Chapter IV.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1) Therefore, I beseech you, brothers, that you walk worthy of the vocation by which you are called, as I, being bound in the Lord, urge you to do. Exhorting them to walk rightly in the commandments of the Lord, that they may be able to attain the promised glory. For just as a skilled physician urges the sick to conduct themselves well so that they may receive a healing remedy, so too the teacher of the Gentiles encourages them to perform worthy works of faith, that they may receive the promised rewards, knowing that the progress of this matter is for their own glory.
(Vers. 2, 3.)
(Verse 2, 3.) With all humility of mind and modesty, with magnanimity, bearing with one another in charity, eagerly preserving the spirit of unity in the bond of peace. Now, we should avoid discord and strive for charity, so that we do not lose the spirit of unity and peace: and through this, we endure with patience. For modesty brings progress; because when they tolerate one another, gently admonishing with understanding, they are corrected for the better, and peace will remain with them, by which they rightfully are called children of God; for the Lord said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). Perturbation or restlessness causes strife, which often leads one to defend even those things that are known to be bad, so as not to appear weak. Hence arises discord, which destroys the bonds of peace.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) One body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. For the sake of peace and harmony, he has subjected these things, so that because there is one body, there may be one people who share the same belief.
(Vers. 5, 6.)
(Verses 5, 6.) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us. He commends unity so that we do not disagree in anything, because unity is what we are called to. For if there is one Lord, that is, Christ, as he himself says in the Gospel: 'For one is your Master, Christ' (Matthew 23:10); one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all believers, there must be one mind and one heart of the people; for these things that he enumerates are elements of unity, as they agree in all. However, He said that the Father is God because He owes nothing to anyone, and that He is above all things and through all things. Therefore, through all things because all things are from Him, and it is necessary for Him to be above all these things which are from Him. And in all of us, that is, the faithful. For He is in us through confession; because we confess Him, and because He has given us His Spirit, through whom without a doubt He is in us: He is not in the pagans; because the Father of Christ is denied by them.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7.) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Now, in order to prevent the different gifts given to individuals from being thought to hinder unity, it purifies that this is not contradictory; because there is diversity in the gifts of offices, not in nature. But it only says that each one is given grace according to how much the Lord has deemed worthy to give; not, however, without the measure of equity, because He gives to each according to his abilities; so that he may draw as much as he thirsts.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8) Therefore he says (Psalm 67:19): He ascended on high, he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men. This is written in the sixty-seventh psalm. However, he began to give these gifts after his triumphs; for by conquering death, he was exalted on the cross, as he himself had said: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself (John 12:32). He plundered hell when he took away those captives who were held in bondage by the transgression of Adam, or were being held captive by their own sins, and ascending from there, he brought them into heaven (Matthew 27:52). From these, some rising up in bodies, appeared to many as evidence of conquered death; so that those who were perhaps not going to believe in the resurrection of Christ, were convinced by the resurrection of these, whom they knew to be dead; for they saw them, whom they recognized as having lived for a long time. Although captives, they are led unwillingly and as strangers; yet the Savior led both his own and the willing. For it is said that he provoked them to desire liberation by his appearances.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9) But what is it that ascends except that it first descended into the lower regions of the earth? It is true that it descended in order to ascend, and not like humans who descended in order to remain there. For they were held captive in the underworld, a captivity that the Savior could not hold; for he conquered sin. Therefore, having triumphed over the devil, he descended to the heart of the earth, so that his preaching would be a manifestation to the dead, and so that all those who desired him would be freed. He could not help but ascend, because He had descended for this purpose; so that, by the power of His own authority, having trampled death and having allowed Himself to suffer for the sake of those who were captive, He might rise again.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10) The one who descended is the same one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. This is what the Lord says: No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13) This is also mentioned in the psalm; it says: His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit is to the ends of it. (Psalm 19:6) Therefore, the one who descended from heaven to earth was born as a human. After dying, he descended to the depths, and on the third day, he rose again and ascended above all the heavens, showing the mockery of death to all creation.
(Vers. 11, 12.)
(Verse 11, 12.) And he himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and others as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. The apostles are bishops (Acts 11:26); the prophets are interpreters of the Scriptures; although there were prophets in the early days, such as Agabus and the four prophetesses (Acts 21:9), as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles for the sake of promoting the basics of faith (Acts 7:2ff): but now interpreters are called prophets. The deacons are evangelists, as was Philip; although they are not priests, they can still evangelize without a pulpit, as did the blessed Stephen and the aforementioned Philip (Acts 8:5). Shepherds can be readers, who nourish the listening people with their reading; for man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The masters, on the other hand, are exorcists, because in the Church they restrain and discipline the restless; they are also those who used to teach infants through letters and readings, as is the custom of the Jews, whose tradition has passed down to us, but has become obsolete due to neglect. Among these, it is understood that there is a greater one after the bishop, who is said to prophesy because he has access to the hidden meaning of the Scriptures; especially because he reveals words of future hope, which order can now be called the presbyterate. For in the bishop there are all orders: because he is the first priest, that is, the chief among priests, and a prophet, and an evangelist, and the other duties of the Church to be fulfilled in the ministry of the faithful. However, once the Church is established in all places and the duties are ordered, the situation is different from what it had started as. For in the first place, they all taught and baptized on whatever days or times there was opportunity; for Philip did not seek a specific time or day to baptize the eunuch, nor did he impose a fast. Neither did Paul and Silas delay in baptizing the jailer and all his household, nor did Peter have deacons or seek a specific day when he baptized Cornelius and all his household: nor did he himself baptize, but he commanded the brothers who were with him to baptize, who had accompanied him to Cornelius from Joppa; for no one had yet been ordained except the seven deacons. So in order for the people to grow and multiply, it was allowed for everyone at the beginning to preach, and baptize, and explain the Scriptures in the Church; but when the Church encompassed all places, assemblies were established, and leaders, and other offices were ordained in the Churches; so that no cleric would dare to undertake an office that he knew was not entrusted or granted to him. And the Church began to be governed by another order and providence; for if all were able to do the same things, it would be irrational and common, and would seem very cheap. Therefore, from this it is clear that currently neither deacons preach among the people, nor do either clerics or laypeople baptize, nor are believers immersed on just any day, except when they are sick. Therefore, the writings of the Apostle do not entirely agree with the ordination that now exists in the Church, because these writings are from the very beginnings. For he also calls Timothy, whom he made a presbyter, a bishop, because the first presbyters were called bishops, so that when he left, the one following him would succeed him. In fact, in Egypt, presbyters sign if the bishop is not present. But because unworthy presbyters began to be found to hold the primacy, the practice was changed, under the observation of the Council, so that it was not the order but the merit that created a bishop, determined by the judgment of many priests, so that no unworthy person would wrongfully take office and scandalize many. In the Law, priests were born from the lineage of Aaron the Levite (Exod. XXVIII, 43): but now all are from the priestly lineage, as the Apostle Peter says: \"For you are a royal priesthood\" (I Petr. II, 9). For the building up of the body of Christ, the Church's ordination is said to be composed in the unity of profession, like the joining together of the human body. So that in Christ, although different in rank, all may be one, having one head, Christ, that is, the author of life.
(Vers. 13)
(Verse 13). Until we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. He says that this ordination should last as long as all are destined to the life of one faith in the knowledge of Christ. To a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. He encourages us to work in such a way that the perfection of faith is achieved: the essence of which is that faith holds Christ as perfect and fully God, not measured by human standards, but held as a perfect God in the fullness of divinity. For it does not mean perfect in terms of age and measurement: but by this saying it wants us to become perfect in the fullness of the understanding of the divinity of the Son of God.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14) So that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. He wants us to be rooted and established in the discipline of the Catholic faith, which Peter the apostle, with divine revelation, professed (Matthew 16:16), and not to be carried away by the various and harmful assertions of different heresies, which are created by the wickedness of humans. This way, the enemy can bring about error under the guise of truth through these deceptive means. For this is the remedy of falsehood, that under the pretext of truth it introduces error: and not only under the name of truth, but also that, just as before we, who were humble in mind, wandered through various errors, now that we have become faithful, we may run to and fro, fragile and doubtful of the promised hope; for now that we have become Christians, we ought to be founded, because there is no ambiguity in our faith; for the power of miracles is commended.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15.) But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ. He declares this to be the truth, that by looking at the love of Christ, with which He loved us and gave Himself up for us, we should submit ourselves to Him in all things, knowing that He is the source of all life, so that the members may be subject to the head, as if others do not acknowledge Christ as the head in error or with ill will, because all things were created by Him according to the will of the Father; however, we who hold to the Catholic faith must act with all devotion and care in order to bring not harm but gain to this faith, persevering in this affirmation, so that the false conversations of a depraved mind may be silenced by the armed truth.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16.) From which the whole body, being compacted and knit together by every joint of supply, according to the working in the measure of each single part, makes increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in charity. By which reason he says, that Christ is the head of all; for from him, he says, the whole body, that is, the whole chorus of Archangels and Powers, of Principalities and Authorities, subsists. Although these have their own proper numbers, and are legions, as the Lord himself said (Matt. XXVI, 53); yet because they are from one and through one, he calls all of them one body together. For just as the members, though they are of one body, are different in actuality and dignity, so the creature is formed by God through Christ in such a way that it is, as it were, a certain chain of being, descending in an ordered manner to the firmament, from the powers which are under God's authority, namely the Cherubim and Seraphim, and the Angels whom the Lord himself calls holy, so that the whole is both united and yet distinguished by merits, I mean merits not only of duties, but also of natures. For not because it says all things together, will they be of one nature: but what separate parts do in bodies, not nature; so also in all these things, the distinctions are made by the natures themselves, not the parts. This, therefore, is what is labored for, that the creature may be reduced to one sense, and in that sense may be one body, while the profession of all is one, that it may agree in the love of the Creator for its own progress; for it rebuilds itself in the temple of the Lord, for it had been destroyed by the madness and fury of the devil.
(Vers. 17, 18.)
(Verse 17, 18.) Therefore, I say and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their minds, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them. Due to the hardening of their hearts, they have become callous and have given themselves over to sensuality, practicing every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more. However, that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self, which is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. For those who follow in vain, the things that are idolatry are restrained by the devil, so that they do not walk in the path of the one God and thus become companions in their own destruction.
(Vers. 19.)
(Verse 19.) And the blindness of their heart, who despairing, have given themselves up to impurities, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto avarice. The despair of the future resurrection of the Gentiles signifies the blindness of their heart. For they defile their own lives with the most shameful actions, not wanting to subject themselves to the law of faith; because it prohibits pleasure on account of the hope of future life, which they therefore consider laughable, in order to disgrace themselves by right and seem to desire the possessions of others with greedy desire, as if after this life there is no life.
(Vers. 20, 21.)
(Verse 20, 21.) But you have not learned Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus. It is clear that Christians have not learned despair after this death, but hope for both; for to the faithful there is life, but to the unbelievers there is promised death, which is eternal punishment; so that whether in death or in life, one may learn in Christ; for whoever follows Him, through Him will rise to life: but whoever separates themselves from Him, will be handed over to Gehenna; for He Himself is the judge, and they will be condemned. And since there are some in the Church who do not follow the truth of Christ under the name of Christ, and therefore, just as there is truth in Jesus, if they are so well taught that there is truth in Jesus, then they seem to have learned from Christ and listened to him and been taught in him: for Christ himself teaches what he is and how great he is to be believed, and what hope there is in him and what kind of believers they should be. For whoever has learned Christ knows that he has risen from the dead, so that he may be a model for the faithful, and therefore there is great hope for those who love God in this death.
(Vers. 22.)
(Verse 22.) So that you may cast off, according to your former manner of life, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desires of error. Whoever has heard Christ, has learned this: that they should withdraw from their former behavior, which is called the old man because of the time of ignorance that has passed. Therefore, a person is one and the same, who, if they follow their former vices, is called old; but if they walk in the newness of life, alienated from the secular error, which is either in action or in sense, they are called inexperienced; not in the substance of the flesh or the soul, but in intellect and behavior of life. However, an old man is said to be corrupt because of his adulterated mind and shameful life.
(Vers. 23, 24.)
(Vrs. 23, 24.) But be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who according to God is created in truth and righteousness. It is right and true to follow the straight path: he who walks in the will of his Creator is devoted to Him, which the Gentiles do not know. For he is called a new man, who is clothed with the renewed spirit of the mind, which is Christ; for he puts on Christ, who is born again in Christ through faith and is eager for the life that Christ has given. So that he may appear as having been created according to God; for in him anyone who has understanding is created; and therefore the truth and righteousness of God are unknown to the Gentiles. For when believers acknowledge God as the creator, keeping his commandments, they are created in righteousness and truth.
(Vers. 25.)
(Verse 25) Therefore, putting away lying, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members one of another (Zech. 8:16). For we were created in truth and justice, reborn in baptism; therefore, we are commanded to put away falsehood and to act with truth, not deceiving our brother. And since we are members of one body, let us support each other in truth for our causes.
(Vers. 26.)
(Verse 26) Be angry and do not sin. For who can be prevented from becoming angry (since anger is a natural emotion, arising from causes, which usually relates to the benefit of the offender), therefore it is said that one must be angry (Psalm 4:5), but it warns not to sin in one's anger. For we often exceed the limit while being angry and find ourselves sinning, accusing the one who is sinning while being more angry and burdening the sinner more than they deserve. Therefore, this teaches that anger itself should be accompanied by moderation and one should not present oneself as excessively just to the wrongdoer, because some people tend to sin in such a way that they seem to be afflicted with wounds that they cannot bear. And he who could possibly be corrected is removed from life, not without the sin of the one who is angry. Hence is where Solomon says, 'Do not be excessively righteous, because there are those who perish in their righteousness' (Ecclesiastes 7:17). But we should be imitators of God, who has temperate justice; for when it was just to punish the wicked, he endures them with his patience so that some of them may be corrected. He allows us to suffer as our own sinful slaves and does not quickly punish anyone.
(Vers. 27.)
(Verse 27.) Let not the sun go down upon your anger: do not give place to the devil. Anger seeks to pass away, and not to be retained in the heart, so that, when the day arises, it may fall with the day; for if it remains in the mind, it gives occasion to the devil to glory. For it is necessary that an angry mind should think of evil, which the devil desires; for he finds a mind prepared for evil, into which he enters and deceives the man made for life with his own passion; because to think is the function of man, and to fill is the work of the devil.
(Vers. 28.)
(Verse 28) Whoever used to steal, should steal no longer; instead, they should labor with their hands doing what is good, so that they may have something to share with those in need. Let the conduct of the new person remain, and let them be encouraged not to return to past vices and sins; for it is of no use to be called new when the old self is proven by evil deeds. Therefore, not only is a Christian commanded not to steal from others, but they are also instructed to provide for those in need through their own labor, so that being dedicated to good deeds, they may repay what they had previously taken away, and henceforth store up treasures for their future. For whoever ceases from stealing, may receive forgiveness, but not glory. For what is great, or of what merit is it to restrain oneself from others? For one profits by merit, when one bestows from one's own wealth on the needy.
(Vers. 29.)
(Verse 29) Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. In the servant of God, everything should appear good, and his purity should not be tarnished in any way. For what good is it to lead a clean life, but have a filthy mouth? The Lord says that everyone will be justified or condemned by their words (Matthew 12:37). It is not believable that someone who speaks badly can live a good life, for speaking badly leads to many vices. For one can speak evilly, who speaks shamefully, and who detracts from the good, and who speaks deceitfully, and who lies. These things inspire horror; for good and sober stories give grace and example to those who hear them; in order that they may honor God in His words, being edified in the faith of Christ.
(Vers. 30.)
(Verse 30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. When we do good, the Holy Spirit rejoices in us, given to us, seeing his instructions benefiting our well-being, as it was said by the Lord: There will be such joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). Therefore, the Holy Spirit rejoices in our salvation, not for himself, who does not need joy; on the contrary, if we do not obey him, he is saddened because he does not make progress in us; for he desires us to belong to life. However, he is not saddened in such a way that he suffers, since he is impassible: but when he says he is saddened, he signifies this for our sake; because he abandons us insofar as we have offended him by disregarding his teachings. Therefore, his sadness is our unworthiness, which prevents us from being called children of God; for he himself is the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies the children of God, remaining within us.
(Vers. 31.)
(Verse 31.) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and blasphemy be taken away from you, along with all malice. He mentions that all these things, which can cause destruction to the soul, should be removed; for anger leads to indignation, and indignation leads to clamor, like the voice of a mad person, which is foreign to a servant of God. Through clamor, blasphemy sneaks in, which cannot be anything but evil. These things make life bitter, leading to death. Therefore, one must beware of them all; the fear of God should temper and control the effects of accidental causes. But because some people, when under pressure, prefer to hold on to their malice until they find an opportunity for revenge, therefore she added that all malice should be taken away; for it is not only evil to blaspheme, but also to pretend peace on the outside while meditating discord in the mind.
(Vers. 32.)
(Verse 32.) Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. By the example of God the Father, he urges us to be kind and compassionate to one another, just as the Lord said: Be merciful, so that you may be like your Father who is in heaven (Luke 6:36). For if the Lord has shown mercy to his servants through his Son, how much more should the servants themselves show mercy to one another and forgive, if one sins against another? These are his instructions, who has shown mercy: that if anyone disdains these, without a doubt he will revoke the sentence through which he had shown mercy; and it will happen just as the Lord said in the Gospel about the one who, having received mercy from the Lord, was found to be unmerciful to his fellow servant (Matthew XVIII, 33).