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042 - Homily 25 Part 1 - Romans 141-2 · Homilies on Romans

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  Speaker 1: Section forty two of Homilies on Romans by John Crysostom,
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  Speaker 1: translated by J. B. Morris. This LibriVox recording is in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. Homily twenty five, Part one, Romans fourteen,
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  Speaker 1: Verses one and two. Him that is weak in the faith,
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  Speaker 1: receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth
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  Speaker 1: that he may eat all things, another who is weak
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  Speaker 1: eateth herbes. I am aware that to most what is
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  Speaker 1: here said is a difficulty, and therefore I must first
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  Speaker 1: give the subject of the whole of this passage and
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  Speaker 1: what he wishes to correct in writing this what does
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  Speaker 1: he wish to correct? Then, there were many of the
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  Speaker 1: Jews which believed, who adhered of conscience to the law,
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  Speaker 1: and after their believing, still kept to the observance of
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  Speaker 1: meats as not having encourage yet to quit the service
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  Speaker 1: of the law entirely. Then that they might not be
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  Speaker 1: observed if they kept from swine's flesh. Only they obstained
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  Speaker 1: and in consequence from all flesh, and ate hopes only
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  Speaker 1: that what they were doing might have more the appearance
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  Speaker 1: of a fast than of observance of the law. Others, again,
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  Speaker 1: were farther advanced, and kept up no one thing of
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  Speaker 1: the kind who became to those who did keep them
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  Speaker 1: distressing and offensive by reproaching them, accusing them, driving them
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  Speaker 1: to despondency. Therefore, the Blessed Paul, out of fear lest
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  Speaker 1: from a wish to be right about a trifle they
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  Speaker 1: should overthrow the whole, and from a wish to bring
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  Speaker 1: them to indifferency about what they ate, should put them
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  Speaker 1: in a fair way for deserting the faith, and out
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  Speaker 1: of a zeal to put everything right at once, before
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  Speaker 1: the fit opportunity was come, should do mischief on vital points.
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  Speaker 1: So by this continual rebuking, setting them adrift from their
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  Speaker 1: agreement in Christ, and so they should remain not rited
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  Speaker 1: in either respect. Observe what a great judgment he uses,
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  Speaker 1: and how he concerns himself with both interests, with his
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  Speaker 1: customary wisdom. For neither does he venture to say to
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  Speaker 1: those who rebuke, ye are doing amiss, that he may
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  Speaker 1: not seem to be confirming the other in their observances,
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  Speaker 1: nor again, ye are doing right, lest he should make
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  Speaker 1: them the more vehement accusers. But he makes his rebuke
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  Speaker 1: to square with each, and in appearance he is rebuking
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  Speaker 1: the stronger, but he pours forth all he has to
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  Speaker 1: say against the other in his address to these. For
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  Speaker 1: the kind of correction most likely to be less grating
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  Speaker 1: is when a person addresses some one else while he
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  Speaker 1: is striking a blow at a different person. Since this
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  Speaker 1: does not permit the person rebuked to fly into a
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  Speaker 1: passion and introduces the medicine of correction unperceived. See now
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  Speaker 1: with what judgment he does this, and how well timed
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  Speaker 1: he is with it. For after saying, make no provision
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  Speaker 1: for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof, then he
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  Speaker 1: proceeds to the discussion of these points, that he might
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  Speaker 1: not seem to be speaking in defense of those who
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  Speaker 1: were the rebukers and were for eating of anything. For
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  Speaker 1: the weaker part, ever, requires more forethought. Wherefore he aims
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  Speaker 1: his blow against the strong, immediately saying, as follows him
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  Speaker 1: that is weak in the faith. You see one blow
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  Speaker 1: immediately given to him, For by calling him weak, he
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  Speaker 1: points out that he is not healthy. Then he adds
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  Speaker 1: next receive and points out again that he requires much attention,
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  Speaker 1: and this is a sign of extreme debility, not to
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  Speaker 1: doubtful disputations. See he has laid on a third stripe.
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  Speaker 1: For here he makes it appear that his error is
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  Speaker 1: of such a nature that even those who do not
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  Speaker 1: transgress in the same manner, and who nevertheless admit him
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  Speaker 1: to their affection and are earnestly bent upon curing him,
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  Speaker 1: are a doubt. You see how an appearance he is
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  Speaker 1: conversing with these, but is rebuking others secretly and without
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  Speaker 1: giving offense. Then by placing them besides each other, one
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  Speaker 1: he gives encomiums the other accusations. For he goes on
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  Speaker 1: to say, one believeth that he may eat all things,
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  Speaker 1: commending him on the score of his faith. Another, who
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  Speaker 1: is weak eateth hobes, disparaging this one again on the
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  Speaker 1: score of his weakness. Then, since the blow he had
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  Speaker 1: given was deadly, he comforts him again in these words,
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  Speaker 1: use three, Let not him that eateth despise him that
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  Speaker 1: eateth not. He does not say, let him alone, Nor
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  Speaker 1: does he say, do not blame him, nor yet do
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  Speaker 1: not set him right, but do not reproach him. Do
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  Speaker 1: not despise him. To show they were doing a thing
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  Speaker 1: perfectly ridiculous. But of this he speaks. In other words,
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  Speaker 1: let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth
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  Speaker 1: form as the more advanced made light of these as
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  Speaker 1: of little faith and falsely healed and spurious, and still judaizes.
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  Speaker 1: So they too judge these as law breakers or as
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  Speaker 1: wholly given to gluttony. And of these it is likely
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  Speaker 1: that many were of the gentiles too. Wherefore he proceeds,
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  Speaker 1: for God hath received him. But in the other's case
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  Speaker 1: he does not say this, and yet to be despised
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  Speaker 1: was the eateth's share as a glutton, but to be
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  Speaker 1: judged his that did not eat as of little faith.
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  Speaker 1: But he has made them change places to show that
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  Speaker 1: he not only does not deserve to be despised, but
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  Speaker 1: that he may even despise. But do I condemn him?
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  Speaker 1: He means by no means. For this is why he proceeds.
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  Speaker 1: For God hath received him, that is, has shown his
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  Speaker 1: unspeakable grace about him, and hath freed him from all
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  Speaker 1: charges against him. Then again he turns to the strong.
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  Speaker 1: Thus four, who art thou that judgest another man's servant?
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  Speaker 1: Whence it appears that they too judged and did not despise.
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  Speaker 1: Only to his own master he standeth or falleth. See
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  Speaker 1: here is another stroke, and the indignation seems to be
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  Speaker 1: against the strong man, and he attacks him. When he says,
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  Speaker 1: yea he shall be holden up, he shows that he
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  Speaker 1: is still wavering and requireth so much attention as to
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  Speaker 1: call in God as a physician. For this. For God,
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  Speaker 1: he says, is able to make him stand. And this
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  Speaker 1: we say, of things we are quiet in despair about.
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  Speaker 1: Then that he may not despair. He both gives him
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  Speaker 1: the name of a servant when he says, says, who
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  Speaker 1: art thou that judgest another man's servant. And here again
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  Speaker 1: he secretly attacks him. For it is not because he
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  Speaker 1: does things worthy to exempt him from being judged, that
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  Speaker 1: I bid you not judge him, but because he is
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  Speaker 1: another servant that is not thine. But God's then to
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  Speaker 1: solace him. Again, he does not say, falleth, but what
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  Speaker 1: standeth or falleth? But whether it be the latter or
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  Speaker 1: the former, either of these is the master's concernment, since
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  Speaker 1: the loss also goes to him if he does fall,
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  Speaker 1: as the riches too if he stand. And this again,
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  Speaker 1: if we do not attend to Paul's aim in not
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  Speaker 1: wishing them to be rebuked before a fitting opportunity, is
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  Speaker 1: very unworthy of the mutual care becoming for Christians. But
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  Speaker 1: as I am always saying, we must examine the mind
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  Speaker 1: with which it is spoken, and the subject on which
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  Speaker 1: it is said, and the object he would compass when
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  Speaker 1: he says it. But he makes them respectful by no
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  Speaker 1: slight motive when he says this. For what he means is,
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  Speaker 1: if God, who undergoeth the loss hitherto doth nothing, how
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  Speaker 1: can you be else than ill time and out of
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  Speaker 1: all measure exact when you seize on him and annoy
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  Speaker 1: him Verse five. One man esteemeth one day above another,
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  Speaker 1: another esteemeth every day Alike. Here he seems to me
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  Speaker 1: to be giving a gentle hint about fasting, For it
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  Speaker 1: is not unlikely that some who fasted were always judging
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  Speaker 1: those who did not, or amongst the observances, it is
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  Speaker 1: like that there were some that, on fixed days abstained,
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  Speaker 1: and on fixed days did not. Whence, also he says,
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  Speaker 1: let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
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  Speaker 1: And in this way he released those who kept the
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  Speaker 1: observances from fear by saying that the thing was indifferent.
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  Speaker 1: And he removed also the quarrelsomeness of those who attacked them,
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  Speaker 1: by showing that it was no very desirable task to
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  Speaker 1: be always making a trouble about these things. Yet it
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  Speaker 1: was not a very desirable task, not in its own nature,
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  Speaker 1: but on account of the time chosen, and because there
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  Speaker 1: were novices in the faith. For when his writing to
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  Speaker 1: the Colossians, it is with great earnestness that he forbids it, saying,
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  Speaker 1: beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
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  Speaker 1: deceit after the traditions of men, after the elements of
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  Speaker 1: the world, and not after Christ. And again, let no
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  Speaker 1: man judge you in meat or in drink, and let
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  Speaker 1: no man beguile you of your reward. And when writing
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  Speaker 1: to the Galatians, with great precision, he exacts of them
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  Speaker 1: Christian spirit and perfectness in this matter. But here he
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  Speaker 1: does not use this vehemency, because the faith was lately
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  Speaker 1: planted in them. Let us therefore not apply the phrase
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  Speaker 1: let every man be persuaded in his own mind to
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  Speaker 1: all subjects. For when he is speaking of doctrines, hear
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  Speaker 1: what he says. If any one preacheth unto you any
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  Speaker 1: gospel other than that ye have received, let him be accursed,
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  Speaker 1: even if it be an angel. And again I fear
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  Speaker 1: lest by any means. As the serpent beguiled Eve through
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  Speaker 1: his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted. And in
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  Speaker 1: writing to the Philippians, he says, beware of dogs, beware
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  Speaker 1: of the concision. But with the Romans, since it was
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  Speaker 1: not yet the proper time for setting things of this
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  Speaker 1: sort right, let every man, his says, be fully persuaded
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  Speaker 1: in his own mind. For he had been speaking of fasting.
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  Speaker 1: It was to clear away the vanity of the others,
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  Speaker 1: and to release these from fear. Then that he said,
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  Speaker 1: as follows verse six. He that regardeth the day regardeth
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  Speaker 1: it unto the Lord. And he that regardeth not the
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  Speaker 1: day to the Lord, he doth not regard it. And
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  Speaker 1: he that eateth eateth to the Lord, for he giveth
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  Speaker 1: God thanks. And he that eateth not to the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: he eateth not and giveth God thanks. He still keeps
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  Speaker 1: to the same subject. And what he means is about this.
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  Speaker 1: The thing is not concerned with fundamentals. For the thing
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  Speaker 1: requisite is if this person and the other are acting
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  Speaker 1: for God's sake. The thing requisite is if both terminate
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  Speaker 1: in thanksgiving. For indeed, both this man and that give
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  Speaker 1: thanks to God. If then both do give thanks to God,
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  Speaker 1: the difference is no great one. But let me draw
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  Speaker 1: your notice to the way in which here also he
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  Speaker 1: aims unawares a blow at the judaizes for the thing
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  Speaker 1: required be this the giving of thanks? It is plain
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  Speaker 1: enough that he which eateth it is that give thanks,
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  Speaker 1: and not he which eateth not. For how should he
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  Speaker 1: while he still holds to the law, As then he
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  Speaker 1: told the Galatians, as many of you as are justified
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  Speaker 1: by the law, I have fallen from grace. So here
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  Speaker 1: he hints it only, but does not enfold it so much,
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  Speaker 1: for as yet it was not time to do so.
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  Speaker 1: But for the present he bears with it. But by
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  Speaker 1: what follows he gives it a further opening. Thus is
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  Speaker 1: seven and eight. For none of us liveth unto himself,
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  Speaker 1: and no man dieth unto himself. For whether we live,
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  Speaker 1: we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we
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  Speaker 1: die unto the Lord. By this too he makes the
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  Speaker 1: same clearer, for how can he that liveth unto the
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  Speaker 1: law be living unto Christ? But this is not the
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  Speaker 1: only thing that he affects. By this, he also holds
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  Speaker 1: back the person who was in so much haste for
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  Speaker 1: their being set right, and persuades him to be patient
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  Speaker 1: by showing that it is impossible for God to despise them,
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  Speaker 1: but that in due time he will set them right.
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  Speaker 1: What is the force, then, of none of us liveth
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  Speaker 1: to himself? It means we are not free. We have
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  Speaker 1: a master who also would have us live, and willeth
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  Speaker 1: not that we die, and to whom both of these
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  Speaker 1: are of more interest than to us. For by what
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  Speaker 1: is here said, he shows that He hath a greater
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  Speaker 1: concern for us than we have ourselves, and considereth more
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  Speaker 1: than we do, as well our life to be wealth,
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  Speaker 1: as our death to be a loss. For we do
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  Speaker 1: not die to ourselves alone, but to our master also
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  Speaker 1: if we do die, but by death. Here he means
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  Speaker 1: that from the faith, however, this were enough to convince
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  Speaker 1: us that He taketh care for us, in that it
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  Speaker 1: is to him we live and to him we die. Still,
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  Speaker 1: he is not satisfied with saying this, but proceeds further,
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  Speaker 1: for after saying, whether we live therefore or die, we
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  Speaker 1: are the lords, and passing from that death to the
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  Speaker 1: physical one, that he may not give an appearance of
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  Speaker 1: harshness to his language, he gives another very great indication
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  Speaker 1: of his care for us. Now of what kind is this?
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  Speaker 1: Thus nine, For to this end Christ both died and
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  Speaker 1: rose and revived, that he might be lrd, both of
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  Speaker 1: the dead and living. And so let this at least
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  Speaker 1: convince THEE that he is ever more thoughtful for our salvation.
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  Speaker 1: For had he not had this great care for us,
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  Speaker 1: where with the need of the dispensation footnote or inclination
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  Speaker 1: who call the MIAs end footnote? He then that hath
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  Speaker 1: shown so much anxiety about our becoming his as to
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  Speaker 1: take the form of a servant and to die, will
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  Speaker 1: he despise us after we have become so this cannot
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  Speaker 1: be so assuredly, it cannot, nor would he choose to
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  Speaker 1: waste so much pains. For to this end, he says,
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  Speaker 1: he also died, as if any one were to say
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  Speaker 1: such an one will not have the heart to despise
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  Speaker 1: his servant, for he mindeth his own purse. For indeed,
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  Speaker 1: we are not so much in love with money as
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  Speaker 1: he is with our salvation. Wherefore it was not money
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  Speaker 1: but his own blade, but that he gave us bail
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  Speaker 1: for us, And for this cause he would not have
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  Speaker 1: the heart to give them up for whom he had
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  Speaker 1: laid down so great a price. See too, how he
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  Speaker 1: shows that his power also is unspeakable, For he says,
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  Speaker 1: to this end, he both died and revived, that he
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  Speaker 1: might be lurd both of the dead and the living.
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  Speaker 1: And above he said, for whether we live or die,
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  Speaker 1: we are his. See what a wide extended mastery, See
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  Speaker 1: what unconquerable might see what exact providence over us? For
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  Speaker 1: tell me not he means of the living, even for
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  Speaker 1: thee departed, he taketh care. But if he doth of
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  Speaker 1: the departed, it is quite plain that he doth of
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  Speaker 1: the living. Also, for he hath not omitted any point
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  Speaker 1: for this mastery, making out for himself more claims than
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  Speaker 1: men do, and specially besides all other things, in order
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  Speaker 1: to take care of us. For a man puts down money,
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  Speaker 1: and for this clings strongly to his own slave. But
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  Speaker 1: he himself paid down his debt. And the salvation of
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  Speaker 1: one who was purchased at so great a price, and
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  Speaker 1: the mastery over whom he had gained with so much
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  Speaker 1: anxiety and trouble, he is not likely to count of
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  Speaker 1: no value. But this, he says, to make thee Judais
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  Speaker 1: are abashed, and to persuade him to call to mind
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  Speaker 1: the greatness of the benefit, and how that when dead
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  Speaker 1: he had come to be alive, and that there was
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  Speaker 1: nothing that he gained from the law, and how that
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  Speaker 1: it would be the last degree of unfeelingness to leave
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  Speaker 1: him who had shown so much care towards him, and
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  Speaker 1: run away back to the law after attacking him. Then
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  Speaker 1: sufficiently he relaxes again and says verse ten, But why
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  Speaker 1: dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set
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  Speaker 1: it nought thy brother? And so he seems to be
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  Speaker 1: setting them upon a level. But from that he has said,
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  Speaker 1: he shows that the difference between them is great. First,
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  Speaker 1: then by the appellation of brother he does away with disputatiousness,
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  Speaker 1: and then also by calling that awful day to their mind.
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  Speaker 1: For after saying why dost thou set it not thy brother?
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  Speaker 1: He proceeds, for we shall all stand before the judgment
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  Speaker 1: seat of Christ. And he seems indeed to be again
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  Speaker 1: rebuking the more advanced in safe this, But he is
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  Speaker 1: putting the mind of the judaizer to confusion by not
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  Speaker 1: only calling for his reverence to the benefit that had
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  Speaker 1: been done him, but also making him afraid of the
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  Speaker 1: punishment to come. For we shall all, he says, stand
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  Speaker 1: before the judgment seat of Christ, Verses eleven and twelve.
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  Speaker 1: For it is written, as I live saith the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
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  Speaker 1: confess to God. So then every one of us shall
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  Speaker 1: give account of himself to God. See how he again
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  Speaker 1: puts his mind into confusion, while he seems to be
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  Speaker 1: rebuking the other, for he intimates some such thing, as
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  Speaker 1: if he had said, how does it affect you? Are
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  Speaker 1: you to be punished for him? But this he does
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  Speaker 1: not say, but hints at at my putting it in
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  Speaker 1: a milder form, and saying, for we shall all stand
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  Speaker 1: before the judgment seat of Christ. So then every one
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  Speaker 1: of us shall give account of himself to God. And
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  Speaker 1: he introduces the prophet in witness of the subjection of
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  Speaker 1: all to him, yea a subjection extended even to those
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  Speaker 1: in the Old Testament, and of all absolutely. For he
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  Speaker 1: does not barely say every one shall worship, but shall confess,
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  Speaker 1: that is, shall give an account of what he has done.
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  Speaker 1: Be in anxiety, then, as seeing the Master of all
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  Speaker 1: sitting on his judgment seat, and do not make schisms
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  Speaker 1: and divisions in the Church by breaking away from grace
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  Speaker 1: and running over to the law. For the law also
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  Speaker 1: is his. And why say I sow of the law,
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  Speaker 1: even those in the law and those before the law
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  Speaker 1: are his. And it is not the law that will
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  Speaker 1: demand an account of THEE, but Christ, of thee and
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  Speaker 1: of all the human race. See how He has released
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  Speaker 1: us from the fear of the law. Then that he
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  Speaker 1: may not seem to be saying this to frighten them
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  Speaker 1: for the occasion, but to have come to it in
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  Speaker 1: the course he had proposed himself. He again keeps to
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  Speaker 1: the same subject, and says verse thirteen. Let us not
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  Speaker 1: therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather,
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  Speaker 1: that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion
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  Speaker 1: to fall in his brother's way. End of Section forty two.