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Rom.6:12. Let sin not reign in your dead body, so that you can listen to it in its lusts. Tsarist power differs from arbitrary power in that one becomes subject to arbitrariness involuntarily, while one submits willingly to royal power. Therefore, the Apostle advises not to succumb to the dominion of sin, because the Master, having become man, crushed his kingdom. And just as he prescribes laws to mortals who still have a passionate body, he legislates what is proportionate to weakness and does not say: “Let not self-government,” but: Let not sin reign. For one thing is characteristic of sin, and the other is characteristic of our disposition. Excitement and confusion of passions occur in us by nature, and bringing into action the forbidden depends on our disposition. But the Apostle also showed the short duration of the struggle, calling the body mortal. For when the mortal limit reaches him, the battle of passions also ceases. Therefore, he commands us not to stop the arbitrariness of sin, but not to submit to sin when it inflames bodily desires without measure. Rom.6:13. Below, present your weapons of unrighteousness to sin, The Apostle, having mentioned royal power, of necessity showed its full armor and taught us how victory is acquired. For sin uses our members instead of weapons against us. but imagine God as living from the dead, I have already said this above: In the same way, you also consider yourselves to be dead because of sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus, that is, you were buried in Christ and resurrected with Him; Therefore you are dead to sin and seek another life. and your arms are the weapons of God's truth. The Apostle showed that the body is not something bad, but a creation of the good God, because if the soul is governed well or for good, it can serve God. Therefore, the inclination of the will towards the worse, as it were, provides certain weapons for sin in the members and, conversely, the disposition of the will towards the good prepares the members for serving the Divine laws. For the tongue of a chaste singer utters the hymn appropriate to the God of all, while the tongue of a drunken and extravagant singer furiously utters discordant sounds of blasphemy. Thus he is adorned with true words and desecrated by false ones. So the eye sees the chaste and the indecent, the cruel and the philanthropic. So the hand both kills and has mercy; and, in a word, all members of the body are both weapons of righteousness, if the mind so desires, and also weapons of sin, when it loves the dominion of sin. The Divine Apostle shows in both ways the convenience of victory. Rom.6:14. Let sin not possess you, - says the Apostle. For it is not nature alone that wages the struggle, but the grace of the Spirit that cooperates. This is what he added: You are under the law, but under grace. He explains that before grace, the law taught only what one should do, and did not provide any help to those who accepted the law. And grace with the law also provides benefits. Therefore, the law of grace is more perfect than the law, because with help it destroys difficulty. Then the Apostle again resolves the objection. Rom.6:15. What then: shall we sin, for we are not under the law, but under grace? He gave space to this objection for lovers of debate, and at first rejected it, showing absurdity, and said: Yes, it will not be, and then he expounds the opposite thought at greater length. Rom.6:16. Do you not know that you imagine that slaves will obey him? Naturally, you will listen to him, either sin leading to death, or obedience leading to righteousness? Whomever you decide to serve, you must obey his orders. For it is impossible to serve two masters at the same time. But truth and sin are directly opposite to each other. This is what the Lord said in the Holy Gospel: No one can work for two masters (Matthew 6:24). Rom.6:17. We thank God, for you are a slave to sin, but you obeyed from the heart, and in this way you were given the image of teaching. The Apostle showed the change in them, and revealed joy about it, giving praise to God. For he says: “You were slaves of sin, but by your free will you threw off its dominion and loved spiritual teaching.” Rom.6:18. Having freed yourself from sin, become enslaved to truth. Having overthrown slavery to sin, they took upon themselves the yoke of righteousness. Therefore, it is impossible, having this yoke on oneself, to follow the dictates of sin. Rom.6:19. I speak humanly, for the weakness of your flesh, I proportion the exhortation to nature, for I know what passions are aroused in a mortal body. just as you have presented your servants to uncleanness and lawlessness for iniquity: so now will you present your servants to righteousness and holiness. This showed that it is not the body that is worthy of condemnation, but the will that governs it poorly. What he requires from us is not something impossible, but to bring as a gift to truth the same thing that we brought as a gift to sin. And we obeyed sin when it commanded lawlessly, but if we submit to the truth, it will bring us sanctification. Rom.6:20. Whenever you are a slave to sin, you are free from truth. For they carried out the commands of one sin, but did not accept the laws of righteousness. Rom.6:21. What kind of fruit do you have then? Tell me, what are the benefits of sin? It’s better to say, it’s unnecessary to ask about this, because you silently admit to its harm, because you are covered with shame. This is what the Apostle added: Even if someone is extremely shameless, even after the cessation of pleasure he feels shame. Moreover, the Apostle shows an even greater and worse fruit of sin. What he means is not this temporary death, but eternal death. Rom.6:22. Now, having been freed from sin, having become enslaved to God, bear your fruit unto holiness: and the end is eternal life. In these words the Apostle contrasted God with sin, holiness with shame, and eternal life with eternal death. Rom.6:23. Samples of death for sin: Since sin reigned in ancient times, and now it reigns arbitrarily and the Apostle called poorly governed members its weapons, then it is right that the reward for sin was called quitrent. And this is what is usually called what is given to a soldier for his maintenance. For in the Epistle to the Corinthians he says: Who makes war with his dues when? (1 Cor. 9:7) The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here he did not say “reward,” but a gift, because eternal life is God’s gift. If someone succeeded in the highest truth, then eternal benefits are not balanced by temporary labors. Having said this that those who live by grace should not sin again, he turns the word to a comparison of law and grace, and shows the strength of one and the weakness of the other, and teaches that with the appearance of grace the law ceased. It starts like this: Rom.7:1. Or do you not understand, brethren? To those who know the law I say: How does the law rule over man, and how long does it live? And you yourself, brought up in the law, know exactly, says the Apostle, that the law has power over those who are still alive. He also gives an example corresponding to what is being discussed and says: Rom.7:2. For a married wife is bound to her husband while she lives by the law: if her husband dies, she will be freed from the law of men. Then he states this more clearly. Rom.7:3. Moreover, as I live, I am to the husband of an adulterer, if she were to be with another husband: if her husband were to die, she is free from the law, so that she would not be an adulterer, having been to another husband, that is, the law calls an adulteress not the one who, after the death of her spouse, marries another, but the one who, while her partner is still alive, has connections with another; for the latter, as having violated the law of marriage, he commands to punish. Therefore, it is clear from this that if the husband ends his life, he is legally widowed, and not illegally, to marry someone else. And although the divine Apostle knew that the law gave the living the right to dissolve a marriage when it was not to their hearts, he nevertheless listened to the Master’s teaching, which says that Moses gave this law out of the hardness of the hearts of the Jews, but the natural law did not allow this, because, as it is said, God created one husband and one wife, having established the law on marriage by creation itself. And that is why the Apostle, leaving this, moved on to the law of the dead and added: Rom.7:4. In the same way, my brethren, you also died according to the law in the body of Christ, so that you were another, risen from the dead, The Apostle, in accordance with the example, should have said: “The Law is dead,” that is, it ceased to have force; but he, condescending to the weakness of the Jews, because they greatly respected the law, and in order not to give a reason for the condemnation of the law by the heretics who attacked the Old Testament, did not say that the law had ceased, but says: “We died to the law in saving baptism, and then, having risen again, we were united with Another One who rose from the dead, that is, with the Lord Christ.” And since he called faith in the Lord a combination and a marriage, then as a result of this he shows the fruit of marriage and says: What kind of fruiting is this? - So that our members become weapons of truth. With great wisdom the Apostle proved that the law itself commands to be united with Christ; because, as was said, he did not forbid the wife, after the death of her first husband, to enter into marriage with another. Then it also shows the difference. Rom.7:5. Whenever we run in the flesh, that is, they led a life under the law, for the Apostle called the laws given to the flesh about food, about drink, about leprosy, and the like, flesh. the passions of sin, even the law, act in our lives, He did not say: “under the law,” but: “under the law,” because the law did not encourage sin, but condemned it in sin; sin made bad use of what was good. And it was not our members who created sin, but our members, the inclination of the soul for the worse, gave freedom to the effectiveness of sin. What was the purpose of this? the fruit is to create death. The Apostle taught us that before grace, living under the law, we were subjected to the strongest attacks of sin, because the law showed what we should do, but in order to do it, it did not give us help. Rom.7:6. Now let us abolish ourselves from the law, Again the law continues to spare and did not say: “the law has been abolished,” but we have been abolished from the law, that is, the law is invalid for us and we no longer live according to the law. And how will we abolish ourselves? deceased, we keep him alive, For, being subject to the law, we began to be baptized, but having died with Christ and rising with Him, we were united with the Lawgiver and we no longer need to live according to the law, because we have received the very grace of the Spirit. For this is shown by the following words: that we should work in the renewal of the spirit, and not in the decay of writing. And the Apostle opposed the spirit to the writing, and the new to the old, so that by writing he could point to the law, and by the word the old to the abolition of the law. For through the mouth of Jeremiah God says: I make a new covenant for the house of Israel and for the house of Judah, not according to the covenant which their father commanded in the day that I took their hand, that I might bring it out of the land of Egypt (Jer. 31:31-32). Therefore, the Prophet also shows the difference and the fact that with the advent of the new covenant, the old covenant must be abolished. Having said this, the divine Apostle, and, as filled with spiritual grace, foreseeing that some of the heretics will turn this into an accusation of the Old Testament and will attribute the Old Law to some other God, of necessity presents objections and gives solutions. Rom.7:7. What are we talking about? Is sin the law? In what was said above, the Apostle used many expressions that would have served as a reason for those wishing to blaspheme the law to condemn the law if he had not made the solution to the issues proposed here. It was said: The law has come, let sin increase (Rom. 5:20); and: The law does wrath (Rom. 4:15); and: By the works of the law all flesh will not be justified before Him (Rom. 3:20), and the like. Why in the decision did he present the objection of the detractors themselves, and first showed that the question was blasphemous, and accompanied it with a decisive denial: Let it not be; then explains the benefits of the law. But I didn’t know sin, just the law, that is, the law is not only not the teacher of sin, let it not be, but quite the contrary, it is the accuser of sin, because I would not have known what is bad if it had not taught me. I do not know lust, unless the law had said: Thou shalt not lust. The words “I don’t know” and “I don’t know” do not show complete ignorance here, but they express that in the law I received knowledge more accurate than my natural discernment. Rom.7:8. The reception of sin against the commandment has brought about all manner of lust in me: The apostle is trying to prove by all this that the law is not subject to accusation. since he said that with the publication of the law sins increased, so that others would not think that the law was the reason for this, it necessarily shows the way in which sin acted, namely, that by turning the publication of the law into a reason for struggle, it overcame a weak thought. Without the law, sin is dead. As long as there is no law showing what one should do and prohibiting what one should not do, sin does not take place. Then the Apostle explains this with an example. Rom.7:9. I sometimes live outside the law, Before the crime, Adam had no fear of mortals. the commandment that came, sin came to life, As soon as God gave the commandment about trees, the devil immediately approached the wife in the form of a serpent and used these flattering words, but she, having been deceived and seeing the beauty of the fruit, was overcome by voluptuousness and transgressed the commandment, and then, together with Adam, because he also tasted the fruit with her, she heard the death sentence. and this commandment was found unto me, even unto life, this unto death. The Apostle brings everything into defense of the law and commandments, but exposes the wickedness of sin. For he says: “The commandment is the giver of life; but turning to the worse gave birth to death.” For this, in fact, he said: he was found, wanting to show that the purpose of the law was different, and something else happened because of sin. Rom.7:11. It is a sin to accept the commandment, deceive me, and thereby kill me. The apostle said the same thing as before in a different way. Rom.7:12. Moreover, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. The Apostle calls the law of Moses the law, and the commandment the commandment given to Adam. And he crowned the latter with great praise, of course because she is subject to great accusations from many. For those who live carelessly and do not love the labors of virtue accuse the Lord God of giving the commandment. If He did not know, they say, what would happen, then can He not foresee the future be recognized as God? If, foreseeing a crime, he gave a commandment, then he himself is the culprit of the crime. But those who reasoned in this way should have known that rational beings are capable of recognizing both what is good and what is contrary, because the nature of irrational beings is devoid of such discrimination. The wolf is predatory, the lion is bloodthirsty, bears and leopards do the same and have no sense of sin and no conscience wounded by what has been done. And a person, if there is no one present when committing a deed, is ashamed and afraid of what he is daring to do, because his conscience is preparing an accusation against him. Therefore, is it possible for those with such a nature to live without the law? This is why God gave the commandment, so that man would know his own nature and fear the Lawgiver. One can also discern the philanthropy of the Legislator, because he did not give some law that was difficult to implement, but one that could be preserved without little difficulty. He granted him the use of all the trees, but forbade him to eat from one, not because he envied him in one thing (was this possible for the One who gave him power over everything?), but in order to teach him the rules of slavery, instill devotion to the Creator and, as a rational being, to give him an opportunity for exercise. If, having violated the commandment, he was subjected to death, then this serves as an accusation not of the One who gave it, but of the one who violated the commandment. A doctor, ordering a patient to refrain from drinking cold drinks, does this not out of envy, but with the health of the patient in mind. If he, without keeping the order, drinks water, then he incurs harm to himself, and the doctor is not subject to blame. And the Lord God honored Adam himself and his entire family with all care for them. And without mentioning anything else, let’s get down to the most important thing. For the sake of Adam and for the sake of his race, the Only Begotten Word became man and put an end to the dominion of death, which had its beginning from Adam, and promised the resurrection, and prepared the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, God knew Adam’s crime and prepared future healing. Therefore, the divine Apostle called the commandment holy, righteous and good; holy, as having taught what is due; righteous, as having truthfully pronounced judgment on criminals; good, as preparing life for those who keep it. Then he offers a new bewilderment. Rom.7:13. Is it good for me to die? And again, as usual, he denies this: Let it not happen, and indicates the cause of the disaster. But sin, let sin appear, causing death to my good ones, What the Apostle said is unclear due to its great brevity. This means that it is good, that is, the law and the commandment, that sin is shown to me, that is, it is shown that it is bad and evil. How is it shown? Making death. I recognize a tree by its fruit; Seeing death, I begin to hate the mother of death. And my teacher in this is the law. Therefore, what is bad is not the law that teaches this, but the sin that leads to death. And sin is produced by the inclination of our will towards the worse. Let the sin of the commandment be greatly exceeded. For although nature shows us sin, the law has more accurately taught us the excess of its wickedness. This: Let it be - said with omission; it is implied: Let it be obvious. For we said this above. But sin, let sin appear, causing death to the good: let the sin of the commandment be greatly sinned, that is, let it become obvious as a result of the commandment that sin is greatly sinned, or evil, sin. Then the Apostle, like some excellent painter, depicts the struggle between our nature and sin. Rom.7:14. We know that there is a spiritual law, Again he crowns the law with praise. For what is more honorable than this name? It was written, says the Apostle, by the Spirit of God; Having partaken of this grace, blessed Moses wrote the law. I am carnal, sold for sin. The Apostle brings into the midst a man agitated by passions to the point of grace. For he calls one carnal who has not yet received spiritual help. And this: sold for sin - we understand from the prophetic saying. It is said: I will sell myself for your sins (Isa. 50:1). The Apostle says the same thing here: “I gave myself over to sin and sold myself to it.” Rom.7:15. No matter what I do, I don’t understand, because he who is overcome by voluptuousness, as well as those who revel in the passion of anger, does not have a clear knowledge of sin, but after the action of the passion ceases, he begins to feel evil. It is not because I want, I do this; but what I hate, I do. This is the merit of the law - to show that this is bad, and to put hatred towards it into the soul. And the words: “what I don’t want” and “what I hate” express not necessity, but weakness; because, not by any necessity or by any force, we sin, but, carried away by voluptuousness, we do the very thing that we abhor as lawless. Rom.7:16. Even if I don’t want to do this, I praise the law because it is good. This very hatred that I have for sin, I have, borrowing it from the law. Therefore, I justify the law and confess that it is good. Rom.7:17. Now I am not doing this to anyone, but sin is living in me. This needs explanation and requires extensive exposition. The body, having transgressed the commandment, having become mortal, took into itself passionate movements, for through their mediation everything related to real life is accomplished; the wish is needed not only for the sake of food, but also for the sake of childbearing, for the sake of agriculture and for the sake of other arts; when there are no wishes, nothing is done. It also helps us to excel in virtue, for those who do not desire it cannot endure the labors necessary for this. It also produces divine love in us. Therefore, the proportionality of the desire is the promoter of good deeds, and its immoderation produces intemperance. For it also makes us encroach on other people’s marriages, covet what does not belong to us, rob, dig up coffins, dare to commit murders, and do other similar things. Therefore, the God of all things combined irritability with desire in order to limit its immoderation. However, irritability also requires something to prevent gluttony. Therefore, just as we dissolve what is hot with very cold and temper what is too cold with hot, so God, who created us, having placed in us these two passionate movements, one directly opposite to the other, taught the immoderation of each of them to limit the other. And he set his mind on them, like a driver on some young horses, and placed the yoke of slavery on them, legitimizing them to carry it evenly. And if the desire happens to stretch beyond the limit, he commanded to arouse irritability so that, rushing, it would make the yoke even again; and if irritability comes into the passion of immoderation, he ordered the desire to be set in motion again and the immoderation of irritability to be limited. Therefore, this is how the mind rules when it is sober and chaste; having become careless and letting go of the reins, he gives the horses free rein to gallop, and he himself rushes and falls with them into abysses and rapids. This is what the divine Apostle expressed here: Now I am not doing this to anyone, but sin living in me, calling the slavery of the mind and the dominion of the passions sin; the mind does not do it itself, because it hates what is being done, but the dominion of the passions acts at the same time. Rom.7:18. We know that good things do not live in me, that is, in my flesh: The apostle understands the predominance of passions, which the body, which became mortal, introduced, and multiplied the negligence of the mind. For I am diligent about what I want, but I do not achieve good deeds. For I borrowed zeal for good from the teaching of the law, but I remain powerless to bring it into action, without outside help. Rom.7:19. It is not because I want good that I do it, but because I do not want evil, I do it. Rom.7:20. If I don’t want to, I do this; it is no longer I who do this, but sin that lives within me. The Apostle said this more clearly than before. Rom.7:21. I have now acquired the law, because I want to do good, as evil is due to me. Again, in brevity, the Apostle expressed this unclearly. He understands that the law also seems good to me, because I praise what it prescribes as something good and, like him, I love what is good and hate what is contrary to it. But, however, evil is present to me, that is, sin, because I have a mortal and passionate body, mental negligence and weakness. Then the Apostle shows more clearly the struggle between the mind and passions. Rom.7:22. I take delight in the law of God according to the inner man. By the inner man the Apostle means the mind. Rom.7:23. I see another law in my heart, warring against the law of my mind and taking me captive by the law of sin that is in my heart. He calls sin the law of sin. It acts when bodily passions are torn, and the soul, due to the laziness that was initially rooted in it, cannot restrain them, but, having rejected its own freedom, agrees to servile them; however, even while servile, he hates slavery and praises the accuser of slavery. The Apostle depicted all this to show what we were before grace and what we became by grace; and, as if personifying in himself those who, before grace, were at war with sin, as surrounded by enemies, drawn into captivity and bondage, forced into slavery and not seeing any outside help, he bitterly sighs and complains, shows that the law is not able to help, and says: Rom.7:24. I am a damned man: who will deliver me from this body of death? Rom.7:25. I thank my God Jesus Christ our Lord. The Apostle calls our body the body of death, as having become subject to death, that is, mortal, for the soul is immortal. Our Lord Jesus Christ alone, says the Apostle, freed us from bitter dominion, crushing death and promising us immortality, a difficult and carefree life, without struggle and sin. And although we will enjoy this in the future life, yet in the present, using the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, we are not alone against passions, but, having it as an assistant, we can overcome them. Moreover, I myself work with my mind the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin. Rom.8:1. There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus, not for those who walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit. For now, if we do not want to, passions do not overcome us, because we have received the grace of the Spirit of God. Rom.8:2. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed me from the law of sin and death. Just as the Apostle called sin the law of sin, so he called the life-giving Spirit the law of the spirit of life. His grace, he says, through faith in Christ, granted you profound freedom, for it not only crushed the dominion of sin, but also stopped the torment of death. It also shows the method of crushing. Rom.8:3. What is weak in the law is in which the flesh is weak, Therefore, the law is not evil, but on the contrary, it is good, but powerless; He was weak in teaching the law to mortals who were endowed with nature. For at present, in all-holy baptism, the guarantee of immortality is acceptable. God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and about sin, judge sin in the flesh. The Apostle did not say: “in the likeness of the flesh,” but: in the likeness of the flesh of sin. For the Son of God took upon Himself human nature, but did not accept human sin. Therefore, the Apostle called what he perceived not the likeness of the flesh, but the likeness of the flesh of sin. For Christ, having the same nature with us, did not have the same direction of will. The Apostle says that since the law could not fulfill its own purpose, due to the weakness of those who accepted the law, since they had a mortal and passionate nature, then the Only Begotten Word of God, having become man, crushed sin with human flesh, fulfilling all righteousness, without accepting the shame of sin, and, like a sinner, having endured the death of sinners, he exposed the unrighteousness of sin, since he delivered him to death not body subject to death. But it itself crushed both sin and death. For the Word of God, as not subject to death, because it did not create sin, but having received it through the unjust sentence of sin, became like freedom among the dead (Ps. 87:6), the redemption of those rightly kept under the power of death. The Apostle explained this in subsequent words. Rom.8:4. That the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. It repaid our debt, says the Apostle, and fulfilled the purpose of the law. What was this purpose? Make those who accepted the law righteous. Therefore, if the purpose of the law is fulfilled by the economy of the Lord Christ, then the law is worthy of praise, not accusation. Having touched upon the word about righteousness, the Apostle offers an admonition about this and, having said: those who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, added: Rom.8:5. Those who are in the carnal flesh philosophize: but those who are in the Spirit are spiritual. So in another place he says: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Here he calls the grace of the Spirit “Spirit” and teaches that he who follows this grace reasons and acts as it pleases, while he who serves the flesh, that is, bodily passions, is deprived of freedom. Rom.8:6. Wisdom for carnal death is, The Apostle did not say: “flesh,” but: carnal wisdom, that is, outbursts of passions, because death is retribution for those who have sinned. and spiritual wisdom is the life and the world. He who lives spiritually becomes a partaker of peace with God. Rom.8:7. For the reason of carnal wisdom is enmity against God: The Apostle again accused carnal wisdom, that is, the dominion of the passions, and said that it was armed against God. He does not repent of God’s law; he can do less. For he who has submitted to the rule of the passions can love the service of God while he intends to work against sin? Rom.8:8. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The Apostle does not command that we should become outside the body, but that we should be freed from carnal wisdom. The following words teach this. Rom.8:9. You are in the flesh, but in spirit, because the Spirit of God lives in you. But it is clear that those who accepted this teaching were not incorporeal; on the contrary, the Apostle said about them that they are above carnal passions and have the grace of the All-Holy Spirit living in them. So the Lord said about the apostles that they were not of the world (John 15:19), not because they were outside the world, but because they were dead to the world. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Since the Apostle used the phrase “more”, and this expresses doubt, he rightly added that he who does not participate in this grace has no fellowship with Christ. And since this was enough to amaze those who heard, he heals this with the following words. Rom.8:10. If Christ is in you, the flesh is dead because of sin, but the spirit lives because of righteousness. The Apostle brought the doubtful things into clarity and showed that he blames not the flesh, but sin, for he commanded the body to become dead to sin, that is, not to commit sin. Here he called the soul “spirit,” as if it had already become spiritual, and he commands it to create the truth, the desired fruit of which is life. Rom.8:11. If the Spirit of Jesus who raised from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your dead body through His living Spirit in you. The apostle encouraged him with the hope of the future and sufficiently gave him zeal for present exploits. For he says: “Soon your bodies will be immortal and will become inaccessible to the passions that are now disturbing. And this will be accomplished by the God of all, who now generously gives you the pledge of the Spirit.” The Apostle presented to them the resurrection of Christ as a guarantee of resurrection. And he also taught us what was said that the nature of the Divinity is one, for he called the All-Holy Spirit both God’s and Christ’s, not because, as the evil-named heretics teach, the Spirit was created by God through the Son, but because he is consubstantial with the Father and the Son and proceeds from the Father, according to the teaching of the Gospel, and grace is given to the worthy through the Son. For this, the Apostle continues to teach how to overcome carnal passions. Rom.8:12. Moreover, we must not be flesh, but live according to the flesh. For, having received salvation from the Lord Christ and received the grace of the Spirit, we are obliged to render the debt of service to Him. Rom.8:13. Even if you live according to the flesh, you are about to die, According to the flesh, that is, following the passions of the flesh; The Apostle means eternal death. If you put to death the deeds of the flesh with the spirit, you will live. This is the advantage of grace over the law, that the law taught what is due, and it also has the co-operating grace of the Spirit. And here the divine Apostle, foreseeing the blasphemy of Marcion, Valentinus and Manes, expounded the doctrine with great accuracy. For he did not say: “mortify the body,” but: the action of the body, that is, carnal wisdom, impulses of passions, because you have the cooperating grace of the Spirit, and the fruit of victory is life. Rom.8:14. The little ones are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God; because those who live spiritually participate in the dignity of sonship. And here the Apostle amazes the Jews, teaching them not to think highly of themselves, because they too were called sons; for they are deprived of this honor - to be led by the All-Holy Spirit, as they are not partakers of grace. Rom.8:15. I did not accept the spirit of work back into fear: but I accepted the Spirit of sonhood, The Apostle again compares grace with the law and calls living under the law slavery; and at the same time he teaches that the law was written by the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, he does not call the spirit of work the All-Holy Spirit, but the law-making, and, moreover, accomplished by the Spirit of God. And if he calls the All-Holy Spirit the spirit of work, then it is obvious that the spirit of sonhood is different. But this is not so, because the All-Holy Spirit is one, but His gifts are varied and varied. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of understanding about the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and so on (1 Cor. 12:8-9). But having shown that we, as indeed, have been granted the dignity of sonship, the Apostle added: We cry out to Him, Abba Father. For we have a command, and when we offer a mysterious prayer to the Master, we call Him Father, and we say: Our Father, who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9). The Apostle added: Abba, showing the boldness of those who call. Small children, taking advantage of greater freedom before their father, since their reason is still imperfect, more often use this word when addressing their fathers. So we, out of His inexpressible love for mankind and immeasurable goodness, as commanded, call the Creator of all things Father; but we do not know how much difference there is between Him and us, and we do not understand ourselves exactly, about His nature and have absolutely no knowledge. Rom.8:16. The Spirit itself obeys our spirit, as we are children of God. By our spirit - the grace given to us; for both are called by similar names. He says that, submitting to spiritual teaching, we offer prayer. And when we do this, we are not subject to accusation, because we do it according to the Divine law. Rom.8:17. And also children and heirs: Liberation from slavery and the grace of freedom were not enough for us, but we are also adorned with the dignity of sonship and are called not only sons, but also heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. For the Apostle added: heirs to God, and heirs to Christ, since not every son is the heir of a parent, the divine Apostle rightly added inheritance to sonship. And since the servant often receives some part from the master, however, through this he does not become an accomplice of the son, then out of necessity he added: heirs to Christ, in order to reveal unspeakable love for mankind. For as long as we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him. For not all who are worthy of saving baptism enjoy these benefits, but those who, in addition to this, receive participation and communion in the sufferings of the Masters. The Apostle added this not without intention, but as a consolation to those receiving this message, for they were subjected to attacks of temptations of all kinds, endured reproach, torment, imprisonment and thousands of various deaths. Therefore, he composes a consoling word, encouraging the future and exhorting him to bravely endure the present. Rom.8:18. I am insensible, for the passions of the present time are unworthy of the glory that desires to appear in us. Crowns are superior to feats, rewards are incomparable to labors; the labor is small, but the expected benefit is great. Therefore, the Apostle did not call what was expected a reward, but glory. Rom.8:19. The creatures long for the revelation of the sons of God. Do you not see, says the Apostle, heaven, earth, sea, air, sun, moon, all visible creation, and beyond this, invisible creatures, Angels, Archangels, Power, Authority, Dominion? All this awaits your improvement. Rom.8:20. For the creature obeys vanity, not by will, but because of him who obeyed in hope. The Apostle calls corruption vanity, for soon after this he teaches: For the creation itself will be freed from the work of corruption. He teaches that all visible creation received mortal nature as their inheritance, because the Creator of all things foresaw the crime of Adam and the death sentence that would be pronounced on him. And it would be indecent and unfair for what was created for him to receive incorruptibility as an inheritance, while for himself, for whose sake all this was created, to be corruptible and passionate. But when he receives immortality through the resurrection, then what was created for him will also receive incorruption as his inheritance. Therefore, the Apostle says that the visible creation awaits this revolution, because it became changeable not by will, but out of love for the determination of the Creator. Seeing the care for us, he hopes for this revolution, as if creation itself will be freed from the work of decay. The divine David also testifies to the changeability of creation. For, having mentioned heaven and earth, he added: They will perish, but you remain (Ps. 101:27). Rom.8:21. For the creation itself will be freed from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For when they turn out to be exactly what they are called, and through the resurrection become sons of God, then all creation, without a doubt, will receive deliverance from corruption. The Apostle said this not by asserting that the visible creature is rational, but by using personification. And this is also characteristic of the prophets: one says that the pitis will weep (Zech. 11:2), the other that the trees rejoice (Ps. 95:12), and the mountains leap (Ps. 113:4), and the rivers splash with their hands (Ps. 97:8). Rom.8:22. We know that all creation is sighing and suffering even to this day. Here the Apostle also included the invisible creation, for he said: all creation. For a more precise understanding of this place, I will recall the Gospel saying, for the Lord said that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). If they rejoice over repentant sinners, then, obviously, they are dissatisfied when they see our iniquities. Rom.8:23. Not exactly, but we ourselves have the firstfruits of the spirit, and we sigh within ourselves, And what is surprising if the creature endures this for us? For we ourselves, having received many guarantees about the future, and above all the other grace of the Spirit, sigh, desiring deliverance. For this is shown by the following words. hope for restoration and deliverance for our body. The Apostle said that we have received the spirit of sonhood (15); However, it teaches more clearly that we have now received a name, but we will have the very thing when our bodies are delivered from corruption and put on immortality. And the word firstfruits meant that in the next century we will receive many times greater grace of the Spirit, for if what is now given is called firstfruits and a deposit, then it is clear that the future is many times greater than this. Rom.8:24. By hope we are saved; because we have not yet received the resurrection, but having received the promise, we are comforted by hope. But visible hope is not hope: for who sees that he also hopes? Rom.8:25. Even if we don’t see him, we hope, we wait patiently. Do not be upset, says the Apostle, when you see sorrow, for we have not given you false promises. They said: “Expect to enjoy the blessings,” but the expected blessings are not visible with bodily eyes. If they were visible, they would no longer be expected. But if they are expected, then we must wait for them with patience and not let go of the anchor of hope. Moreover, he points us to other assistance given. Rom.8:26. But the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses: We have help that is not of our own accord - the grace of the Spirit. For what let us pray, as we should, we do not know, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Do not ask, says the Apostle, for deliverance from sorrows, for you do not know what is useful, as the Ruler God knows this. Surrender yourselves to the One who holds the helm of the universe, for even if you do not ask, but only groan, according to the action of the grace living in you, He will wisely manage those who touch you and provide what will be useful for you. This is what the Apostle added: Rom.8:27. Test the hearts of the message, which is the wisdom of the Spirit, as God preaches about the saints. The Apostle here calls the Spirit not the Hypostasis of the Spirit, but the grace given to believers. For, inflamed by it, we pray more earnestly and with unutterable sighs we enter into conversation with the Savior God. The divine Apostle wrote this because he experienced it on himself, for he also asked for deliverance from temptations, and not once, not twice, but three times, and did not receive what he asked, but heard: My grace is sufficient for you: for My power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). And having realized this, he loved the very thing from which he desired deliverance for himself, and said: Sweetheart, I will boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Rom.8:28. We know that everything will work for the good of those who love God, those who are called by foreknowledge. Not everyone will hasten, but those who love; and not only will they make haste, but they will make haste for good. For if anyone asks for something unprofitable, he does not receive what he asks for, because it is unprofitable to receive it. With great precision, the Apostle added foreknowledge to the title. For God does not simply call everyone, but those who have a firm purpose. Therefore, in Corinth he said to the Apostle: Speak and let not be silent, for men are my many in this city (Acts 18:9-10); and in Mysia he forbade speaking the word. In Asia, at first he did not allow it, but then he allowed it to be done. Therefore, in Jerusalem he said to him: Run and get out of here quickly, for they will not accept your testimony (Acts 22:18). Therefore, here too the Apostle said: according to foreknowledge they were called. In accordance with the sim and the addendum. Rom.8:29. Whom did He foreknow (those), and cause them to be conformed to the image of His Son, For he not only provided, but provided, foreknowledge. The Apostle, expressing everything with precision, did not say: conformed to His Son, but: the image of His Son. He stated this more clearly in the Epistle to the Philippians. For, having said: Our life is in heaven, from there we wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, he added: Who will transform the body of our humility, so that it may be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3:20-21). And our body, of course, will not be conformed to His Divinity, but to the body of His glory. So here too he called those who were worthy of the calling conformed to the image of the Son, that is, to the body of the Son. since the nature of God is invisible, but the body is visible, then, when we worship the body, we worship the Divine in some image. as if He were the firstborn among many brethren. And the truth of the teaching testifies to this. For he is called the firstborn as man, but as God the Only Begotten, because as God he has no brothers, but as man he calls those who believe brethren. Among them He is the first-born, not as different from the Only-Begotten, but One and the same, the Only-begotten and the first-born. Rom.8:30. And if you present them, you will call them. And those he called, these he also justified; and those he justified, these he also glorified. In whom He foreknew a firm will, He ordained them from the beginning, and having ordained them, He called them; then, having called, he was justified by baptism; Having justified them, he glorified them, calling them sons and bestowing on them the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. But let no one claim that the reason for this is foreknowledge, because it was not foreknowledge that made them such, but God from afar foresaw the future, as God. For if I, looking at the zealous horse, which bit the bit and threw off its rider, say that, approaching the rapids, it will rush into it, and then according to my word this will come true, then it was not I who plunged the horse into the abyss, but I predicted what would happen, using the desperate courage of the horse as a sign. God foresees everything from afar, like God, and does not force one to excel in virtue and another to do evil. For if He Himself forced both to do both, then it would be unfair to proclaim one the winner and crown, and determine the punishment of the other. And if God is just, as he is truly just, then he encourages good and forbids the opposite, praises those who do good and punishes according to his will those who love vice. Rom.8:31. What are we saying to these people? If God is for us, who is for us? Having God as our companion, will we fear people? In the word who the Apostle included everyone in the aggregate - kings, governors, people, rulers of the people, and the whole universe in general. Then he imagines the completion of all good deeds. Rom.8:32. Who did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how then should He not also with Him give us all things? If he gave more, will he not give less? He gave the Son, will he deprive him of his property? We must know that the face of the Son is one, but human nature was given for us by the Divine. “Bread,” He says, “which I will give, My flesh is, which I will give for the life of the world (John 6:51), and: The region of the Imam will lay down My soul, and the region of the Imam will again receive it (10, 18). Rom.8:33. Who will fall for God's chosen ones? God justify. The Apostle, having said: “Because God helps us, who will harm us?”, added: “Because God. declares us righteous, who can condemn? Christ Jesus died, and even more so rose again, Who is at the right hand of God, Who also intercedes for us. What are we looking for above this? The Lord Christ died for us and, having risen, sits with the Father, he did not even stop providing for us, but, pointing to the firstfruits received from us and showing the Father the purity of it, through him he asks for salvation for us. And the Apostle said this about Him according to humanity. For, like God, he does not ask, but gives. If the heretics say that the Son does this according to Divinity, then even this will not diminish His glory. Let us imagine two kings of equal honor, having the same power, and both were insulted by some regional ruler or military leader, but one of them, having first accepted the request of the offender, asks for reconciliation with him of his accomplice in royal power; does this really detract from the dignity of the person asking? Not at all. But even this cannot be said here, because what is pleasing to the Son is also pleasing to the Father; Both have the same desire. Therefore, in the Apostle, who intended to show an abundance of care, the word takes on an adorned image of speech. Rom.8:35. Who will separate us from the love of God? Is it tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or a sword? As it is written, Rom.8:36. for for Your sake we are put to death all day long: we are counted as sheep of the slaughter (Ps. 43:23). This testimony is appropriate to what is being discussed, for it was said on behalf of men who had the same goal; The All-Holy Spirit, by the hand of the God-wise David, wrote this psalm about the wonderful Maccabees. Rom.8:37. But in all these we overcome for the sake of our Beloved. By contrasting all this with the love of all God for us, we overcome disasters. For we reason that it is most incongruous for the Lord Christ to accept death for sinners, and that we cannot with all joy endure slaughter for Him. Rom.8:38. We have known that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor beginnings, nor the power below, nor the present, nor the future, Rom.8:39. neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. Against the love of God, putting all creation on the scales in totality, and adding to the visible the imaginable - Angels, Principality and Power, adding to the present blessings the expected benefits and even threatening punishments (for by depth, as I think, he calls Gehenna, and by height - the Kingdom), and beyond this, eternal life and eternal death, and seeing that all this is still not enough, the Apostle is looking for something else to add; not seeing, he imagines another such and multiply taken creature in the word and sees that all this is not equal to the love of God. For it is necessary, he says, not to love God for the promises of good things, but for the sake of God to desire good things. A person who is sincerely disposed towards a rich person does not love him because of the abundance of wealth, but because of his commitment to him, he also loves the property that belongs to him. So the divine Apostle says: “I will not agree to have the Kingdom of Heaven, and everything visible and imaginable, and the same thing, taken twice and three times, without love for God. If someone offers me present and future sorrows, temporary and eternal death and long-lasting torment in Gehenna, then, with love for Him, I will willingly and with all readiness prefer this to everything that is brilliant, great and surpasses every word, if only with this latter I will be deprived of love.” Therefore, we will pray and try to have this love and, following in the footsteps of the apostles, to be worthy of the apostolic canopy, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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: