δέον αὐτὰ μεταχειριζομένης, ὥστε καὶ τῷ στρατηγῷ πείθεσθαι, καὶ τὸ ὅπλα ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος τίθεσθαι. Παρακελευσάμενος τοίνυν ἡμῖν οὕτω μεγάλα, καὶ ὅπλων καὶ μάχης καὶ πολέμων ἀναμνήσας, ὅρα πῶς πάλιν θαῤῥύνει τὸν στρατιώτην, καὶ ἀλείφει τὴν προθυμίαν, λέγων· Ἁμαρτία γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐκέτι κυριεύσει· οὐ γάρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ χάριν. Εἰ οὖν ἁμαρτία ἡμῶν οὐκέτι κυριεύει, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσαῦτα παρεγγυᾷς, λέγων· Μὴ βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματι· καὶ, Μὴ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ; Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Σπερματικόν τινα καταβάλλεται λόγον ἐνταῦθα, ὃν ὕστερον ἀναπτύσσειν μέλλει, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐργάζεσθαι τῆς κατασκευῆς. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ λόγος; Τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν πρὸ μὲν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας εὐχείρωτον ἦν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸν θάνατον καὶ πολὺς παθῶν ἐπεισῆλθεν 60.488 ἐσμός· διόπερ οὐδὲ σφόδρα κοῦφον ἦν πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς δρόμον. Οὔτε γὰρ Πνεῦμα παρῆν τὸ βοηθοῦν, οὔτε βάπτισμα τὸ νεκρῶσαι δυνάμενον, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις ἵππος δυσήνιος, ἔτρεχε μὲν, διημάρτανε δὲ πολλάκις, τοῦ νόμου τὰ πρακτέα καὶ τὰ μὴ τοιαῦτα διαγορεύοντος μὲν, πλέον δὲ οὐδὲν τῆς διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων παραινέσεως τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις εἰσφέροντος· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς παραγέγονε, τὰ παλαίσματα λοιπὸν εὐκολώτερα γέγονε. ∆ιὸ καὶ μείζονα ἡμῖν προετέθη τὰ σκάμματα, ἅτε μείζονος μετεσχηκόσι τῆς βοηθείας. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς σαφέστερον λέγει, τέως δὲ αὐτὸ αἰνίττεται διὰ βραχέων ἐνταῦθα, δεικνὺς, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ σφόδρα ἑαυτοὺς ὑποκατακλίνωμεν, οὐ περιέσται ἡμῶν ἡ ἁμαρτία. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι νόμος ὁ κελεύων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάρις ἡ καὶ τὰ πρότερα ἀφεῖσα, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἀσφαλιζομένη. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τοὺς πόνους τοὺς στεφάνους ἐπήγγελτο, αὕτη δὲ πρότερον ἐστεφάνωσε, καὶ τότε εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας εἵλκυσεν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ οὐδὲ πάντα τὸν βίον τοῦ πιστοῦ ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεσθαι, ἀλλὰ σύγκρισιν βαπτίσματος ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦ νόμου· ὅπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, ὅτι Τὸ μὲν γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος ἐλέγχει τὴν παράβασιν, ἡ δὲ χάρις λύει τὴν παράβασιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγχων συνίστησι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, οὕτως αὕτη συγχωροῦσα οὐκ ἀφίησιν εἶναι ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν· ὥστε διπλῇ τῆς τυραννίδος εἶ ταύτης ἀπηλλαγμένος, τῷ τε μὴ ὑπὸ νόμον εἶναι, καὶ τῷ χάριτος ἀπολελαυκέναι. δʹ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τούτοις ἀναπνεῦσαι πεποίηκε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, ἀσφαλίζεται πάλιν αὐτὸν, ἐξ ἀντιθέσεως παραίνεσιν εἰσάγων, καὶ λέγων οὕτω· Τί οὖν; ἁμαρτήσομεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χάριν; Μὴ γένοιτο. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τῇ ἀπαγορεύσει, διὰ τὸ σφόδρα ἄτοπον εἶναι τὸ λεγόμενον, κέχρηται· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ εἰς παραίνεσιν ἐξάγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ δείκνυσι πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν εὐκολίαν τῶν ἀγώνων, οὕτω λέγων· Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ᾧ παριστάνετε ἑαυτοὺς δούλους εἰς ὑπακοὴν, δοῦλοί ἐστε, ᾧ ὑπακούετε, ἤτοι ἁμαρτίας εἰς θάνατον, ἢ ὑπακοῆς εἰς