Беседа 28

John 3:17. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 1. The greater the Lord's mercy, the more severe will be His punishments for the stiff-necked. – God opened the doors of generosity to all people. – Two comings of Jesus Christ. – 2. Unbelievers are subject to condemnation – Whoever withdraws from Jesus Christ. “Great sinners are people who are stubborn in their stubbornness, devoted to the vices that have overwhelmed them. – 3. To be a Christian, you need to lead a good life in compliance with the purity of doctrine. – The reason for the deviation of the pagans from accepting the faith of Christ. – Pagan philosophers made virtue out of empty vanity. The love of vanity destroys people. – Vanity is more destructive than all other vices. – In order to acquire glory before people and the glory that comes from God, one must strive to achieve only the latter. 1. Many of the careless people, abusing God’s love for mankind to multiply sins and cause greater negligence, say the following words: no Gehenna, no torment; God forgives us all our sins. Stopping the mouths of such people, one wise man says: “And do not say: “His mercy is great, He will forgive the multitude of my sins”; For mercy and wrath are with Him, and His wrath abides on sinners” (Sir.5:6-7). And in another place: “as great is His mercy, so great is His reproof” (Sir.16:13). Where, someone will say, is His love for mankind if we receive what follows for our sins? But we will get what we deserve, listen to both the prophet and Paul. One says: “You reward everyone according to his deeds” (Ps. 61:13); and the other: “Who will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6). Nevertheless, God’s love for mankind is great, and this can be seen from this: God divided our destinies into two centuries of life, the present and the future, and, having designated the first for exploits, and the last for receiving crowns, thus showed great love for mankind. How? Because, even though we have committed many grave sins and have not ceased from youth to old age to defile our souls with countless vices, He does not torture us for any of these sins, but in the bath of rebirth He grants remission of them and grants justification and sanctification. But what can you say if someone who has been worthy of the sacraments from childhood falls into a multitude of sins? This one deserves even more punishment. For the same sins we are not subject to the same condemnation, but much more severe when we sin after sanctification by the sacraments. This is what Paul shows in the following words: “If he who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, is punished without mercy with death, then how much more severe punishment do you think will be guilty of the one who tramples on the Son of God and does not consider as holy the Blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace?” ( Heb. 10:28–29 ). Such a one, therefore, deserves greater punishment. However, God still opens the doors of repentance to such a person and gives many means to wash away his sins, if only he himself wants to. Think, then, how great the evidence of His love for mankind is - in the fact that He forgives (sins) by His grace, and does not punish the one who sinned after grace and deserved punishment, but gives time and means for justification. That is why Christ said to Nicodemus: “God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Two comings of Christ: one has already happened, the other will happen. But both have more than one purpose: the first was not for torturing our deeds, but for remission; the second coming will not be for remission, but for torture. Therefore, about the first coming, He says: “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47); about the second: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33). However, the first coming could also be for the court, at the request of justice. Why? Because before the coming of Christ there were already: natural law, and prophets, and written law, and teaching, and countless promises, and the manifestation of miracles, and punishments, and torments, and much more that could correct (people) - and in all of this an account should be demanded. But since (God) loves mankind, he did not torture, but granted forgiveness. And if He began to judge, everyone would immediately perish. “For all,” it is said, “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Do you see what indescribable love for humanity? “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned” (John 3:18). But if He did not come to judge the world, then how is it that the unbeliever is “already condemned” when the time of judgment has not yet come? He says this either because unbelief without repentance is in itself the greatest torment, or He foretells the future. Just as a murderer, even if he has not been convicted by a judge, is already condemned by the very nature of his case, so is an unbeliever. And Adam died on the very day on which he ate from the tree: this was the definition: “on the day you eat from it, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). But he still lived after that: how did he die? Both by God’s definition and by the nature of one’s actions. Just as he has made himself guilty of punishment, he is under punishment, although not yet in reality, but by definition. And so that someone, having heard: “I came not to judge the world,” does not think that one can sin with impunity, and therefore does not become even more careless, Christ prevents such negligence by saying: “already condemned.” Since there will be judgment, but has not yet arrived, He immediately arouses the fear of torment and already shows punishment. But this also serves as proof of God’s great love for mankind, that God not only gave the Son, but also postponed the time of judgment so that those who sinned and unbelievers had the opportunity to cleanse their sins. “He who believes in Him is not condemned” - he who believes in the Son, and not one who tests; a believer, not a curious one. What if a believer also has an unclean life and bad deeds? Paul calls such people not true believers: “they say that they know God, but by works they deny” (Titus 1:16). However, Christ here expresses that they are not subject to condemnation for unbelief, but will be subjected to the most severe punishment for their deeds; they are not punished for unbelief, because they have already believed. 2. Do you see how, having begun with terrible truths, Christ ended with them again? In the beginning He said: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). And here again: “the unbeliever is already condemned.” That is: do not think that postponing (punishment) can bring any benefit to someone who has already deserved punishment, unless he repents. The state of the unbeliever is no better than the state of people who have already been condemned and sentenced. “This is the judgment, that light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). The meaning of these words is this: people are punished because they do not want to leave the darkness and hasten to the light. Thus Christ deprives them of all justification. If, He says, I came only to punish and demand an account from them of their deeds, then they could say: that is why we moved away from You. But I came to free them from darkness and bring them to light. Who would have mercy on a person who does not want to come out of darkness into the light? Thus, he says, they move away from us, not being able to accuse us of anything, but still receiving countless benefits from us. Condemning them for this and in another place, He says: “They hated Me without a cause” (John 15:25); and also: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin” (John 15:22). He who sits in darkness for lack of light, perhaps would have received forgiveness; and he who remains in darkness after the appearance of light testifies to himself that his will is corrupted and rebellious. But since what was said seemed incredible to many (no one can prefer darkness to light), He also shows the reason why people were subjected to such misfortune. What is this reason? “Because their deeds were evil; For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed” (John 3:19-20). After all, He came not to judge or torture, but to forgive and forgive their sins, to give them salvation through faith: why did they run away from Him? If He, having come, sat down at the judgment seat, then they could have some reason for this. Anyone who recognizes something bad in himself usually avoids the judge; but criminals even rush to the one who forgives. So, if He came with forgiveness, they should hasten to Him, and especially those who were aware of many sins; many did so. Publicans and sinners, coming to Jesus, reclined with Him. What do His words mean? He speaks of those who have decided to remain in evil forever. He Himself came in order to leave past sins and warn against future ones. But since some have changed to such an extent and weakened to the deeds of virtue that until their last breath they want to remain in evil and never think of leaving it behind, then Christ, having in mind such people, denounces them. Christianity requires both Orthodox teaching and a good life, but they, says Christ, are afraid to turn to us, because they themselves do not want to show a good life. No one will denounce someone who lives in paganism, because he who has such gods and festivals, like gods who are shameful and worthy of ridicule, also shows deeds worthy of his teaching, and the worshipers of God, living carelessly, have everyone for themselves as accusers and accusers - so the truth is venerable even for its enemies! Notice with what precision Christ expresses what he speaks about. He did not say: he who does evil does not come to the light, but: he who does it, that is, always does it; whoever wants to always wallow in the mire of sin does not want to subject himself to My laws and, outside of them, fearlessly commits fornication and does everything else that is forbidden. Coming to Me, he becomes visible like a thief in the light. That is why he avoids My power. Indeed, one can still hear from many pagans that they cannot turn to our faith because they cannot give up drunkenness, fornication and similar vices. Well, you say, aren’t there both Christians who act badly and pagans who live their lives in wisdom? That there are Christians who live badly, I know that too; But whether there are pagans who live virtuously, I still don’t know for certain. Don’t point me to people who are humble and honest by nature: this is not virtue! Show me a person who, while experiencing strong passions, would remain wise, but you will not find such a person (in paganism). If the promise of the kingdom, the threat of hell, and the like barely keeps people in virtue, how much less can people who are not convinced of this succeed in virtue? If some of them show an appearance of virtue, they do it for glory. And whoever does this for glory will not refuse to satisfy his evil desires, whenever possible to hide. But in order not to seem to anyone like lovers of argument, we agree that among the pagans there are people who live well; This does not at all contradict our words. I'm talking about things that happen many times, not things that happen occasionally. 3. But look how Christ deprives them, on the other hand, of all justification. He says that "light has come into the world." Did they look for him, he said, did they work, did they care to find him? The light itself came to them; however, even then they did not rush to him. If, among Christians, some live poorly, then regarding this we note that Christ is not talking about those who became Christians from birth and accepted the faith from their ancestors (although they often deviated from the right teaching through a vicious life); It seems that it is not about them that we are talking here, but about those who, from Judaism or paganism, had to turn to the right faith. (Christ) shows that no one, being in error, will want to turn to faith unless he first prescribes a good life for himself, and no one will remain in unbelief unless he first decides to remain evil forever. Don’t tell me that so-and-so is chaste and not a thief; This is not the only thing that virtue consists of. What good is it, having these qualities, to be a slave to vain rumors, and, fearing shame from your friends, to remain in error? This does not mean living virtuously. The slave of vanity is no better than the fornicator; even commits much greater and graver sins than that one. But show me someone among the pagans who would be free from all passions and not involved in any vice: you cannot indicate. And those who became famous among them for great deeds and despised, as they say, wealth and luxury, they were the most servile to human glory; and this is the cause of all evil. The Jews remained in this state. Therefore, accusing them, Christ said: “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another” (John 5:44)? But why didn’t Christ talk and spread the word about this with Nathanael, to whom he testified to the truth? Because he did not come to Christ with the same zeal (with which Nicodemus did). Nicodemus considered this a duty for himself and used the time during which others were resting to listen to the conversation. But Nathanael came according to the conviction of another. However, Christ did not ignore him either; He told him: “from now on you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending” (John 1:51). He did not say anything like that to Nicodemus, but talked with him about the arrangement of our salvation and about eternal life, using different speech in accordance with the spiritual disposition of each. For Nathanael, who knew the prophecies and was not so fearful, it was enough to hear this alone. And to Nicodemus, since he was still fearful, Christ did not reveal everything clearly, but shook his soul in order to destroy fear with fear, saying that the unbeliever is condemned and that unbelief comes from a vicious conscience. Nicodemus valued human glory a lot and thought about it more than about punishment. “And many of the rulers,” it is said, “believed in Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess” (John 12:42): this is what Christ reproaches him and shows, moreover, that he who does not believe in Him does not believe in Him for any other reason than because he leads an unclean life. Further He says: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); and here: “light has come into the world” (John 3:19). Thus, at first He spoke more secretly, and later more clearly. Meanwhile, Nicodemus was held back by the glory of the people; That’s why I couldn’t have as much courage as I should have. Let us flee from vanity; this passion is stronger than all passions. Hence covetousness and love of money; hence hatred, enmity, strife. Anyone who wants more cannot stop at anything; and he desires more because he loves vain glory. Tell me, why do many surround themselves with many eunuchs, a crowd of servants and such splendor? Not out of necessity, but so that people meeting them would witness this inappropriate brilliance. So, if we cut off this passion, then along with the head we will destroy the remaining members of this evil, and then nothing will prevent us from living on earth as in heaven. Vanity not only attracts its captives to evil, but also creeps into virtues; and if he cannot deprive us of them; then it does us great harm in virtue itself, forcing us to endure labor and depriving us of fruit. Anyone infected with vanity, whether he fasts, prays, or gives alms, is deprived of his reward. What misfortune could be greater than, exhausting oneself in vain and in vain, to be ridiculed and deprived of heavenly glory? But it is impossible for anyone who desires both glory to receive both together. True, it is possible to achieve both glory, but only if we desire not both, but one - heavenly glory. But whoever desires both cannot receive both together. So, if we want to achieve glory, we will run away from human glory, and desire that glory only from God. In this way we can acquire both glory, which we all may be worthy of, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: