Romanos 12
Origen of Alexandria · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Romanos 12:1
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." 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?" — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:1
The divine Word wants you to offer your flesh to God in purity, with the understanding of your reason. — HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 1.5.1
Romanos 12:2
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, and they are being transformed and renewed in the form of the age to come. For this reason the world does not acknowledge them but hates them and persecutes them. 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. 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. … 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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:3
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. 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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:4
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:6
"Prophecy" refers to the content of the apostle's teaching, not to the means by which it is taught. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:7
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:8
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:9
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. 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 ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:10
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." 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." But if he is righteous, then he is much more worthy of love, for "God loves the righteous." — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:11
The expression "aglow with the Spirit" proves that the Word of God is hot and fiery. — ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.8.3
Romanos 12:12
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:13
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:14
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." — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:15
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. 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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:16
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:17
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:18
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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:19
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, 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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:20
The Lord himself commanded the same thing in the Gospels. 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." 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. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 12:21
It is the nature of evil to increase and grow by similar acts, rather like adding fire to fire. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS