The most captious criticism could not dispute the origin of this epistle from the Apostle Paul. St. Clement of Rome, St. Polycarp of Smyrna, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian and St. Clement of Alexandria, as well as all later writers and even heretics, know and quote this epistle. Only the heretic Marcion denied the authenticity of the last two chapters, beginning with the 24th verse of the 14th chapter. It was followed by the latest criticism, which considers these chapters to be a later addition. Origen, however, condemns Marcion for this, and the existence of these two chapters in the most ancient manuscripts, as well as their inner content, which does not represent anything contrary to the spirit, teaching, and circumstances of the life of the holy Apostle Paul, convince us of their indubitable authenticity.

Content and composition of the message

The Epistle to the Romans consists of 16 chapters. The main subject of its content is the only way of salvation, both for the Gentile and for the Jew in the Lord Jesus Christ. The elaboration of this theme occupies most of the epistle—11 chapters. To this in the following chapters, from 12 to 15:13, general moral instructions about the Christian life are added. The epistle begins with the usual preface with an inscription and greeting, and ends with an afterword with greetings to various persons.

Exegetical analysis

The Epistle to the Romans consists of 16 chapters. The main subject of its content is the only way of salvation, both for the Gentile and for the Jew in the Lord Jesus Christ. The elaboration of this theme occupies most of the epistle—11 chapters. To this in the following chapters, from 12 to 15:13, general moral instructions about the Christian life are added. The epistle begins with the usual preface with an inscription and greeting, and ends with an afterword with greetings to various persons.

Part I

The Epistle to the Romans begins with a very lengthy inscription and greeting: "Paul, servant of Jesus Christ, called apostle, chosen to the gospel of God." Humbly calling himself "a servant of Christ," St. Paul then says that he takes the Romans into his care, on the basis of an apostolic calling from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who entrusted him "in His name to subject to the faith all nations," among which are they, the Romans. Then the Apostle teaches them, as usual: "grace and peace" (vv. 1-7).Further, as an incentive to enter into communion with the Romans, St. Paul puts forward that "their faith is proclaimed in all the world," that is, the Apostle is especially pleased to make the acquaintance of such worthy followers of Christ, in order to raise their faith to a higher degree: "to give them a certain spiritual gift," and "be comforted with them in common faith" (vv. 8-12). The Apostle says that he had more than once intended to come to them, but met with obstacles. This obstacle is the desire for the success of preaching among all the nations where the Apostle had previously preached.From verse 16 begins the doctrinal, dogmatic part of the epistle, in which the Apostle proves that before God all are sinful and unanswerable, both pagans and Jews, and that only living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves a person: "The just shall live by faith" (Habakka 2:4). First of all, the Apostle speaks of the sin of the Gentiles, who did not bother to know the true God through the study of His creatures: "For His invisible things, and His eternal power and Godhead, from the foundation of the world, through the contemplation of creatures, are visible" (vv. 18-20). The result of this ignorance of the true God led to idolatry, and idolatry led to all kinds of lewdness and immoral depravity (vv. 21-32). He says that along with the Gentiles, the judgment of God weighs down on the Jews, who, although they had a revealed law, were at all times no better than the Gentiles: condemning the Gentiles for their wickedness, they did the same. However, the first 16 verses of this chapter, as Bishop Theophan the Recluse notes, on the basis of the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, have in mind not only Jews, but all people in general, who, while condemning others for their sins, do not themselves abstain from sins. This is especially true of those in power, the rulers of the people, who are appointed to judge. Such should know that "there is no respect of persons with God," and every sinner, whoever he may be, will suffer a fitting punishment. It is important here to point out that the pagans, who do not have the divinely revealed law, will be judged by God according to the law of conscience written in their hearts: "For when the Gentiles, who have no law, by nature do what is lawful, then, having no law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience testifies, and their thoughts, which now accuse, those who justify one another in the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret deeds of men" (vv. 1-16).From verses 17 to 29, the holy Apostle speaks exclusively about the Jews, that they hope in vain for their circumcision and boast of their God-revealed law, for their circumcision and the law of God given to them will serve them for greater condemnation, if they, boasting of the law, dishonor God by transgressing the law (v. 17-29).In the third chapter, the holy Apostle shows that the Jews have no advantage over the Gentiles, for "both Jews and Greeks, all are under sin" (v. 9), "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 23). Therefore, a person can be justified only "through faith," "by the grace of God," "by redemption in Christ Jesus" (vv. 24-25). Nevertheless, the Jews still had the advantage of being "entrusted with the word of God" (v. 2), which contained the high promises of the Messiah. Despite the fact that the Jews turned out to be unfaithful in keeping this great gift of God, God, by the very nature of His nature, will certainly fulfill the promises given to Him. The law given to the Jews further aggravates their responsibility and guilt. And since God is not only the God of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, there is only one way of salvation for both, and that is through faith. In the fourth chapter, the Apostle remembers the Old Testament righteous Abraham and David, showing in their person that it is not only the formal fulfillment of the precepts of the law that justifies man before God, but faith in the omnipotent grace of God, granted to man by the mercy of God: "Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him for righteousness" (v. 3).In the fifth chapter, the Apostle depicts the basic truth of the Christian doctrine of sin and salvation. Just as from Adam, the natural head of all mankind, sin spread to all mankind — "therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed into all men, because in him all sinned" (Rom. 5:12) — so Christ, the new spiritual head of all mankind, by His redemptive feat also grants salvation to all mankind. Verses 12-21 of this chapter represent one of the most important passages in terms of the depth of their dogmatic content. The proof that Adam's sin really passed on to all his descendants is the fact of death, which was a consequence of Adam's sin, or the so-called original sin. The Apostle points out an important circumstance: before Moses there was no law, and consequently the sins of people could not be imputed to them: "But sin is not imputed when there is no law" (v. 13), but nevertheless people died even before Moses: hence the natural conclusion is that they were punished with death not for their own sins, but for the original sin, which passed on to them from the forefather Adam. But when the law was given, and the people did not cease to sin, their guilt before God was increased still more, v. 20. When sin thus abounded, through the redemptive feat of Christ, an abundance of God's grace was given to people — "And when sin abounded, grace abounded" (v. 20). The redemptive feat of Christ atones not only for the original sin of Adam, but also for all the personal sins of people (v. 16).In the sixth chapter, in order to warn against the false conclusion that if the increase of sin caused the action of the all-powerful grace of God, then it would not be better to remain in sin in order to regain God's mercy, the Apostle exhorts Christians to lead a holy, virtuous life. From the moment of his baptism, a Christian dies to sin and is reborn to a new holy life, just as Christ our Saviour, who suffered and died on the cross, rose from the dead and lives forever "for God" – "So you also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v. 11). This passage (6:3-11) is read at the Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday, when Christ's death and burial and His sojourn in the tomb are remembered. "Our old man (that is, sinful, inclined to sin) must be crucified with Christ, "so that the body of sin may be abolished, so that we may no longer be slaves to sin." Liberation from slavery to sin makes a Christian truly free. If a Christian is a slave, then he is a slave of righteousness. But this slavery to righteousness is only a seeming slavery: it seems so only to the weak, who have not yet been completely freed from slavery to sin, because at the beginning of the ministry of righteousness one has to debase oneself, to struggle with sinful inclinations. But therefore the fruit of slavery to righteousness or slavery to God is holiness and eternal life, and the consequence of slavery to sin is "such works as you yourselves are now ashamed of, for their end is death" (vv. 16-22). "The law has power over a man as long as he lives." Thus, the death of the husband frees the wife from the legal obligations of marriage, and she can marry another. "So ye also, my brethren," says the Apostle, "died to the law in the body of Christ, that ye might belong to another, who rose from the dead, that we might bear fruit unto God" (v. 4). The Law of Moses had a temporary significance in order to reveal the full force of sin and lead mankind to the idea that salvation is impossible without the special grace-filled help of God. The law only opened sinful wounds, but did not provide healing from them: it gave man only a bitter consciousness of powerlessness to fulfill all the requirements of the law and to receive justification from God through this. And now we, Christians, "have been freed from the law in order to serve God in the renewal of the spirit, and not according to the old letter," that is, not according to the outwardly formal prescriptions of the law. At the same time, the Apostle warns against the possible false conclusion that the cause of sin lies in the law: if there were no law, there would be no sin. No, the cause of sin is in man himself. The law itself is holy, and its commandments are holy, just, and directed to good. The law only reveals sin, which is rooted in the nature of man, perverted by original sin. In the second half of the seventh chapter (verses 13-25) the Apostle explains the seeming abnormality, that in the presence of the holy Law of Moses, the sinfulness of mankind not only did not decrease, but even increased, as a result of which an extraordinary grace-filled means was required for the salvation of people through the redemptive feat of the Only-begotten Son of God. This is one of the few places in the New Testament sacred books where the sinful depravity of man's moral nature is depicted with such force and depth: "For I do not what I will, but what I hate, that I do" (v. 15). By his own strength, without the grace of God, man is not able to overcome the sin that dwells in him: "The good that I want I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do. But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me" (vv. 19-20). The holy Apostle vividly reveals this picture of the duality that sin produces in our fallen nature: "According to the inner man I find pleasure in the law of God, but in my members I see another law, which opposes the law of my mind and makes me a prisoner of the law of sin (vv. 21-23). Poor man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24). After painting this grim picture of man's enslavement to sin, St. Paul then points to the all-powerful help of our Redeemer: "I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (v. 25). The Lord the Redeemer, even in our wretchedness, can show us to be the conquerors of the sin that dwells in us. This is discussed in detail in the next eighth chapter.

Part II

Having clarified the power of sin and the greatness of the redemptive feat of Christ the Saviour, Who freed us from the power of sin and gave us the opportunity to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, the holy Apostle in the eighth chapter urges us to struggle with sin, for now nothing can excuse our evasion of this struggle. The almighty Spirit of Christ is with us, helping us to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and "whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ is not His" (v. 9). Led by the Spirit of God, we are children of God (vv. 14-16), and "if we are children, we are heirs, heirs of God, but joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him" (v. 17). The desire to live a spiritual life while struggling with sin is accompanied by suffering, but Christians should not be afraid of these sufferings, for they are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in the future life: "the present temporal sufferings are worth nothing in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us" (v. 18). All creation awaits this future glory with us, for it too will be freed from slavery to the law of death and corruption, which, as a consequence of man's sin, is reflected in all creation. In the struggle with sin, the Holy Spirit helps us, for He "strengthens us in our weaknesses; for we do not know what to pray for, as we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered" (v. 26). In the hope of salvation, God's predestination for our salvation also confirms us: "To be conformed to the image of His Son, that He may be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom He predestined, He called, and those whom He called, He also justified; and whom he justified, he also glorified" (vv. 29-30). For a correct understanding of this passage of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul on Divine predestination, it must be borne in mind that the Apostle does not speak of unconditional predestination, as the Calvinists teach, but of predestination based on the omniscience of God. This does not mean that God, apart from the will of people, predestined some to salvation and others to destruction, but that God, as omniscient, knows which of people will use their free will for good, and which for evil, and depending on this, predetermines the eternal fate of everyone. In conclusion of the exhortations to be firm in the hope of salvation, the holy Apostle exclaims: "Who shall separate us from the love of God?" (v. 35) and enthusiastically confesses his love and devotion to Christ the Saviour, calling all believers to the same (vv. 35-39).In the next three chapters – the ninth, tenth and eleventh – the holy Apostle expresses his "great sorrow" and "unceasing anguish of heart" (Romans 9:2 [1]) over the stubborn disbelief of the Jews in Christ the Saviour and their rejection by God from the Church of Christ, and proves that Israel itself is guilty of its rejection, since it seeks justification not in faith in Christ the Savior, but in the fulfillment of the external ceremonial law of Moses. At the same time, the holy Apostle expresses the conviction that just as rejection does not concern all Jews, because there are believers among them ("the remnant has been preserved" Rom. 11:5 [2]), so it will not be eternal for the Jewish people: in due time the Jews too will believe in Christ and enter His Church. In the temporary rejection of the Jews, which they fully deserve, the holy Apostle sees a special manifestation of God's wisdom in relation to the salvation of all mankind. The fanaticism of the Jews, who stubbornly rejected faith in Christ as the Messiah, forced the Apostle to turn with a sermon about Christ to the pagans. And thus the stubborn hardening of the Jews against the apostolic preaching had as its consequence the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ (Romans 11:25 [3]). The success of the faith of Christ among the Gentiles and the spiritual blessings they receive will arouse the zeal of the Jews, and as a result "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26 [4]). For this reason the holy Apostle inspires the Gentile believers not to boast before the Jews of their salvation. Comparing the Jewish people to a noble garden olive tree, from which only the branches have been "broken off by unbelief," but the root is intact and holy, the holy Apostle likens the pagans to a "wild olive tree" grafted into an olive tree in place of the branches that have fallen off: "If... You, O wild olive tree, have been grafted in their place, and have become a partaker of the root and the juice of the olive tree, then do not exalt yourself before the branches. But if you are exalted, remember that you do not hold the root, but you are the root" (Romans 11:17-18). In addition, the branches that have fallen off can be grafted again, for "God is able to graft them again" (Romans 11:23). "For if thou art cut off from the wild olive tree, and have not been grafted into the good olive tree by nature, how much more shall these natural ones be grafted into their olive tree"... (Romans 11:24).The greatness of God's Providence, which wisely leads all nations to salvation, by means of an influence on the historical destinies of nations invisible to people, evokes in the holy Apostle an ecstatic exclamation: "Oh, the abyss of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies, and how unsearchable are His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? ... To Him be the glory forever, Amen (Romans 11:33-36). This concludes the doctrinal, dogmatic part of the Epistle to the Romans.Chapters twelve, thirteen, fourteenth, and fifteenth of verse 13 make up the moral part of the epistle. In chapter 12 he speaks of the duties of a Christian as a member of the Church, in relation to God (12:1-2 [5]) and to his neighbors (12:3-5 [6]), about various supernatural gifts and ordinary ministries, about the feelings and dispositions of a Christian (12:8-21). The instruction on obedience to the authorities is especially important here: "Let every soul be subject to the superior authorities" (13:1). For a correct understanding of this instruction, it is necessary to pay attention to the thought contained in verses 3 and 4: [7] that power is "from God" that encourages good and punishes evil. "Therefore we have the right to say," says the Monk Isidore Pelusiot, "that the very matter I mean authority, that is, the authority and royal power, are established by God. But if any wicked lawless man seizes this power, then we do not assert that he was ordained by God, but we say that he is allowed to spit out this wickedness, as to Pharaoh, and in this case to suffer extreme punishment, or to chastize those for whom cruelty is needed, as the king of Babylon made the Jews chaste" (Part II, Letter 6). how to treat the weak in the faith, in view of the disagreements that have arisen on this ground in the Roman Church. Most of the Roman pagan Christians boasted of their Christian freedom in that they did not eat indifferently all food and drink, for the Christian faith did not impose any prohibitions in this respect, nor did it impose any distinctions between the days of the year. Meanwhile, Jewish Christians continued to consider certain types of food unclean and feared to be defiled by them, just as they recognized some Old Testament feasts as universally obligatory. The holy Apostle exhorts us to put an end to strife on this ground, since the weak in faith should be treated with leniency. Private opinions and beliefs must be left to everyone's conscience. The main thing is not to judge or reproach each other and not to give each other temptation. Everything is pure for a Christian, but if your brother is offended, it is better not to eat meat or drink wine, lest you offend your brother (14:1-21). Verses 12-14 of the 13th chapter [8] and verses 1-4 of the 14th chapter [9] are read at the Liturgy on the Sunday of Cheesefare before the onset of Great Lent, giving instructions in what mood a Christian should spend the days of the Great Lenten feat. with which this epistle is sent, and conveys a whole series of greetings by name to the Christians living in Rome, which is a great sorrow for me and an unceasing torment to my heart. ^So in the present time, by the election of grace, there is a remnant. ^For I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant of this mystery, lest you dream of yourselves, that hardening has taken place in Israel in part, until the time when the full number of the Gentiles shall enter. ^and so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, A Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and shall turn away wickedness from Jacob. ^I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, for your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the will of God, good, acceptable, and perfect. ^According to the grace given to me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourselves more than you ought to think; but think modestly, according to the measure of faith that God has given to each. For as in one body we have many members, but not all the members have the same work, so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and separately members of one another. ^For rulers are feared, not for good works, but for evil ones. Do you want not to be afraid of the authorities? Do good, and you will receive praise from it, for the ruler is God's servant, for you are good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, the avenger of him who does evil. ^The night is past, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. As in the daytime, let us behave decently, not indulging in feasting and drunkenness, nor voluptuousness and debauchery, nor quarrels and envy; but put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not turn the care of the flesh into lusts. ^Receive him who is weak in faith without disputing about opinions. For some are sure that they can eat everything, but the weak eat vegetables. Whoever eats, do not despise him who does not eat; and whoever does not eat, do not condemn him who eats, because God has accepted him. Who art thou, who condemn another man's servant? He stands before his Lord, or falls. And he will be raised, for God is able to raise him up. ^

First Epistle to the Corinthians

Having clarified the power of sin and the greatness of the redemptive feat of Christ the Saviour, Who freed us from the power of sin and gave us the opportunity to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, the holy Apostle in the eighth chapter urges us to struggle with sin, for now nothing can excuse our evasion of this struggle. The almighty Spirit of Christ is with us, helping us to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and "whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ is not His" (v. 9). Led by the Spirit of God, we are children of God (vv. 14-16), and "if we are children, we are heirs, heirs of God, but joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him" (v. 17). The desire to live a spiritual life while struggling with sin is accompanied by suffering, but Christians should not be afraid of these sufferings, for they are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in the future life: "the present temporal sufferings are worth nothing in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us" (v. 18). All creation awaits this future glory with us, for it too will be freed from slavery to the law of death and corruption, which, as a consequence of man's sin, is reflected in all creation. In the struggle with sin, the Holy Spirit helps us, for He "strengthens us in our weaknesses; for we do not know what to pray for, as we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered" (v. 26). In the hope of salvation, God's predestination for our salvation also confirms us: "To be conformed to the image of His Son, that He may be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom He predestined, He called, and those whom He called, He also justified; and whom he justified, he also glorified" (vv. 29-30). For a correct understanding of this passage of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul on Divine predestination, it must be borne in mind that the Apostle does not speak of unconditional predestination, as the Calvinists teach, but of predestination based on the omniscience of God. This does not mean that God, apart from the will of people, predestined some to salvation and others to destruction, but that God, as omniscient, knows which of people will use their free will for good, and which for evil, and depending on this, predetermines the eternal fate of everyone. In conclusion of the exhortations to be firm in the hope of salvation, the holy Apostle exclaims: "Who shall separate us from the love of God?" (v. 35) and enthusiastically confesses his love and devotion to Christ the Saviour, calling all believers to the same (vv. 35-39).In the next three chapters – the ninth, tenth and eleventh – the holy Apostle expresses his "great sorrow" and "unceasing anguish of heart" (Romans 9:2 [1]) over the stubborn disbelief of the Jews in Christ the Saviour and their rejection by God from the Church of Christ, and proves that Israel itself is guilty of its rejection, since it seeks justification not in faith in Christ the Savior, but in the fulfillment of the external ceremonial law of Moses. At the same time, the holy Apostle expresses the conviction that just as rejection does not concern all Jews, because there are believers among them ("the remnant has been preserved" Rom. 11:5 [2]), so it will not be eternal for the Jewish people: in due time the Jews too will believe in Christ and enter His Church. In the temporary rejection of the Jews, which they fully deserve, the holy Apostle sees a special manifestation of God's wisdom in relation to the salvation of all mankind. The fanaticism of the Jews, who stubbornly rejected faith in Christ as the Messiah, forced the Apostle to turn with a sermon about Christ to the pagans. And thus the stubborn hardening of the Jews against the apostolic preaching had as its consequence the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ (Romans 11:25 [3]). The success of the faith of Christ among the Gentiles and the spiritual blessings they receive will arouse the zeal of the Jews, and as a result "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26 [4]). For this reason the holy Apostle inspires the Gentile believers not to boast before the Jews of their salvation. Comparing the Jewish people to a noble garden olive tree, from which only the branches have been "broken off by unbelief," but the root is intact and holy, the holy Apostle likens the pagans to a "wild olive tree" grafted into an olive tree in place of the branches that have fallen off: "If... You, O wild olive tree, have been grafted in their place, and have become a partaker of the root and the juice of the olive tree, then do not exalt yourself before the branches. But if you are exalted, remember that you do not hold the root, but you are the root" (Romans 11:17-18). In addition, the branches that have fallen off can be grafted again, for "God is able to graft them again" (Romans 11:23). "For if thou art cut off from the wild olive tree, and have not been grafted into the good olive tree by nature, how much more shall these natural ones be grafted into their olive tree"... (Romans 11:24).The greatness of God's Providence, which wisely leads all nations to salvation, by means of an influence on the historical destinies of nations invisible to people, evokes in the holy Apostle an ecstatic exclamation: "Oh, the abyss of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies, and how unsearchable are His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? ... To Him be the glory forever, Amen (Romans 11:33-36). This concludes the doctrinal, dogmatic part of the Epistle to the Romans.Chapters twelve, thirteen, fourteenth, and fifteenth of verse 13 make up the moral part of the epistle. In chapter 12 he speaks of the duties of a Christian as a member of the Church, in relation to God (12:1-2 [5]) and to his neighbors (12:3-5 [6]), about various supernatural gifts and ordinary ministries, about the feelings and dispositions of a Christian (12:8-21). The instruction on obedience to the authorities is especially important here: "Let every soul be subject to the superior authorities" (13:1). For a correct understanding of this instruction, it is necessary to pay attention to the thought contained in verses 3 and 4: [7] that power is "from God" that encourages good and punishes evil. "Therefore we have the right to say," says the Monk Isidore Pelusiot, "that the very matter I mean authority, that is, the authority and royal power, are established by God. But if any wicked lawless man seizes this power, then we do not assert that he was ordained by God, but we say that he is allowed to spit out this wickedness, as to Pharaoh, and in this case to suffer extreme punishment, or to chastize those for whom cruelty is needed, as the king of Babylon made the Jews chaste" (Part II, Letter 6). how to treat the weak in the faith, in view of the disagreements that have arisen on this ground in the Roman Church. Most of the Roman pagan Christians boasted of their Christian freedom in that they did not eat indifferently all food and drink, for the Christian faith did not impose any prohibitions in this respect, nor did it impose any distinctions between the days of the year. Meanwhile, Jewish Christians continued to consider certain types of food unclean and feared to be defiled by them, just as they recognized some Old Testament feasts as universally obligatory. The holy Apostle exhorts us to put an end to strife on this ground, since the weak in faith should be treated with leniency. Private opinions and beliefs must be left to everyone's conscience. The main thing is not to judge or reproach each other and not to give each other temptation. Everything is pure for a Christian, but if your brother is offended, it is better not to eat meat or drink wine, lest you offend your brother (14:1-21). Verses 12-14 of the 13th chapter [8] and verses 1-4 of the 14th chapter [9] are read at the Liturgy on the Sunday of Cheesefare before the onset of Great Lent, giving instructions in what mood a Christian should spend the days of the Great Lenten feat. with which this epistle is sent, and conveys a whole series of greetings by name to the Christians living in Rome, which is a great sorrow for me and an unceasing torment to my heart. ^So in the present time, by the election of grace, there is a remnant. ^For I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant of this mystery, lest you dream of yourselves, that hardening has taken place in Israel in part, until the time when the full number of the Gentiles shall enter. ^and so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, A Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and shall turn away wickedness from Jacob. ^I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, for your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the will of God, good, acceptable, and perfect. ^According to the grace given to me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourselves more than you ought to think; but think modestly, according to the measure of faith that God has given to each. For as in one body we have many members, but not all the members have the same work, so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and separately members of one another. ^For rulers are feared, not for good works, but for evil ones. Do you want not to be afraid of the authorities? Do good, and you will receive praise from it, for the ruler is God's servant, for you are good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, the avenger of him who does evil. ^The night is past, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. As in the daytime, let us behave decently, not indulging in feasting and drunkenness, nor voluptuousness and debauchery, nor quarrels and envy; but put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not turn the care of the flesh into lusts. ^Receive him who is weak in faith without disputing about opinions. For some are sure that they can eat everything, but the weak eat vegetables. Whoever eats, do not despise him who does not eat; and whoever does not eat, do not condemn him who eats, because God has accepted him. Who art thou, who condemn another man's servant? He stands before his Lord, or falls. And he will be raised, for God is able to raise him up. ^

Founding of the Corinthian Church

Corinth lies on the isthmus connecting Greece with the Morea, or Peloponnese. It was built one and a half thousand years B.C. In 44 AD, under Julius Caesar, it was restored after the devastation and became the flourishing first city of the Roman province of Achaia - the residence of the proconsuls. It was famous for its sciences, arts and cheerful life, which attracted many inhabitants to it. Its distinction was the so-called "Isthmian Games" and the temple of Aphrodite. It can be said that at the time of the apostolic preaching, Corinth was a representative of Greek frivolity, frivolity and sensual pleasures.The church in Corinth was founded by the holy Apostle Paul during his second evangelistic journey around the year 53, after he had passed with the preaching of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athena. Leaving his disciples Silas and Timothy in Macedonia to confirm the faith, Saint Paul set off for Greece, and arrived in Corinth after a short stay in Athens, as the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells us (18:1 [1]). At Corinth the holy Apostle met the kind and hospitable people Aquila and Priscilla, Judeans by birth from Pontus, who had formerly lived in Rome, but had migrated to Corinth on the occasion of the expulsion of Emperor Aquila. Claudius of all the Jews from Rome. Aquila was a "skin-maker", that is, a tentmaker. Since Saint Paul knew this trade, he also settled with them, in order to earn his livelihood by the labors of his hands. If Aquila and Priscilla had not yet been Christians, then it must be assumed that they were now converted by St. Paul, baptized by him, and became his helpers in the work of evangelism.Every Saturday the Apostle preached in the Jewish synagogue, convincing the Jews and Greek proselytes that there is no other salvation but in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, St. Paul was given the opportunity to intensify and expand his preaching activity, and he taught not only on Saturdays, but also on the other days of the week. Among the Jews, however, this preaching had little success. They opposed the Apostle, reviling him and the way of the Lord preached by him. Then Saint Paul left the synagogue with an intelligible action and word for the Jews. And he shook off the dust of his garments, and said unto them, Your blood is upon your heads; I am pure; henceforth I go to the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6). The meaning of these words is: "The guilt of your destruction is on yourselves: I am pure from it. I have shown you the way of salvation, and you do not want to accept it. Remain in your destruction."Further Christian gatherings with preaching about Christ Saint Paul began to organize not far from the synagogue, in the house of a certain Justus, who worshipped God. The pagans also gathered here, and the work of evangelism went more successfully: many believed and were baptized. Among those who believed was the ruler of the synagogue Crispus himself with all his household. Nevertheless, the success of the preaching was apparently not great, so that St. Paul wanted to completely withdraw from the depraved Corinth, in which he began to experience even attempts on his life (2 Thess. 3:2 [2]). Therefore, the Lord Himself appeared to him in a vision at night to encourage and inspire him to continue his service in Corinth (Acts 18:9-10 [3]). Strengthened by this apparition, the holy Apostle remained in Corinth for a year and a half, and during this period of time his preaching brought forth abundant fruit in Corinth, so that the Church of Corinth became famous and glorified for its abundance of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 1:5-7 [4]). His departure from Corinth was hastened by a deplorable incident. Irritated by the Apostle's preaching, the Jews seized him and brought him to trial before the proconsul Gallio with a complaint that he "teaches men to worship God not according to the law" (Acts 18:13). The essence of this accusation was that Paul had become the founder of some new sect, in addition to the confessions permitted by the laws of the Roman Empire. Gallio was the brother of the famous Roman philosopher Seneca and the uncle of the poet Lucan, a highly educated and noble man. He refused to try a matter of faith, not civil relations, and drove the Jews away from the judgment seat. The Greeks, who despised the Jews, hearing this decision of Gallio, rushed at them immediately in the same court chamber and, seizing the chief leader of the indignation, Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, "beat him before the judgment seat; and Gallio cared not in the least about it" (Acts 18:14-17). It is possible that this Sosthenes was later converted to Christ, and this is mentioned by the holy Apostle when he writes to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 1:1. [5] By the special providence of God, the successor of Paul's work in Corinth was a certain Judean, named Apollos. He was born and raised in Alexandria, from where he came first to Ephesus, and then to Corinth. This, according to the writer of Acts, was an eloquent man and versed in the Scriptures (Acts 18:24 [6]). Sailing from Corinth, Saint Paul arrived for a short time at Ephesus, where he left Aquila and Priscilla, while he himself set off to Jerusalem and from there to Antioch, whence he then began his third Apostolic journey. After the departure of Saint Paul from Ephesus, there arrived Apollos, who was already a Christian and burned in spirit, but who knew only the baptism of John. He began to teach boldly in the synagogue. "When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they received him, and explained to him more accurately the way of the Lord" (Acts 18:26). When he felt the need to go to Achaia, the capital of which was Corinth at that time, the Ephesian believers gave him letters of recommendation to the Christians there. Arriving in Corinth, Apollos did much to help the believers, refuting the Jews publicly and "proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 18:27-28 [7]). The significance of Apollos' preaching for the establishment of Christianity in Corinth was so great that the holy Apostle Paul calls him the waterer of the seeds of the faith in Christ planted by him: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God grew" (1 Cor. 3:6). How long Apollos stayed in Corinth is unknown, but in writing the first Epistle to the Corinthians we again see him in Ephesus together with the Apostle (1 Cor. 16:12 [8]). ^and that we may be delivered from disorderly and wicked men, for faith is not in all. ^And the Lord said to Paul in a vision by night, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and be not silent, for I am with you, and no one will do you harm, because I have many people in this city." ^Cleanse therefore the old leaven, that it may be new dough unto you, for ye are unleavened, for our Passover, Christ, was slain for us. ^Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ called by the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother. ^A certain Jew, named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man and versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ^And when he intended to go to Achaia, the brethren sent to the disciples there, disposing them to receive him; and when he came there, he did much to help those who believed by grace, for he greatly refuted the Jews publicly, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. ^And as for brother Apollos, I begged him earnestly that he and the brethren would come to you; but he did not want to go now, but would come when it was convenient for him. ^

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