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Chapter 14
1 Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί, ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν θεοῦ ἐσόμεθα ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς πρώτης, τῆς πνευματικῆς, τῆς πρὸ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης ἐκτισμένης. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ποιήσωμεν τὸ θέλημα κυρίου, ἐσόμεθα ἐκ τῆς γραφῆς τῆς λεγούσης·
Ἐγενήθη ὁ οἶκός μου σπήλαιον λῃστῶν. ὥστε οὖν αἱρετισώμεθα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς ζωῆς εἶναι, ἵνα σωθῶμεν. 		Therefore, brothers, while doing the will of God our Father, we will belong to the first Church, which is spiritual, which was created before the sun and the moon;
but if we don’t do the will of the Lord, we will belong to those whom the scripture says, “My house has become a den of robbers” {Jer 7:11}.
So therefore let us choose rather to be of the Church of life, that we may be saved.
2 οὐκ οἴομαι δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ὅτι ἐκκλησία ζῶσα σῶμά ἐστιν Χριστοῦ·
λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή·
Ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ·
τὸ ἄρσεν ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός, τὸ θῆλυ ἡ ἐκκλησία·
καὶ ἔτι τὰ βιβλία καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὐ νῦν εἶναι λέγουσιν ἀλλὰ ἄνωθεν. ἦν γὰρ πνευματική, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἡμῶν, ἐφανερώθη δὲ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς σώσῃ. 		And I don’t suppose you are ignorant that the living Church is the body of Christ:
for the scripture says, “God made man, male and female” {see Gen. 1:27}.
The male is Christ and the female is the Church.
And the Books and the Apostles plainly declare that the Church not only exists now, but has been from the beginning.
For she was spiritual, as was also our Jesus, but was revealed in the last days in order that He might save us.
3 ἡ ἐκκλησία δὲ πνευματικὴ οὖσα ἐφανερώθη ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ Χριστοῦ, δηλοῦσα ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τις ἡμῶν τηρήσῃ αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ καὶ μὴ φθείρῃ, ἀπολήψεται αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ·
ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ αὕτη ἀντίτυπός ἐστιν τοῦ πνεύματος·
οὐδεὶς οὖν τὸ ἀντίτυπον φθείρας τὸ αὐθεντικὸν μεταλήψεται. ἄρα οὖν τοῦτο λέγει, ἀδελφοί·
τηρήσατε τὴν σάρκα, ἵνα τοῦ πνεύματος μεταλάβητε. 		Now the Church, being spiritual was revealed in the flesh of Christ, thereby showing us that any of us who guard her in the flesh and don’t corrupt her, will receive her again in the Holy Spirit.
for this flesh is the counterpart and copy of the spirit.
No man therefore, who defiles the copy, will receive his share of the original.
This therefore is what He means, brothers; Guard the flesh, so that you may share of the spirit.
4 εἰ δὲ λέγομεν εἶναι τὴν σάρκα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα Χριστόν, ἄρα οὖν ὁ ὕβρισάς τὴν σάρκα ὕβρισεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. ὁ τοιοῦτος οὖν οὐ μεταλήψεται τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός. But if we say that the flesh is the Church and the spirit is Christ, then the one who abuses the flesh abuses the Church.
Such and one therefore will not share in the spirit, which is Christ.
5 τοσαύτην δύναται ἡ σὰρξ αὕτη μεταλαβεῖν ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν κολληθέντος αὐτῇ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, οὔτε, ἐξειπεῖν τις δύναται οὔτε λαλῆσαι ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ κύριος τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ. So great is the life and immortality that this flesh is able to share, if the Holy Spirit is united with it,
So that no one is able to proclaim or tell those things the Lord has prepared for His elect.
Summary
This passage presents a high, mystical ecclesiology and a unique theology of embodiment.

The author asserts that the true Church (ἐκκλησία) is pre-existent, heavenly, and spiritual, created before the sun and moon.

He interprets Genesis 1:27 allegorically—identifying the male as Christ and the female as the Church.

Crucially, the author links the pre-existent spiritual Church with the physical body (σάρξ).

Because the spiritual Church was revealed in the flesh of Christ, the believer’s own flesh serves as an "antitype" (earthly reflection) of the heavenly Spirit.

Defiling the physical body is thus defined as defiling the Church itself, which disqualifies one from receiving eternal life.

Conversely, when united with the Holy Spirit, physical human flesh becomes capable of inheriting transcendent incorruptibility (ἀφθαρσία).
Significant Greek Expressions
τῆς πνευματικῆς, τῆς πρὸ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης ἐκτισμένης ("the spiritual [church], created before sun and moon"): A striking early Christian assertion of the cosmic pre-existence of the Church (ἄνωθεν - "from above"). The Church is not merely a post-resurrection human organization, but a primordial heavenly reality.

σπήλαιον λῃστῶν ("a den of robbers"): Quoting Jeremiah 7:11 (cf. Matt 21:13). A solemn warning that disobeying God transforms what should be a spiritual house into a place of moral corruption and judgment.

τὸ ἄρσεν... τὸ θῆλυ ("the male... the female"): An early typological exegesis of Genesis 1:27. Christ is identified as the male bridegroom, while the heavenly Church is the female bride (echoing Pauline marital imagery in Ephesians 5:31–32).

ἀντίτυπος / τὸ αὐθεντικόν ("antitype / copy" / "the authentic original"): Key philosophical and theological terminology:

ἀντίτυπον: The earthly counterpart, copy, or reflection of a heavenly reality.

τὸ αὐθεντικόν: The true, original, ultimate archetype. The author warns that ruining the earthly copy (the physical body through unholy living) forfeits one's inheritance of the divine original (the Holy Spirit).

ὁ ὑβρίσας τὴν σάρκα ὕβρισεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ("he who treats the flesh with outrage treats the church with outrage"): From ὑβρίζω (to insolently mistreat, abuse, or outrage). Personal bodily defilement is elevated to an assault against the corporate body of Christ, the Church.

κολληθέντος αὐτῇ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ("the Holy Spirit being joined to it"): From κολλάω (to glue together, cleave to, or unite closely). Describes the intimate, transforming union between the Holy Spirit and human physical flesh (σάρξ), elevating the body to inherit divine immortality and incorruptibility (ἀφθαρσία).