That is: let no one despise you, who rebuke you in good time and severely; for whoever rebukes severely, but not in time, is despised the more.

CHAPTER THREE

Remind them to obey and submit to their superiors and authorities, to be ready for every good deed.

Everywhere the apostle desires believers to obey the authorities. And He shows how to obey, namely, if they are ready for every good work. From this it is clear that whoever is ready for evil does not obey the authorities. Or let them be ready to incline to good, and not to wickedness, or anything else harmful to the soul.

Not to slander anyone, not to be quarrelsome, but quiet.

Though he who does evil - do not slander, that is, do not reproach. Our lips must be clean from reproach. Justly or falsely, it is not for us to judge. Look at what danger there can be.

And to show all meekness to all men.

And to the Jews, and to the Greeks, and to those who do harm, and to the unjust.

For we, too, were once foolish, disobedient, erring, slaves to lusts and various pleasures.

In the Epistle to the Corinthians, he frightens the future, so that they do not condemn, saying: "Whoever thinks that he stands, take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Here He admonishes the past, saying: Let us not reproach others, since we ourselves once sinned more. What the thief said to another thief: "We also are condemned to the same thing" (cf. Luke 32:40). When were we foolish? Before Christ. Was it not pointless to serve such gods? And sacrificing people - isn't it the greatest mistake? But we also served various passions and pleasures. Here he understood sodomy, marriage with a mother or sister, and other shamelessness; for the devil amuses us in various ways.

They lived in anger and envy, they were vile, they hated each other.

They lived in malice and envy, that is, always spending time in rancor and envy and living such a life; therefore we were worthy of hatred, because we hated each other. It is true: hatred also comes from envy.

When the grace and love of mankind of our Saviour, God, appeared.

That is, when the Only-begotten became incarnate and became like us.