The Church's Relation to Christ's Sufferings

He says that what happens through the church happens to Christ. For when the church submits, possessing no lawlessness nor anything suspicious, but offering a sincere and unblemished disposition to God, then she will submit to him genuinely. The word is established, he says, and is not sufficient to persuade the lawless.

So that you may learn that whatever such things are assigned to Christ are observed in the church by Christ, I will set him before you as a witness, the master of the church; but a little from above, so that the things said may be clear. While Christ was in this world according to the flesh, fulfilling the human administration for the salvation of the world, the Savior of the inhabited world was persecuted by the Jews and wandered among the enemies of the truth, and the source of blessing was treated with lawlessness by those enjoying the blessing.

But when he fulfilled the whole administration through suffering, he transferred to the heavenly choirs, participating in the body while fulfilling all things in the truth. Having taken up the height into which he clothed himself, he sat at the right hand of majesty in the high places, not as one receiving a foreign and strange glory, but assigning such worth to the mortal body. After the assumption and the deliverance from the sufferings, after that much-remembered resurrection and the transfer into the heavens, worshiped by every host, with all the angelic retinue standing before him in the super-heavenly, he says—not being either among the afflicted, the persecuted, or the wandering, since he saw Paul having been enraged against the church, breathing much fury against the saints—he says that he, who is persecuted nowhere after the passion, but lives in such honor and divine glory: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And indeed, I do not persecute you; for you hold a seat in the heavens. Why do you persecute me?'

The sufferings belong to the church. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Do you see that the persecution of the church is inscribed upon Christ, the head of the church? Just as, when the church is being persecuted, he says he is being persecuted, so also now Paul says that Christ is being subjected as the church is subjecting herself. Take another proof of the word; for every word shall be established upon two or three witnesses.

The voice of the Lord does not require another witness, for Christ speaks to the faithful as faithful, but to the unbelieving as unconvincing in His witness; we do not defend the Lord's voice, but we rebuke the heresy of the ungrateful.

Paul, having learned from Christ Himself that the persecution of the church is referred to Christ, knowing therefore that whatever the church suffers has its reference to Christ, follows the footsteps of the royal words and says in one of the letters: 'I will fill up the remainder of the afflictions of Christ.' Does Christ suffer again after ascending into heaven? But see what is coming: 'I will fill up the remainder of the afflictions of Christ in the flesh for the sake of His body, which is the church.'

Do you see how the sufferings and the honor of the church are made its own by Christ? You honored a church; you honored Christ. You persecuted a church; even if not in appearance, but by intention, you persecuted Christ. Consider how great the danger is for those grieving the church, and how great the crown is for those honoring the church; 'he who rejects you rejects me,' says the Savior.

I recognize the voice, O Lord, having the character of a paternal succession; for the Father also spoke such things concerning His ancient prophets, making the insult to them His own. For when Abimelech the Philistine king took Sarah, who was Abraham's wife, God says to him: 'Give the man his wife, for he is a prophet and will pray for you.' And the one defending himself says: 'Lord, I did not know she was his wife; in a pure heart I did this.' What then toward him is God? 'And I knew that in a pure heart you did this; therefore I spared you from sinning against me.'

It is thus demonstrated, brothers, that all things directed against the church have their reference to Christ. The apostle therefore says: 'The Son shall be made subject,' that is, the church to Him who subjected all things to Him. But there is another way for the ungrateful one. For what does he say? 'The church, then, is not subject, but will be subject after the resurrection?' The same is being told to you as a refutation against the heretic. For Christ, tell me, is not subject now according to your word?