Romans 6:19
I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Humanum dico, propter infirmitatem carnis vestræ : sicut enim exhibuistis membra vestra servire immunditiæ, et iniquitati ad iniquitatem, ita nunc exhibete membra vestra servire justitiæ in sanctificationem.
- Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
- ἀνθρώπινον λέγω διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν· ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν, οὕτως νῦν παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν.
Haydock's commentary
I speak a human thing,2 or I am proposing to you what is according to human strength and ability assisted by the grace of God, with a due regard to the weakness and infirmity of your flesh. The sense, according to St. Chrysostom is this, that the apostle having told them they must be dead to sin, lead a new life, &c. he now encourages them to it, by telling them, that what is required of them is not above their human strength, as it is assisted by those graces which God offers them, and which they have received. Where we may observe that these words, I speak a human thing, are not the same, nor to be taken in the same sense, as chap. iii. 6. when he said, I speak after a human way, or I speak like men. (Witham)
What I ask of you, Christian Romans, is, that you so earnestly labour for your sanctification as to improve daily in virtue, as formerly you plunged every day deeper and deeper into vice. (Menochius)
2 Humanum dico, anthropinon lego; chap. iii. 6. Secundum hominem, kat anthropon. See St. Chrysostom, hom. xii.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Tertullian On the Resurrection of the Flesh, St. Paul, All Through, Promises Eternal Life to the Body
For that must be living after the world, which, as the old man, he declares to be “crucified with Christ,” not as a bodily structure, but as moral behaviour. Besides, if we do not understand it in this sense, it is not our bodily frame which has been transfixed (at all events), nor has our flesh endured the cross of Christ; but the sense is that which he has subjoined, “that the body of sin might be made void,” by an amendment of life, not by a destruction of the substance, as he goes on to say, “that henceforth we should not serve sin;” and that we should believe ourselves to be “dead with Christ,” in such a manner as that “we shall also live with Him.” On the same principle he says: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed.” To what? To the flesh? No, but “unto sin.” Accordingly as to the flesh they will be saved, “alive unto God in Christ Jesus,” through the flesh of cour …
St Augustine Letter CXLV
5. Moreover, every one hates sin just in proportion as he loves righteousness; which he will be enabled to do not through the law putting him in fear by the letter of its prohibitions, but by the Spirit healing him by grace. Then that is done which the apostle enjoins in the admonition, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” For what is the force of the conjunctions “as” and “even so,” if it be not this: “As no fear compelled you to sin, but the desire for it, and the pleasure taken in sin, even so let not the fear of punishment drive you to a life of righteousness; but let the pleasure found in righteousness and the love you bear to it draw you to practise it”? And even this is, as it seems t …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Homily XII on Rom. vi. 19
Rom. VI. 19 “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members (so 4 mss. Sav. the members of your flesh) servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
St John Chrysostom Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily XXIV
Thus , because he terrified them greatly, relating the ancient examples, and threw them into an agony, saying, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall; “though they had borne many temptations, and had exercised themselves many times therein; for “I was with you,” saith he, “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling:” ( 1 Cor. ii. 3 .) lest they should say, “Why terrify and alarm us? we are not unexercised in these troubles, for we have been both driven and persecuted, and many and continual dangers have we endured:” repressing again their pride, he says, “there hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear,” i.e., small, brief, moderate. For he uses the expression “man can bear,” in respect of what is small; as when he says, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.” ( Rom. vi. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, 1 Timothy 1:18,19
And say; what chargest thou? “That by them thou shouldest war a good warfare.” They chose thee, that then for which they chose thee do thou, “war a good warfare.” He named “a good warfare,” since there is a bad warfare, of which he says, “As ye have yielded your members instruments to uncleanness and to iniquity.” ( Rom. vi. 19 .) Those men serve under a tyrant, but thou servest under a King. And why calls he it a warfare? To show how mighty a contest is to be maintained by all, but especially by a Teacher; that we require strong arms, and sobriety, and awakenedness, and continual vigilance: that we must prepare ourselves for blood and conflicts, must be in battle array, and have nothing relaxed. “That thou shouldest war in them,” he says. …
St Cyril of Jerusalem On the Ten Points of Doctrine
19. And learn this also, that the soul, before it came into this world, had committed no sin, but having come in sinless, we now sin of our free-will. Listen not, I pray thee, to any one perversely interpreting the words, But if I do that which I would not : but remember Him who saith, If ye be willing, and hearken unto Me, ye shall eat the good things of the land: but if ye be not willing, neither hearken unto Me, the sword shall devour you, &c. : and again, As ye presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness unto sanctification . Remember also the Scripture, which saith, Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge : and, That which may be known of God is mani festin them ; and again, their eyes they have closed . …