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| Chapter XI.—Treats upon the actions of carnal and of spiritual persons; also, that the spiritual cleansing is not to be referred to the substance of our bodies, but to the manner of our former life. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Chapter XI.—Treats upon the actions
of carnal and of spiritual persons; also, that the spiritual cleansing is not
to be referred to the substance of our bodies, but to the manner of our former
life.
1. [The
apostle], foreseeing the wicked speeches of unbelievers, has
particularized the
works which he terms carnal; and he
explains himself, lest any room for doubt be left to those who do
dishonestly pervert his meaning, thus saying in the Epistle to the
Galatians: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
adulteries, fornications, uncleanness, luxuriousness, idolatries,
witchcrafts,4526 hatreds, contentions jealousies,
wraths, emulations, animosities, irritable speeches, dissensions,
heresies, envyings, drunkenness, carousings, and such like; of which I
warn you, as also I have warned you, that they who do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God.”4527 Thus
does he point out to his hearers in a more explicit manner what it is [he
means when he declares], “Flesh and blood shall not inherit the
kingdom of God.” For they who do these things, since they do indeed
walk after the flesh, have not the power of living unto God. And then,
again, he proceeds to tell us the spiritual actions which vivify a man,
that is, the engrafting of the Spirit; thus saying, “But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, benignity,
faith, meekness, continence, chastity: against these there is no
law.”4528 As, therefore, he who has
gone forward to the better things, and has brought forth the fruit of the
Spirit, is saved altogether because of the communion of the Spirit; so
also he who has continued in the aforesaid works of the flesh, being
truly reckoned as carnal, because he did not receive the Spirit of God,
shall not have power to inherit the kingdom of heaven. As, again, the
same apostle testifies, saying to the Corinthians, “Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not
err,” he says: “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor revilers, nor rapacious persons, shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And these ye indeed have been; but ye have been
washed, but ye have been sanctified, but ye have been justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”4529 He shows in the clearest manner
through what things it is that man goes to destruction, if he has
continued to live after the flesh; and then, on the other hand, [he
points out] through what things he is saved. Now he says that the things
which save are the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our
God.
2. Since, therefore, in that passage he recounts those
works of the flesh which are without the Spirit, which bring death [upon
their doers], he exclaimed at the end of his Epistle, in accordance with
what he had already declared, “And as we have borne the image of
him who is of the earth, we shall also bear the image of Him who is from
heaven. For this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God.”4530 Now this which he
says, “as we have borne the image of him who is of the
earth,” is analogous to what has been declared, “And such
indeed ye were; but ye have been washed, but ye have been sanctified, but
ye have been justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the
Spirit of our God.” When, therefore, did we bear the image of him
who is of the earth? Doubtless it was when those actions spoken of as
“works of the flesh” used to be wrought in us. And then,
again, when [do we bear] the image of the heavenly? Doubtless when he
says, “Ye have been washed,” believing in the name of the
Lord, and receiving His Spirit. Now we have washed away, not the
substance of our body, nor the image of our [primary] formation, but the
former vain conversation. In these members, therefore, in which we were
going to destruction by working the works of corruption, in these very
members are we made alive by working the works of the Spirit.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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