After having handled those things necessary for the erection of the kingdom of God, — that righteousness is to be sought from God alone, that salvation is to come to us alone from his mercy, that all blessings are laid up and daily offered to us in Christ only, — Paul now passes on, according to the... [ Continue Reading ]
2._And conform ye not to this world, etc. _The term _world _has several significations, but here it means the sentiments and the morals of men; to which, not without cause, he forbids us to conform. For since the whole world lies in wickedness, it behooves us to put off whatever we have of the old m... [ Continue Reading ]
3._For I say, through the grace, etc. _If you think not the causal particle superfluous, this verse will not be unsuitably connected with the former; for since he wished that our whole study should be employed in investigating the will of God, the next thing to this was, to draw us away from vain cu... [ Continue Reading ]
4._For as in one body, etc. _The very thing which he had previously said of limiting the wisdom of each according to the measure of faith, he now confirms by a reference to the vocation of the faithful; for we are called for this end, that we may unite together in one body, since Christ has ordained... [ Continue Reading ]
6._Having gifts, etc. _Paul speaks not now simply of cherishing among ourselves brotherly love, but commends humility, which is the best moderator of our whole life. Every one desires to have so much himself, so as not to need any help from others; but the bond of mutual communication is this, that... [ Continue Reading ]
8._Or he who gives, let him do so in simplicity, etc. _From the former clauses we have clearly seen, that he teaches us here the legitimate use of God’s gifts. By the μεταδιδούντοις, _the givers, _of whom he speaks here, he did not understand those who gave of their own property, but the deacons, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
9._Let love be, etc. _Proceeding now to speak of particular duties, he fitly begins with love, which is the bond of perfection. And respecting this he enjoins what is especially necessary, that all disguises are to be cast aside, and that love is to arise from pure sincerity of mind. It is indeed di... [ Continue Reading ]
10._With brotherly love, etc. _By no words could he satisfy himself in setting forth the ardor of that love, with which we ought to embrace one another: for he calls it _brotherly, _and its emotion στοργὴν _, _affection, which, among the Latins, is the mutual affection which exists between relatives... [ Continue Reading ]
11._Not slothful in business, etc. _This precept is given to us, not only because a Christian life ought to be an active life; but because it often becomes us to overlook our own benefit, and to spend our labors in behalf of our brethren. In a word, we ought in many things to forget ourselves; for e... [ Continue Reading ]
12._Rejoicing in hope, etc. _Three things are here connected together, and seem in a manner to belong to the clause “serving the time;” for the person who accommodates himself best to the time, and avails himself of the opportunity of actively renewing his course, is he who derives his joy from the... [ Continue Reading ]
13._Communicating to the necessities, _(394) _etc. _He returns to the duties of love; the chief of which is to do good to those from whom we expect the least recompense. As then it commonly happens, that they are especially despised who are more than others pressed down with want and stand in need o... [ Continue Reading ]
14._Bless them, etc. _I wish, once for all, to remind the reader, that he is not scrupulously to seek a precise order as to the precepts here laid down, but must be content to have short precepts, unconnected, though suited to the formation of a holy life, and such as are deduced from the principle... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Rejoice with those who rejoice, etc. _A general truth is in the third place laid down, — that the faithful, regarding each other with mutual affection, are to consider the condition of others as their own. He first specifies two particular things, — That they were to “rejoicewith the joyful, and... [ Continue Reading ]
16._Not thinking arrogantly of yourselves, _(395) _etc. _The Apostle employs words in Greek more significant, and more suitable to the antithesis, “Not thinking,” he says, “of high things:” by which he means, that it is not the part of a Christian ambitiously to aspire to those things by which he ma... [ Continue Reading ]
17._Repaying to no one, etc. _This differs but little from what shortly after follows, except that revenge is more than the kind of repaying of which he speaks here; for we render evil for evil sometimes, even when we exact not the requiting of an injury, as when we treat unkindly those who do us no... [ Continue Reading ]
18._If it be possible, etc. _Peaceableness and a life so ordered as to render us beloved by all, is no common gift in a Christian. If we desire to attain this, we must not only be endued with perfect uprightness, but also with very courteous and kind manners, which may not only conciliate the just a... [ Continue Reading ]
19._Avenge not yourselves, etc. _The evil which he corrects here, as we have reminded you, is more grievous than the preceding, which he has just stated; and yet both of them arise from the same fountain, even from an inordinate love of self and innate pride, which makes us very indulgent to our own... [ Continue Reading ]
20._If therefore, etc. _He now shows how we may really fulfill the precepts of not revenging and of not repaying evil, even when we not only abstain from doing injury but when we also do good to those who have done wrong to us; for it is a kind of an indirect retaliation when we turn aside our kindn... [ Continue Reading ]
21._Be not overcome by evil, etc. _This sentence is laid down as a confirmation; for in this case our contest is altogether with perverseness, if we try to retaliate it, we confess that we are overcome by it; if, on the contrary, we return good for evil, by that very deed we show the invincible firm... [ Continue Reading ]