Homilies on First Corinthians 1

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, to the Church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours:

grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

See how at once, from the very outset, he casts down their arrogance and dashes to the ground all their conceit, by calling himself 'called.'

'For I did not myself find,' he says, 'that which I learned, nor did I lay hold of it by my own wisdom; but while persecuting and ravaging the Church, I was called.'

Now here the whole belongs to Him who calls;

while of the one called there comes, so to speak, nothing but only to obey.

Christ is your teacher;

yet you inscribe men as the patrons of your teaching;

for God willed this, that you should be saved in this way.

For we accomplished nothing of ourselves, but through the will of God we found salvation;

and since it pleased Him, we were called — not because we were worthy.

Again he shows moderation, ranking with himself one far inferior;

for indeed great was the distance between Paul and Sosthenes.

But if, where the distance was so great, he ranked with himself one so much his inferior, what could those men say who look down on their equals? 'To the Church of God.'

Not of this man or of that, but of God.

Do you see how with every single word he beat down their arrogance, training their

mind through all things toward heaven? And he calls it the Church of God, showing that it ought to be united.

For if it belongs to God, it is united and is one, not in Corinth only, but in all the inhabited world.

For the very name 'Church' is a name not of division, but of union and concord.

'To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.'

And what is sanctification? The washing, the cleansing.

For he reminds them of their own former uncleanness, from which he set them free, and persuades them to be humble-minded;

for it was not by their own achievements, but by the loving-kindness of God, that they were sanctified.

For this very thing—to be saved by faith—he says, is not of yourselves;

for you did not come first, but you were called.

So then, not even this small part is wholly yours.

And yet, even if you did come, being answerable for countless evils, not even so is the thanks due to you, but to God.

For this reason, writing also to the Ephesians, he said:

'By grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves.'

Nor is your faith itself complete in itself;

for you did not believe by taking the first step, but being called you obeyed.

'With all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

Not the name of this one or that one, but 'the name of the Lord.'

'In every place, both theirs and ours.'

For even though the letter is written to the Corinthians only, yet he also makes mention of all the faithful throughout the whole earth, showing that the Church throughout the inhabited world must be one, even though it is separated into many places—and much more the Church in Corinth.

And even if place separates them, yet the Lord joins them together, being common to all;

and therefore, to unite them, he added the words, 'Both ours and theirs.'

And this is far more authoritative than the other.

For just as those who are in one place, when they have many opposing masters, are torn apart and derive no benefit toward concord from being in the same place—since the masters give conflicting commands and drag them toward themselves ('For you cannot,' he says, 'serve God and mammon')—

so also those who are in different places, if they do not have different lords but one only, are in no way hindered by the places from concord, since the one Lord joins them together.

Therefore I do not say, he means, that you Corinthians ought to be of one mind toward the Corinthians only, but toward all who are in the whole inhabited world, since you have a common Master.

For this reason he added the word 'Ours' a second time.

For since he had said, 'The name of our Lord Jesus Christ,' lest he should seem to the senseless to be dividing, he adds again, 'Our Lord and theirs.'

And that what I am saying may become clearer, I will read it according to its sense in this way:

Paul and Sosthenes, to the Church of God which is in Corinth, and to all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord, both ours and theirs—whether in Rome or wherever they may be;

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Or again in this way, which I also consider to be the truer:

Paul and Sosthenes, to those in Corinth who are sanctified, called to be saints, together with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours.

That is: Grace to you and peace to you who in Corinth have been sanctified and have become called;

not to you alone, but together with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—both theirs and ours.

But if peace is from grace, why are you high-minded, why do you puff yourself up, since you were saved by grace? And if you have peace with God, why do you attach yourself to others? For this is to make faction.

For what does it profit, if you are at peace with this man and with that man, and hold them in gratitude? But I ask of God that both of these may come to be for you—both from Him and toward Him.

For it does not remain secure unless it enjoys the impulse from above;

nor, if it is not directed toward Him, will there be any advantage to you.

For it is of no benefit to us, even if we are at peace with all men, if we are at war with God;

just as there is no harm to us, even if we are warred against by all, provided we are at peace with God;

and again, there is no benefit, even if we are held in good repute by all, but give offense to the Lord;

just as there is no danger, even if all turn away from us and

hate us, but God receives us and loves us.

For the grace that is truly grace, the peace that is truly peace, is from God.

For he who has grace with God fears no one, even though he suffer ten thousand terrible things;

I do not say a man, but not even the devil himself;

but he who has given offense to Him suspects all men, even though he seem to be in safety.

For the race of men is unstable, and not friends and brothers only, but even fathers now change, and often from some bitter cause have driven out him whom they begot, whom they planted, more than all enemies;

and children have cast out their fathers.

David had grace with God;

Absalom had favor with men;

what sort of end each of them had, and which was the more highly esteemed, you know.

Abraham had grace with God, but Pharaoh with men;

for to do him a favor, they gave up the wife of the righteous man.

Which then became the more illustrious and blessed, is surely plain to everyone.

And why do I speak of the righteous? The Israelites had grace with God, but were hated by men, the Egyptians;

yet nevertheless they prevailed over those who hated them, and got the mastery, with what great splendor you all know.

This, then, let us all be earnest about;

even if one be a slave, let him pray for this, to find grace with God before his master;

even if one be a woman, let her seek grace from God the Saviour before her husband;

even if one be a soldier, let him seek the goodwill from above before that of the king and before that of the ruler;

for thus you shall also be beloved among men.

And how might one find grace with God? How else, if not from humility of mind? For "God," he says, "resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble;"

and, "A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, and a humbled heart God will not despise."

For if among men humility is so much to be desired, much more is it with God.

Thus also those from among the Gentiles found grace, and thus also the Jews fell from grace;

for they were not subject to the righteousness of God.

This humble man becomes both gracious and pleasant to all, and a lifelong companion of peace, having no occasion for wars.

For even if you insult him, even if you revile him, even if you say whatever you will, he will keep silence and bear it meekly, and will have such peace with all as cannot even be told, and with God also.

For the commandments of God are that we be at peace with men, and our whole life is thus set aright by our peace with one another;

for no one is able to do God any wrong;

for that Nature is imperishable, and higher than every passion.

Nothing so makes a man wondrous as does humility.

Hear then Abraham saying:

'But I am earth and ashes;'

and again God concerning Moses, that he was the meekest of all men.

For no one has ever been more lowly than he, who, though he led so great a people, and had drowned like flies the king and the whole host of the Egyptians, and had wrought such wonders in Egypt, such at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, and had received such testimony, yet bore himself as though he were but one of the many;

and as son-in-law he was more lowly than his father-in-law, and accepted the counsel that came from him.

And he was neither vexed nor said:

'What is this? After such great and so many achievements, have you come to advise us?' — which is what most people suffer, who, even if someone puts forward the best counsel, despise it on account of the lowliness of the person.

But not so he; rather, through humility he set all things aright.

Hence too he despised the royal courts, since he was truly lowly;

for it is humility that produces a sound and lofty mind.

For of how great magnanimity and greatness of soul think you it was to look down upon a royal house and table? For among the Egyptians the kings are honored as gods, and enjoy wealth and treasures beyond number.

Yet nevertheless, forsaking all those things, and casting away the very sceptres of Egypt, he ran to the captives and the oppressed, to those worn down in the clay and the brick-making, whom his own servants abhorred (for the Egyptians abhorred them, it says), and he preferred these before the masters.

It is clear that the lowly man, this is he who is lofty and magnanimous.

For arrogance comes from a mean understanding and an ignoble soul, but reasonableness comes from a magnanimous mind, from a great-souled disposition.

And if you please, let us examine both by way of examples.

For tell me, what was loftier than Abraham? And yet he it was who said:

'Let there be no strife between me and between you.'

But this man, so lowly, despised the spoils of the Persians, and looked down upon barbarian trophies.

And this he did out of much loftiness of mind and greatness of understanding.

For he is lofty who is genuinely lowly, not the flatterer nor the dissembler.

For magnanimity is one thing, and arrogance is another;

for if one should regard clay as clay and despise it, while another should marvel at clay as though it were gold and make much of it, which then is the lofty one? Is it not he who does not marvel at the clay? And who is the lowly and mean one? Is it not he who marvels at it, and sets great store by it? So then reckon here also, that he who calls himself earth and ashes would be lofty, and yet he speaks out of humility;

but he who does not consider himself earth and ashes, but pampers himself and is high-minded, this man rather would be mean, in that he sets great store by small things.

Whence it is clear that the patriarch uttered that saying, 'But I am earth and ashes,' out of a great height of mind;

out of loftiness, not out of arrogance.

For just as in the case of bodies, to be in good health and full of vigor is one thing, and to be inflamed is another;

and yet both belong to a raised-up flesh, but the one to a corrupted, the other to a healthy flesh;

so here too it is one thing to be arrogant, which is to be inflamed;

and it is another to be lofty, which is to be in good health.

And again, one man is tall by the measure of his body;

but another, being short, by putting on high shoes becomes taller;

whom then shall we call lofty and great, tell me? Is it not plain that it is the one who has his height from himself? For the other has this from elsewhere, and by stepping upon low things has thus become tall;

which is what many men suffer, exalting themselves upon riches and glory, which is not height.

For he is lofty who needs none of these things, but despises them all, and has his greatness from himself.

Let us therefore become lowly, that we may become lofty;

for 'he that humbles himself shall be exalted,' it says.

But the arrogant man is not such; rather, he is the meanest of all;

for the bubble too is puffed up, but its swelling is not sound.

For this reason we also call such men puffed up.

For the modest-minded man is not high-minded even over great things, knowing his own lowliness;

but the mean man makes a great show even over small things.

Let us then acquire the height that comes through humility;

let us consider the nature of human things, that we may be kindled with longing for the things to come.

For there is no other way to become lowly, except through love for divine things and contempt for things present.

For just as if a man were about to obtain a kingdom, and then, instead of that royal purple, someone should offer him some private man's honor, he will count it as nothing;

so we too shall laugh to scorn all things present, if we set our desire upon that honor.

Do you not see children, when in play they form a rank and soldiers, and heralds and lictors go before them, and the child walks in the midst in the place of a ruler, how childish is what takes place? Such are human affairs, and even meaner than these, being today and tomorrow not being.

Let us therefore become higher than these things, and let us not only not desire them, but even be ashamed if anyone should offer these things to us.

For thus, having cast out the love of these things, we shall have that divine love, and shall enjoy the immortal glory;

which may it be granted us all to attain, by the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.