Paul says that the sacrifice is living because it has eternal life in it, which is Christ. Elsewhere he says: We always carry in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.^[1] He calls it holy because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, as he says elsewhere: Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?^[2]

The divine Word wants you to offer your flesh to God in purity, with the understanding of your reason.

How can the person who is conformed to this age, who is not transformed in the newness of his mind and who does not walk in the newness of this life but instead follows the life of the old man, obey Paul, who commanded you to present your body as a sacrifice living, holy and pleasing to God? How can you be a priest for God, having been anointed for this very purpose of offering a gift to God, not a gift that is completely alien or fraudulent because it consists of what is external to you but a gift which is truly yours because it consists of what is internal to you, which is the man inside you helping you to be perfect and blameless according to the word of the Lamb, free from all stain and dishonor?^[1] How will you place these offerings before God if you do not listen to the law which forbids an unholy man to be a priest?

Idolatry is not confined to casting incense upon an altar with finger and thumb or to pouring libations of wine out of a cup into a bowl. Covetousness is idolatry, or else the selling of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver was a righteous act.^[1] Lust involves sacrilege, or else men may defile with common harlots those members of Christ which should be a living sacrifice, acceptable to God.

Paul pleads with them through the mercy of God, by which the human race is saved. . . . This is a warning that they should remember that they have received God’s mercy and that they should take care to worship the one who gave it to them.

God’s will is our sanctification,^[1] for bodies subject to sin are considered not to be alive but dead, since they have no hope of obtaining the promise of eternal life. It is for this purpose that we are cleansed from our sins by God’s gift, that henceforth we should lead a pure life and stir up the love of God in us, not making his work of grace of no effect. For the ancients killed sacrifices which were offered in order to signify that men were subjected to death because of sin. But now, since by the gift of God men have been purified and set free from the second death, they must offer a living sacrifice as a sign of eternal life. For now it is no longer the case that bodies are sacrificed for bodies, but instead of bodies it is the sins of the body which must be put to death.^[2]

How is the body to become a sacrifice? Let the eye look on no evil thing, and it has already become a sacrifice.^[1] Let the tongue say nothing filthy, and it has become an offering.^[2] Let your hand do nothing evil, and it has become a whole burnt offering.^[3] But even this is not enough, for we must have good works also.^[4] The hand must do alms, the mouth must bless those who curse it, and the ears must find time to listen to the reading of Scripture.^[5] Sacrifice allows of no unclean thing. It is the first fruits of all other actions.

If the body, which is less than the soul and which the soul uses as a servant or a tool, is a sacrifice when it is used well and rightly for the service of God, how much more so is the soul when it offers itself to God? In this way, aflame in the fire of divine love and with the dross of worldly desire melted away, it is remolded into the unchangeable form of God and becomes beautiful in his sight by reason of the bounty of beauty which he has bestowed upon it. ^[1] FROM ^[1]

Because Paul has already mentioned the mind of the Lord, he now instructs them how they ought to conduct themselves so that they are worthy to have the mind of the Lord.^[1] They possessed nothing greater than the mercy of God because they had been set free by it. They were to present their bodies, not those of animals, as under the law, which (in spite of the fact that they were a symbolic offering) were nevertheless offered up healthy and unblemished. The living sacrifice was to be pure and free from the total death of sin. It should be pleasing only to God, not to other people. Every good work pleases God if it is done in a reasonable manner. For one is deprived of one’s reward if, for example, one fasts for public notice, for then one is performing a good deed in a foolish way.^[2] And the same applies to all vices that border on virtues.

Paul has already exhorted us to make our members instruments of righteousness and to present ourselves before God as if we had risen from the dead.^[1] But here he exhorts us to make our members a sacrifice, and one which he describes as living. He does not command us to kill our bodies but demands that they should be dead to sin.^[2]

As the fullness of God’s mercies toward us is limitless, I am obliged and I challenge us all to be set apart and offered to God as a complete sacrifice. For the present sacrifice does not lead to death, as did that under the law, but by making us holy it leads to eternal life, because it is pleasing to God and the offering of rational creatures is much more valuable than that of dumb ones.

Just as with the former law of Moses, all the priests . . . must first offer a rational sacrifice to God for themselves, and only then for the people. In his prayer, the priest asks in the first place for forgiveness of his own sins and a cleansing of his own soul and body from all sinful thoughts and actions. Then each priest offers these prayers to God in accordance with the measure of his own purity of soul.

The difference between asking and appealing is that we ask about unimportant matters but appeal about important ones. . . . Our bodies are sacrifices because the flesh is put to death. They are living sacrifices, because the Spirit has given them life.

If we display our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, he will with heavenly condescension deign to see to it that we are rewarded with the same glory as those who have given their bodies up to death for the Lord’s sake.

By this Paul shows that there is one form of this world and another of the world to come. If there are those who love this present life and the things which are in the world, they are taken up with the form of the present age and pay no attention to what is not seen. But the things which are not seen are eternal,^[1] and they are being transformed and re-newed in the form of the age to come. For this reason the world does not acknowledge them but hates them and persecutes them.^[2] But the angels of God, who belong to the age to come, see that form.

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind tells us what form is guilty, for every soul once had the form of wickedness. But the apostle’s words urge us to cast that off and to be reformed in the likeness of the individual virtues, so that once the face of our heart is revealed we may be transformed by God’s image and contemplate his glory. . . . Our mind is renewed by the practice of wisdom and reflection on the Word of God and the spiritual understanding of his law. The more one reads the Scriptures daily and the greater one’s understanding is, the more one is renewed always and every day.^[3] I doubt whether a mind which is lazy toward the holy Scriptures and the exercise of spiritual knowledge can be renewed at all.

Many people think they know what God’s will is, and they are mistaken. Those who do not have a renewed mind err and go wrong. It is not every mind but only one which is renewed and conformed (as I say) to the image of God which can tell whether what we think, say and do in particular instances is the will of God or not.

What is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. If we read this according to the Latin manuscripts, the meaning is as follows: Because the will of God is something good and acceptable and perfect, there is no doubt that it is pleasing to God. For God cannot will anything which is not good, and if something is good and perfect, then it must be pleasing to God. But if we read this according to the Greek manuscripts, i.e., that you may prove that the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect, it can also be interpreted in the same sense. Yet something else may be felt in these words, viz., that God’s will is always good but that we do not always deserve to receive what is good by his will, nor what is acceptable and perfect. For example, when Saul was anointed king it was according to God’s will, but it was not acceptable or perfect. For God was angry at the people because they refused to have him as their king, and he ordered a man to be set over them as king.^[4] . . . Thus from time to time God’s will gives us what we want and desire, but the man who is renewed in his mind must ask whether this will of God is good and acceptable and perfect, and not more likely to indulge our lusts than to serve our needs.

This is what the prophet Jeremiah meant when he talked about writing the law of God on the heart.^[1] For in the pursuit of God the spiritually minded heart will know what is good and acceptable and perfect, and it will only like the things which are pleasing to God. Filled with the goodness of the good Father it will want to do his will and will try to encourage everyone to do good.

However, it is not enough merely to do good; one must resist evil as well. For it is the rejection of evil which represents true progress toward the good.

The perfect will of God is that the soul be changed by reverence, having been brought to the full flower of its beauty by the grace of the Spirit, which attends to the sufferings of the person who undergoes the change.

The fashion of this world is groveling and worthless, and temporal as well. It has nothing noble or uplifting about it but is wholly perverted. The second part [of the verse] may mean either that we should be renewed, in order to learn what is expedient for us, or that if we learn what is expedient for us we shall be renewed. Either way, God wills what is expedient for us, and whatever he wills is by definition expedient for us.

Those who are moved . . . to turn again to the Lord out of that state of deformity wherein worldly desires conformed them to this world must receive from the Lord their reformation.

Do not be like the children of the world, you who have been made children of God, but renew your mind, by which the body is governed and all the members are directed. Thus even the movements of the body will be renewed, so that you may be able to recognize the will of God and his mind, for these are revealed only to a renewed mind.

Paul calls the things of this present life forms, e.g., wealth, power and every other splendor. But reality is what is yet to come, which will be stable and eternal.

In his usual way, the apostle says that he is speaking by the grace which has been given to him and not by the power of human persuasion, nor by philosophy. . . . There is an enormous difference between speaking by grace and speaking by human cleverness. Many people speak with a smooth voice and a clever style but do not edify their audience. They cannot get anyone to obey them, because they do not practice what they preach. People like that are not speaking by grace, which was given to Paul.

Everyone ought to know what the measure is of the grace which has been given to him, for which he has been prepared by his faith.^[1] One person receives grace from God to be wise in the work of charity, or in the service of visiting or toward the needs of the poor, or concerning the care of the sick, or the defense of widows and children, or hospitality. For God has apportioned these to each person according to the measure of his faith. But suppose someone has received grace in order to be wise about one of these things but does not understand the measure of the grace which has been given to him and wants to know more about the wisdom of God, the word of doctrine, the meaning of deeper knowledge, for which he has not received grace. He does not want to learn so much as to teach what he does not know. Because he does not know enough, he wants to know more than he ought to know.

Paul clearly allots to each one the form of ministry which is right for him and forbids him to encroach on another’s territory when he says this.^[1]

Here Paul teaches us that we ought to know that the bounds of righteousness must not be transgressed, so that not only will it be of service to us but it will not harm anyone else either.

Paul addresses these words not to one group of people only but to everyone. The governor and the governed, the slave and the free, the ignorant and the wise, the woman and the man, the young and the old—all are included. The law is the Lord’s and is therefore common to everyone.

Since Paul is about to disallow human wisdom that goes beyond the law, he declares that he is not speaking his own mind but by the authority of a spiritual gift. He is writing to all those who are priests or teachers, whose example the others follow.

One who searches into matters of which the law does not speak is trying to be wiser. That is why Solomon says: Do not enquire after things higher than yourself and do not search after things greater than yourself but think always on the things that God has commanded you.^[1] Note that Paul calls the Holy Spirit God, for to the Corinthians he declares that the Holy Spirit apportions gifts to each person as he wishes.^[2] A charismatic power, which only believers receive, is to be regarded as a measure of faith.

In the Gospel the Lord decreed that those who possessed humility were first among the blessed: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.^[1] Paul laid this command on everyone, rich and poor, servant and master.

Paul said this in criticism of those brothers who were running after charismatic gifts. God did not give us his gift in order that we should hate each other or that spiritual things should become an excuse for warfare, but so that we should enjoy harmony and friendship and the common salvation of all. None of you has anything by right, but the one who is worthy of the greatest, as well as the one who is worthy of the least of the charismatic gifts, has been given it by God. Knowing this he ought to use it according to the measure of his faith.

One person gives all his energy to the wisdom of God and the teaching of the Word; he is the eye of the whole body. Another, as we said above, looks after the needs of the brethren and of the poor; he is the hand of the holy body. Another is an attentive listener to the Word of God; he is the ear of the body. Another is busy admonishing the slack, comforting the suffering and aiding those in need; he is without any doubt called the foot of the body of the church. Each of these has his special task, but none can function properly without the others.^[1]

By using the example of the body, Paul teaches that it is impossible for any one of us to do everything on our own, for we are members of each other and need one another. For this reason we ought to behave toward one another with care, because we need each other’s gifts.^[1]

Paul says not that one person received more and another less of God’s gifts but only that they are different. We all have different functions, but the body is one and the same.

Paul exhorts them to live in harmony by comparing them with the body, in case they are not roused by the fact that they have received different gifts. For as individuals they could not have had all the gifts, for then they might have become proud. . . . Nor could they all have the same gift, for then the likeness of the body of Christ would not be present among us.

Why do we divide and tear to pieces the members of Christ and raise up strife against our own body, and why have we reached such a height of madness as to forget that we are members one of another?^[1]

This is what it means to love Christ, that we should en-courage one another to live in a way which corresponds to the way in which the body is made perfect in Christ. ^[1] [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: Paul says that there are many members in the one body, on account of the many different ministries which there are. ^[1]

The bond of our unity cannot be firm unless the bond of charity has tied us together in indivisible solidarity. . . . It is the connection of the entire body which makes for one health, one beauty.^[1] And this connection requires the unanimity of the entire body, but especially it demands harmony among the bishops.

Prophecy refers to the content of the apostle’s teaching, not to the means by which it is taught.

Paul is saying here that if someone has the gift of prophecy, then he has the greatest gift, after that of apostleship. For God placed in the church first apostles and second prophets,^[1] and thus such a person, knowing that the apostleship comes first, ought to recognize the limitations of prophecy and accept that he is a servant who must follow the rule of service laid down by his superiors, just as the hands must do the bidding of the head.

Prophecy means primarily the explanation of things which are unclear, whether future or past, whether present or hidden. Prophecy may also refer to the interpretation of a prophet’s words.

No one has the capacity to receive all spiritual gifts, but the grace of the Spirit is given proportionately to the faith of each one.

Paul begins with prophecy, which is the first proof that our faith is rational, for believers prophesied when they received the Spirit. This is given in proportion to the recipient, that is, as much as is necessary for the purpose for which it is given.

Although prophecy is a grace, it does not flow forth freely at random but is given only in proportion to our faith. ^[1] [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: Not according to the faith which is from us but according to the faith which has been given and granted to each person from God. ^[1]

The gift does not depend upon us but upon the one who gives it.^[1] The glory to come is promised to all who believe, but the person who has a heart so pure that he deserves it receives the charismatic power which God has chosen for him even in this life.

If we receive prophecy, it is according to faith, not the law. Or perhaps this means that faith deserves it. For each one receives as much as he believes.

It is to be understood that . . . we each must use our gifts for the benefit of one another. . . . Prophecy does not refer only to the prediction of future events but also to the knowledge of things which have been hidden.

In proportion to our faith not only applies to prophecy but may be extended by analogy to all the gifts.

These things must both be done in proportion to our faith, as Paul says [in the previous verse]. For many who received this ministry claimed to know more than they ought to know and, puffed up with pride or lost in their fantasies, they fell headlong.

The teacher must remain in subjection to the prophets, according to the established order, for the prophets are second (after the apostles) and the teachers are third.^[1] In fact, teachers are interpreters of the prophetic word, because they have heard and understood it with their ears and seen it with their eyes. For the prophets themselves called those whom they had taught to serve in the ministry of teaching.

The minister is strengthened for the service of the church to the extent that he believes he ought to serve, lest he labor beyond his faith and exhaust himself in serving to his ruin. . . . Likewise Paul says that the teacher is aided in his teaching so that he will be inspired to transmit the divine doctrine to the extent that he has the faith to teach.

The word service is comprehensive, covering everything from the apostleship itself to any spiritual function. It is indeed the name of a particular office [viz., the diaconate], but here it is used in a general sense.

Service refers to the office of elder or deacon.

Service means the preaching of the Word; teaching means instruction in the commands of God.

Exhortation is a kind of teaching or word by which afflicted souls are enlightened by the words of holy Scripture which are carefully adapted and collected together for that purpose. For despair often comes when the tribulations of the soul are too many, and it is not an easy matter to put this right with mere words, however polished and plausible they may be. But if the word has the power of God in it, then it penetrates the heart and offers comfort, giving hope to the despairing soul.

Exhortation means the type of sermon in which we call those who are still in ignorance to faith in Christ. We do not at that point lay out the full meaning of the Christian life but give them the hope that if they believe in Christ they will enjoy everlasting blessings.

The exhorter is helped in the same way as the above and is prepared by the Spirit to have the grace to provoke, for he stirs up the brethren to do good and unbelievers to accept the faith. The contributor is likewise given a spirit of generosity so that he will not stop giving.

He who takes care of his brethren will receive vigilance and authority in proportion to his faith. . . . Likewise, he who does acts of mercy according to his intention will do it with a cheerful heart and not as if somebody was twisting his arm to do it.

Exhortation is a form of teaching. . . . In giving Paul looks for liberality;^[1] in showing mercy, for cheerfulness; in caregiving, for diligence. For it is not just with money that Paul wants us to help those in need but with words, deeds, in person and in every other way.

I think that any love without God is artificial and not genuine. For God, the Creator of the soul, filled it with the feeling of love, along with the other virtues, so that it might love God and the things which God wants. But if the soul loves something other than God and what God wants, this love is said to be artificial and invented. And if someone loves his neighbor but does not warn him when he sees him going astray or correct him, such is only a pretense of love.

Perhaps it seems odd to find hatred listed among the virtues, but it is put here of necessity by the apostle. Nobody doubts that the soul has feelings of hatred in it; however, it is praiseworthy to hate evil and to hate sin.^[1] For unless a person hates evil he cannot love, nor can he retain the virtues. For example, if someone intends to preserve chastity, he cannot keep it safe unless he hates and despises immodesty.COMMENTARY

If you have love, you will not notice the loss of your money, the labor of your body, the toil of your words, your trouble or your ministering, but you will bear everything courageously.

Complete purity should dwell in the Christian, just as God is pure light,^[1] for it is typical of slaves to dissemble.^[2] And let us love not only in word but in deed and in truth,^[3] so that if it were necessary we would even die for one another.^[4]

Stand fast therefore in these things and follow the example of the Lord, being firm in the faith and immovable, in love of the brotherhood kindly affectioned to one another, partners with the truth, forestalling one another in the gentleness of the Lord, despising no one.

Brotherly love is useless unless it is mutual.^[1]

It happens that we hate things we ought not to, just as we love things we ought not to. We are ordered to love our brothers, not to hate them. If you think that someone is ungodly, remember that Christ died for the ungodly.^[1] And if you think that because your brother is a sinner you do not have to love him, remember that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners.^[2] But if he is righteous, then he is much more worthy of love, for God loves the righteous.^[3]

You should love one another because you are brothers and have been born from the same spiritual womb.^[1] . . . There is nothing which makes friends so much as the earnest endeavor to overcome one’s neighbor by honoring him.

You should love one another as if you had been born of the same mother. If we always observed this injunction we would maintain love and patience. For if we considered ourselves less than everyone else we would neither insult anyone gratuitously nor be deeply hurt if someone insulted us.

The expression aglow with the Spirit proves that the Word of God is hot and fiery.

This means that we should not be lukewarm in doing God’s work or the law, as God says in the Revelation of John: Because you are lukewarm, I shall spit you out of my mouth.^[1] Daily meditation removes laziness and makes people vigilant.

Love by itself is not enough; there must be zeal as well. For zeal also comes out of loving and gives it warmth, so that the one confirms the other. For there are many who have love in their mind but who do not stretch out their hand. This is why Paul calls on every means he knows to build up love.

Do not become slow and lazy in God’s work out of concern for the world. The Lord does not love those who are unresponsive and is nauseated by those who are lukewarm.^[1] If we are resistant to the world we then manifestly glow with the Spirit, doing all things not for the world or its vices but for the Lord.

Spirit is the word Paul uses here for grace. . . . He does the same thing elsewhere when he says: Do not quench the Spirit.^[1] The Spirit is quenched in those who are unworthy of grace.

The person who does not look at what can be seen but eagerly waits for what cannot be seen is the one who rejoices in hope.^[1]

Even if the times do not allow us to speak publicly about our faith, nevertheless we must rejoice in tribulation, for this sadness brings joy. . . . With the joy of hope we can endure tribulation, knowing that the things which are promised to those who suffer are much greater. Prayer is essential if we are to survive tribulation!

All these things are fuel for the fire of the Spirit. . . . There is nothing which makes the soul so courageous and venturesome for anything as a good hope.

We rejoice in hope in order to look forward to the rest to come and so conduct ourselves cheerfully in the midst of toils.

Bear everything for the sake of the joy of the hope to come.

God’s mercy does not abandon you in these circumstances, but you are constantly and everywhere helped by him in all things.

We must not look on the saints as beggars but see them as people who have needs like our own.

The practice of hospitality does not simply mean that we should entertain those who come to us. It means also that we should go out and invite others to come in.^[1]

The point here is that we should honor the saints and take care of their needs until they no longer have them.

The imitator and lover of the saints will practice hospitality following the examples of Abraham and Lot as righteous men.^[1]

Provide for those who need the services of others for a while, because they neglect their own affairs for the sake of Christ. Practice hospitality, because the saints did this too, e.g., Abraham and Lot, who detained even guests who were reluctant to stay.^[1]

Paul says that it is right for us always to remember the saints, to regard their needs as our own, and thus to lighten their suffering.^[1]

It is not just guests that Paul calls saints but also those (wherever they may come from) who are in any kind of need.

Paul calls the believers saints because they have been called to be holy.

Paul does not want those who believe in Christ to curse but rather to speak and to pray for good things so that they may be thought to be servants of a good Lord and disciples of a good Master. . . . What the apostle says here refers to when we are provoked by our enemies or afflicted by harm. Paul warns us not to repay curses with curses but to do what he says he himself did, as he wrote: When reviled, we bless.^[1]

God makes Christians new people in every respect, so that here too he wants to take away from us the habits of anger which are common to everyone, so that instead of cursing others in anger, which we once did so easily, we might rather overcome our anger and bless them, so that the Lord’s teaching might be praised.^[1]

Those who persecute us are conveyors of a reward to us. If you are levelheaded, there will be another reward after that one which you will earn yourself. For your enemy will let you get a reward for persecution, but you will earn a further reward by blessing him, because by doing so you will be demon-strating a very great sign of love for Christ. Just as the man who curses his persecutor shows that he is not pleased to be suffering this for Christ’s sake, he who blesses his persecutor shows the greatness of his love.^[1]

Paul wants them to exhibit such brotherly love that those who want to persecute them will have no excuse for doing so.^[1]

How can the Scriptures, which forbid us to curse, contain so many curses themselves? Those curses are not spoken by a person who desires their fulfillment but merely foretell the fact. They do not want this to befall sinners, but because they will doubtless come to pass these curses are proved to be prophecies.

Here we must make a clear and appropriate distinction. For the joys of Christians are not to be linked with every sort of joy, nor are our tears to be connected with just any sort of tears. For if I see people rejoicing because they have made a lot of money, or acquired a lot of property, or gained worldly honor, I ought not to rejoice with them, because I know that sorrow and tears follow joys of that kind.

Therefore we ought to rejoice only with those whom we see doing a work which deserves to be written in heaven, whether it is a work of righteousness, of charity, of peace or of mercy. . . . Likewise, if we see people turn from error, leave the darkness of ignorance behind and come to the light of truth and the forgiveness of sins, we ought to rejoice with them.^[1]

Likewise, in weeping with those who weep we ought not to weep with those who are mourning their dead or losses in this world. . . . Our tears ought not to be joined with theirs; rather we should weep for someone who is weeping for his sins, who after doing wrong is converted to repentance and who is washing his error in tears. We ought to weep with someone who groans at finding himself in this position and wants to return to Christ, and his holy desire is consoled by an outpouring of tears.^[2]

If you weep with an unbeliever, you may provoke him to accept the Lord’s teaching.^[1]

Paul wants us to be penetrated with the warmth of friendship. This is why he goes on to say that we are not merely to bless but that we are to feel compassion for their pains and sufferings whenever we happen to see them fall into trouble.

The Lord was brought to tears by the tears of Mary, to give us an example.^[1] For do not suppose that he wept for Lazarus, whom he would bring back to life, nor because of the unbelief of those who again and again did not believe him when he performed wonders. But now we do the opposite—we weep over those who rejoice and rejoice over those who weep. For if someone has been praised, we are unhappy. If someone has fallen, we leap for joy. When we behave in this way we show that we do not belong to the body of Christ, we who do not grieve for a member who has been cut off but are enemies of our own side and friends of the opposite side, who do not grieve when the strongest men of our battle line fall and do not rejoice if we see them fighting bravely, even though we ourselves are not mighty in battle.

The conceited person is stupid in his own arrogance, nor can he know the wisdom of God if he clings to his own foolishness as if it were wisdom.^[1]

To be haughty is pride, which is how the devil fell. . . . Solomon says that God resists the proud.^[1] Put pride aside and make other people’s cares your own so that you might be acceptable to God.

Here again Paul insists on humility, which is how he started this whole exhortation. For since there was a probability that the Romans would be high minded because of the greatness of their city and for many other reasons, he keeps drawing off the sickness of pride. . . . There is nothing so likely to cause schisms in the church as vanity. . . .

If a poor man comes into your house, behave like him and do not put on airs because of your riches.^[1] In Christ there is no rich or poor. Do not be ashamed of him because of his outward dress, but receive him because of his inward faith. If you see him in sorrow, do not hesitate to comfort him, and if he is prospering, do not feel shy about sharing in his pleasure. . . . If you think you are a great person, then think others are also. If you think they are humble and lowly, then think the same of yourself.

Regard one another as you regard yourselves. The person who desires to avenge his wrongs by himself thinks proud thoughts and does not agree to things humble, i.e., to humiliation. Do not boast of human wisdom, but be fools to the world so that you may be wise in the Lord.

Never be conceited means: Be ready to accept the advice of others.

This precept is absolute.

If as some people think it is wrong to do evil but not wrong to repay it, it may be just but it is still a similar sin, or in my opinion, even a worse one. For the one who does evil to begin with may perhaps not realize that what he has done is wrong. But the one who repays evil and who is moved by thoughts of revenge has already admitted that he knew it was wrong to do it. . . . Note that the apostle does not tell us to do what is pleasing to everyone. But we should do what is right whether other people like it or not.

The law said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,^[1] but the Lord says: Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of God.^[2] Therefore, in order for this to be the case, it is taught that we should not repay evil with evil.^[3]

Paul means this: As far as possible, play your part and give nobody, either Jew or Gentile, any cause for fighting.^[1] But if you see the faith suffering anywhere, do not put harmony above truth. Make a noble stand, even to the point of death. And even then, do not be at war in your soul or of an adverse temper, but concentrate on the things themselves.

If you find fault with someone who is plotting against you, why expose yourself to the same accusation?

It is human wisdom if you seek to repay your enemies in turn, for it is foolishness in this world if, having been struck, you offer the other cheek as well.^[1] But if you have such great patience and humility, you will be found praiseworthy not only in the Lord’s eyes but also in the eyes of all people. Take care not to act so that you seek to please not God but only other people.

The apostle here gives a very balanced command because he knows perfectly well that peace depends on both parties, and the other party may well be hostile and block peace. What he asks is that our mind should always be ready for peace and that the blame for any discord should lie with the other side and not with us.

Of course there are times when this command cannot be applied; for example, we cannot have peace and fellowship with evil. It is one thing to love people but quite another to love crimes. Whoever loves people loves God’s creatures, but whoever loves crimes loves the inventions of the devil. Therefore, those who are perfect will love the sinner but hate his sin.

Paul wants everyone who serves God’s righteousness to be peaceful. . . .The person who is not peaceful is the one who has rejected the law of God and who follows his own law instead. . . . Even if the other person is not a lover of peace, you should want to be peaceful insofar as you can be.

Inasmuch as you can, be at peace with everybody . . . desiring their conversion and salvation.^[1]

If someone blesses those who persecute him and does not harm those who do him harm, how will he attract hatred or revenge on himself?

Paul says that he wants Christians to have the right spirit, even if others think differently.

There are two ways of dealing with the anger which comes when we are offended. The first is to hold back and let it pass, for once the fury of rage has subsided it will not return, and we can learn to swallow it. The second way is to give it to God and store up the wrath against the day of judgment, when God will reward each person according to his works. For if we avenge ourselves, there is not much we can do apart from demanding an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth,^[1] or else insulting others as they have insulted us. But if we reserve these things to the vengeance of God, he will without doubt punish them far more severely than we ever could.

Paul uses the word wrath to describe God’s punishment, not because it is some kind of passion in God but because men would find it difficult to understand God’s judgment if they did not hear it compared to wrath. For since men respond to those who sin against them in wrath and anger, Scripture uses the same words to describe God’s reaction, because then the average person can hear and understand it.

This is written lest an-other’s wrath draw you into sin when you want to offer resistance, when you want to be avenged. You can take the fault from him and from yourself if you decide to yield to the other.

Paul warns us to avoid anger, especially because so often anger is the chief cause of sin. Some-one who is motivated by wrath will demand more than the cause of the sin merits or will put himself out to do more harm while seeking revenge. . . . In the end he will destroy someone when he could have corrected and restored him instead.

Paul forbids us to seek revenge not only from those under us but also from those who are our equals or superiors. . . . We are not to seek to avenge ourselves against brethren who may have sinned against us but rather to commit everything to God’s judgment, so that an enemy will find no way of promoting or advancing what is against our interest while we are too angry to notice what is happening.

Paul quotes Proverbs [25:22] to back up his point. If we do not do what God teaches, he will show us contempt. But if we give revenge over to God it benefits us in two ways: it overcomes our anger and tends toward our perfection and justification in God’s sight.

What the injured man most desires to see is revenge, and God will give it to him in full measure, provided that he does not try to avenge himself. Leave it to God to follow up the wrongs done to you.

I will avenge the wrong, says the Lord, as my own, not as yours.

The Lord himself commanded the same thing in the Gospels.^[1] For insofar as we do good to our enemies and do not repay evil for evil, we store up wrath for them on the day of judgment, as I have just said. . . . Jeremiah [Isaiah] says: You have coals of fire; sit on them for they will help you.^[2] Perhaps here also these coals of fire which are heaped on the head of an enemy are heaped for his benefit. For it may be that a savage and barbarous mind, if it feels our good will, our kindness, our love and our godliness, may be struck by it and repent, and he will swear that as his conscience torments him for the wrong which he has done, it is as if a fire were enveloping him.

Paul is not suggesting that we do anything wicked; on the contrary, he is wisely and cleverly checking and containing the violence of the one who is angry.

Paul teaches us not just to let God take revenge but also to give good things to our enemies, so that we may demonstrate that we do not have these enemies because of anything we have done. Rather, we are trying to get them to desist from evil by doing them service. If by their ungodliness they continue in their evil ways, our service to them will lead to punishment for them. . . . Thus the Lord not only forbids us to repay our enemies in kind but also exhorts us to seek friendship by acts of kindness, both because that serves to mature us and because it is a means of winning others to eternal life.^[1]

Paul said this in order to humble the wrongdoer by fear and to make the person wronged more ready to act, through hope of receiving some reward. For the one who has been wronged, when he is feeble, is not so much taken with his own goods as with the vengeance which he wants to wreak on the person who has hurt him. There is nothing so sweet as to see an enemy chastised.

This may seem to many people to contradict what the Lord teaches, that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us,^[1] or the apostle’s own statements [in verses 14 and 17] above. For how can it be love to feed and nourish someone just in order to heap coals of fire on his head, assuming that coals of fire means some serious punishment? Therefore we must understand that this means that we should provoke whoever does us harm to repentance by doing him a good turn. For the coals of fire serve to burn, i.e., to bring anguish to his spirit, which is like the head of the soul, in which all malice is burnt out when one is changed for the better through repentance. These coals of fire are mentioned in the Psalms: What should be given to you or what appointed to you, for your deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior with devouring burning coals.^[2]

He who avenges himself is not worthy of the vengeance of the Lord.

We are not to revile and condemn our enemy, as the world does, but rather we are to correct him and lead him to repentance so that, being won over by our good deeds, he may be softened by the fire of charity and may cease to be an enemy.

If someone does you a wrong and in return you do him good you will be heaping coals of fire on his head. In other words, you are curing him of his vices and burning out his malice, in order to bring him to repentance. ^[1] IF THE ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM. [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: In this passage Paul teaches that we ought to imitate God, who causes his sun to rise on the good and the evil,^[1] for by feeding our enemy and giving him something to drink we provoke him to peace or even to reconciliation. But if he persists in his wickedness, he will bring down fire on his head. ^[2]

Do not deny your enemy what God denies no one, even if he is a godless blasphemer.^[1] When he realizes that coals have been heaped upon him through your undeserved mercy, he may shake them off, that is, repent, and may love you whom at one time he hated. Otherwise it is not mercy but cruelty, if you show mercy so that something worse might befall him, for whom you are called to intercede to the Lord.^[2]

Some people give their enemies food and drink in order to inflict coals of fire, that is, punishments, on them. But whoever does that does not love his enemy as himself. It is not for that reason that we are supposed to give our enemy food and drink but rather to convert him to us. For as he detested us before, he will now start to love us. The person who loves his enemy in this way will heap coals of fire on his head, that is, the love which comes from charity. Coals in themselves are dead, but when they meet someone who is alive they are set on fire.

It is the nature of evil to increase and grow by similar acts, rather like adding fire to fire.

It will do us much good if we refrain from evil. The person who appears to be overcome by evil for a time in fact may be overcoming evil, just as the Savior overcame evil by not resisting it. Evil works against itself, and when it is overcome it thinks that it has won! Our enemy acts in such a way as to divert us from our purpose, looking for an opportunity to make us sin. Therefore if we are provoked by him and do not reply in kind, we overcome him with good. Therefore we do not resist, in order to serve the good by ignoring the demands of justice for retribution.

After giving the wronged person what he wants, Paul goes on to give him advice of a higher tone, telling him not to be overcome with evil. For he knew that even if the enemy was a brute he would not go on being an enemy once he was fed. . . . To overcome evil with good is true victory.^[1]

The evil man who is overcome by good is set free, not from an exterior, foreign evil but from an interior, personal one, by which he is more grievously and ruinously laid waste than he would be by the inhumanity of any enemy from without.

Revenge is mean-spirited. True victory is returning good for evil.