Homilies on First Corinthians 42

'The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.'

Since he had called the first 'natural' and the second 'spiritual,' he now sets down yet another distinction, calling the one 'earthy' and the other 'heavenly.'

For the former distinction belonged to the present life and to that which is to come;

but this one belongs to what is before grace and what is after grace.

And he has set it forth as pointing to the noblest manner of life, saying:

For in order that, as I said, they should not, trusting in the resurrection, become careless of their manner of life and of strictness, once again from this very point too he makes them earnest and exhorts them to virtue, saying:

'The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven;'

calling the whole a 'man,' and naming the one from the better part, the other from the worse.

'As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.'

Thus shall they perish and come to their end.

'As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.'

Thus shall they abide immortal and shining forth.

What then? Did not He too die? He did indeed die, yet suffered no harm thereby, but by this very thing He also destroyed death.

Do you see how from this too He established, by means of death, the doctrine concerning the resurrection? For having, as I said before, the beginning and the head, he says, doubt not concerning the whole body.

Moreover, from this point he also trains them in the exhortation to the noblest manner of life, setting forth examples of a lofty and philosophic life, and not of such another kind, and deriving the origins of both these—of the one Christ, and of the other Adam.

For this reason he did not say simply 'Of the earth,' but 'Earthy,' that is, gross, and nailed fast to things present.

And again, concerning Christ, the opposite: 'The Lord from heaven.'

But if some should say that for this reason the Lord has no body, because it is said 'From heaven,' the things spoken before are sufficient to stop their mouths; yet nothing hinders us from silencing them from this passage also.

For what does 'The Lord from heaven' mean? Does he speak of nature, or of the most excellent manner of life? To everyone surely it is plain that he speaks of the manner of life.

'As we have borne the image of the earthy' (that is, As we have done base deeds), 'let us also bear the image of the heavenly.'

That is, Let us do the most excellent things.

But apart from these considerations, I would gladly ask you this also:

'The man of earth is earthy,' and, 'The Lord is from heaven.' 'Yes,' he says.

What then? Was Adam earthy only, or did he also have some other substance akin to the beings above and incorporeal, which Scripture calls soul and spirit? To everyone surely it is plain that he had this also.

Therefore neither was the Lord from above only, even if he be said to be 'from heaven,' but he had also assumed flesh.

And what he means is this:

As we have borne the image of the earthy—the wicked deeds—let us also bear the image of the heavenly—the manner of life that is in the heavens.

For if the discourse were about nature, the matter would need no exhortation nor counsel.

So that from this too it is plain that what is said concerns the manner of life.

Wherefore he also introduces the discourse in the way of counsel, and calls it an image, and by this again showing that he speaks of conduct, not of nature.

For indeed it was for this reason that we became earthy, because we did wicked things;

not because from the beginning we were fashioned earthy, but because we sinned.

For sin came first, and then death, and the word, 'Earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return';

then also the swarm of the passions entered in.

For neither does the being made of earth make one earthy in an absolute sense, since the Lord too was of this same lump and mass, but rather the doing of earthly things;

just as, on the other hand, it is heavenly to display things worthy of the heavens.

But indeed, why need one labour excessively in establishing this? For as he proceeds he himself unveils the meaning for us, speaking thus:

'This I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.'

Do you see how he again interprets himself, delivering us from difficulties? which he does in many places.

For here he calls the wicked deeds 'flesh,' which he has done elsewhere also, as for instance when he says;

and again, 'They that are in the flesh cannot please God.'

So that when he says, 'This I say,' he means nothing else than, 'For this reason I said these things, that you might learn that wicked deeds do not bring one into the kingdom.'

For immediately from the resurrection he introduced the discourse about the kingdom;

'Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption';

that is, wickedness does not inherit that glory and the enjoyment of things incorruptible.

For indeed in many places again he has called wickedness by this appellation, saying;

'He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.'

But if he were speaking about the body, and not about wicked conduct, he would not have said 'corruption';

for nowhere does he call the body 'corruption';

for it is not corruption, but corruptible.

Wherefore, as he proceeds and discourses concerning it, he did not call it corruption, but corruptible, saying;

'For this corruptible must put on incorruption.'

Then, having completed the exhortation concerning the manner of life—which he always does, continually blending subject with subject—he again passes over to the discourse about the resurrection of the bodies, speaking thus:

Something awesome and unspeakable, and which not all know, he is about to say;

which also shows great honour toward them, that he speaks to them the unspeakable things.

And what is this? 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.'

We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed, even those who do not die.

Do not, then, because you die, on this account be afraid, he says, as though you should not rise again;

for there are some—there are indeed—who shall even escape this;

and yet this does not suffice them for that resurrection, but even those bodies which do not die must be changed and pass over into incorruption.

'In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.'

When he had discoursed much about the resurrection, then in due season he also shows the great marvel of it.

For it is not wonderful only, he says, that the bodies first decay and then rise, nor that the bodies which rise from decay are better than those now, nor that they pass over into a far greater portion, nor that each receives his own and none receives another's; but that things so many and so great, and surpassing all reasoning and understanding, come to pass in a moment, that is, in an instant of time.

And making this plainer, he says, 'In the twinkling of an eye';

then, since he had said something great and full of astonishment—that things so many and so great should come to pass so swiftly—

he adds, by way of proof, the trustworthiness of him who works it, saying:

'For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.'

The word 'we' he speaks not concerning himself, but concerning the living who shall then be found.

'For this corruptible must put on incorruption.'

For lest anyone, hearing that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God, should suppose that the bodies do not rise, he added that this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Now the body is corruptible, and the body is mortal;

for it is the very thing that is clothed;

but the mortality and the corruption are done away, when immortality and incorruption come upon it.

Do not, therefore, henceforth doubt how it shall live a boundless life, when you hear that it becomes incorruptible.

'But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word that is written:'

'Death is swallowed up in victory.'

For since he had spoken things great and unspeakable, he again confirms the word from prophecy;

'Death is swallowed up in victory,' that is, unto the end, so that no remnant of it remains, nor any hope of its return, since incorruption has consumed corruption.

'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' Did you see a noble soul? For as one offering sacrifice for victory, and become inspired, and already beholding the things to come as though they had come to pass, he leaps upon and tramples upon death lying prostrate, and raises the shout of triumph over its fallen head, crying aloud and saying:

'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' It is gone, and

has perished and is utterly done away, and all those things you did were in vain.

For he did not merely disarm it, nor merely conquer it, but he also destroyed it, and brought it to the point of being nothing at all.

'Now the sting of death is sin;'

'and the power of sin is the law.'

Do you see how the discourse is about bodily death? Therefore it is also about bodily resurrection.

For if these things do not rise again, how was death swallowed up? And not this only, but how is the law the strength of sin? For that sin is the sting of death, and more grievous than it, and that death has its power in sin, is plain.

But how is the law also the strength of sin? Because without it sin was weak; though it was committed, it could not thus condemn.

For the evil deed was indeed done, but it was not so clearly exposed.

So that the law brought in no small benefit, both in making sin better known and in intensifying the punishment.

But if, in wishing to hinder sin, it rendered it more grievous, the blame lies not with the physician, but with the one who used the medicine badly.

Since the coming of Christ also weighed the more heavily upon the Jews;

yet we shall not on this account accuse it, but shall rather marvel at it, and hate the more those men who were harmed by the very things whereby they ought to have been benefited.

For that it was not He who gave strength to sin, Christ Himself fulfilled all things, and was without sin.

But consider with me how from this very point too he confirms the resurrection.

For if this—namely, sinning—is the cause of death, and Christ by His coming loosed sin, and by baptism delivered us from it, and along with sin also brought the law to an end (by whose transgression sin is established), what further doubt have you concerning the resurrection? For whence any longer shall death prevail? From the law? But this has been abolished.

But from sin? But this has been taken away.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For He Himself set up the trophy, but He made us also to enjoy the crowns, and this not out of any debt, but of His lovingkindness alone.

Wherefore, my brethren, be steadfast, unmovable.

The exhortation is henceforth both just and seasonable;

for nothing so shakes a man as to think that he is toiling in vain and to no purpose.

'Abounding in the work of the Lord always;'

that is, in a pure manner of life.

And he did not say, 'Doing that which is good,' but, 'Abounding,' that we may do it with a surplus, and may pass beyond the appointed bounds.

'Knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.'

What sayest thou? Labour again? But a labour that has crowns, and that in behalf of the heavens.

For the former labour, that which came after paradise, was a punishment for the sins committed;

but this present one is the ground of the rewards to come.

So that it would not even be a labour, both on this account and because one enjoys abundant help from above;

for the former was that we might pay the penalty;

but this present one, that we may obtain the good things to come.

Let us not, therefore, sleep, beloved;

for it is not possible, no, it is not possible, for one that is slothful to attain the kingdom of heaven, nor for those who live in luxury and softness.

For it is much to be desired that, straining ourselves and buffeting the body, and enduring countless painful things, we should be able to attain those good things.

Or do you not see how great is this space between heaven and earth, and how great a war stands over us, and how prone man is to wickedness, and how easily besetting is sin, and how many are the snares in the midst? Why then do we drag upon ourselves so many cares besides those which are natural, and provide for ourselves more troubles, and make our burdens greater? Does it not suffice to be anxious about the belly and clothing and a house? Does not the care of things necessary suffice? And yet from these too Christ led us away, saying:

'Be not anxious for your soul what you shall eat, neither for your body what you shall put on.'

But if we ought not to be anxious even for necessary food and raiment, nor for the morrow, then those who heap upon themselves such a load of rubbish and bury themselves beneath it—when shall they be able to lift up their heads? Did you not hear Paul saying, 'No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs

of this life?' But we both live in luxury and pamper the belly and get drunk, and while for outward things we are beaten sore, in the things of heaven we grow soft.

Do you not know that the promise is above man's reach? It is not possible for one who walks upon the ground to set foot on the vaults of heaven;

yet we are not even eager to live according to man's estate, but have become worse than the brute beasts.

Do you not know before what judgment-seat we shall stand? Do you not consider that we shall be required to give account even for words and thoughts, and yet we take no thought even for our deeds? For 'whosoever looketh upon a woman,' He says, 'to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her.'

But nevertheless those who are answerable even for a wanton glance do not shrink from rotting away in the very sin itself.

'He that saith to his brother, Thou fool, shall fall into hell;'

yet we do not even refrain from shaming them with countless reproaches and plotting against them in manifold ways.

'He that loveth him that loveth him hath nothing more than the heathen;'

yet we even envy such as these.

What pardon then shall we have, when, being bidden to surpass the old bounds, we weave for ourselves a way of life that falls short even of that measure? What plea shall deliver us? Who shall stand by and help us when we are punished? There is no one; but of all necessity, wailing, lamenting, gnashing our teeth, and writhing, we must be dragged away into that lightless darkness, into the pains that admit no entreaty, into the punishments past all remedy.

Wherefore I beseech and exhort you, and clasp your very knees, that while we have this little provision for the journey of life, we may be pricked to the heart by what has been said, may turn back, and become better; lest, like that rich man, we should there lament when we have departed, with lamentations that avail nothing, and mourn thereafter with mourning past all cure.

For though you have a father, or a son, or a friend, or anyone whatsoever who has boldness before God, no one shall ever deliver you when you are betrayed by your own works.

For such is that tribunal;

it judges from our deeds alone, and there is no other way to be saved there.

And these things I say, not to grieve you, nor to cast you into despair, but that we may not, fed with vain and cold hopes and relying upon this or that man, neglect our own virtue.

For if we are slothful, no righteous man, no prophet, no apostle, no one at all will stand by us;

but if we are earnest, having sufficient advocacy from our works, we shall with boldness enjoy also the good things laid up for those who love God;

which may it be for us all to attain, and so forth.