you that have wives, don't go looking for anything else; those of you who
SERMON 224 243 he seduces into joining his party.7 I know that the devil says to fornicating adulterers, who are not content with their own wives, that he says in their hearts,
"Sins of the flesh aren't all that serious." Against this, against the whispered suggestions of the devil, we ought to employ the enchantments of Christ.8 Because the enemy is just deceiving Christians through the allurements of the flesh, when he makes what is a grave matter into a light one for them; but he does this by lying, not by really making it light.9 What's the good to you of Satan making light of what Christ has shown to be grave? What's the good to you of the colossal weight of infelicity10 weighing light in the scales of falsity? What good does it do you, the devil telling you it's only a light matter, when God tells you it's a grave one? Aren't you going to discover how grave indeed is what God told you, and how far away from you the devil will be with his promises?
Is the devil doing anything new, in telling the Christian faithful, "What you're doing is nothing, really; you're sinning in the flesh; after all, you're not sinning spiritually. It's something that's easily wiped off the slate, easily pardoned." What's so terrific about what he's doing? It's the same old ruse as he employed in paradise, when he said, "Eat, and you will be like gods; you certainly won't die." God had said, The day you eat, you shall die the death (Gn 2:17). Along comes the enemy and says, You will not die, but your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods (Gn 3:4-5). God's injunction was slighted, and the devil's persuasion heeded. And then God's injunction was discovered to be true, and the devil's deception to be false. Did it do her any good, I ask you, that the woman said, The serpent seduced me (Gn 3:13)? Did the excuse carry any weight? If the excuse carried weight, why did the condemnation follow?11
While God has promised forgivenes he hasn't anywhere promised tomorro
3. That's why I've got this to say to you, my brothers, my sons,12 those of you that have wives, don't go looking for anything else; those of you who haven't, and wish to marry, keep yourselves chaste for them, just as you want them to come chaste to you; those of you who have made a promise of conti¬ nence, don't lookback.13 There, I've had my say, I've absolved myself of guilt.14 God has placed me here to pay out, not to call in debts.15 And yet, where we can, where we are given the chance, when an opportunity occurs, when we know the facts, we correct, we reprove, we hurl anathemas, we excommunicate.16
And yet it isn't we, really, who correct, because neither the one who plants is anything, nor the one who waters, but only the one who gives the growth, God (1 Cor 3:7). And now, the fact of my talking, of my warning you—what's the use of it, unless God listens to me on your behalf, and does something in you, that is in your hearts?17 I'll put it briefly, and draw this in particular to your attention; I am both scaring the faithful and building you up.18 You are members of Christ; listen, not to me, but to the apostle, So shall I take the members of Christ, and make them members of a whore? (1 Cor 6:15).
Someone or other's got to say, of course, "But she isn't a whore, she's my concubine."