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The Divine Apostle, as we have already said, intends to prove that the incarnation of God and our Savior Jesus Christ took place out of necessity. That is why he spoke about those who lived outside the law and under the law, denouncing that some have transgressed the natural law, while others have violated the law of Moses and are worthy of extreme punishment. In this he imitated the best doctor, who first allows the sufferers to see the severity of the disease, and then offers healing medicine to help. For in the same way he, having exposed the iniquity of both and shown that they are subject to responsibility and worthy of punishment, finally offers the medicine of faith, reveals the love of mankind of the Divine economy and says: Rom.3:9. What else are we going to get? For the Jews and Greeks were all under the sin of being, Rom.3:10. as it is written, that no one is righteous, Rom.3:11. understand not, and seek God not: Rom.3:12. all of them have turned away, and together they have become indecent: do not do goodness, not even to one. (Ps. 13:2–3) Rom.3:13. The grave is opened with their throats, their tongues are flattering, the poison of asps is under their lips: (Ps. 139:3) Rom.3:14. whose lips are full of oaths and sorrow. (Ps. 9:28) Rom.3:15. Their feet are quick to shed blood: (Proverbs 1:16) Rom.3:16. contrition and bitterness are on their paths, Rom.3:17. and I have not known the path of peace. (Isa. 59, 7–8) Rom.3:18. There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Ps. 35:2) And in what was previously interpreted, the Apostle, having compared circumcision and uncircumcision, added: What did Judaea lose? (Rom.3:1). And here, intending to show the superiority of the gospel grace, he said: What have we gained? For we have proven that both those living outside the law and those living under the law have sinned. He also added David’s testimony, as being very relevant to the present subject. And he does this, most of all caring about brevity, for otherwise he would have called upon all the prophets who spoke about them like this and even more incongruously to accuse the Jews. Why did the Apostle add: Rom.3:19. We, as the great law speaks, says to them that are in the law: And he expressed this with great accuracy, for he did not say: “about those who are in the law,” but: “about those who are in the law.” He says a lot about the Babylonians, the Persians, the Medes, the Egyptians and many other peoples; however, he also communicated his predictions to the Jews about them. let every mouth be stopped, and the whole world will be guilty of God The Apostle again used the words according to his characteristic way of expression. For God does not lay down laws for everyone and admonish people in order to make them guilty of punishments; on the contrary, providing for their salvation He does this; those who follow the opposite path incur punishment. Then, preparing to show the gifts of faith, he first shows that all have need of it, and those who boast in the law more than others. Rom.3:20. Without the works of the law all flesh shall not be justified in His sight: In the Law of Moses, other things were consistent with natural knowledge, such as: do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not listen to your neighbor with false testimony, honor your father and your mother (Ex. 20: 12-16), and so on. For even those who did not accept this law knew that each of the things prohibited by it was subject to condemnation and punishment. But the Lawgiver added something useful at that time for some Jews, I mean circumcision, the Sabbath, sacrifices, sprinklings, regulations about the leper shedding his seed, and the like, which all serve as a sign of something else, and in itself, being fulfilled, is not enough to make the one doing it righteous. That is why the divine Apostle said: Without the works of the law all flesh will not be justified in His sight. And so that no one would think that he was blaming the law, he added: law for the knowledge of sin. that is, the law implanted in people the most accurate knowledge of sin and made its condemnation the strongest, but could not suffice for people to excel in virtue. Thus, having proven that the law is only a teacher of beauty, it proves the power of grace. Rom.3:21. Now, in addition to the law, the truth of God has appeared, and the Prophet also bears witness from the law. Who can worthily marvel at the power of apostolic wisdom? For he proved at the same time that the law has ceased and speaks in favor of grace. Very opportunely, he also said this: he appeared, because he made the hidden secret of the House of God clear to everyone. In the comparison of law and grace he allowed us to see the superiority of victory, making the law itself and the prophets witnesses of grace. Rom.3:22. The truth of God through the faith of Jesus Christ is in all and on all who believe: What was said before is repeated to fill in what is missing. since the Apostle said: The truth of God has appeared, and then introduced something else into the speech, then, of necessity, repeating this word, he indicates those who use this truth by faith in the Lord Christ, although Jews or Greeks will wish to gain it. For, having said: in all, he means the Jews, and when he said: in all, those who believed from other nations, and continues, stating this more clearly. Rom.3:23. we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, Briefly showed that everyone is guilty and needs grace. Rom.3:24. we will be justified by His grace, by the deliverance that is in Christ Jesus, For, having brought faith alone, we received remission of sins, because the Lord Christ, as if a kind of ransom, offered His own body for us. Rom.3:25. God has ordained cleansing through faith in His blood, The golden shield served as a purifier, and she reclined on an ark and had images of Cherubim on both sides; on it God's favor was made clear to the serving bishop. Therefore, the divine Apostle teaches that the Lord Christ is the true purifier. For this ancient thing was a prototype of this true one. This name befits Him as a man, and not as God. For as God He gives answers through purification, and as a person He accepts this name, like others, such as: sheep, lamb, sin, oath, and the like. But the ancient purification was also bloodless, as inanimate, and received drops of the blood of sacrificial animals, and the Lord Christ is both God and purification, and a Bishop and a lamb, and with His own blood acquired our salvation, demanding from us one faith. for the revelation of His righteousness, for the remission of former sins, Rom.3:26. in the longsuffering of God, to demonstrate His righteousness at this time, And God showed His own grace, for a long time showing patience towards people who break the law, but He also made His truth obvious to everyone. And that it was not in vain that he endured people who transgressed the law, but prepared for them this medicine of salvation, the Apostle says about this: that he may be righteous and justify all things by the faith of Jesus. We must know both – that the God of all truthfully and lovingly arranged our salvation, and that everyone who believes in the Lord Christ harvests the fruit of righteousness from faith. Having thus briefly shown the gifts of grace, he returns again to the word about the law and shows that it gives way to grace. Rom.3:27. Where's the praise? This should be read as a question; then the answer follows: By driving away. He did not say: “Destroyed,” but: Having been driven away, that is, it no longer has a place. The high opinion of the Jews about themselves is called praise, for they were magnified as the only ones who benefited from God’s providence for them. But as soon as the grace of God appeared and was poured out on all nations, the praise of the Jews ceased, because God gave people a short way to salvation - faith. For this is what the Apostle teaches in subsequent words. Which law? are you doing? Neither, but by the law of faith. Not only did he call faith the law, but he recalled the prophecy of Jeremiah, for it is said: in those days and at that time I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that their father commanded (Jer. 31:31-32). If the Mosaic law is called a covenant and the new one is also called a covenant, and it legitimizes faith in Christ, then the divine Apostle prophetically gave faith the name of law. Then he composes a word about faith. Rom.3:28. We think that by faith a man will be justified without the works of the law. The law here refers to the law of Moses. However, he did not say: We think that a Jew will be justified by faith, but a man, using the general name of nature. Therefore, in the form of a conclusion, I added: Rom.3:29. Or is the God of the Jews only, and not of languages? Yes, and languages. Then, as if it were indisputable, he confirms this positively. Rom.3:30. For there is only one God, who will justify circumcision by faith and uncircumcision by faith. There is one, says the Apostle, God of all, one Creator of all, and it is impossible for Him to take care of some and leave others without care for them. Therefore, salvation is given to all believers. He calls the Jews circumcision, and uncircumcision the Gentiles. It also resolves the objection. Rom.3:31. Do we then destroy the law by faith? Let it not be: but we affirm the law. For a long time both the law and the prophets foretold about faith. Therefore, by accepting faith, we establish the law. Then the Apostle presents evidence for this and, having the opportunity to cite very many testimonies of the prophets, goes back to the very root of the Jews, shows that the patriarch Abraham acquired righteousness by faith, and says: Rom.4:1. What then did Abraham our father say to gain according to the flesh? That is, before Abraham believed in God, did you hear about some of his righteousness accomplished by deeds? For, having said: according to the flesh, the Apostle means righteousness in works, because we accomplish works with the help of the body. Rom.4:2. If Abraham were justified by his works, he would have praise, but not with God. The performance of good deeds crowns those who do them, and does not show God’s love for mankind. But faith makes both of them clear—the disposition toward God of the one who believes, and God’s love for mankind, because he who receives faith proclaims the one who acquires it. And this is confirmed by the Apostle by the testimony of Scripture. Rom.4:3. What does Scripture say? Abraham believed in God, and imputed to him as righteousness. For blessed Abraham, not guided in life by the law, was vouchsafed this Divine testimony about him, but, having believed in the One who called, he reaped the wealth of righteousness. Rom.4:4. But to the one who works the reward is not imputed according to grace, but according to duty: For the worker of righteousness demands a reward, and righteousness from faith is the gift of God of all. The following words also show this. Rom.4:5. but to the one who does not do it, but believes in him who justifies the wicked, his faith in righteousness is imputed. Thus, having proved by the example of the patriarch Abraham that faith is older than the law, the Apostle calls another reliable witness: the prophet and king David, to whom God of all things renewed the promises given to Abraham. For just as he promised to the patriarch Abraham that his seed would bless all nations (Gen. 22:18), so he said to the divine David: I have sworn one oath on My Holy One, if I lie to David: His seed will endure forever, and his throne is like the sun before Me, and like the moon is perfect forever: and a faithful witness in heaven (Ps. 88, 36–38); and again: I will lay his hand on the seas, and his right hand on the rivers (26); and also: And all the kings of the earth will worship him, all the nations will serve him (Ps. 71:11), and the like. And since the Apostle proved that blessed Abraham acquired righteousness by faith, but Abraham lived before the law was given, then, of necessity, he presents David, who was already living under the law, as a witness of grace, and says: Rom.4:6. Just as David speaks of the blessedness of man, God imputes to him righteousness without the works of the law: Rom.4:7. blessedness, those who have given up iniquity, and those who have covered themselves with sin: Rom.4:8. blessed is the man, to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Ps. 31:1-2), that is, the law imposed punishment on those who sinned, and the Prophet blessed those who received remission of sins. Therefore, it is clear that he pleases us and foreshadows the gifts of grace. The Apostle shows that this grace is offered to everyone, and says interrogatively: Rom.4:9. Is this blessedness for circumcision or for uncircumcision? Then again Patriarch Abraham proves what was supposed. The verb is that faith in truth was imputed to Abraham: Rom.4:10. what the hell is that imputed to him? Am I circumcised or uncircumcised? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. The apostle proved that faith is older than not only the law, but also circumcision itself, and that the patriarch, before circumcision, received a testimony of his righteousness by faith. Therefore, what was the need for circumcision for one who acquired righteousness through faith? The Apostle clearly teaches about this. Rom.4:11. And the sign of the acceptance of circumcision, the seal of the righteousness of faith, even in uncircumcision: Circumcision, says the Apostle, is not righteousness, but a testimony of righteousness, a seal and sign of the faith that Abraham showed before circumcision. for since he was the father of all who believe in uncircumcision, he will be counted as righteousness: Rom.4:12. and the father of circumcision, Here you should put a sign that the speech is over. For the Apostle shows that the patriarch, firstly, is the father of those who believed in uncircumcision, because he himself, while still uncircumcised, offered God the gift of faith, and then the father of the Jews, as those who received circumcision with him. And this is revealed most clearly in the added words. not existing only by circumcision, but also walking in the footsteps of faith, even in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham. If someone, descended from pagans and not having received circumcision, follows in the footsteps of the faith of the patriarch, which he showed before circumcision, then he will not be alien to kinship with him. For the God of all, foreseeing as God that he would gather one people from pagans and Jews and that he would grant them salvation through faith, prefigured both in the patriarch Abraham. For, showing that even before circumcision he acquired righteousness from faith and after circumcision he lived, not guided by the Mosaic Law, but being under the guidance of faith, he called him the father of tongues, so that, looking at him, Jews and Greeks would be jealous, not some about circumcision, and others about uncircumcision, but both about faith. For the Divine Scripture does not call circumcision or uncircumcision righteousness, but faith. Thus, having proved that faith is older and more honorable than the law, he also proves that the law is later than the promise given to Abraham, confirming that grace is older than the law. For promises were made about her to Abraham, and God promised to bless all nations about his seed. And the promise was fulfilled by the Lord Christ. Rom.4:13. For the promise was not made to Abraham by law, or to his seed, that he should be the heir of the world, but by the righteousness of faith. For, having believed in God, and not being guided in life by the Law of Moses, he received promises of blessing the nations. Rom.4:14. If they are heirs of the law, faith is destroyed, and the promise is ruined: For if those who lived according to the law are worthy of the promised blessings, then in vain Abraham believed God; the promises given to him by God were false and not true. Rom.4:15. the law for wrath is done: For the law usually punishes those who transgress it; The apostle called punishment wrath. where there is no law, no crime. For the law punishes criminals; keeping and crime are associated with the law, when some, out of their concern for virtue, decide to keep the law, while others, out of negligence, fearlessly agree to break it. Rom.4:16. For this reason, by faith, and by grace, the promise was made known to all the seed, not just that which is of the law, but also that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. The Apostle reduced the arrogance of the Jews by calling those imitating Abraham's faith the seed of Abraham, although they were foreigners by birth. If the law punishes criminals, and grace grants remission of sins, then it makes the promise of God sure, granting blessing to the nations. But since he called Abraham the father of both pagans and Jews, he confirms this word with the testimony of Scripture. Rom.4:17. As it is written: like a father who set you in many tongues (Gen. 17:5). Then he reinforces the testimony with an example. Directly to God, in Him is faith, who gives life to the dead, and calls things that do not exist as if they exist, that is, just as God is the Creator of everything, the God and Provider of all, so He made Abraham the father of all, not only the Jews, but also all believers. The Apostle also reveals the abundance of Abraham’s faith. Rom.4:18. Even more than the hope of faith is the hope of his father, who had many tongues, according to what was said, so shall your seed be. (Gen. 15:5) Rom.4:19. And I did not faint with faith, nor did I see my flesh already mortified, centuries old, nowhere, and the false deadness of Sarah. Seeing that his wife was barren, that both were beset by the infirmities of old age, that according to human reasoning there was not the slightest hope for childbearing, and that it was impossible to encourage oneself with any ancient example, Abraham accepted God’s promise with faith. For in words more than hope the Apostle understands hope in accordance with nature, and in words of hope - hope in the promise of God. Rom.4:20. I did not doubt the promises of God through unbelief, but made it possible through faith, giving the glory to God Rom.4:21. and having been known, because he promised, he was able to eat and do. For he did not pay attention to the weakness of nature, but undoubtedly believed in its Creator. Rom.4:22. Likewise, impute to him the truth, and namely: faith. Having thus proved that faith flourished both in those who lived under the law and in those who were before the law, the Apostle turns his speech to the real subject of the word. Rom.4:23. It was not written for that one thing, but it was imputed to him: Rom.4:24. but also for us, who wants to be imputed to those who believe in Jesus Christ our Lord who rose from the dead, And the patriarch, seeing the deadness of his wife, believed that it was not difficult for God to fulfill the promise, and we, hearing that the Jews call our Lord dead, believe that He has risen. Therefore, we too will reap the fruits of faith and acquire the truth that grows through faith. For it was not written in vain that the Lord God created with the patriarch Abraham, but so that we, looking at this, would show faith equal to Abraham’s. And this: He who raised Jesus Christ our Lord, - the Apostle said about humanity, for by what he suffered, by that he was resurrected; suffering is characteristic of the flesh, and not of the impassive Divinity. Rom.4:25. Who was quickly betrayed for our sins, and who arose for our justification. For He endured suffering for our sins in order to pay our debt and so that His Resurrection would result in a general resurrection of all. In Him we acquire the means of justification and, being buried in baptism, we accept the remission of sins. Thus, having demonstrated the power of faith and revealed the gifts of grace, the Apostle turns his speech to exhortation, urging him to take care of active virtue. since he said that after the manifestation of faith the law is not valid, and showed that the patriarch acquired truth from faith, then, so that those who indulge in laziness do not turn this into an excuse for negligence about active virtue, since faith is sufficient for justification, he necessarily adds moral lessons and says: Rom.5:1. Having been justified by faith, peace imams to God by our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom.5:2. Having been brought by faith into this grace, we stand in it and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Although faith has granted us the remission of sins and made us blameless and righteous through the washing of rebirth, we must nevertheless maintain the established peace with God. For the Only Begotten, having become man, reconciled us, who were at enmity with God, and this enmity was caused by sin. Therefore, the established peace will be preserved by truth. And we especially ought to abide in it, thinking about the hopes given to us, that God will grant us the promised glory. For the Apostle called the reward for labor not a reward, but glory, showing the superiority of rewards. But since at that time they were subjected to many turmoil, enduring reproach, torment and thousands of types of deaths, then by the way he adds to them as a consolation: Rom.5:3. Not exactly, but we boast in our sorrows, The apostle clearly revealed his irresistible generosity. For he did not say: “We endure sorrows,” but: we boast in sorrows, that is, we magnify ourselves and think highly of ourselves, as those participating in suffering with the Master. And even this he did not say clearly, because it is common for perfect people like him to think this way, and he encourages others with the future. knowing how sorrow makes patience, Rom.5:4. patience is an art, and hope is an art, Rom.5:5. but hope will not put you to shame. When someone is surrounded by sad circumstances and he bravely endures their defeat, then he turns out to be well-versed and strengthens himself with hope for the future. This hope is not false, but true. For the Apostle expressed this with the word “I will not be put to shame,” since those who hope and those who are deceived in their hope are disgraced and ashamed. For the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us. For the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, which we received in baptism, kindled in us love for God. Then the Apostle shows reasons for love. Rom.5:6. Moreover, Christ, who was weak for us, died in time for the wicked. Rom.5:7. Hardly anyone will die for the righteous; for the good, no one will even dare to die. Let us think that when we were still lawless and possessed by the disease of wickedness, the Lord Christ accepted death for us; and from this we learn the abyss of philanthropy. For a righteous man, perhaps someone would have accepted death, but out of an abundance of love He died for sinners. This is what the Apostle adds. Rom.5:8. God forms His love for us, since Christ died for us while we were sinners. God shows the abundance of His love for us in the fact that the death of Christ was accomplished not for the righteous, but for sinners. For now we are justified by faith in Him, but when He suffered death for us, then we were still burdened with all kinds of sins. It is said: according to time, instead of: at the time when this should have happened. The Apostle also says this in the Epistle to the Galatians: When the end of the year had come, God sent His Son, begotten of a woman, to be under the law, that He might redeem those under the law, that we might receive sonship (Gal. 4:4-5). Rom.5:9. Much more, having now been justified by His blood, we will be saved from wrath by Him. It is obvious that, having inflicted such a shameful death on the wicked and lawless, He will free those who believed in Him from future torment. For the Apostle calls future torment wrath. Rom.5:10. If we were once reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved in His life. If, when we were hostile and enemies, he vouchsafed us with such great providence that he gave up his Son to death for us, is it possible, after the reconciliation has taken place, for us not to participate in eternal life? The Apostle again calls the Lord Christ, Who is God and at the same time man, Son. I think that it is clear to the heretics themselves what kind of nature has suffered. Rom.5:11. Not exactly, but we also boast in God our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has now received reconciliation. For we not only expect immortal life, but also in this life we ​​boast as having become close to God, thinking about the Lord Christ, who, having become our Intercessor, has purchased peace for us. After this, the Apostle reveals the secret of the Economy and explains the reason for the incarnation. Rom.5:12. For this reason, just as one man brought sin into the world, and death was brought into the world by sin, and so death entered into all mankind, in whom all sinned. The Lord God, having created Adam and honored him with reason, gave one commandment for the exercise of rational strength. For it was impossible for one gifted with reason, having the ability to distinguish between good and the opposite, to live without the law. He, being deceived, violated this commandment, and the Lawgiver at the very beginning added to the commandment the threat of punishment. Therefore, Adam, already under a death sentence, in this state gave birth to Cain, Seth and others. And therefore, everyone, as having descended from one condemned to death, had a mortal nature. And such a nature needs a lot - food, drink, clothing, housing, and various arts. The need for all this irritates passions to the point of immoderation, and immoderation gives rise to sin. Therefore, the divine Apostle says that when Adam sinned and, because of sin, became mortal, both of these things spread to the whole race. For death is upon all men, because all have sinned. For not for the ancestral sin, but for his own sin, everyone accepts the definition of death. Rom.5:13. Before the law, there was no sin in the world: sin, not imputed, does not exist in the law. The Apostle accuses those who did not live before the law, as others have suggested, but all together. For he says: before the law, that is, not before the beginning of the law, but until the end of the law, or while the law was in force, sin had power. And when there is no law, it is impossible for a crime to be committed. Rom.5:14. But royal death from Adam to Moses and over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s crime, which is the image of the future. The Apostle calls the law Moses. We also find this in the Gospel: Moses and the prophets have (Luke 16:29). So the divine Apostle in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians says: But even to this day, Moses, that is, the law, is always revered, a veil lies over their hearts (2 Cor. 3:15). Therefore he says: There is a royal death from Adam until the coming of the Savior, for then the law came to an end. It is said: The law and the prophets prophesied until John. Since the days of John the Kingdom of Heaven has been in need, and the needy have been taken away (Matthew 11:12-13). But royal death also applies to those who have not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s crime. For even if they did not violate this commandment, they dared to commit other iniquities. The Apostle called Adam a prototype of Christ, for He calls Him future on the basis that just as the first Adam, having sinned, fell under the death sentence and the whole race followed the progenitor, so the Lord Christ, having fulfilled all the truth, crushed the dominion of death and, being the first to rise from the dead, will bring all human nature to life. And since Adam was called a prototype of Christ, it shows His superiority. Rom.5:15. But just as it is a sin, it is also a gift. But what about it? Even though many died through the sin of one, the grace of God and the gift of the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abound in many. In punishment, says the Apostle, the Lord God preserved the law of justice, and when Adam sinned and was put to death, the whole race followed him; the more just, of course, is the truth to be preserved in God’s love for mankind and the resurrection of the Lord Christ to become partakers of all people. The Apostle here called the Lord Christ a man in order to accurately show in Him the prototype of Adam, because just as there is death from one man, so here the cessation of death is by one Man. Rom.5:16. And not just as we are the only ones who have sinned, but sin from one is a gift for condemnation, but a gift from many sins is for justification. The generosity of grace, says the Apostle, surpasses the statute of righteousness. For then one sinned and the whole race suffered punishment, and now all people are wicked and lawless, but God did not subject them to punishment, but gave them life. Rom.5:17. If through one sin we are united in the reign of death, and if we accept the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, we will reign in life as one, Jesus Christ. If the crime of one person established the dominion of death, then it is clear that those who have reaped the abundant gifts of God will be conquerors of death and will partake of the indestructible Kingdom and eternal life with Christ. Rom.5:18. In the same way, just as through one sin, condemnation came into all mankind, so also through one single justification, into all mankind came the justification of life. Looking at Adam, says the Apostle, do not doubt what I have said. For if this is true, as indeed it is true, and when Adam transgressed the commandment, the whole race took upon itself the death sentence; it is clear that the truth of the Savior suits life for all people. And again the Apostle says the same thing in a different way, diversifying the word and constantly repeating it, in order to teach us more clearly the mystery of the Economy. Rom.5:19. Just as through the disobedience of one man there would be many sins, and through the obedience of one righteous there will be many. The Apostle, speaking here about Adam and about grace, used the exact word: many. And among those who lived before grace we find some innocent of important sins, such as: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, the patriarchs and those who shone under the law, and also after the giving of grace, many loved the lawless life. So the Apostle, having indicated the reasons for the incarnation of God in what happened to Adam, makes an objection and attaches a solution. The objection is borrowed from what was under the law, which was given between Adam and the coming of the Savior. Why did the divine Apostle say: Rom.5:20. The law has come, let sin increase. The Apostle did not use the phrase to indicate a reason, but according to a manner of speech unique to him. He wants to say that even in previous times God did not leave people without care for them, but gave the Jews a law, and through care for them showed the light of piety to other peoples. But the word prinide is used in its proper sense, because the end of the promise given to the patriarch was Christ. For it was said to him: All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your seed (Gen. 22:18). But in the middle between Abraham and Christ the law came. Although he conveyed more accurate knowledge that sin is evil, he did not have the power to stop sin, but on the contrary, he multiplied it to the extreme, because the more commandments given, the more crimes there were. But the divine Apostle attached a brief solution. where sin abounds, grace abounds, that is, he did not diminish God’s generosity, but rather showed an excess of goodness. Rom.5:21. that as sin reigns in death, so also grace reigns in righteousness in eternal life, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Apostle concluded the chapter. It teaches that just as sin, having given birth to death, reigned in mortal bodies, arousing passions to the point of immoderation, so grace, giving believers the truth acquired by faith, has not a temporary reign, like sin, but an eternal and never-ending kingdom. For sin possessed bodies and with their death ceased to reign. The one who has died, according to the words of the divine Apostle, is free from sin (Rom. 6:7). And after the resurrection, when our bodies become incorruptible and immortal, there is grace in them, and sin will no longer have any place, because after the cessation of the passions, sin has no place. Then the Apostle raises and conveniently resolves yet another objection that arises. Rom.6:1. What are we talking about? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? It won't happen. This denial showed the absurdity of the objection. He put it out because of what was said before: Where sin abounded, grace abounded. However, the Apostle was not content with this decisive denial, but also leads the word in a different way. Rom.6:2. If we die from sin, how can we live again because of it? But how did we die to sin? Rom.6:3. Or do you not understand, just as we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death? You renounced sin, became dead to it and were buried in Christ; How can you accept this sin? Rom.6:4. We are therefore buried with Him through baptism into death: that as Christ has risen from the dead in the glory of the Father, so we too will begin to walk in newness of life. The very sacrament of baptism taught you to flee sin, because baptism has the image of the death of the Master; in it you partook of Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrection. Therefore, you must live a new life, in accordance with Him in Whom you partook of His resurrection. The Apostle calls the Divinity of Christ the Glory of the Father. For in another epistle he says: Yes, the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory (Eph. 1:17). And the Lord said in the Gospel: Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19). If the heretics do not accept this interpretation, then in this case they will not diminish the glory of the Only Begotten. For if the Father raised Him, He raised Him as a man, because He also accepted suffering as a man. Rom.6:5. If we are equipped with the likeness of His death, then we will also have a resurrection. Since the Apostle called saving baptism an image of death, by changing the name he clearly meant resurrection. For it is clear that what is planted grows. Rom.6:6. This foretells that our old man will be crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be abolished, for we will not have to deal with sin: The apostle did not call the old man the nature, but the evil disposition of the spirit. He said about him that he was killed in baptism, so that the body would become inactive for sin. For he expressed this in the words: Let the body of sin be abolished, for we must not work against sin. Then he shows this more clearly in another similarity. Rom.6:7. the dead are freed from sin. For who has ever seen a dead person desecrate another's bed, or stain his hands with murder, or do anything else inappropriate? Rom.6:8. Even if we die with Christ, we believe that we will live with Him. Therefore, we, who have been buried with Christ, must be dead to sin and await the resurrection. Then the Apostle also presents an example. Rom.6:9. Knowing that Christ has risen from the dead, who no longer dies: death does not possess Him. Rom.6:10. Even if I die, I die through sin alone: ​​but if I die, I live because of God. The Apostle sufficiently demonstrated in these words that he wants to turn believers away from sin. Christ, he says, died once and it is impossible for Him to die another time, because He now has an immortal body; and therefore we all receive one baptism. Therefore, do not expect another cleansing of sins through baptism. He said beautifully that Christ died to sin because he was not subject to death. For you did not commit sin (1 Pet. 2:22), but you accepted death for our sin. Rom.6:11. In the same way, you also think about the dead for sin, but the living of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, show your members dead to sinful activity, but love life in Christ, through which you will acquire immortal life. We must all heed this teaching and avoid the snares of sin, and call upon Christ, who saved us, for help, because He who is called will come and give us His help. With Him befits the Father with the All-Holy Spirit glory and splendor now and always and unto the ages of ages! Amen. You might be interested in: