Thomas Aquinas

Above, the Apostle enumerated the benefits shown to the human race in common through Christ; here the Apostle recalls the same benefits by comparison to their past condition. Now their past condition can be considered in two ways. First, as to the condition of guilt; second, as to their condition of gentileness. The Apostle therefore does two things: first he recalls the benefits shown to them as regards the first condition; second he recalls them by comparison to the second condition, at the words for which cause be mindful, etc. The first is again divided into two, because first the Apostle recounts their condition of guilt; second the benefit of the grace of justification, at the words but God, who is rich, etc. The first is again divided into two, because first he recalls the condition of guilt as regards the Gentiles; second as regards the Jews, at the words among whom also we all, etc. The first is again divided into two, because first he sets forth the generality of the benefit; second he adds the necessity of this benefit, at the words when we were dead, etc.

He says therefore: I say that God works magnificently in the faithful according to the working of the might of his power, which he wrought in Christ, and this because he raised him from the dead; according to this working, then, in the likeness of this working he has made us alive together, that is, with the life of grace out of the death of sin. Hosea 6:3: he will revive us after two days, on the third day he will raise us up, etc. Colossians 3:1: if you have risen together with Christ, seek the things that are above, etc.

He shows the necessity of this benefit when he says when you were dead, etc., where he describes their guilt most excellently. First as to its multitude, because when you were dead, namely with a spiritual death, which is the worst. Psalm 33:22: the death of sinners is the worst. For sin is called death, because through it man is separated from the Lord, who is life. John 14:6: I am the way, the truth, and the life. Dead, I say, in your offenses and sins — behold the multitude. In offenses indeed as to things omitted, Psalm 18:13: who understands offenses, etc.; and in sins as to things committed. In which you once walked — which he says for this reason, that he might magnify the multitude of sins. For some, if for an hour they are dead in sins and in offenses, nevertheless cease at some point and desist from sinning; but these, proceeding and walking from bad to worse, kept advancing. A similar thing is found in Philippians 3:18: for many walk, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you weeping, etc. Jeremiah 2:5: they walked after their vanity, and became vain.

Second, he describes their guilt as to its cause, which is set down as twofold. One is on the part of this world, because they were being enticed by the things of the world. And as to this he says according to the age of this world, that is, according to the worldly life of the things of the world, which entice you. 1 John 2:15: if anyone loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For which reason he had said beforehand: love not the world. The other cause is on the part of the demons, whom they served, of whom it is said in Wisdom 14:27: the worship of unspeakable idols is the cause and beginning of every evil. And as to this he says and according to the prince of the power. Now he describes this cause in three ways.

First indeed as to the power, saying according to the prince of the power, that is, one exercising power — not that he has this naturally, since he is neither lord nor creator by nature, but insofar as he lords it over men who subject themselves to him by sinning. John 12:31: now the prince of this world shall be cast out. And John 14:30: the prince of this world is coming, and in me he has nothing.

Second as to habitation, because of this air, that is, one who has power in this murky air. Here it must be known that concerning these demons there is a twofold opinion among the doctors. For some have said that the demons who fell were not of the highest orders, but of the lower ones, which preside over the lower bodies. Now it is agreed that the whole corporeal creature is administered by God through the ministry of angels. And this is the opinion of John Damascene, namely that the first of those who fell presided over the order of earthly things, which perhaps was taken from a saying of Plato, who posited certain celestial or worldly substances. And according to this, what he says of this air is expounded as meaning: created for this, that they might preside over this air. But others hold, and better, that they were of the highest orders, so that what he says of this air serves to show that this very air is their habitation as their punishment. Whence Jude in his canonical epistle says: but the angels who did not keep their own principality, but abandoned their own dwelling, he has kept in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Now the reason why they were not thrust down into hell immediately after their fall, but are left in the air, is that God did not wish that, through their sinning, their creation should be entirely frustrated; and therefore he gave them over to men as a training-ground, whereby they might prepare a crown for the good, but eternal death for the wicked. And because until the day of judgment there is for us a time of war and of meriting, therefore they will remain in the air until then; but after the day of judgment they will be thrust down into hell.

It must also be noted that one reading has spirits (spiritus), and thus it is of the genitive case, and the singular is put for the plural, as if to say: of the spirits. Another reading has spirit (spiritum), and then it is of the accusative case, so that it would read: according to the prince spirit, that is, who is prince of spirit.

Third as to operation, where he says who now works in the sons of unbelief, that is, in those who repel from themselves the fruit of the passion of Christ, who were sons of unbelief. Or because they have no faith concerning eternal things, nor hope of salvation through Christ: and in such men the prince of the power of this air works freely, leading them where he wills, of whom it is said below, chapter 4:19: who, despairing, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto the working of all uncleanness. Or unbelief, that is, of those concerning whom one must be diffident, that is, who sin out of malice, in whom the prince of this world also works at his beck and call. For concerning those who sin out of ignorance and weakness, one is not to despair, nor does that prince work in them at his beck and call.

But against this: no one is to be despaired of as long as he lives. I answer. It must be said that concerning anyone there can be a twofold hope: one on the part of man, the other on the part of divine grace. And thus concerning someone one may despair on his own part, of whom nevertheless one must not despair on the part of God — just as it was to be despaired of, on his own part, that Lazarus lying in the tomb would rise again, though it was not to be despaired of on the part of God, by whom he was raised up. Concerning those, then, who out of malice are much sunk down in sins, if their own strength be regarded, one may despair — Psalm 68:3: I am stuck in the mire of the deep, and there is no sure standing — yet not if the divine power be regarded. Concerning these sons of unbelief it is said below, chapter 5:6: let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of unbelief.

Then, when he says among whom we also all, etc., the Apostle recalls the condition of guilt as regards the Jews, showing that they all had been in sin, according to that saying in Romans 3:9: we have charged that Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Yet a difference must be noted here, because the Apostle, treating of the guilt of the Gentiles, assigned two causes of guilt to have existed: one on the part of the world, the other on the part of the demons, whom they worshipped. Because, then, the Jews were like the Gentiles in the condition of guilt as regards the first cause, but not as regards the second, therefore the Apostle makes no mention of their guilt except as regards the cause which is on the part of the world.

Concerning this he does three things. First he recalls their guilt as to the sin of the heart; second as to the sin of deed; third as to the sin of origin.

Now he intimates the sin of the heart through the desires of the flesh, and as to this he says among whom, namely the sins or offenses, we all, namely the Jews, once had our conversation, leading our life, in the desires of our flesh, that is, of carnal things. Titus 3:3: for we also were sometime foolish and unbelieving, erring and serving divers desires and pleasures, etc. Romans 13:14: make not provision for the flesh in its desires.

Now the sin of deed is nothing other than the expression of interior concupiscence. Now there is a certain concupiscence of the flesh, such as the natural concupiscences, for instance that of food, whereby the individual is preserved, and that of venereal things, whereby the species is preserved; and as to this he says doing the will, etc., that is, those things in which the flesh takes delight. Romans 8:8: now they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But there is another, a concupiscence of the cognitive power, namely of those things which do not come from the desires of the flesh, but from the very appetite of the soul, such as ambition for honor and for one's own excellence, and the like; and as to this he says and of the thoughts, that is, carrying out those concupiscences which are caused by the instinct of our thoughts.

Now he intimates the sin of origin, saying and we were by nature children of wrath. This sin indeed is transfused from the first parent not only into the Gentiles, but also into the Jews. Romans 5:12: as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. And just as men are cleansed of original sin through baptism only as regards their own persons, whence they beget sons who must be baptized, so circumcision cleansed from the original only the persons themselves, but they still begot children who had to be circumcised. And this is what he says we were by nature, that is, through the origin of nature — not indeed of nature as nature is, since as such it is good and from God, but of nature as it is vitiated — children of wrath, that is, of vengeance, of punishment, and of Gehenna, and this even as the rest also, that is, the Gentiles.