Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom105Homily XXXI.John iii. 35, 36“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Sonhath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of Godabideth on him.”[1.] Great is shown to be in all things the gain of humility. 770 Thus it is that we have broughtarts to perfection, not by learning them all at once from our teachers; it is thus that we have builtcities, putting them together slowly, little by little; it is thus that we maintain 771 our life. And marvelnot if the thing has so much power in matters pertaining to this life, when in spiritual things onemay find that great is the power of this wisdom. For so the Jews were enabled to be delivered fromtheir idolatry, being led on gently and little by little, and hearing from the first nothing sublimeconcerning either doctrine or life. So after the coming of Christ, when it was the time for higherdoctrines, the Apostles brought over all men without at first uttering anything sublime. And soChrist appears to have spoken to most at the beginning, and so John did now, speaking of Him asof some wonderful man, and darkly introducing high matter.For instance, when commencing he spake thus: “A man cannot receive anything of himself” 772( c. iii. 27 ): then after adding a high expression, and saying, “He that cometh from heaven 773 isabove all,” he again brings down his discourse to what is lowly, and besides many other thingssaith this, that “God giveth not the Spirit by measure.” Then he proceeds to say, “The Father loveththe Son, and hath given all things into His hand.” And after that, knowing that great is the force ofpunishment, 774 and that the many are not so much led by the promise of good things as by the threatof the terrible, he concludes his discourse with these words; “He that believeth on the Son hatheverlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abidethon him.” Here again he refers the account of punishment to the Father, for he saith not “the wrathof the Son,” (yet He is the Judge,) but sets over them the Father, desiring so the more to terrifythem.“Is it then enough,” saith one, “to believe on the Son, that one may have eternal life?” By nomeans. And hear Christ Himself declaring this, and saying, “Not every one that saith unto Me,Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” ( Matt. vii. 21 ); and the blasphemy againstthe Spirit is enough of itself to cast a man into hell. But why speak I of a portion of doctrine? Thougha man believe rightly on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet if he lead not a right life, hisfaith will avail nothing towards his salvation. Therefore when He saith, “This is life eternal, thatthey may know Thee the only true God” ( c. xvii. 3 ), let us not suppose that the (knowledge)770lit. “ condescension. ”771διακρατοῦμεν772[ ἐ ὰ ν μὴ ᾖ δεδ. αὐτῷ .] G. T.773ἄ νωθεν , G. T.774al. “ of the mention of punishment. ”162