Διὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ εἶναί με λειτουργὸν
Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, ἱερουργοῦντα τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταπεινῶν τὸν
λόγον τοῦτον, λέγει ὅτι οὐκ ἐμαυτῷ ἤρασα τὴν τιμήν, ἀλλ’ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο ἐπέταξεν,
ἀφώρισέ με τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ· οὐκ ἐκ ἄξιου, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χάριν. Εἰς τὸ εἶναί με
λειτουργὸν καὶ ἱερέα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Μὴ τοίνυν με ἁμαρτάνοντα νομίσῃς, εἰ ἐν τοῖς
λόγοις μου καταγγέλλω τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Μακάριον ἔχω τὸν λόγον· θυσία ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς.
Τίς δ’ ἂν μέμφοιτο τῷ ἱερεῖ τὴν μάχαιραν ἐπάγοντι τοῖς πρὸς θυσίαν ἀφωρισμένοις;
Ἵνα γένηται ἡ προσφορὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἡγιασμένη ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ. Οὐχ ἵνα
ἐγὼ δοξασθῶ, διὰ τοῦτο χαίρω καὶ γράφω· ἀλλ’ ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν
σωθῆτε, καὶ οὕτως γένηται ἡ προσφορὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ὁλοκλήρως εὐπρόσδεκτος. Ὡς πάντων
χαριτοφορουμένων ὑμῖν. Ἡγιασμένη ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ, τουτέστιν, ἐν πολιτείᾳ καθαρᾷ
πνευματικῇ. Οὐ γὰρ σάρκι μόνον ἅγιοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ βίῳ μετανεωτευσάμενοι, μὴ ὡς ἔθνη
ζῶντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ νόμον Θεοῦ. Καθαρῶς καὶ ἁγίως πολιτευόμενοι, ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ
ἀνακαινισθέντες. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ προσφορὰ ἡ δεκτή, ἡ πνευματικὴ θυσία ἡ ἁγία·
διὰ τοῦτο ἔφη ἵνα γένηται τὰ ἔθνη προσφορὰ Θεῷ δεκτή. (PG 124:511)
For the grace given to me by God,
that I should be a minister of Jesus Christ to the nations, performing the
priestly service of God. He humbles the expression, saying that he did not
seize this honor for himself, but that God appointed him to it and set him
apart by this grace–not on account of worthiness, but by grace. That I might be
a minister and priest of the Gospel. That I might be a minister and priest of
the Gospel. And who would reproach the priest for bringing the knife upon those
appointed for sacrifice? That the offering of the nations might become
acceptable, sanctified in the Holy Spirit. Not that I might be glorified — for
this reason I rejoice and write — but that you, together with the other
nations, may be saved, and thus the offering of the nations as a whole may
become acceptable. As you all are endowed with grace. Sanctified in the Holy
Spirit — that is, in a pure and spiritual way of life. For they are not holy
merely in the flesh, but also in conduct, having reformed their life — not living
as the Gentiles do, but according to the law of God. Living purely and holily,
renewed in the Holy Spirit. For this is the acceptable offering — the
spiritual, holy sacrifice. Therefore he said: that the nations might become an
offering acceptable to God.
