Instructions for success in the Christian life

Contents A) About virtue 1) Virtue as the basis of a virtuous life a) Different degrees of Christian virtue b) Rules for determining the degrees of Christian virtue 2) Virtues as good dispositions of the heart and will a) Types 3) Virtue as a good deed a) Imaginary good deeds b) Grace-filled help in doing good deeds c) The agreement of God's grace with human freedom B) About sin 1) Sin as a sinful act a) Separation of sins b) Rules for determining the severity of sins 2) Sin as a sinful disposition 3) Sinful states a) State of moral carelessness b) State of bitterness c) Moral slavery d) State of hypocrisy e) State of self-delusion 4) Reasons that encourage and keep in sin The word virtue has more than one meaning. 1) Sometimes it means “diligence” (2 Pet. 1:5) or “diligent care” for good deeds in general (Tit. 3:8); 2) sometimes - a good disposition of the heart, which lies at the basis of a certain kind of good actions, such as, for example, humility, patience; 3) sometimes - every good deed or every fulfillment of a commandment. The first constitutes the essential basis of all virtuous life, the second imparts the true character of virtue to private actions; the latter serve as an expression of the first two or, more often, are the essence of the first as a means of installing the second in the heart (so, for example, someone who does not have patience, but who cares about it through private deeds of patience, also installs willing patience in the heart). 1) Virtue as the basis of a virtuous life In this regard, virtue is defined as follows: it is constantly zealous care for the exact fulfillment of God’s law, based on faith and animated by love and reverence for God. From here the following properties of Christian virtue naturally follow: 1) it consists of constantly zealous care for the exact fulfillment of God’s law. “Be firm, untroubled, always abundant in the work of the Lord,” says the Apostle (1 Cor. 15:58). Therefore, quickly transient feelings of piety, which sometimes occur even in vicious people, as well as the fruitless desire to lead a life in accordance with the law of God and the outward fulfillment of it, do not yet constitute Christian virtue; 2) the basis of this virtue is true faith in Jesus Christ or a firm conviction of the mind and heart in the truth of His teaching and in the need to fulfill it. Who does not believe that he is the greatest sinner and for his sins worthy of eternal punishment, that he can receive salvation only through Jesus Christ, who “died our sins for our sake” (1 Cor. 15:3), that by the death of the Son of God only those who, “having come from sin”, live in righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24), “do the will of the Father... in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21), are truly saved - whoever does not believe this will never be a zealous executor of the law of God; 3) true virtue in faith is inspired by reverent love for God. This love alone can inspire and maintain in us a constantly zealous concern for the fulfillment of the law of God (Rom. 8:35-39). It is known that we willingly and diligently carry out the commands only of those whom we love and respect. It is she alone, as the purest impulse, that imparts high dignity to our virtue, or, better, Christian virtue consists of it; because love, according to the teaching of the Apostle, “is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10) and “the union of perfection” (Col. 3:14); 4) finally, judging by the image of the origin of jealousy itself and the property of love, self-sacrifice must be a necessary accessory to Christian virtue. “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The name of self-sacrifice generally refers to a person’s strenuous efforts to destroy self-love, or false, disorderly love for oneself, which is incompatible with true love for God and neighbors: “love is not exalted, is not proud, is not disorderly, does not seek its own” (1 Cor. 13:4-5). In particular, it consists in curbing or mortifying the lusts that arise from self-love, like branches from a root. The main ones are: “carnal lust, selfish lust, and worldly pride” (1 John 2:16). Since these are precisely the passions that deviate a person from virtue to vices, then anyone who wants to succeed in Christian virtue must constantly destroy them in himself, or live among feats of self-sacrifice. And in general, not a single good deed can be accomplished without self-sacrifice; for as soon as self-love participates in it, it either becomes unclean or completely loses its inherent kindness. a) Various degrees of Christian virtue Just as physical life has ages, so spiritual or virtuous life must have its degrees. This is evidenced not only by experience, but also by the word of God, which calls some babes in Christ, and others perfect: “everyone... who partakes of the milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child: those who are perfect... eat solid food, those who have senses are trained by long teaching in the judgment of good and evil” (Heb. 5:13-14). However, there must be degrees among those who are perfect, as can be seen from the fact that the Apostle not only commands others to improve: “brothers, rejoice, be perfected” (2 Cor. 13:11), but also says about himself: “brother, I have not achieved for myself; the calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14). The highest degree of spiritual perfection, as indicated by the word of God, is “the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), which consists in “walking (acting) in the same way... as... he walked to eat” (1 John. 2, 6) Jesus Christ and to assimilate for ourselves those good moral qualities, of which He showed an example in Himself for us (Phil. 2, 5), in short, to be “holy in all life” (1 Pet. 1, 15). But this cannot be fully achieved on earth; for “if we say that sins are not imams, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” says the Apostle (1 John 1:8). However, this should not weaken our zeal to cleanse ourselves with all our might “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit” (2 Cor. 7:1) and thereby gradually improve in holiness. b) Rules for determining the degrees of Christian virtue To determine the various degrees of virtue in our present state, when we must still “strive against sin” (Heb. 12:4), the following rules can be established: our virtue is the more perfect: 1) the purer the motives by which we try to fulfill the law of God. Those who act out of fear of punishment are inferior to those who act in the hope of eternal bliss. The most perfect virtue is in those who turn everything to the glory of God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; 2) the more willingly we fulfill God’s law and the more difficult it is for us due to the internal state of our spirit or due to external circumstances. So one is accompanied by the approval and attention of others, the other is not abandoned by ridicule and oppression; Some people are greatly disturbed by passions, others have them in the form of slight movements, and so on. The widow who brought her last two mites to the church brought, according to the Lord, a richer gift than those who gave “out of their abundance” (Lk. 21, 1–4); 3) the broader the circle of our good activities, that is, when we try to act in everything in accordance with the law of God, and do not limit ourselves to fulfilling some commandments, remembering the words of the Apostle: “Whoever... keeps the whole law, yet sins in one, he will be guilty of all” (James 2:10). Finally: 4) the more constantly we are zealous for the fulfillment of God’s law, the more courageously we overcome all temptations that lead to sin. Those are very weak in faith, who “believe in time, and in time of adversity fall away” from the faith (Luke 8:13). 2) Virtues as good dispositions of the heart and will A certain kind of good deeds must be based on a good disposition of spirit akin to them, otherwise good deeds will not have true value and, in general, a person’s virtue without this is very unreliable. Thus, giving alms are good deeds, but underneath them there must be hidden love and compassion for the poor or charity. When Christians are commanded to excel in virtues, it is precisely these good dispositions that are meant. So the Apostle Peter exhorts: “Finally, be all of the same wisdom, merciful, lovers of brotherhood, compassionate, lovers of wisdom, humbly wise: not repaying evil for evil, or annoyance for annoyance: but the opposite is blessing” (1 Pet. 3:8-9). And the Apostle Paul: “For being holy and beloved in God’s election, put on kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering, accepting one another and forgiving yourself, if anyone blames anyone: just as Christ forgave you, so do you. Over all these, acquire love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:12-14). The more someone manages to implant such dispositions in his heart, the more trustworthy and firm he is. He who has entered the path of virtue can have them in himself in seed; but it is impossible to bring them to the point where they are, as it were, natural in him, except through long labor and exploits. Saint Macarius the Great teaches about this, and together about the whole order of a virtuous life: “He who sets the intention of pleasing God must do this: firstly, firmly believe in the Lord, devote himself entirely to the words of His commandments and, having renounced the world, so that the mind does not cling to visible things, always remain in prayer, awaiting the Lord’s care. (This is a picture of virtue in the first sense). Then he must constantly force himself to every good deed and to every commandment of the Lord. (This is virtue in the latter sense as a good deed). Even if the heart does not desire this for the sake of the sin that remains in us, we should not look at it, but having only the Lord before our eyes and His commandments, we should try and please Him alone. Force yourself to be meek, even if your heart resists it, and also strive to be merciful, kind, compassionate, and kind. Then the Lord, seeing such good diligence, how he forces himself to every good deed - to meekness, humility, and so on, contrary to his heart - imprints these virtues in him by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that they become natural in him; from which he now easily and willingly does what he previously forced himself to do against his will. (This is virtue in the sense of good disposition).” (Brief teachings on the most important saving dogmas of the faith. November 26. How to prepare yourself for a virtuous life. St. Macarius). A person may have some good dispositions by nature. Thus, others are naturally humble and compassionate. Such people do not have the dignity of true virtue, but already receive it, while a Christian, having decided to excel in all virtues, acquires them by free choice. Most of them must be acquired by labor and feat, as Macarius the Great teaches. These are especially those that are opposite to the main passions, for example, meekness, humility, selflessness, chastity, and so on. Some, finally, the most essential in Christian life, are installed in the heart along with the excitement of determination, in the action of human rebirth, by the Divine action of the All-Holy Spirit. These are: faith, hope and love, which are therefore called divinely inspired, or Divine. Thus, it is said in the word of God that “faith is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8) and that “love... is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5), that “we are generated unto hope” (1 Pet. 1:3). 3) Virtue as a good deed “Good deeds consist in fulfilling the commandments of God, which a person observes willingly with the help of God and with the assistance of his own mind and will, out of love for God and his neighbors” (Orthodox Confession... Part 3. Question 3). Since the morality of an action is generally determined by objects, purpose and circumstances, for our deed to be truly good, it is necessary: ​​1) that in its subject it be in accordance with the law of God. A deed that is contrary to the commandments of God cannot possibly be good. However, not only the good object that is indicated in the commandment, but also the one that is offered in the form of advice, such as celibacy, voluntary poverty; and even one who remains undefined in the law - in himself neither good nor evil - can receive goodness from the end for which he serves as a means. The commandments form the basis, as it were, the heart of moral life, advice is above the law, indifference is below it; 2) so that it is done for a good purpose. With a bad purpose, a deed that is good in itself turns into something bad, for example, someone who comes to church to please the eyes and ears. The main goal of all works, as it is said, is the glory of God, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; but one can ascend to this goal through different, immediate goals, which does not interfere with the matter of being truly good. His Grace Tikhon generally lists the following goals with which we should do good deeds: a) let us show obedience and obedience to our God; b) to glorify the name of God; c) let us testify to God, our Benefactor, our heartfelt gratitude; d) let us show by our works faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ; e) let us not defame the high Christian title and name; f) for the love of brothers; g) so as not to tempt anyone; h) let us stop the mouths of the opponents and enemies of Christianity; i) yes, seeing our good life, those who do not know the name of Christ will turn to Christ and will be one with us (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. On true Christianity. 3, conclusion to this book. First conclusion, 271 ff.); 3) finally, so that the circumstances among which the deed is carried out are legal. Circumstances are not something external, but are in some way part of the matter itself. Why do they either increase or decrease the kindness of the deed, or often destroy it? Thus, the moral dignity of actions depends a lot, judging by: a) who performs them; for not everything is permissible to everyone and not everyone is equally obliged to everything; for example, a sacred act, an action in itself holy, is very criminal if an uncalled and uninitiated person begins to perform it without permission: “no one accepts honor to himself, but he who is called from God” (Heb. 5:4); b) how he does it; a matter that is good in its subject and purpose will become bad, or at least lose a lot of dignity, if it is carried out by impermissible means or not as it should be. The Apostle forbids “to do evil, that good may come” (Rom. 3:8); and the prophet Jeremiah says: “Cursed is he who does the work of God carelessly” (Jer. 48:10); c) when and where; for other actions, being permissible in themselves, cannot be performed in a certain place or at a certain time without guilt. So, for example, the Savior drove out of the church those who were making money in it (Jn. 2, 15–16); and the Wise One calls the one crazy who speaks when he should be silent: “a wise man will remain silent for a time; but he who is bold and foolish surpasses time” (Sir. 20:7). We must distinguish from truly good deeds those which, although in appearance they agree with the law of God, are performed not out of respect for it, but only out of natural inclination, out of decency, out of need, or even with bad intentions. Such legal actions (actions legales) can be called ostensibly good. They can have praise, but only from people, and not from God, who sees our heart and appreciates our actions according to its disposition (2 Cor. 9:7). He who honors God only with his lips, and not with his heart, honors Him in vain (Matthew 15:8-9). “What is not in the heart,” says Tikhon of Voronezh, “is not in the thing itself. Faith is not faith, love is not love, when there is nothing in the heart, but there is hypocrisy. Humility is not humility, but pretense when it is not in the heart. Friendship is not friendship, but bitter enmity, when it only appears on the outside, but has no place in the heart.” b) Graceful help in doing good deeds Here, of course, grace is not understood in the sense of how it meets a person at his very entry into the Church of Christ, revives, justifies, adopts God and makes him an heir to the eternal Kingdom of Christ, but in the way in which it, dwelling in a Christian, assists him and in many ways helps him to excel in virtues. In this regard, it is the saving power of God acting in man, by which, on the one hand, the inclination towards evil is weakened, on the other, the disposition towards good is aroused, strengthened and preserved, so that he is “prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). The Apostle speaks about this grace: “God... is the one who works in us, both to will and to do good will” (Phil. 2:13). In particular, this saving action is expressed: 1) in the enlightenment of the mind, in which it imprints saving truths and puts suggestions for good deeds, as the Apostle John teaches: “And you have the anointing of the Holy One and know all... that... the anointing teaches you... and as you have been taught, continue in it” (1 John. 2, 20, 27); 2) in bending the human will towards good, imparting to it the forces necessary to gain victory over the flesh, which attracts evil, as the Apostle Paul says: “The law ... of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed me from the law of sin” (Rom. 8:2). This assistance of grace imparts a higher, Divine character to the actions of a Christian, according to which they become incomparably higher than natural affairs, just as, for example, copper mixed with gold is higher than simple copper. c) The agreement of God's grace with human freedom The grace of God, reviving a person and acting in him, does not thereby destroy or constrain his freedom, but only encourages, strengthens and guides it to goodness, moreover, with its own consent and with some of its assistance. This can be seen: 1) from the fact that the merciful God, although “he wants all men to be saved and to come into the understanding of truth” (1 Tim. 2:4), nevertheless demands that they themselves repent and “with fear... work out their own salvation” (Phil. 2:12). Why does the Apostle Peter, having said that all the “Divine powers... even for life and godliness” have already been given to us, adds: “and into this very... bring all diligence, give... intelligence to your virtues” and so on (2 Pet. 1, 3, 5), which obliges us to be thorough in virtue; 2) from the fact that people, according to the testimony of Holy Scripture, can resist the saving grace of God: “Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” says Stephen to the Jews, “you always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51). Finally: 3) from the fact that those regenerated by good deeds can increase the effects of grace in themselves, and deprive themselves of it through arbitrary sins, as can be seen from the following words of the Apostle: “I remember you to kindle the gift of God that dwells in you” (2 Tim. 1:6); “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Sol. 5:19); “...but may you grow in the grace and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18); “It is impossible for those who have been enlightened by one and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have been partakers of the Holy Spirit, ... to be renewed to repentance” (Heb. 6:4, 6). Hence, the conditions on the part of a person for the grace of God to be effective in him must be the following: 1) prayer about it: “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7); “If... you, evil beings, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13); and 2) quick readiness to obey her suggestions, so as not to offend or quench the Spirit of God, according to the Apostle (1 Thessalonians 5:19). So the Lord says in the psalm about grace: “I will admonish you and instruct you...”, and commands people: “Do not be like a horse and a horse that has no understanding: with a rod and a bridle you will bind their jaws that do not come close to you” (Ps. 31:8-9). Properties of sin. And sin can be considered in three respects in which virtue was considered: either 1) as a sinful act, or 2) as a sinful disposition, passion or vice, or 3) as a sinful state. 1) Sin as a sinful act Everything that is done against the holy and eternal law of God is sin: “Everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness,” teaches the Apostle, “and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). However, for this violation of the law to be a sin, it is necessary that both consciousness and freedom participate in it. Why sin is a conscious and arbitrary violation of the known Divine law, disobedience and resistance to the holy will of God (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. On true Christianity. 2, article 3. 1, 40–45). From this it is clear that it does not consist in the limitations of our forces, but in their misuse; not in errors of reason, as if every sin is one imprudence, but in a corrupted will, according to which, even seeing good, we do evil. “To him who leads... do good, and to him who does not commit sin, let him eat” (James 4:17). Sin is the greatest and most terrible evil: 1) it offends the Majesty of God, perverts His eternal and immutable law; a person who sins puts his own will instead of God and willingly submits to it, not wanting to obey God; why is one separated from God by sin, as the Prophet says: “your sins separate between God and you” (Is. 59:2); and having separated from God, the Source of life, he enters the region of death and under the power of the devil, the chief of sins. “You are of your father the devil,” says the Lord about the evil Jews (John 8:44); and in general: “Whoever commits sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Why could no one destroy this evil except the Only Begotten Son of God, who for our sake came down from heaven and became incarnate for the sake of man and our salvation. In this regard, sin is an infinite evil; 2) sin promises light, but plunges a person into darkness: “Without knowing,” says the Prophet about sinners, “they walk below their understanding, in darkness” (Ps. 81:5); “They will touch a wall as if blinded, they will touch a being without touching it, and they will fall at noon as at midnight” (Isa. 59, 10); promises freedom, but plunges into slavery: “For everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34); promises joy, but subjects him to unbearable torment of conscience, according to which “the wicked runs away from persecuting even a single person” (Prov. 28:1), “groaning and shaking”, like Cain (Gen. 4:12) or Judas the traitor (Matt. 27:5); 3) the most innocent creature suffers and sighs from sin, and all temporary disasters arise from it: bloody wars, pestilences, diseases, famines, fires, etc.; Gehenna, hell and eternal torment are prepared for him. So sin is, as St. Chrysostom says, the foulest, most unclean and gravest evil; he is “more evil than the very spirit of evil - the devil, for the devil from the bright angel became the devil through sin” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. On true Christianity. 2, article 3. 1, 44). Sins, like bad human actions, are divided differently depending on how they are committed. Namely, they are called: 1) mental or internal, if we only think about breaking the law or mentally enjoy sin, and external or made, when we reveal our bad thoughts through some actions. Whoever thinks with pleasure about sin and wants to commit it is already guilty before the Knower of the Heart, for example: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her,” says the Savior, “has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). However, it should not be concluded from this that there is no difference between mental and committed sin; the latter is more guilty than the first, because it shows more shamelessness and corruption in a person. Moreover, as long as sin is hidden in a person’s heart, it is harmful only for him alone, and when it is revealed in action, it does a lot of harm to other people; 2) sins are called ours, if we ourselves commit them, and others’, but imputed to us, if in some way we participate in the affairs of other people. We will one day give an account to God not only for our sins, but also for those of others, because by taking part in them in some way, we assimilate them to ourselves; therefore, the Apostle exhorts “not to share in the sins of others” (1 Tim. 5:22). When we order, advise, help or do not prevent others from doing something bad, when by our example we give them a reason to sin, when we praise their bad deeds - in all these and similar cases we participate in the sins of others, which is why we must be responsible for them as we participate in them; 3) finally, sins are called involuntary, light and forgivable, if we break the law through ignorance, imprudence, and arbitrary, grave, mortal, when we do it with full consciousness and free will. Regarding involuntary, light and venial sins, the following should be noted: a) sins of ignorance and imprudence are called involuntary not because they did not depend at all on our will (in that case they could not be called sins), but because they arose not so much from our desire to sin, but from ignorance of their illegality, due to imprudence; b) these sins are only light when ignorance of their illegality, as a result of which they were committed, depended more on the circumstances than on our guilt or on accidental inattention to the law, and not on constant neglect of it; c) they are called light only in comparison with others, the most important ones (Lk. 12:47–48), and sin taken in itself is serious, because it offends the greatness of God the Lawgiver, which is why every sin must be carefully guarded against; finally: d) they are called forgivable not because they do not deserve punishment or were released to us without repentance, but because they are easier than others, and the person who commits them is more likely to repent than the one who sins arbitrarily. We sin voluntarily when we know that a certain action is contrary to the law of God, but we commit it, moreover, according to a special desire. In this case, our sin is grave and mortal, because by committing it, we show in ourselves disrespect for the law, a cooling of the love of God, which constitutes the life of our spirit; and therefore we are not only worthy of the death penalty, but we are actually in a state of spiritual death. The most important of the grave sins are: a) sins against the Holy Spirit, such as: contradiction to obvious and proven truth and persistent rejection of the Orthodox faith of Christ, combined with daring blasphemy against it and hostility towards those who profess it; excessive and reckless reliance on the mercy of God; and despair, that is, when someone has no hope in God’s mercy (Matthew 12:27, 31, 34; Mark 3:29–30). The Savior says that such sins “will not be forgiven... neither in this age nor in the next” (Matthew 12:32), not because the merits of our Redeemer and Lord were insufficient, for “His blood cleanses us from all sin” (1 John. 1, 7), but because those infected by them, due to their bitterness, are incapable of repentance; b) sins that cry out to God for vengeance, such as: intentional murder (Gen. 4:10), the sin of Sodom (Gen. 18:20), oppression of poor people, widows and orphans and withholding wages from workers (Mal. 3:5), also disrespect and ingratitude towards parents (Ex. 21:15, 17). Finally: c) the most important sins, serving as sources for many others, such as: pride, covetousness, fornication, envy, gluttony, rancor, carelessness (these are sinful dispositions). b) Rules for determining the severity of sins In order to determine, as far as possible, the degree of severity of sins, for this we must pay attention to who sins, against whom, under what circumstances and, especially, with what disposition. It is sin that is the more serious the more the person committing it: 1) is obliged to lead a virtuous life and can have influence on others. Therefore, for example, the sins of a shepherd, who should be a model for others, deserve a graver punishment than similar sins of a layman; 2) the more worthy of his love, respect or compassion is the one against whom he sins. He who insults a benefactor obviously sins more than he who insults another neighbor; 3) the more evil comes from his bad action for himself or for other people; 4) the more, due to circumstances, he had to refrain from sin and the less incentive he had to commit it. So, for example, it is much more sinful to commit a sin in the church of God than in another place. Finally: 5) the more clearly one understands the severity of sin and the more willingly one indulges in it; for example, for the same sin, an enlightened person must be more guilty before God than an uneducated person. However, we must remember that determining which sins are serious and which are light is beyond human strength. This knowledge belongs to the one God, who tests hearts and bellies and sees all the consequences of our actions. In order to avoid grave sins, one must beware of easy ones: “he who despises the least will fall little by little” (Sir. 19:1). 2) Sin as a sinful disposition Sinful dispositions that underlie a certain kind of sinful actions, otherwise sinful habits, inclinations and passions, are constant desires to sin in a certain way, for example, absent-mindedness is a constant desire for entertainment. Some of these sinful dispositions are acquired by frequent repetition of the same sins, and some naturally develop from pride, which constitutes our hereditary corruption. The most important of them are “the lust of the flesh, the lust of desire and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), or voluptuousness, covetousness and pride. The main passions: 1) voluptuousness. The name voluptuousness refers to a strong inclination towards excessive consumption of sensual pleasures. The main types of this vice are: a) gluttony and drunkenness or the habit of excessive consumption of food and strong drinks; b) delicacy or addiction to exquisite dishes; c) lust and all sins of fornication; d) luxury or excessive extravagance in table, clothing, home decoration, etc. How reprehensible the vice of voluptuousness is and what harmful consequences can arise from it not only for our body and well-being, which it little by little upsets, but especially for the soul, this, by the way, can be seen from the Gospel parable of the rich man (Luke 12:16-21). Voluptuous people cannot be lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:1-4), “God is their belly” (Phil. 3:19); 2) covetousness. Covetousness is an excessive concern for acquiring and maintaining property or wealth. Its types are: a) love of money or passion for acquiring money. A person possessing it sometimes reaches the point of ridiculous childishness - he collects money just to admire its appearance; b) stinginess is a passion by which a person, out of passion for wealth, reluctantly and uses too little of his property even for necessary needs. The sins that accompany covetousness are: lying, deception, theft, robbery and even murder. Moreover, selfishness leads to envy, hatred, hard-heartedness and other vices; “the root... of all evil is the love of money, which no one desires, having gone astray from the faith and nailed himself with many illnesses” (1 Tim. 6:10); 3) pride is an excessively high opinion of one’s own dignity, combined with humiliation of others. This vice appears in various forms and serves as the source of many others; for “the beginning of sin is pride” (Sir. 10:15). Its main branches are: a) love of fame - the passion to make oneself famous in society and gain great fame in it; b) lust for power - the desire to subjugate others to your power and force them to follow your way of thinking; c) ambition - an immoderate desire to surpass others with external advantages and receive external signs of honor; d) vanity is a human vice in which he highly values ​​some of his deeds and advantages, displays them so that others have respect for him. Pride, being in itself a grave sin, completely inconsistent with the spirit of Christian humility, leads to many other sins, such as: hypocrisy, flattery, envy, obstinacy, disobedience, arrogance, forgetfulness of God, indignation at His Providence, despair, and so on. Therefore, “pride is hated before God and men” (Sir. 10:7). Sinful addiction is deeply rooted in a person’s heart and constitutes his second nature, as it were. It holds a person in its power as a slave, so that he reluctantly obeys it even after he sees his destruction. Sometimes he comes to his senses, regrets and laments; but on occasion, drawn by custom, he again turns to passion (for example, drunkenness). Therefore it is a work of sin and corruption. Passion is internal and spiritual idolatry; because those who work for passions with quick and ready submission to them honor them as idols. So to others, “the belly is God” (Phil. 3:19); for others, “covetousness... is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). Why is it that someone who has passion is certainly in a sinful state, in falling away from God and His grace. The root of a virtuous life is zeal for pleasing God, by which a person turns everything to the glory of God and does not submit to anything except His law. By contrast, the source of sinful life is aversion from God, in which a person does not have in his mind whether God exists and His holy law, and acts according to completely different rules and principles. This general property of sinful life is expressed in its various states. According to these conditions, people can be divided into two kinds; The first includes those people who have never thought and do not think about leaving sin; and to the second - those in whom there is some concern for a good life, but it has not matured properly and has taken the wrong direction. Those are either a) in a state of carelessness; or b) bitterness with despair, and these are in a state of or c) slavery; or d) hypocrisy; or e) self-delusion. a) A state of moral carelessness Moral carelessness is a state in which a person does not try to find out how the law of God commands to live and whether his deeds agree with it; and therefore does not feel the need for correction and calmly continues to lead a vicious life. He is indifferent to eternal rewards for virtue and is not afraid of endless torment for sin, because even if he remembers them or hears from others, he does not pay due attention. There are many people in this state, especially among those who enjoy worldly happiness; for “the sorrows (cares) of this age, and the flattery of riches, and other lusts... suppress the word of God in them,” so that it becomes completely fruitless (Mark 4:19). Bitterness is the state of a person when he sins not out of ignorance and weakness, but consciously and stubbornly indulges in debauchery, not heeding any good advice and even deliberately acting contrary to it and swearing at admonitions (2 Chronicles 36:16). From a state of bitterness there is a quick transition to a state of despair, when a person, imagining, on the one hand, the whole severity of his sins, and on the other, the whole severity of God’s justice, usually behaves as if he were absolutely sure that his death is inevitable, and therefore either fulfills the measure of his wickedness, indulging in all the lusts of a depraved heart, or hastens to end his life by suicide (Matthew 27:5). Moral slavery is a state in which a person tries to fulfill the law of God and is refrained from breaking it not out of love for God and not out of heartfelt aversion from evil, but out of fear of punishment for breaking the law and, caring little about correcting his heart, tries to fulfill the law only outwardly. This state is especially characteristic of those people who, poorly understanding or not knowing at all what the spirit of the Christian religion consists of, look at God as a strict Judge and Ruler, forgetting that He is also a merciful Father; and therefore they do not love Him, but only tremble, thinking to avoid His wrath by observing religious rituals, in which they present the essence of their faith, are attached to them to the point of excessiveness, and do not care about true virtues. Being in a state of moral hypocrisy, a person knows what God requires of him, and sees the inconsistency of his life with the law of God, but does not try to correct his heart, but only tries to seem pious. The purpose for which he tries to show off his piety is to attract the attention of others, to gain their praise and respect, or to better hide and more successfully accomplish any selfish, unclean intentions of his. The clearest example of hypocrisy with its main signs can be seen in the Pharisees. They loved to pray in open places and in crowded gatherings, “that they might appear as men” (Matthew 6:5). They performed long-term prayers in order to deceive pious wives with their piety, to incite them to give generously; they distributed alms publicly, “that they might be glorified by men” (Matthew 6:2); showed great zeal for their religion, crossed sea and land to convert to it, but at the same time made the convert “a son of Gehenna” (Matt. 23:15), because they did not try to correct him and teach him the true knowledge of God, but only instilled in him their hypocrisy and great respect for the traditions of the elders, combined with neglect of the commandments of God. e) State of self-delusion In a state of self-delusion, a person knows that he needs to live virtuously, and yet he does not care about his correction, because he considers himself morally perfect. The reason for such self-delusion is an incorrect concept of Christian perfection and pride. Accurately performing external works of piety, moving away as much as possible from worldly vanities, noticing some good dispositions in himself, compares himself with others, and, finding his life better, another can easily think that he is really very perfect and dares to say in the face of God Himself: “God, I give you praise, for I am not like other men, predators, unrighteous ...” (Luke 18:11). “I am rich, I have become rich, and I demand nothing...” What does the Lord answer to him: “...you are cursed, and poor, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Apoc. 3:17). Note: Both about vices and about vicious states, it should be noted that they: 1) all of a sudden cannot be in one and the same person, because some of them are opposite to each other; 2) a person does not always have the same vice, but can combine many with it and move from one state to another; 3) some defects are easier to correct than others; 4) however, not a single person, no matter how flawed he may be, should be considered completely incorrigible, “for what is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). 4) Reasons that encourage sin and keep it in it A Christian sinner suffers from sin, but does not abandon it, and often those who have known the sweetness of virtue abandon it and turn to sin. There must be powerful reasons holding the former and enticing the latter, and there are! This is the flesh, the world and the devil. 1) The name flesh refers to that corruption of human nature, by which he strives for sensual pleasures, benefits and a proud opinion of himself. This is the action of this enemy: a) when passionate thoughts about carnal and sinful objects are born in the mind; b) when desires are aroused in the will that are contrary to the law of God and the suggestions of grace (2 Samuel 11–11); c) when in sensual desires the desire for fun, pleasure and carnal pleasures is revealed, in general for the kind of life that Solomon depicts in this way: “... all that my eyes have not withdrawn from them, nor have I withheld my heart from all my joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was a part... of all my labor” (Eccl. 2:10). Temptations of the flesh are therefore more dangerous because We ourselves contain damaged human nature. Only he gets rid of the captivity of this enemy who never commits the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16), but always tries to crucify the flesh with passions and lusts (Gal. 5, 24); 2) under the name of the world we must understand those people who, by their way of life and customs, oppose the spirit of faith and the teaching of truth. In this sense, the world understood acts in two ways on sinners and against good Christians: sometimes with a spirit of wickedness it caresses either their voluptuousness through objects of carnal lust, or greed through earthly treasures, or ambition through honors, distinctions and other objects of worldly pride, and sometimes with bitterness and malice it persecutes everyone who wants to “live godly in Christ.” Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:12), which prevents some from coming to their senses, while trapping others in the net of sin. He will not be defeated by this enemy who always remembers that everything in the world is “vanity of vanities” (Eccl. 1:2), who is sincerely confident that without the will of God even the power of his head will not perish (Luke 21:18); 3) the last and at the same time the original enemy of good is “The Devil... murderer... from time immemorial” (John 8:44). He is the more terrible the more powerful he is, the more dangerous he is, the more cunning he is in his machinations, because he takes advantage of circumstances, the properties of a person, and everything that can help him in carrying out his destructive intentions, and, like “a roaring lion, he goes about seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). No matter how secretly this enemy acts, however, those experienced in spiritual life “do not fail to understand... his intentions” (2 Cor. 2:11). Sometimes he deceives through external objects, pleasant, like ancestors (Gen. 3; 1 Cor. 7:5); sometimes it frightens you with disasters and sorrows, as the Lord said: “Behold, the devil has set you in prison, so that you may be tempted” (Apoc. 2:10); sometimes it acts on the soul and heart, as can be seen from the example of Judas (John 13:2) and Ananias (Acts 5:3), trying either to produce unclean thoughts in the mind, or to fill the imagination with vain dreams, or to arouse sinful desires in the will. In general, he always notices the weak side in a person, on which he usually acts stronger and acts, just as Judas discovered this satanic wiles in himself, who regretted the world (fragrant oil): “not as one who grieves for the poor, but as a thief, having an ark and a carried burden” (John 12:6, John 13:2, Luke 22, 3–5). However, the devil does not act autocratically, but only with God’s permission, as can be seen from the example of Job (Job 2:6), and only then succeeds in his actions against us when we ourselves cease to protect ourselves and indulge in carelessness (Matthew 13:25). These opponents of good are so powerful that no one can free themselves from their slavery unless the Lord frees someone; and those who are already free from it retain this freedom in no other way than by “being empowered in the Lord Jesus Christ and putting on all the armor of grace” (Eph. 6:10-11). However, this power is not unconditional. They do not control a person except with his consent; for they offer only sin and incline to it; and that this sin is then chosen as the goal, no one in this except the sinner himself, not guilty. No force can force one to choose. Therefore, the enemies of good shown are only seducers, and not the active causes of our sins. Neither their dominion over sinners, nor the seduction of the good should be considered a violation of our freedom. Hence, the obligation of some to seek help, and for others to be sober and vigilant. Note: How a sinner can extricate himself from the snares of sin and how the good can stand in the good, instructions on this should be offered in asceticism. You might be interested in: