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.

He saved us, not by works of righteousness that we would have done, but by His mercy.

He saved us not by the works that we have done, in other words: we have not done works worthy of justification, and we have not been saved by them, but His grace has done everything.

The bath of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Alas, we were so immersed in evil that we could no longer be cleansed, but had need of regeneration. For this means rebirth and renewal, rebirth and new education. Just as we do not put a support under a completely dilapidated house, but, having destroyed it to the ground, we build it anew: so God did not correct us, but recreated us completely. How? By the Holy Spirit. In order that thou mayest not inquire how this may be, he says, The Spirit hath set all things right. Where does this come from? Which He poured out, he says, on us abundantly. Not only did He recreate through Him, but He also generously rewarded Him, so that this also might be seen through Him. And rightly so. After He had cleansed, He filled us abundantly with the Spirit. This means: poured out. For the pure does not enter into the unclean. And this was accomplished through Jesus: He is the mediator and giver of all good things.

So that, justified by His grace, we may become heirs of eternal life in hope.

Again - by grace, and not by merit. This teaches humility. For we did not do anything ourselves. And it is encouraging about the future. If He saved the utterly lost by grace, how much more will He give the future to the justified. So that, he says, we may be heirs of the eternal; life, as we hope for. Or: we are already heirs, because we live in hope.

This word is true.