109
by the Spirit. For to say, that “We are not debtors to the flesh,” has shown this. And everywhere he establishes this, showing that the things that have come to us from God were not of debt, but of pure grace; but the things done by us after these are no longer of generosity, but of debt. For when he says, “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men,” he hints at this; and when he writes, “You are not your own,” he indicates this same thing. And elsewhere again he reminds us of these same things, saying thus, that “If one died for all, then all died; and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves.” Establishing this very thing here also, he says: We are debtors. Then, since he said, “We are not debtors to the flesh,” lest you should again take what is said to refer to the nature of the flesh, he did not remain silent, but added, “To live according to the flesh.” For indeed we owe it many things: to feed it, 60.524 to warm it, to give it rest, to heal it when sick, to clothe it, and to minister to it in myriad other ways. Therefore, lest you should think that he abolishes this service by saying, “We are not debtors to the flesh,” he interprets it by saying, “To live according to the flesh.” “For I abolish,” he says, “that zeal which leads to sin, whereas I wish the things that tend it to be done;” which he also showed as he proceeded. For having said not to make provision for the flesh, he did not remain silent, but added, “to fulfill its lusts;” which indeed he also teaches here, saying that it should be cared for—for we owe this to it—but let us not live according to the flesh; that is, let us not make it the master of our life. For it is necessary for it to follow, not to lead, nor to regulate our life, but to receive the laws of the Spirit. Having defined this, then, and established that we are debtors to the Spirit, then showing of what benefits we are debtors, he does not speak of past things, at which one might be most amazed at his wisdom, but of future things. And yet those things were also sufficient; but nevertheless he does not set them forth now, nor does he speak of those unspeakable benefits, but of future things. For a benefit once given does not so much tend to persuade the many, as one that is expected and to come. And adding this, he first frightens them with the painful things and the evils that come from living according to the flesh, saying thus: “But if you live according 60.525 to the flesh, you will die;” hinting to us at that deathless death, the punishment and vengeance in Gehenna. Rather, if one were to examine this accurately, such a person is dead even in this life; which indeed we have made clear to you in the discourse before this. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Do you see that he is not discoursing about the nature of the body, but about the deeds of the flesh? For he did not say, “But if by the Spirit you put to death the nature of the body, you will live,” but, “the deeds;” and not all of these, but the evil ones; and this is clear from what follows: “For if you do this, you will live,” he says. And how can this be, if his argument was about all of them? For seeing, and hearing, and speaking, and walking are deeds of the body, and if we were to put them to death, we would be so far from living that we would even be punished for murder. What deeds, then, does he mean to put to death? Those that are moved toward evil, that proceed toward wickedness, which it is not possible to put to death otherwise than by the Spirit. For to kill the others is to destroy oneself, which is not lawful; but these only through the Spirit. For if this is present, all the waves are calmed, and the passions cower, and nothing rises up against us. Did you see how from future things, as I said before, he exhorts us, and shows us to be debtors not only from things that have already happened? For this is not the only achievement of the Spirit, he says, that he has forgiven us our past sins, but that he also makes us unconquerable for the future, and deems us worthy of immortal life. Then also setting forth another reward, he added, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” 2. For this again is by much
109
Πνεύματι· τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὀφειλέται τῇ σαρκὶ, τοῦτο ἐδήλωσε. Καὶ πανταχοῦ τοῦτο κατασκευάζει, δεικνὺς ὅτι τὰ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένα οὐκ ὀφειλῆς ἦν, ἀλλὰ γυμνῆς χάριτος· τὰ δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν μετὰ ταῦτα γινόμενα, οὐκέτι φιλοτιμίας, ἀλλ' ὀφειλῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ· Τιμῆς ἠγοράσθητε, μὴ γίνεσθε δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων, τοῦτο αἰνίττεται· καὶ ὅταν γράφῃ, Οὐκ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν, τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Καὶ ἑτέρωθι δὲ πάλιν τῶν αὐτῶν ἀναμιμνήσκει τούτων, οὕτω λέγων, ὅτι Εἰ εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον· καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα οἱ ζῶντες μηκέτι ἑαυτοῖς ζῶσι. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα κατασκευάζων φησίν· Ὀφειλέται ἐσμέν. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὀφειλέται τῇ σαρκὶ, ἵνα μὴ τὰ λεγόμενα πάλιν εἰς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς λάβοις φύσιν, οὐκ ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγε· Τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῇν Καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ αὐτῇ ὀφείλομεν, τὸ τρέφειν αὐτὴν, 60.524 τὸ θάλπειν, τὸ ἀναπαύειν, τὸ θεραπεύειν νοσοῦσαν, τὸ περιβάλλειν, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα λειτουργεῖν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν διακονίαν, εἰπὼν, Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὀφειλέται τῇ σαρκὶ, ἑρμηνεύει αὐτὸ λέγων· Τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῇν. Ἐκείνην γὰρ ἀναιρῶ τὴν σπουδὴν, φησὶ, τὴν ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίαν ἄγουσαν, ὡς τά γε θεραπεύοντα αὐτὴν βούλομαι γίνεσθαι· ὅπερ καὶ προϊὼν ἐδήλωσεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τῆς σαρκὸς μὴ ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν, οὐκ ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγεν, Εἰς ἐπιθυμίας· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα παιδεύει λέγων, ὅτι Θεραπευέσθω μέν· ὀφείλομεν γὰρ αὐτῇ τοῦτο· μὴ μέντοι κατὰ σάρκα ζῶμεν· τουτέστι, Μὴ ποιῶμεν αὐτὴν κυρίαν τῆς ζωῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας. Ἕπεσθαι γὰρ αὐτὴν ἀναγκαῖον, οὐχ ἡγεῖσθαι, οὐδὲ αὐτὴν ῥυθμίζειν τὸν βίον τὸν ἡμέτερον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῦ Πνεύματος δέχεσθαι νόμους. Τοῦτο τοίνυν διορισάμενος, καὶ κατασκευάσας, ὅτι ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν τῷ Πνεύματι, εἶτα δεικνὺς τίνων ὀφειλέται εὐεργεσιῶν, οὐ τὰ παρελθόντα λέγει, ἐφ' ᾧ μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἔστιν ἐκπλαγῆναι τῆς συνέσεως, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα. Καίτοι γε ἱκανὰ ἦν κἀκεῖνα· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ τίθησιν αὐτὰ νῦν, οὐδὲ λέγει τὰς εὐεργεσίας τὰς ἀφάτους ἐκείνας, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἅπαξ ἡ δοθεῖσα εὐεργεσία, ὡς ἡ προσδοκωμένη καὶ μέλλουσα, ἐπάγεσθαι τοὺς πολλοὺς εἴωθε. Καὶ τοῦτο προσθέμενος, πρότερον ἀπὸ τῶν λυπηρῶν φοβεῖ καὶ τῶν κακῶν τῶν γινομένων ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῇν, οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ δὲ κατὰ 60.525 σάρκα ζῆτε, μέλλετε ἀποθνήσκειν· τὸν θάνατον ἡμῖν αἰνιττόμενος ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἀθάνατον, τὴν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν. Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσειε τοῦτο, καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ τέθνηκεν ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης διαλέξει σαφὲς ὑμῖν πεποιήκαμεν. Εἰ δὲ Πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθε. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ περὶ φύσεως διαλέγεται σώματος, ἀλλὰ περὶ πράξεων σαρκικῶν; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Εἰ δὲ Πνεύματι τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθε, ἀλλὰ, Τὰς πράξεις· καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτας πάσας, ἀλλὰ τὰς πονηράς· καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς· Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιήσετε, ζήσεσθε, φησί. Καὶ πῶς ἔνι τοῦτο γενέσθαι, εἰ περὶ πασῶν ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ; καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ὁρᾷν, καὶ τὸ ἀκούειν, καὶ τὸ φθέγγεσθαι, καὶ τὸ βαδίζειν, τοῦ σώματος πράξεις εἰσὶ, καὶ εἰ μέλλοιμεν αὐτὰς θανατοῦν, τοσοῦτον ἀφέξομεν τοῦ ζῇν, ὅτι καὶ ἀνδροφονίας δώσομεν δίκην. Ποίας οὖν πράξεις φησὶ θανατοῦν; Τὰς ἐπὶ πονηρίαν κινουμένας, τὰς ἐπὶ κακίαν χωρούσας, ἃς οὐδὲ ἄλλως ἔστι θανατῶσαι, ἢ διὰ Πνεύματος. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλας ἀποκτείναντα, σεαυτὸν ἀνελεῖν ἐστιν, ὅπερ οὐ θέμις· ταύτας δὲ διὰ Πνεύματος μόνον. Ἂν γὰρ τοῦτο παρῇ, πάντα τὰ κύματα καταστέλλεται, καὶ τὰ πάθη κατέπτηχε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμῶν κατεξανίσταται. Εἶδες πῶς ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων, ἡμᾶς, ὅπερ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, προτρέπει, καὶ δείκνυσιν ὀφειλέτας οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων μόνον; Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ, φησὶ, τὸ κατόρθωμα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅτι τῶν παρελθόντων ἀφῆκεν ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἀχειρώτους κατασκευάζει, καὶ ζωῆς ἀξιοῖ τῆς ἀθανάτου. Εἶτα καὶ ἕτερον τιθεὶς μισθὸν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅσοι γὰρ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἄγονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν υἱοὶ Θεοῦ. βʹ. Οὗτος γὰρ πάλιν πολλῷ