Seventeenth Sermon: The Epistle to the Romans - Chapter Nine
“I speak the truth in Christ. I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1). 1 Were my words not […]
“I speak the truth in Christ. I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1). 1 Were my words not […]
The apostle went on to another subject, while leaving the subject of salvation as a given, contenting himself with what he had shown us. This subject
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). 1 - And because the Apostle Paul said:
After he finished speaking about the practical moral teachings, we find him returning once again to the faith teachings, saying: “Or do you not know, O you who believe?”
“For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, then we will also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:5). 1 - This is what I said
” من أجل ذلك كأنما بإنسان واحد دخلت الخطية إلى العالم وبالخطية الموت وهكذا اجتاز الموت إلى جميع الناس إذ
But it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned to him as righteousness, but for our sakes also, to whom it will be reckoned as righteousness.
1 - “What shall we say then, that our father Abraham has come into being according to the flesh?” (Romans 4:1). After he said that the world has become
“What then are we (as Jews) better? Not at all. For we have already accused both Jews and Greeks of being under sin, as it is written,
“Behold, you are called a Jew, and trust in the law, and boast in God, and know his will, and discern the things that are excellent, being taught by the law” (2:17-18).
And after saying this, he repeats the same words again, and with greater severity, to tighten the noose on them, saying: “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man.
The truth of salvation in Christ is not a rigid letter that can be preserved in a book. It is a treasure that the Lord gave to the apostles so that their union would be the sure guarantee of their possession of the truth of salvation. The apostles passed this treasure on to the bishops so that they might complete the mission, in their union with the Church - the Body of Christ, where the Holy Spirit works. In doing so, they do not express their own opinion, but the will of the Holy Spirit who dwells in the Church.