Homilies on First Corinthians

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”

Do you see how he explains himself again, relieving us of the trouble? Which he often does: for by flesh he here denotes men's evil deeds, which he has done also elsewhere; as when he says, “But you are not in the flesh:” and again, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” So that when he says, “Now this I say,” he means nothing else than this: “therefore said I these things that you may learn that evil deeds conduct not to a kingdom.” Thus from the resurrection he straightway introduced also the doctrine of the kingdom also; wherefore also he adds, “neither does corruption inherit incorruption,” i.e., neither shall wickedness inherit that glory and the enjoyment of the things incorruptible. For in many other places he calls wickedness by this name, saying, “He that sows to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Now if he were speaking of the body and not of evil doing, he would not have said “corruption.” For he nowhere calls the body “corruption,” since neither is it corruption, but a thing corruptible: wherefore proceeding to discourse also of it, he calls it not “corruption,” but “corruptible,” saying, “for this corruptible must put on incorruption.”

3. Next, having completed his advice concerning our manner of life, according to his constant custom blending closely subject with subject, he passes again to the doctrine of the resurrection of the body: as follows: