Is labor necessary?

The apostle Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

The scholar Origen says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it have labored in vain, and unless the Lord guards the city, the guard has kept watch in vain’ (Ps. 127:1), in which he shows not that one who builds a house should do nothing and be idle and that this is how the Lord builds it, but he must indeed invest as much attentive care and effort as lies within man; but it depends on God, once all obstacles have been removed, for the work to reach completion. Since, therefore, through this it is being taught that man must indeed expend effort and attentive care, but that God grants the success and completion to the work, it is assuredly pious and religious, while God and man do what is in themselves, to attribute the chief part of the work to God rather than to man. And so, although Paul was planting and Apollos was watering, God is said to give the increase. It is also added, ‘Consequently, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but he who gives the increase, God’ (1 Cor. 3:6–7). So then, we too say likewise in the present passage: Consequently, neither the one who strives nor the one who wills is anything, but he who grants the completion, God.”⁵⁷⁹

He also says, “Paul wants to remind us that we are not saved simply by receiving God’s free grace, but that we must prove that we want to receive this free grace. The children of Israel received it, but they proved their unworthiness of it, and thus, they were not saved.”⁵⁸⁰

St. John Chrysostom says, “After saying: ‘ of His fullness we have all received ,’ he added: ‘ and grace for grace ’ (John 1:16). ‘Not on account of your increase in numbers,’ Scripture says, ‘have I chosen you, but because of your fathers’ (Deut. 7:7). If, then, it was not because of their own good deeds that they were chosen by God, it is evident that they obtained this honor by grace. And we, too, have all been saved by grace, but not in the same way as they. It was not for the same reasons, but for much greater ones, and more sublime. Therefore, [the working of] grace in us is not the same as in them. Not only was pardon for our sins granted to us, since we shared in this with them—since all have sinned—but also justice, and holiness, and adoption of sons, and grace of the Spirit, much more splendid gifts and richer by far.”⁵⁸¹

St. Ambrose emphasizes the need for constant struggle without negligence, saying, “The loss even of one hour is no slight one, one hour is a portion of our whole life.”⁵⁸² He also says, “Paul danced spiritually, when for us he stretched forward, and forgetting the things

579 Origen, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans , Books 6–10 7:16(5) (FOTC 104:115–116).

580 Origen, Commentary on 1 Corinthians 4:45, 2–5 (Greek text in Claude Jenkins. “Origen on I Corinthians. IV” The Journal of Theological Studies 10, no. 37 (1908): 29–51: p. 29).

581 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on John 14.2 (FOTC 33:135).

582 St. Ambrose of Milan, Letters 63.97 (NPNF II/10:471).

which were behind, and aiming at those which were before, he pressed on to the prize of Christ … This dancing accompanies faith, and is the companion of grace.”⁵⁸³

Also, when St. Ephrem the Syrian speaks of levels in Paradise, his purpose is to affirm that the believer does not cease to strive in prayer and worship and the fulfilment of the commandments. He recites: “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). He also says:

“When the just ascend its various levels to receive their inheritance, with justice He raises up each one to the degree that accords with his labors; each is stopped at the level whereof he is worthy, there being sufficient levels in Paradise for everyone: the lowest parts for the repentant, the middle for the righteous, the heights for those victorious, while the summit is reserved for God’s Presence.”⁵⁸⁴