1 Cor 15:15-17:
We are found to be giving
false witness to God as well, because we testified of God that he raised
Christ, whereas he did not raise him (v. 15): we are liable on the score of
calumny for presuming to claim God raised Christ, whereas he did not raise him.
Then in turn he reverses the same ideas, intent on strengthening faith in the
resurrection with further arguments, saying, After all, if the dead are not raised,
neither has Christ been raised. But if Christ had not been raised, your faith
is futile; you are still in your sins (vv. 16-17): baptism is a type of
the Lord’s death, but the type has no force if it does not involve the
forgiveness of sins; so the burden of sins is still to be carried. He
included this in view of the statement, Christ died for our sins, in keeping
with the scriptures. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of
St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 1:226)
Eph 2:8-9:
By grace, in fact, you are
saved through faith (v. 8): the grace of God regaled us with these good
things; we had only faith to offer, but divine grace worked with it. He went on
in this vein: This is no doing of yours; it is the gift of God, not from
works lest anyone boast (vv. 8-9): we have not believed of our own
volition; rather, we made our approach when called, and when we did he did not
require of us purity of life—instead, he accepted faith alone and granted us
forgiveness of sins. In other words, we are of his making, created in Christ
Jesus for good works for which God prepared us so that we should walk in him (v.
10). He used created there of the regeneration: he called us (he is
saying) out of ins ineffable goodness; we responded, and by coming to faith we
attained salvation. Before baptism, however, he did not require of us the
practice of virtue, whereas after baptism he urges us to cling to it as well. This,
in fact, is what he means by for good works so that we should walk in him.
(Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline,
Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:39; on “faith alone” in the patristics,
see this
post)
The translator Robert Charles Hill offered this note:
In these vv. 8-10, where Paul is
stressing the gratuity of the divine call, Theodoret is prepared to concede it,
achieving his usual Antiochene balance by seeing faith as a personal response
to the call in the first place, and then a virtuous life in consequence of
reception of baptism and its forgiveness of sins. (Ibid., 1:59-60 n. 4)
Col 2:11-13:
In him also you were
circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hand, by putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh through the circumcision of Christ (v. 11). In
other words, since under pressure they embraced the way of life of the Law, he
brings out once again the difference in circumcision: it is not of the flesh
(he is saying). But of the spirit, not done by human hand but divine, not a
removal of a fragment of flesh but freedom from all corruption. IT is not the
Law that is responsible for this but Christ the Lord, the giver of the Law; he
says, note, in him also you were circumcised, and again, through the
circumcision of Christ. By putting off the body of the sins of the flesh
he referred to saving baptism: in it we put off the soiled garment of sin.
In the life to come, on the other hand, the body, rendered incorruptible and
immortal can no longer be affected by the stain of sin. Now, to the fact that
this refers to baptism the sequel also testifies. Buried with him in baptism
(v. 12). Since he called saving baptism a type of death (implying this in buried),
he gives the good news of resurrection: in whom you were also raised.
And since we still have a mortal nature, he went on, through faith in the
power of God, who raised him from the dead: believing is the power of God
we await the resurrection, having the resurrection of Christ the Lord as a
pledge.
And you, dead as you were in
your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made alive with him,
forgiving you all your trespasses (v. 13): sin destroyed us all, imposing
on us the sentence of death. But the God of all made us sharers in the life of
Christ the Lord, and bestowed on us forgiveness of sins. By uncircumcision
of the flesh he referred to wickedness, explaining that whereas
uncircumcision of the body causes no harm to those in that condition, uncircumcision
of the body causes no harm to those in that condition, uncircumcision of the
soul harms both body and soul. From this he shows that bodily circumcision is of
no benefit to the circumcised; on the other hand, it is removal of wickedness
that brings about true salvation. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters
of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:93-94)
2 Tim 2:11-13:
Having thus brought out the
reward for the hardships, he went on, The saying is trustworthy (v. 11),
that is, true, indubitable, free of falsehood. If we died with him, we shall
also live with him; if we endured with him, we shall also reign with him (vv.
11-12). The phrase, we died with him, he applied not only to those taken
up for burial but also to the baptized: those who sincerely believe and give
evidence of a life in keeping with their faith will share life with the Lord. If
we deny him, he will also deny us. The Lord himself said as much in the
sacred Gospels, “Whoever denies me before human beings I myself shall deny
before my Father, who is in heaven.” Then he explains that the one denying him
will not harm him but will bring harm on himself. If we are unfaithful, he
remains unfaithful: he cannot deny himself (v. 13): those with faith do not
render him God, nor do those without faith remove the divine nature from him;
rather, whether we believe or not he is God. So it is we the believers who reap
the benefit. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul,
2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:241)
The translator, Robert Charles Hill, offered the following comment
on the above:
The bishop, we have seen, is
always ready to recall the baptismal ritual in connection with death and
rising. (Ibid., 2:250 n. 4)
Titus 3:4-7:
But when the goodness and lovingkindness
of God our Savior, appeared be saved us, not through works of righteousness we
had done but in his mercy through the washing of regeneration and through
renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out richly on us through Jesus
Christ our Savior that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in
hope of eternal life (vv. 4-7). Exercising lovingkindness, he is saying,
the Lord freed us from our former vices through the Only-begotten, according
us forgiveness of our sins through saving baptism, creating us anew and
renewing us, regaling us with the gift of the Spirit, and showing us the way of
righteousness. To those traveling by this way he promised the kingdom of
heaven. And since this way is not visible (hope which is seen, remember, is not
hope), he was obliged to add, The saying is sure (v. 8), that is, true:
let no one be in any doubt. I want you to harp on this so that those who
believe in God may be sure to devote themselves to good works: for those
devoid of good works faith is not sufficient for salvation. These things are
good and of benefit to everyone: believing in God and living according to
the laws. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2
vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:257, emphasis in
bold added)
