THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
Having said above, "I beseech you by the mercies of God" Rom 12:1, here he again says, "I say through grace." Notice the teacher's humility. Notice the meekness of his soul. For so great an exhortation and counsel he by no means considers his own words sufficient. To confirm them he refers now to God's mercy, and now to grace.
I do not offer the word from myself, he says, but from God. He did not say, "I speak to you by the Wisdom of God," or "by the law of God," but "by grace." He constantly reminds them of the benefits, so that he may inspire greater gratitude and prove that grace also requires the fulfillment of what is said.
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"To everyone among you." Not only to this one or that one, but to ruler and subject, slave and free, unlearned man and sage, woman and man, young man and elder. This is a common law, because it is the Lord's. Therefore the Apostle offends no one by his word, offering instruction to all, even to the innocent, so that the guilty may more readily receive this admonition and correction.
And what do you say? Tell me. "Not to think more highly than one ought to think." Here he indicates humility, the mother of all good things, imitating his Teacher in this. When Christ went up the mountain to offer a moral discourse, He began His speech first of all with humility and laid it as the foundation, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" Mt 5:3.
So also Paul, passing from dogmatic truths to moral matters, has given a lesson on virtue in general, requiring from us a sacrifice worthy of wonder. But intending to portray virtue in particular, he begins with humility as with the head. He counsels us "not to think more highly than one ought to think," because such is the will of God, "but to think soberly."
These words mean the following: we have acquired prudence in order to turn it not into arrogance, but into modesty. The Apostle did not say, "Think humbly of yourselves," but "think chastely." By chastity here he does not mean the virtue opposed to arrogance, nor withdrawal from incontinence, but a sober and sound mind.
To have sound thoughts is called chastity. Thus, by showing that the immodest man cannot be chaste, that is, steady and sound, but wanders, goes beyond limits, and becomes more irrational than any madman, the Apostle called humility chastity.
"As God has dealt to each one the measure of faith." Since the granting of gifts led many among the Romans and Corinthians to arrogance, observe how the Apostle makes clear the cause of this illness and little by little removes it. Having said that one must "think soberly," he added: "as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith," calling the spiritual gift faith here.
By the word "dealt," he both consoled the one who received the lesser gift and humbled the one who made use of the greater gift. If God has dealt it, and your own progress is not what matters, why do you think highly of yourself?
If someone says that faith is spoken of here and not a gift, this proves still more that the Apostle is humbling the vainglorious. If faith is the cause of the gift, if miracles are worked by it, and if all this is from God, on what basis do you think highly of yourself?
For if God had not come to earth and become incarnate, faith would not have had such success. Thus all good things have their beginning in God. If He Himself gives, He also knows how to distribute. He Himself created all and cares equally for all.
It depended on His love for mankind both to give and to determine how much to give. He who showed goodness in the chief matter, namely, in communicating His gifts, will not abandon you in regard to their measure. If He had wished to deprive you of honor, He would not have given you even the first thing.
But if it was well-pleasing to Him to save and honor you, for this He came to earth and distributed such a multitude of blessings, why do you fall into confusion and fear? Why do you become a fool from being rational, shaming yourself more than one who is foolish by nature?
To be foolish by nature is no fault. But to become foolish while possessing reason is inexcusable and brings great punishment. Such are those who think highly of themselves because of their wisdom and fall into extreme arrogance.
Nothing makes one so foolish as conceit. Therefore the prophet, calling the barbarian a fool, said: "For the fool will speak foolish things" Is 32:6. So that you may infer his folly from his own words, listen to what he says: "I will set my throne above the stars of heaven. I will be like the Most High" Is 14:13-14. "I will gather the whole world in my hand as a nest, and take it as abandoned eggs" Is 10:14.
What could be more foolish than these words? Yet every boastful word easily draws upon itself the same accusation. If I were to present to you all the speeches of the arrogant, you would not distinguish whether they were spoken by an arrogant man or by a fool. Thus in them there is one and the same defect.
Another barbarian again says: "I am God" Ezek 28:2, and not a man. Yet another says: "God will not be able to save you or deliver you from my hands" Dan 3:15. Likewise the Egyptian says: "I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go" Ex 5:2.
Such also is the fool mentioned by the prophet, who said in his heart: "There is no God" Ps 13:1. Such also is Cain, who said: "Am I my brother's keeper?" Gen 4:9. Can you distinguish which words were spoken by the arrogant and which by fools?
Arrogance does not keep moderation. It arises apart from the mind, which is why it is called απονιά. It creates both fools and vainglorious men. If the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, then the beginning of folly is ignorance of the Lord.
Therefore, if the knowledge of God is wisdom, and ignorance is folly, and ignorance comes from pride, while the beginning of pride is ignorance of the Lord, it follows that pride is extreme folly.
Such was Nabal also. If not before God, then before man he became foolish through arrogance, and afterward he died from fear. As soon as a man loses the measure of prudence, because of the weakness of the soul he becomes both timid and bold.
When the body loses the balanced union of its vital powers, it becomes disordered and subject to every disease. So also the soul, when it loses its nobility and humility, falls into a kind of diseased state. It becomes timid, bold, and foolish, and finally ceases to know itself.
Whoever does not know himself, how will he know what is above him? A man seized by madness does not know himself, and therefore does not know what is under his feet. An eye, when it is itself blind, darkens all the other members. So it is with arrogance.
Therefore the arrogant are more miserable than those deranged in mind and those foolish by nature. They provoke laughter like the latter and are unpleasant like the former. Although they are as disordered in mind as the deranged, they do not arouse as much pity as they do.
They are mad like fools, but they do not deserve the same excuse. They inspire only revulsion. Having the defects of both, they are deprived of the excuse proper to both. They are ridiculous not only in their words, but in all their manners.
Tell me, why do you stretch out your neck? Why do you walk raised on your toes, lift your eyebrows, and puff out your chest? You cannot make one hair white or black, yet you walk as though in the air, imagining yourself lord of all.
Perhaps you would like wings to grow on you, so that you need not walk on the earth. Perhaps you desire to become something extraordinary. But do you not now make yourself a spectacle when, being a man, you plan to fly?
Better yet, you are already flying inwardly. Everything lifts you upward. What shall I call you? By what shall I destroy your high-mindedness? If I call you ashes, dust, smoke, and dirt, I have named low things. Yet none portrays you exactly as I would wish, for I wish to show all the swelling and emptiness of arrogant people.
What image shall we find corresponding to them? It seems to me that they are like burning flax. When flax catches fire, it seems to swell and rise. But from a light touch of the hand it falls and leaves the finest ash. So too are the souls of the arrogant. A chance touch can humble and destroy their empty swelling.
Every arrogant man must necessarily be weak, because what is high is not strong. As water bubbles quickly burst, so the arrogant easily perish. If you do not believe this, show me a man who is insolent and arrogant. You will see that a chance circumstance brings him into greater timidity than another man feels from a fall.
Brushwood quickly turns to ash as soon as flame catches it. Thick trees do not easily catch fire, and they long sustain the flame. So also firm and unshaken souls are difficult both to ignite and to consume. But with weak souls both happen in a single moment.
Knowing this, let us practice humility. Nothing is more powerful than it. It is harder than stone and stronger than adamant. It places us in greater safety than fortresses, cities, and walls, being above all the devices of the devil.
Arrogance, however, makes us accessible to every chance assault. As was said above, it bursts more easily than a water bubble, tears more quickly than a cobweb, and disperses faster than smoke.
Therefore, in order to be established on the firm rock, let us put away arrogance and love humility. Then we shall find rest in the present life, and in the age to come we shall enjoy all blessings by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ. With Him, to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.