Chapter 27
God is trustworthy because He is omniscient
| 1 Ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ ἐλπίδι προσδεδέσθωσαν αἱ ψυχαὶ ἡμῶν τῷ πιστῷ ἐν ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐν τοῖς κρίμασιν. | With this hope, therefore, let our souls be bound to Him who is faithful in His promises and who is righteous in His judgments. |
| 2 ὁ παραγγείλας μὴ ψεύδεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς οὐ ψεύσεται· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀδύνατον παρὰ τῷ θεῷ εἰ μὴ τὸ ψεύσασθαι. |
He commanded not to lie, even more He Himself won’t lie. Nothing is impossible for God except to lie. |
| 3 ἀναζωπυρησάτω οὖν ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ νοήσωμεν ὅτι πάντα ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ ἐστιν. | Therefore, let faith in Him be rekindled in us, and let’s understand that all things are near to Him. |
| 4 ἐν λόγῳ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ συνεστήσατο τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἐν λόγῳ δύναται αὐτὰ καταστρέψαι. | By his word of His majesty He established the universe; and by a word He can destroy it. |
| 5 Τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· Τί ἐποίησας; ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεται τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ; ὅτε θέλει καὶ ὡς θέλει ποιήσει πάντα, καὶ οὐδὲν μὴ παρέλθῃ τῶν δεδογματισμένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. | “Who will say to Him, ‘What have you done?' or who will resist the might of His strength?” {Wis. 12:12}. He will do all things when He wants, and as He wants. And none of those things decreed by him will fail. |
| 6 πάντα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰσίν, καὶ οὐδὲν λέληθεν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ, |
All things are within His sight. Nothing escapes His plan: |
| 7 εἰ οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα· ἡ ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν· καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν λόγοι οὐδὲ λαλιαί, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. |
since "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day speaks to today and night proclaims knowledge into the night. There are no words or speeches whose sounds aren’t heard" {Ps. 19:1-3}. |
Summary
In Chapter 27, Clement grounds the reality of the resurrection and divine fulfillment in the absolute trustworthiness and cosmic sovereignty of God. Building upon the scriptural proofs of Chapter 26, Clement exhorts the Corinthians to bind their souls in hope to the One who is faithful to His promises and righteous in His judgments.
He emphasizes that lying is inherently foreign to God’s nature—it is, in fact, the one impossibility for Him. Because God spoke the entire universe into existence by His word of majesty (ἐν λόγῳ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ) and possesses the power to dissolve it at will, no human counter-voice can question His actions or resist His sovereign power. His decree (τὰ δεδογματισμένα) is inviolable.
Clement concludes by highlighting divine omniscience: all creation stands naked before God’s sight, and nothing escapes His counsel (βουλή). Quoting Psalm 18:2–4 LXX (Psalm 19:1–3 MT), Clement demonstrates that all creation continuously proclaims God’s inescapable glory and presence, urging the Corinthian believers to reignite their faith (ἀναζωπυρησάτω ἡ πίστις) in light of His total sovereign proximity.
Significant Greek Expressions
προσδεδέσθωσαν αἱ ψυχαὶ ἡμῶν (Let our souls be bound / tied fast): From prosdeō (to bind, tie, or attach firmly to). Clement uses an imperative verb implying an unyielding spiritual attachment or anchor, holding the soul fast to God’s covenant fidelity (πιστός) amidst doctrinal or community turbulence.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀδύνατον παρὰ τῷ θεῷ εἰ μὴ τὸ ψεύσασθαι (For nothing is impossible with God, except to lie): Combines the famous dictum of divine omnipotence (cf. Genesis 18:14 LXX, Luke 1:37) with the ontological impossibility of divine falsehood (cf. Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). God’s omnipotence is bounded only by His own righteous nature.
ἀναζωπυρησάτω... ἡ πίστις (Let faith be rekindled / stirred into flame): Uses anazōpyreō (literally to rekindle a fire, blow on smoldering embers; cf. 2 Timothy 1:6). Suggests that due to dipsychia (double-mindedness) and internal strife, the Corinthians' faith had grown dim and needed active reigniting.
πάντα ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ ἐστιν (All things are near to Him): Asserts God’s immediate spatial and temporal proximity. Neither divine judgment nor the fulfillment of His promises is distant; all creation exists in immediate exposure to the Creator.
ἐν λόγῳ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ συνεστήσατο τὰ πάντα (By the word of His majesty He established / hold together all things): Employs synistēmi (to establish, integrate, hold together; cf. Colossians 1:17) alongside megalōsynē (majesty/greatness). Creation and preservation occur through the divine Logos, highlighting sovereign fiat power.
τῶν δεδογματισμένων ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ (Of the things decreed / determined by Him): Perfect passive participle of dogmatizō (to decree, enact, ordain). Divine decrees are absolute and finalized, ensuring that not a single word of God’s promise can pass away (οὐδὲν μὴ παρέλθῃ).
οὐδὲν λέληθεν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ (Nothing escapes / is hidden from His counsel): Perfect active of lanthanō (to escape notice, lie hidden). Reinforces divine omniscience—human motives, hidden rebellion, and secret desires are fully exposed to God’s sovereign plan (boulē).