ACC ~ Romans 8 v13

CUTTING AWAY FLESHLY LUSTS. IRENAEUS: Paul does not prevent them from living their lives in the flesh, for he was himself in the flesh when he wrote to them, but he cuts away the lusts of the flesh which bring death upon a man. AGAINST HERESIES 5.10.2.

PUT TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE BODY. ORIGEN: Putting to death the deeds of the body works like this: Love is a fruit of the Spirit,but hate is an act of the flesh. Therefore hate is put to death and extinguished by love. Likewise, joy is a fruit of the Spirit, but sadness is of this world, and because it brings death it is a work of the flesh. Therefore it is extinguished if the joy of the Spirit dwells in us. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, but dissension or discord is an act of the flesh; however, it is certain that discord can be eliminated by peace. Likewise the patience of the Spirit overcomes the impatience of the flesh, goodness wipes out evil, meekness does away with ferocity, continence with intemperance, chastity with license and so on.

By “death” and “life,” Paul does not mean physical death and life but the death of sin and eternal life, which everyone who is mature in the Spirit and who has put to death the works of the flesh will attain. But we must also realize that this mortification of the deeds of the flesh comes through patience—not suddenly but step by step. At first they start to wilt in those who have been converted, but then, as they progress in their faith and become more dedicated, the deeds of the flesh not only wilt, they start to die out. But when they reach maturity to the point that there is no longer any trace in them of any sinful thought, word or deed, then they may be reckoned to have completely mortified the deeds of the flesh and passed from death to life. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

ADOPTION AS CHILDREN OF GOD. AMBROSE: It is not strange that one who puts to death the deeds of the flesh will live, since one who has the Spirit of God becomes a son of God.It is for this reason that he is a son of God, so that he may receive not the spirit of slavery but the spirit of the adoption of sons, inasmuch as the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God. LETTER 52.

LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMBROSIASTER: Nothing is truer than this, that if we live according to Adam we shall die. For by sinning Adam was consigned to the flesh and sold himself to sin, for all sin is oriented to the flesh. … The body wants to be governed by the law of the spirit, which is why Paul shows that if we are led by the Holy Spirit the acts and desires of the flesh, which are made up by the instigation of the powers of this world, are repressed so as to be unable to act. Then we shall enjoy eternal life. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

YOU WILL LIVE. CHRYSOSTOM: You can see from this that Paul is not talking about the essence of the body but about the evil deeds which it does. For if we stop doing evil deeds, then our physical bodies will live. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 14.

AUGUSTINE: That we should mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit is required of us, but that we may live is offered to us. … Shall we therefore agree to say that the mortification of the flesh is not a gift of God and not confess it to be a gift of God, since we hear that it is required of us, with life offered as a reward to us if we have done it? PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 11.22.

AUGUSTINE: When by our spirit we put to death the works of the flesh we are impelled by the Spirit of God, which grants the continence by which we restrain, master and overcome concupiscence. CONTINENCE 5.12.

AUGUSTINE: I have quoted this passage so that I might make use of the apostle’s words to deter your free will from evil and to exhort it to what is good. Nor should you on this account glory in man, i.e., in yourselves and not in the Lord. You are not living according to the flesh but are putting the deeds of the flesh to death by the Spirit. GRACE AND FREE WILL 11.23.

YOU WILL DIE. [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: Here Paul clearly demonstrates that it was not common and natural human death of which he was speaking earlier. In fact he was and is speaking about the death of eternal punishment. For it is not because the flesh is evil and the spirit good that he praises the spirit and condemns the flesh. … Rather, he says this wanting to show that for the most part the lusts of our passions belong to the human body, which we share with irrational animals. For just as the other animals on earth are born, so our body is also born; it is our soul which is spiritual, incorporeal, rational and immortal. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

PELAGIUS: Carnal people cannot preserve righteousness. But you will live if you have replaced the works of the flesh with spiritual deeds. Note that it is the works which are condemned, not the substance of the flesh. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

THEODORET OF CYR: Paul does not say that we should mortify the flesh but “the deeds of the flesh,” that is, the wisdom of the flesh, the attacks of the passions. For we have the grace of the Spirit to help us. Eternal life is the fruit of victory. IN-TERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS.

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