The Body and the Temporary Nature of Food

A person becomes a judge of their own household, not of others. But God is the judge of all, since He is the master of all.

He reproaches them because the holy ones, who are able to judge, were judging against them by the unbelievers. Having said, 'You judge those within, but God judges those without,' He now subjects the whole world to the judgment of the holy ones. For in this life, they examine the lives of the faithful for their restoration, but for the judgment of the world, they entrust it to God, not for the restoration of the sinful ways, but for their exposure and condemnation. The twelve apostles judge the twelve tribes as Jews from among Jews, from whom they believed the prophets, even if they were unbelieving and for this reason turned away from Christ. The other holy ones, that is, the Gentiles, condemn those who did not turn from idols but believed in the true God. Thus there is no disagreement between the evangelist and the apostle, for Christ spoke in both; for it is written: a Queen of the South will rise and condemn this generation, and men of Nineveh will arise and condemn you.

Did He not say, 'And the world is judged by you'? Now He does not speak of angels according to nature, but of the ministers, the priests, the teachers of the people, who are likely to be judged by the holy ones as those handing down things concerning Christ. For having said, 'Is it not about practical matters?', He showed that He did not speak concerning natural angels, but concerning those having an angelic role and performing spiritual works. If He spoke strictly of angels, it would be clear He meant those who have turned away and fallen from God. Yet priests were called angels according to Malachi, saying: 'The lips of a priest shall preserve knowledge, and they shall seek law from his mouth, for he is an angel of the Lord of powers.' Therefore, we judge these priests who led the people astray, just as those who began heresies and turned away from the teaching of Christ.

The least of the church is more contentious than the unbeliever. However, it seems the apostle leaves this out, which is clear: that the greater matters must be guarded by the perfect. You seem defeated by the devil, not only in judging the unbelievers, but also...

He holds judgments with one another. Regarding the single energy of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, he spoke to the righteous, teaching the oneness of essence. He does not speak concerning a person, but concerning a matter from the subordinate; for the word is about these things: foods for the stomach, and the stomach for the foods, but God will abolish both this and that.

He does not speak concerning a person, but concerning an absurd matter and a passion. Yet, speaking about himself, he exhorts the others to self-control. Knowing that the stomach is the cause of their greed—for many dare all things because of the pleasures of the stomach—he teaches that it is unseemly to serve the stomach. We know that foods are for the stomach. It has been set apart from these things, yet nonetheless God will abolish these temporary things; for after the resurrection, when immortality is given, the need for surplus foods is lacking. Why then do you strive for temporary things, from which sexualities and pleasures are absurd?

For it is clear that foods and eating are temporary. But the body has been set apart not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body; and the body would not be temporary, but it will be raised into incorruption according to the type of Christ. He says body and members of Christ, the body of those having believed and having been baptized.

Therefore, if anyone sins in feeding or in defiling the body, he fulfills the need for it and for the honor of the body; but the one clinging to a prostitute, making one body with her, insults and dishonors his own body. The clothes and the world are outside of the body; therefore, the one doing these things outside of the body sins, whether one is slandering or lying to others, causing loss and seizing, or someone commits adultery with another woman; but the one committing sexual immorality insults himself, passing into the harm from the deed. Whatever then a man sins, he indeed sinned, but not into his own body, nor did he dishonor his own flesh like the one committing sexual immorality.

And indeed, the one who stains the hand with blood, a murderer, sins into his own body, and the slanderer stains the tongue as if with blood through slanders; but the one committing sexual immorality, he says, baptizes his whole self into...