Likeness of sinful flesh; fleshly mindset versus Spirit's help
Here he speaks of what the law of sin and death cannot do. Virtue is strong by its own nature; vice and what comes from it are weak and powerless. Vice rules not the strong but the slack—not by its own strength but by their feebleness. Such a 'law' is powerless by nature, so it worked in weak flesh.
God condemned that law by sending his Son not in flesh of the sin that slaves of the law of sin serve, but in a likeness of such flesh. The Son's flesh was not sin but likeness, because it did not come from a man's seed and a woman joined in sleep. So God condemned sin become exceedingly sinful, and through the flesh the divine law's righteous requirement is fulfilled in us when we do not walk according to flesh—where that powerless weakness, which is vice, works—but follow God according to his Spirit and receive the Son into ourselves.
Because the mindset of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be; and those who are in the flesh cannot please GodFrom Paul we learn who walk according to flesh—those who mind fleshly things—and who according to Spirit—those who mind the Spirit's things.
Fleshly mindsets are fornication, wantonness, idolatry, and the like—death itself. The Spirit's fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, and what follows—life. Such people are already in life and rejoice in peace. Those who sow to the flesh reap corruption; those who live by the Spirit sow of the Spirit and reap eternal life. Those of the flesh's mindset are also God's enemies.
People who want riches or glory also mind fleshly things. Jews who live by the letter and practice visible circumcision in the flesh mind the fleshly side of the law; Jews in secret, who circumcise heart and spirit, mind the Spirit's things. In the fleshly mindset of the law you find death and enmity toward God; in the Spirit's mindset of the law, life and peace. Those in the flesh of the law cannot please God; those in the Spirit of the law can. Both profess Moses' law, yet they take it according to flesh and we according to Spirit—so they reckon the promises fleshy, while we take them as spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.
Hope that is seen is not hope; for what one sees, why still hope? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with enduranceOther copies read something like 'if he is eager he endures what he sees'; but greatness belongs to the one who hopes toward what is unseen and, stretching the mind toward it, endures whatever comes.
Likewise the Spirit helps our weaknesses; for we do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit itself intercedes for us with unspoken groaningsIt fills up what our weakness lacks. Through this, all human nature is shown. In countless ways the Spirit helps our weakness, not least when we pray and cross over so as to pray in spirit. Not knowing what to pray as we ought, helped by the Spirit we pray in spirit; then with the mind following that help we pray with the mind too. Prayer that uses only one is incomplete, as if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful shows. So that the mind may bear fruit, he says: I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the mind. …
Greek
ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν πέμψας ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί, ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα. μᾶλλον τὸ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου τοῦ τῆ ἁμαρτία καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ὧδε λέγει· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ ἰδίᾳ φύσει ἰσχυρά, οὕτω καὶ ἡ κακία καὶ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀσθενῆ καὶ ἀδύνατα· κρατεῖ γὰρ οὐ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐκλύτων, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἰσχὺν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀδράνειαν· τοῦ τοιούτου νόμου ἡ φύσις ἀδύνατός ἐστιν· διὸ καὶ ἐνήργει ἐν τῇ ἀσθενεῖ σαρκί. ὃν νόμον κατέκρινεν ὁ θεὸς πέμψας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ ἁμαρτίας τοιαύτης ᾗ ὁ δουλεύων κατὰ νόμον ἁμαρτίας δουλεύει, ἀλλ' ἐν ὁμοιώματι τοιαύτης σαρκός. διὰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν ἁμαρτία ἡ σὰρξ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ' ὁμοίωμα, ἐπείπερ οὐκ ἦν ἐκ σπέρματος ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς ὕπνῳ συνελθούσης. οὐκοῦν ὁ θεὸς κατε δίκασεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γενομένην καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλόν, καὶ διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπληρώθη τὸ τοῦ θείου νόμου δικαίωμα ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτε μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περι πατοῦμεν, ἐν ᾗ σαρκὶ ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου καὶ ἀσθενές, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ κακία· ἀλλ' ἑπόμενοι θεῷ κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ πράττομεν πάντα, εἰς ἑαυτοὺς παραδεχόμενοι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. 46 viii 7 διότι τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν, τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ 46 οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται· οἱ δὲ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται. ἀφ' ὧν διδάσκει ὁ Παῦλος μανθάνομεν τίνες εἰσὶ κατὰ σάρκα, οἱ τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦντες, καὶ τίνες οἱ κατὰ πνεῦμα, οἱ τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος φρονοῦντες. τὰ δὲ φρονήματα τῆς σαρκός εἰσι πορνεία, ἀ έλγεια, εἰδωλολατρεία, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, ὅπερ αὐτὸ τοῦτο θάνατός ἐστι· τὰ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα, ἅπερ ἐστὶ ζωή. καὶ ἤδη ἐν τῇ ζωῇ εἰσὶν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ εὐφραίνονται· ἀκόλουθον οὖν τοὺ μὲν εἰ τὴν άρκα πείροντα θερίζειν φθοράν, τοὺς δὲ πνεύματι ζῶντα πείρειν εἰ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀφ' οὗ ἐστὶ θερί αι ζωὴν αἰώνιον· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἐχθροί εἰσι τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκός. φρονοῦσι δὲ τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ὅσοι βούλονται πλουτεῖν ἢ ἐπιθυμοῦσι δόξης. καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα ζῶντες Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ τὴν ἐν φανερῷ περιτομὴν ἐν αρκὶ ἀσκοῦντες, οὗτοι τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ νόμου φρονοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα, οἱ ἐν κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖοι, οἱ τὴν ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ πνεύματι περιτομὴν ποιοῦντες, <οὗ>τοι φρονοῦσι τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ φρονήματι τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ νόμου θάνατόν τις εὑρήσει καὶ ἔχθραν τὴν εἰς θεόν, ἐν δὲ τῷ φρονήματι τοῦ νόμου τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴν καὶ εἰρήνην. οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ νόμου ὄντες θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νόμου ὄντες· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ ἐπαγγελλόμεθα τὸν Μωσέως νόμον, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν κατὰ σάρκα, ἡμεῖς δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα· διὸ ἐκεῖνοι σαρκικὰς ἡγοῦνται τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀκολούθως τῷ σαρκικῷ νόμῳ, ἡμεῖς δὲ πνευματικάς, ἐν πά ῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι . 47 viii 24, 25 ἐλπὶς δὲ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς· ὃ γὰρ βλέπει τις, τί καὶ ἐλπίζει; εἰ δὲ ὃ οὐ βλέπομεν ἐλπίζομεν, δι' ὑπομονῆς ἀπεκδεχόμεθα. ἀνθ' οὗ ἐν ἄλλοις εὕρομεν ἀντὶ τοῦ ὃ γὰρ βλέπει τίς ὑπομένει, οἷον εἰ πρόθυμος γίνεται ὑπομένειν ὃ βλέπει· μέγα δὲ ποιεῖ ὁ ἐλπίζων εἰς μὴ βλεπόμενον, καὶ δι' ἐκεῖνο τῷ τετάσθαι τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸ πᾶν ὁτιποτ οῦν ὑπομένων. 48 viii 26 ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα συναντιλαμβάνεται ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν, τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξόμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεν τυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἂν πληροῖ τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀσθενείας ἀντιλαμβανόμενον αὐτῆς, ἅμα δὲ μανθάνομεν ὅτι πᾶσιν ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις διὰ τούτων δεδήλωται. (τοῦ αὐτοῦ) ἐν δυσεξαριθμήτοις τὸ πνεῦμα ἀντιλαμβάνεται τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἔλαττον δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι ἡμᾶς, ἐπὰν διαβαίνωμεν ὥστε προ εύχε θαι πνεύματι. τότε γὰρ τί προσευξόμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ οὐκ εἰδότες, ἀντιλαμβανο μένου τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ἀσθενείας, διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τούτου βοήθειαν προ ευχόμεθα πνεύματι· εἶτ' ἐφεπομένου αὐτῷ βοηθοῦντι τοῦ νοῦ προ ευχόμεθα καὶ τῷ νοΐ. ἐλλιπὴς δὲ ἡ εὐχὴ τοῦ μὴ προσευχομένου ἀμφοτέροις, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἐὰν γλώ αι λαλῶ τὸ πνεῦμά μου προ εύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦ μου ἄκαρπο ἐ τιν. ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἄκαρπος ᾖ ὁ νοῦς, προ εύξομαί φησι τῷ πνεύματι, προ εύ ξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ. 49 viii 31, 32 τί οὖν
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Commentarii in epistulam ad Romanos (catena Greek) (Greek).
Original English Translation of Origen’s Commentarii in epistulam ad Romanos (catena Greek) — new OET from PG 14 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 14 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.