Why tremble?.Saint John Chrysostom.

Saint Paul helping Saint John Chrysostom

in interpreting his teaching.

For all those who suffer...
A selected passage from the commentary of Saint John Chrysostom on the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God”.

 Saint Paul seems to me to have mooted this whole topic with a view to those who were in danger; or, rather, not this only, but also what was said a little before this. For the words, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us; and those, that the whole creation groaned; and the saying, that we are saved by hope; and the phrase, we with patience wait for; and that, we know not what we should pray for as we ought; are all of them said to these. For he instructs them not to choose just what they may think, themselves, to be useful, but what the Spirit may suggest ; for many things that seem to one's self profitable, do sometimes even cause much harm. Quiet, for instance, and freedom from dangers, and living out of fear, seemed to be advantageous for them.
And what wonder if they did to them, since to the blessed Paul himself this seemed to be so?. Still he came afterwards to know that the opposite to all these are the things advantageous, and when he came to know it, he was content. So he that besought the Lord thrice to be freed from hazards, when once he heard Him say, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My Power is perfected in weakness, was afterwards delighted at being persecuted, and insulted, and having irreparable ills done him.

For, I glory, he says, in persecutions, in insults, in necessities. And this was his reason for saying, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. And he exhorted all to give up these matters to the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is very mindful of us, and this is the will of God. Having then cheered them by all methods, he proceeds to what we have heard to-day, putting forward a reason strong enough to reclaim them. For he says, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Now when he speaks of all things, he mentions even the things that seem painful. For should even tribulation, or poverty, or imprisonment, or famines, or deaths, or anything else whatsoever come upon us, God is able to change all these things into the opposite.

For this is quite an instance of His unspeakable power, His making things

The furnace of Babylon.

seemingly painful to be light-some to us, and turning them into that which is helpful to us. And so he does not say, that them that love God, no grievance approached, but, that it works together for good, that is to say, that He used the grievous things themselves to make the persons so plotted against approved. And this is a much greater thing than hindering the approach of such grievances, or stopping them when they have come. And this is what He did even with the furnace at Babylon. For He did not either prevent their falling into it, or extinguish the flame after those saints were cast into it, but let it burn on, and made them by this very flame greater objects of wonder, and with the Apostles too He wrought other like wonders continually.

For if men who have learnt to be philosophic can use the things of nature to the opposite of their intention, and appear even when living in poverty in easier circumstances than the rich, and shine  through disgrace : much more will God work for those that love Him both these and also greater things by far. For one needs only one thing, a genuine love of Him, and all things follow that. As then things seemingly harmful do well to these, so do even things, profitable harm those who love Him not. For instance, the exhibition of miracles and wisdom in His teaching only injured the Jews, as did the rightness of doctrine; and for the former they called Him a possessed person, for the other one that would be equal to God  and because of the miracles they even went about to kill Him. But the thief when crucified, when nailed to the Cross, and reviled, and suffering ills unnumbered, not only was not hurt, but even gained the greatest good therefrom.

If God be for us, who can be against us ?.

Why, it may be said, who is there that is not against us? Why the world is against us, both kings and peoples, both relations and countrymen. Yet these that be against us, so far are they from thwarting us at all, that even without their will they become to us the causes of crowns, and procurers of countless blessings, in that God's wisdom turned their plots unto our salvation and glory. See how really no one is against us!

For it was this which gave new luster to Job, the fact that the devil was in arms against him.For the devil moved at once friends against him, his wife against him, and wounds, and servants, and a thousand other machinations. And it turned out that none of them was against him on the whole. And yet this was no great thing to him, though it was great in itself, but what is a far greater thing is, that it turned out that they were all for him. For since God was for him, even things seemingly against him all became for him. And this happened with the Apostles also, inasmuch as both the Jews, and they of the Gentiles, and false brethren, and rulers, and peoples, and famines, and poverty, and ten thousand things were against them; and yet nothing was against them. For the things which made them the most bright and conspicuous, and great in the sight both of God and of men, were these.

Just reflect then what a word Paul had uttered about the faithful, and those who are truly crucified, such as not even the Emperor with his diadem can achieve. For against him there are abundance of barbarians that arm themselves, and of enemies that invade, and of bodyguards that plot, and of subjects many that oftentimes are ever and anon rebelling, and thousands of other things. But against the faithful who takes good heed unto God's laws, neither man, nor devil, nor aught besides, can stand!. For if you take away his money, you have become the procurer of a reward to him. If you speak ill of him, by the evil report he gains fresh luster in God's sight. If you cast him into starvation, the more will his glory and his reward is. If (what seems the most severe stroke of all) you give him over to death, you are twining a crown of martyrdom about him. What then is equivalent to this way of life, being that against which nothing can be done, but even they that seem to devise mischief are no less of service to him than benefactors?. This is why he says, If God be for us, who can be against us?. Next, not being satisfied with what he had already said, the greatest sign of His love for us, and that which he always is dwelling over, that he sets down here also; I mean, the slaying of His Son. For He did not only justify us, he means, and glorify us, and make us conformed to that Image, but not even His Son did He spare for thee.

"Why tremble when enjoying
 such great love?."

What goodness it is not to spare even His own Son, but to give Him up, and to give Him up for all, and those worthless, and unfeeling, and enemies, and blasphemers.

For we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. Still, though God beseeched, and men are ambassadors in Christ's stead to men, we do not understand on that account anything done unworthy of that dignity; but one thing only do we gather from all that is told us, namely, the intensiveness of the love. This then let us do here also. If then the Spirit even make intercession for us with groaning that cannot be uttered, and Christ died and interceded for us, and the Father spared not His own Son for thee, and elected thee, and justified thee, why be afraid anymore?. Or why tremble when enjoying such great love, and having such great interest taken in thee?.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Reference:

The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistle of S. Paul the Apostle to the Romans. OXFORD : JAMES PARKER AND CO. AND RIVINGTONS, LONDON, OXFORD, AND CAMBRIDGE.(1877)