Homilies on Second Corinthians

^4. “Try your own selves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves. Do you not know as to your own selves, that Christ is in you, unless indeed ye be reprobate? But I hope that you shall know that we are not reprobate.”

For since by what he has said he has shown that even if he does not punish, it is not because he has not Christ in himself, but because he intimates His long-suffering, Who was crucified and yet avenged not Himself; he again, in another manner, produces the same effect, and still more irrefragably, establishing his argument by the disciples. 'For why speak I of myself,' he says 'the teacher, who have so much care upon me and am entrusted with the whole world and have done such great miracles. For if you will but examine yourselves who are in the rank of disciples, you will see that Christ is in you also. But if in you, then much more in your teacher. For if you have faith, Christ is in you also.' For they who then believed wrought miracles. Wherefore also he added, “Try your own selves, prove your own selves, whether ye be in the faith. Do you not know as to your own selves, unless indeed that Christ is in you, you be reprobate?” 'But if in you, much more in your teacher?' He seems to me here to speak of the “faith” which relates to miracles. 'For if you have faith,' he says, “Christ is in you, except you have become reprobates.” Do you see how again he terrifies them, and shows even to superfluity that Christ is with Him. For he seems to me to be here alluding to them, even as to their lives. For since faith is not enough [by itself] to draw down the energy of the Spirit, and he had said that '“if you are in the faith” you have Christ in you,' and it happened that many who had faith were destitute of that energy; in order to solve the difficulty, he says, “except ye be reprobate,” except [that is] you are corrupt in life. “But I hope that you shall know that we are not reprobate.” What followed naturally was to have said, “but if you have become reprobate, yet we have not.” He does not, however, say so, for fear of wounding them, but he hints it in an obscure manner, without either making the assertion thus, 'you are reprobate,' or proceeding by question and saying, 'But if you are reprobate,' but leaving out even this way of putting it by question, he indicates it obscurely by adding, “But I hope that you shall know that we are not reprobate.” Here also again, great is the threat, great the alarm. 'For since you desire,' he says, 'in this way, by your own punishment to receive the proof, we shall have no difficulty in giving you that demonstration.' But he does not indeed so express himself, but with more weight and threatening. “But I hope that you shall know that we are not reprobate.” 'For you ought indeed,' he says, 'to have known even without this what we are, and that we have Christ speaking and working in us; but since you desire to receive the proof of it by deeds also, you shall know that we are not reprobate.' Then when he has held the threat suspended over their heads, and brought the punishment now up to their doors, and has set them a trembling, and made them look for vengeance; see how again he sweetens down his words and soothes their fear, and shows his unambitious temper, his tender solicitude towards his disciples, his high-principledness of purpose, his loftiness and freedom from vain-glory. For he exhibits all these qualities in what he adds, saying,