The one who sins becomes many; the many who obey become one
Origen is closing his argument that Scripture's shift between singular and plural teaches about unity with God, now explaining the principle and supporting it with apostolic texts, the Savior's prayer, and the Shepherd of Hermas.
For the one who sins becomes many, because he is split off from God and divided, and he falls out of the unity. But the many who follow the commandments of God are one. The Apostle testifies to this when he says: “Because we, the many, are one bread and one body”. And again: “One God, and one Christ, and one faith, and one baptism”. And elsewhere: “Because we are all one in Christ Jesus”. And again: “For I betrothed you all to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to the Lord”.
And that those who please the Lord are one can be seen from the prayer that the Savior prays to the Father for his disciples. “Holy Father,” he says, “grant that just as I and you are one, so also these may be one in us.” And when the saints are said to be members of one another, what else are they but one body? And in the Shepherd of Hermas, when the building of the tower is built from many stones but the building appears to be from one stone, what else does Scripture signify but the harmony and unity that comes from many?
Greek
Ὁ γὰρ εἷς, ὅτε ἁμαρτάνει, πολλοστός ἐστιν, ἀποσχιζόμενος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ μεριζόμενος, καὶ τῆς ἑνότητος ἐκπίπτων· οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἑπόμενοι ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἷς εἰσι· καθὼς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος μαρτυρεῖ, εἰπών· Ὅτι εἷς ἄρτος καὶ ἓν
σῶμα οἱ πολλοί ἐσμεν· καὶ πάλιν· Εἷς Θεὸς, καὶ εἷς Χριστὸς, καὶ μία πίστις, καὶ ἓν βάπτισμα· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ὅτι πάντες ἕν ἐσμεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· καὶ αὖθις· Ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς τοὺς πάντας ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ὅτι οἱ εὐαρεστοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ ἕν εἰσιν, ἀπὸ τῆς προσευχῆς ἧς ὁ Σωτὴρ εὔχεται πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· Πάτερ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἅγιε, δὸς ἵνα, καθὼς ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν ὦσιν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀλλήλων μέλη λέγωνται εἶναι οἱ ἅγιοι, τί ἄλλο εἰ μὴ ἓν σῶμά εἰσι; Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ποιμένι δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου διὰ πολλῶν μὲν λίθων οἰκοδομουμένην, ἐξ ἑνὸς δὲ λίθου φαινομένην εἶναι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν, τί ἄλλο ἢ τὴν ἐκ πολλῶν συμφωνίαν καὶ ἑνότητα σημαίνει ἡ Γραφή;