New wine in old wineskins

Let us give justice to the new philosophy. Presumptuous before, she recently began to seek help from Christianity and began to recognize the need for the Christian commandment of love for the good of societies. Those who are considered representatives of intelligent people now agree that love and brotherhood, preached by the Lord Jesus, constitute the best medicine for social ills. At the request of Christian love, they want human laws to be lenient towards unfortunate criminals. In the name of the same love, they wish that people, despite the difference in classes and ranks, be equal before the law, and that poverty and ignorance of the family do not deprive a person of civic significance. In the name of the same love, they demand that what a person obtains through labor belong to the person who worked, and not be appropriated by another person who did not take part in the work. All this is wonderful! All this wine is new, clean, fresh! But here’s what they forget: there is no need to pour new wine into old wineskins, as our Savior says 1 . If they think of implementing the Savior’s new commandment only by human means, these are old wineskins. What means of human nature can transform the warring, envious, divided passions of the human world into one family of brotherly love? There are none in human nature: its engines are self-interest and proud pride. Or do they think that people only have to wish to act in the spirit of Christian love - and the transformation of people is over? Desires do not yet give us what we want. One of the best people speaks for himself and for everyone: “the desire for good is in me: but I do not find it to do it” 2. Neither science nor the highest mind gives us the strength to realize high ideals. It’s time to be convinced of this by the experiences of thousands of years. Neither philosophers nor legislators, who left exemplary theories, gave either themselves or others a spool of new strength. No matter how clever you may be, you must agree with the words of our Savior: “that which is born of the flesh is flesh” 3 . All those descended from Adam cannot in themselves become higher than hereditary nature. Sin is the beginning of all misfortunes; and man cannot free himself from it on his own. Therefore, sin and misfortune will always accompany a person on the paths of his life and will begin to destroy his best plans. One opportunity for a person to fulfill high ideals is heavenly help, acceptance and assimilation of the grace of God. In order to fulfill the new commandment of Christ in oneself, one must be born again 4 , one must be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit 5 . You can assimilate in your mind the philosophy of Hegel, the philosophy of Plato, and any other human philosophy: but in order to assimilate the philosophy of Christ, it is not enough to be a listener of this philosophy. Do they think that they can learn the Gospel teaching about brotherly love, apart from the help of Christ? A vain dream! In Christ Jesus, the conqueror of sin and death, humanity has a second Adam, spiritual, life-giving 6 . If the generation of men does not begin from Him, then it is rags, useless for anything. Only He, by His Spirit, can renew the sad existence of man. New wine in old wineskins means loss of good wine and damage to the skins themselves. Such is the fate of those societies that try to implement within themselves the Christian teaching of brotherly love without complete, spiritual renewal, without a living and regenerating faith in the Lord Jesus. Old, self-seeking, proud, self-loving hearts preach love for others, but they themselves do not know it, they themselves have not done anything for it, they have not sacrificed a single passion or habit for it. So what happens? Revolutions are destructive, shocks that overthrow the existing order and do not create anything lasting. Why this lack of stable principles of community life, this melancholy, this dissatisfaction with the present, this uncertainty about the future, this timidity in doing beautiful things? Is it not because new wine is poured into old wineskins? “Progress, progress,” they shout. But in reality it turns out to be only the breaking of the old - and nothing useful; in fact, the innocent are still oppressed by strong wealth, and the happy wicked controls the fate of honest people. They waste energy, waste money - and all to no avail, they keep people busy with work - and all the work only weakens the poor people, introducing them to new needs, new troubles, difficult already from the news itself. There was a long, long time ago a philosopher - a king who, with his philosophical mind, understood the importance of Christian love for a pagan society, forced the pagans to build hospitals and houses of mercy: but how long did Julian’s institutions stand among the pagans? They crumbled like houses of cards at the first breath of wind. Here is a clear example of how old wineskins cannot hold new wine! No, you need to have more than one knowledge of the teachings of Christ. One must deeply feel one’s depravity, and with this feeling attract the grace of Christ upon oneself, in order with its help to embody the new commandment of Christ. First of all, you need to dream as little as possible about yourself, about your strengths and perfections, and as much as you can sincerely pray to the Almighty and Good One for His mercy towards poor people. The commandment of love, without the thought of self-denial, is less than the Jewish commandment and is no longer Christ’s commandment at all. “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” with this the Savior began his sermon; This is how Christian life begins. Let the certainty be constant on all our paths that we are old wineskins, and only He can remake this oldness anew. Everyone needs to pray for themselves and for others, so that the light of heaven will illuminate the depths of human hearts, and they would accept new wine with new dispositions, worthy of a happy eternity. Then some will condemn the selfishness in themselves, agitated against the new law, others will understand that the freedom of Christ is the renunciation of all criminal self-will, from all animal passion, and love submissive to the holy commandments of God. The Spirit of Christ, and He alone, can transform the hearts of people.