Romans 8:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He hints at this when he says, 'You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men' (1 Cor 7:23). He shows the same when he writes, 'You are not your own' (1 Cor 6:19). He also mentions the same elsewhere, saying, 'If One died for all, then all died,' and, 'He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves' (2 Cor 5:14-15). He confirms the same here with the words, 'we are debtors.'

Then, because he said, 'we are debtors, not to the flesh,' lest you again refer this to the substance of the flesh, he did not stop there. He added, 'to live according to the flesh.' We must do much even for the flesh: feed it, warm it, give it rest, treat it when sick, clothe it, and render it many other services.

Therefore, lest you think the Apostle forbids such service to the flesh, after saying, 'we are debtors, not to the flesh,' he explains this by saying, 'to live according to the flesh.' He says, I forbid having that care for the flesh which leads to sin. On the other hand, I want there to be care even for it, as he later explained.

For after saying, 'Make no provision for the flesh' (Rom 13:14), he did not stop there, but added, 'for its lusts.' He teaches the same here, saying, Let the flesh also be an object of care, since we owe it this. Yet, of course, we shall not live according to the flesh, that is, we shall not make it mistress of our life. It must follow behind, not go ahead. It must not govern our life, but receive the laws of the Spirit.

'Everything God has done for us,' says Chrysostom, 'was done not by debt, but by grace alone. On the contrary, everything we do for God after this is not a gift, but a debt. He gives this to be understood when he says, You were bought with a price (1 Cor 7:23), You are not your own (1 Cor 6:19), and Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves (2 Cor 5:14). He confirms the same here with the words, We are debtors, not to the flesh. Let the flesh also be an object of care, but we must not make it mistress of our life. It must go behind, not ahead. It must not direct our life, but receive the law of the spirit.'

Life according to the spirit, with the mortification of carnal deeds, is the condition of blessed life after the resurrection. Here he shows that the very law of the life established in us directly requires this.

“We are debtors,” he says, “not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” To whom, then, are we debtors?

We are debtors to Him Who established in us the order of the new life. This is Christ the Lord, Who is in us, and the Spirit of God, Who lives in us.

He is the source of that spirit of life in Christ Jesus which has freed us from the law of sin and death.

“For having obtained salvation from Christ the Master and received the grace of the Spirit, we are obliged to render to Him the debt of service” (Blessed Theodoret).

“After so great a grace, we must live according to the will of God, and in no way according to the flesh, that is, not in sins and not in indulgence of fleshly desires” (Oecumenius).

St. Chrysostom says: “Having shown the reward of spiritual life, namely that Christ dwells in us by it, that mortal bodies are made alive, that we are winged toward heaven, and that the path of virtue becomes easier, the Apostle naturally adds an exhortation.

He says: therefore we must not live according to the flesh. Yet he does not express himself in this way, but much more strikingly and forcefully.

He says that we are debtors to the spirit, for this is what he meant by the words, ‘we are debtors not to the flesh.’

Everywhere he confirms the same thing, proving that everything God has done for us was done not as a debt, but by grace alone.

By contrast, everything we do for God after this is not a gift, but a debt.

He gives this to be understood when he says, ‘You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men’ (cf. 1 Cor 7:23).

He shows the same thing when he writes, ‘You are not your own’ (1 Cor 6:19). He also recalls the same matter elsewhere, saying, ‘Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves’ (cf. 2 Cor 5:15).

He confirms the same thing here by the words, ‘we are debtors not to the flesh.’ So that you might not again understand this of the substance of the flesh, he did not stop there.

He added, ‘to live according to the flesh.’ We are obliged to do many things for the flesh: to feed it, warm it, rest it, heal it from illness, clothe it, and render it many other services.

Therefore, so that you might not think the Apostle forbids such service to the flesh, after saying, ‘we are debtors not to the flesh,’ he explains this by saying, ‘to live according to the flesh.’

I forbid, he says, such care for the flesh as leads to sin. Meanwhile I want you to care for it.

He revealed this thought later also. After saying, ‘Make no provision for the flesh,’ he did not stop there, but added, ‘to fulfill its lusts’ (Rom 13:14).

He teaches the same here, saying: let the flesh also be an object of care, because we owe it that. But we must not live according to the flesh.

That is, we must not make it mistress of our life. It must go behind, not in front.

It must not direct our life, but receive the law of the spirit.

Having determined this and confirmed that we are debtors to the Spirit, the Apostle then shows by what benefactions we are indebted to Him.

He speaks not of the past, but of the future. In this especially we must marvel at his prudence.

Although the former benefactions were sufficient, he does not now set them forth and does not speak of those ineffable mercies. Instead, he points to future ones.

For many are usually moved not so much by a benefaction already shown as by one expected in the future.”