380. Third, at who was delivered up for our sins, he assigns the cause why faith in the resurrection of Christ justifies, saying, who, namely, Christ, was delivered up, namely to death, by God the Father: he that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all (Rom 8:32), by himself: he gave himself up for us (Eph 5:25), by Judas: he who delivered me to you has the greater sin (John 19:11), and by the Jews: they will deliver him to the gentiles to be mocked (Matt 20:19).
380. Tertio, ibi qui traditus est, etc., assignat causam quare fides resurrectionis Christi iustificet, dicens qui, scilicet Christus, traditus est, scilicet in mortem, a Deo Patre, infra VIII, 31: proprio Filio suo non pepercit Deus, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum; et a seipso, Eph. V, 25: tradidit semetipsum pro nobis; et a Iuda, Io. XIX, 11: qui me tradidit tibi maius peccatum habet; et a Iudaeis, Matth. XX, 19: tradent eum gentibus ad illudendum.
And rose again for our justification, i.e., to justify us by rising: that, as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).
Et resurrexit propter iustificationem nostram, id est, ut nos resurgendo iustificaret. Infra VI, 4: quomodo Christus resurrexit a mortuis per gloriam Patris, ita et nos in novitate vitae ambulemus.
That he was put to death for our sins seems plain from the fact that by his death he merited the remission of our sins, but he did not merit by rising, because in the risen state he was not a pilgrim but one who had arrived.
Et quod propter delicta nostra sit traditus in mortem, manifestum videtur ex hoc quod sua morte meruit nobis deletionem peccatorum, sed resurgendo non meruit, quia in statu resurrectionis non fuit viator, sed comprehensor.
Therefore, it must be said that Christ’s death was salutary for us not only by way of merit but also by way of effecting it. For since Christ’s human nature was somehow the instrument of his divinity, as Damascene says, all the acts and sufferings of his human nature were salutary for us, considering that they flowed from the power of his divinity. But because an effect has to some extent a similarity to its cause, the Apostle says that Christ’s death, by which mortal life was extinguished in him, is the cause of extinguishing our sins. But his resurrection, by which he returns to a new life of glory, he calls the cause of our justification, by which we return to the new life of justice.
Et ideo dicendum est quod mors Christi fuit nobis salutaris, non solum per modum meriti sed etiam per modum cuiusdam efficientiae. Cum enim humanitas Christi esset quodammodo instrumentum divinitatis eius, ut Damascenus dicit, omnes passiones et actiones humanitatis Christi fuerunt nobis salutiferae, utpote ex virtute divinitatis provenientes. Sed quia effectus habet aliqualiter similitudinem causae, mortem Christi, qua extincta est in eo mortalis vita, dicit esse causam extinctionis peccatorum nostrorum: resurrectionem autem eius qua redit ad novam vitam gloriae, dicit esse causam iustificationis nostrae, per quam redimus ad novitatem iustitiae.
Chapter 5
Caput 5
Redemption from Death by Christ
Redemptio ex Mortem per Christum
Lecture 1
Lectio 1
Glory in hope and tribulation
Gloria in spe et tribulatione
5:1 Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: [n. 381]
5:1 Justificati ergo ex fide, pacem habeamus ad Deum per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum: [n. 381]
5:2 By whom also we have access through faith into this grace wherein we stand: and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. [n. 383]
5:2 per quem et habemus accessum per fidem in gratiam istam, in qua stamus, et gloriamur in spe gloriae filiorum Dei. [n. 383]
5:3 And not only so: but we glory also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation works patience;
5:3 Non solum autem, sed et gloriamur in tribulationibus: scientes quod tribulatio patientiam operatur:
5:4 And patience trial; and trial hope;
5:4 patientia autem probationem, probatio vero spem,
5:5 And hope does not confound: because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. [n. 390]
5:5 spes autem non confundit: quia caritas Dei diffusa est in cordibus nostris per Spiritum Sanctum, qui datus est nobis. [n. 390]
381. After showing the need for Christ’s grace, because without it neither the knowledge of the truth benefited the gentiles nor circumcision and the law benefited the Jews unto salvation, the Apostle now begins to extol the power of grace (C. 3, L. 3–C. 4, L. 3).
381. Postquam Apostolus ostendit necessitatem gratiae Christi, quia sine ea nec cognitio veritatis gentibus, nec circumcisio et lex Iudaeis profuerunt ad salutem, hic incipit commendare virtutem gratiae.
Concerning this, he does two things.
Et circa hoc duo facit.
First, he shows what goods we obtain through grace;
Primo ostendit quae bona per gratiam consequamur;
second, from what evils we are freed by it, at wherefore as by one man (Rom 5:12).
secundo, a quibus malis per eam liberemur, ibi propterea sicut per unum hominem, et cetera.
In regard to the first he does two things.
Circa primum duo facit.
First, he indicates the manner of reaching or the way by which we come to grace;
Primo proponit modum perveniendi, seu viam qua venimus ad gratiam;
second, the good things we obtain through grace, at and glory in the hope of the glory.
secundo ostendit bona quae per gratiam consequimur, ibi et gloriamur in spe gloriae, et cetera.
In regard to the first he does two things.
Circa primum duo facit.
First, he exhorts to the due use of grace;
Primo exhortatur ad debitum gratiae usum;
second, he shows us the entrance to grace, at by whom also we have access.
secundo ostendit nobis gratiae aditum, ibi per quem accessum, et cetera.
382. First, therefore, he says: it has been stated that faith will be reputed as justice to all who believe in Christ’s resurrection, which is the cause of our justification. Being justified therefore by faith, inasmuch as through faith in the resurrection we participate in its effect, let us have peace with God, namely, by submitting ourselves and obeying him: agree with God and be at peace (Job 22:21); who has hardened himself against him and been at peace? (Job 9:4).
382. Dicit ergo primo: dictum est quod fides reputabitur omnibus ad iustitiam credentibus resurrectionem Christi, quae est causa nostrae iustificationis. Iustificati igitur ex fide, inquantum scilicet per fidem resurrectionis effectum eius participamus, habeamus pacem ad Deum, scilicet subiiciendo nos et obediendo ei. Iob XXII, 21: acquiesce igitur ei et habeto pacem. Iob IX, 4: quis restitit ei, et pacem habuit?
And this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has led us to that peace: he is our peace (Eph 2:14).
Et hoc per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum, qui nos ad istam pacem perduxit. Eph. II, 14: ipse est pax nostra.
383. Hence he continues, by whom, namely, Christ, we have access as through a mediator: one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5); through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18).
383. Unde subdit per quem, Christum accessum habemus, scilicet tamquam per mediatorem. Tim. II, 5: mediator Dei et hominum, et cetera. Eph. II, 18: per ipsum accessum habemus ambo in uno Spiritu ad Patrem.
Access, I say, into this grace, i.e., to the state of grace: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Wherein, i.e., through which grace, we have not only risen from sin but we stand firm and erect in the heavens through love: our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem (Ps 122:2); we have risen and stand upright (Ps 20:8). And this through faith, through which we obtain grace, not because faith precedes grace, since it is rather through grace that there is faith: by grace you have been saved through faith (Eph 2:8), i.e., because the first effect of grace in us is faith.
Accessum, inquam, in gratiam istam, id est, in statum gratiae. Io. I, 17: gratia et veritas per Iesum Christum facta est. In qua, id est, per quam gratiam, non solum resurreximus a peccatis, sed etiam stamus, fixi et erecti per affectum in caelestibus. Ps. CXX, 21: stantes erant pedes nostri. Et iterum: nos autem surreximus, et erecti sumus. Et hoc per fidem, per quam, scilicet, gratiam consequamur, non quia fides praecedat gratiam, cum potius per gratiam sit fides. Eph. II, 8: gratia estis salvati per fidem, scilicet, quia primus effectus gratiae in nobis est fides.
384. Then when he says, and glory in the hope of the glory, he indicates the blessings that have come to us through grace.
384. Deinde cum dicit gloriamur in spe gloriae, etc. ostendit quae bona nobis per gratiam provenerunt.
First, he says that through grace we have the glory of hope;
Primo dicit quod per gratiam habemus gloriam spei;
second, that through grace we have the glory of God, at and not only so.
secundo, quod per gratiam habemus gloriam Dei, ibi non solum autem, et cetera.
In regard to the first he does three things.
Circa primum tria facit.
First, he shows the greatness of the hope in which we glory;
Primo ostendit magnitudinem spei, in qua gloriamur;
second, its vehemence, at and not only so;
secundo, eius vehementiam, ibi non solum autem, et cetera.
third, its firmness, at and hope does not confound.
Tertio, eius firmitatem, ibi spes autem non confundit, et cetera.
385. The greatness of hope is considered in terms of the greatness of things hoped for. He sets this out when he says, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God, i.e., in the fact that we hope to obtain the glory of sons of God.
385. Magnitudo autem spei consideratur ex magnitudine rei speratae, quam ponit dicens et gloriamur in spe gloriae filiorum Dei, id est ex hoc quod speramus nos adepturos gloriam filiorum Dei.
For through Christ’s grace we have received the spirit of adoption of sons (Rom 8:15); behold how they have been numbered among the sons of God (Wis 5:5). But to sons is due the father’s inheritance: if sons, heirs also (Rom 8:17). This inheritance is the glory which God has in himself: have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? (Job 40:9). Our hope for this has been given to us by Christ: we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and to an inheritance which is incorruptible (1 Pet 1:3). This glory, which will be completed in us in the future, is in the meantime begun in us through hope: for we are saved by hope (Rom 8:24); all those who love your name will glory in you (Ps 5:11).
Per gratiam enim Christi adepti sumus spiritum adoptionis filiorum Dei, ut dicitur infra VIII, 15, et Sap. V, 5: ecce quomodo computati sunt inter filios Dei. Filiis autem debetur haereditas patris, infra VIII, 17: si autem filii et haeredes. Haec autem haereditas est gloria quam Deus habet in seipso. Iob XL, 4: si habes brachium ut Deus, et cetera. Et huiusmodi spes indita est nobis per Christum. I Petr. I, 3 s.: regeneravit nos in spem vivam, per resurrectionem Iesu Christi ex mortuis in haereditatem incorruptibilem, et cetera. Et haec gloria, quae in futuro in nobis complebitur, interim nunc in nobis inchoatur per spem. Infra VIII, 24: spe salvi facti sumus. Ps. V, 12: gloriabuntur in te omnes qui diligunt nomen tuum.