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Saint Tikhon remembered and heard the voice of God not only in nature, the soul, in revelation and in the events of the world, but in simple everyday sounds and words. Here is an example (admonition 12). It happens, he says, that one exclaims to another on various occasions: follow me. Christian! So Christ the Lord speaks to each of us: follow Me. Read the Holy Gospel and listen to it, and you will hear the sweetest voice of Christ: follow Me. I am your Creator, you are My creation: follow Me. I am your King, you are My subject. I am your God, clothed in servile flesh: follow Me. I came into the world to you and for your sake; I, invisible, appeared for you and everyone. I, unapproachable to the Cherubim, have become approachable to sinners: follow Me. I, who alone have immortality and live in the unapproachable light, am counted among the dead and laid in a dark tomb for your sake: follow Me. I am your Redeemer, your Deliverer, your Savior, Who redeemed you not with silver and gold, but with His blood from the devil, death and hell: follow Me. You see My love for you: show your love to your lover and with love follow Me... My heart is ready, my heart is ready, O God! Help me (Secret of spirits, part 11). The voice of God and the testimony of God in the events of the world is how St. Tikhon explains it! God clearly announces himself through glorious and wonderful deeds, which the world sees and looks at with amazement. Who brought the global flood and, in the midst of the thick waters, preserved righteous Noah with his house and some animals in the ark? God. Who tamed the wild beasts in the ark? God. Who destroyed Sodom and Gomorra with the surrounding cities with fire from heaven, and snatched away righteous Lot? God. Who struck Egypt with plagues? God. Who drove Israel out of their work? God. Who drowned the tormentor Pharaoh in the Red Sea, and led Israel through it? God. Who led Israel through the terrible wilderness? God. Who fed such a multitude in the wilderness for fourty years? God, give food to all flesh. Who defeated the great kings before them: Zion king of Amorite and Og king of Bashan? God. Who brought Israel to the Promised Land? God. Who drove out and destroyed the tongues from that land and settled Israel in it? God. What was Israel against all the languages ​​surrounding it? Like one man against a thousand people, or like two opponents against twenty thousand, or like a handful of water against the sea. But Israel remained intact; the thousands of peoples surrounding him could not destroy him. Who preserved him if not the omnipotent God, whom he called and worshiped? And this is what the Psalmist sings (Ps. 124:1-3). And although Israel sometimes worked for foreigners, this too was sent from God as punishment for their sins... Question How does Saint Tikhon indicate the voice of God in the incidents and events of the New Testament? Rep. The Gospel is filled with such glorious, supernatural deeds. To transform water into wine, to make a paralytic healthy with a word, to give sight to a man blind from birth, to drive out a demon from a person, and to do other similar things - it is not possible for any power found in heaven. There must be and be present here such a power that can do everything, and from nothing - something, and from evil - good, from the weak - healthy, from darkness - light, from the dead - living and from the non-existent - to create; - such, I say, is the power to which everything obeys. Such power is our God. Question What assures us of the truth of these and other cases? Rep. So that no one doubts these glorious and wonderful works of God, the circumstances themselves are clearly indicated: where - in what country, in what city or village, on the road, or in the desert; when - in the morning or in the evening; on whom, and who was there, what followed, what was said, etc... All these circumstances destroy all doubt and make irresponsible those who do not believe in the most holy Gospel truth, and especially those who were born of Christians and entered Christianity through baptism. Question What incident speaks most about God and from God? Rep. The conversion of pagans to Christianity loudly speaks and thunders about God and from God. This thing, truly great and wonderful, in all the ends of the earth, in the east and in the west, in the north and noon, incessantly cries out to everyone: there is a God who can do everything. There is a God who creates light out of darkness; there is God, who provides for all creation, and especially rational ones. There is a God who wants everyone to be saved and to come into the understanding of truth (1 Tim. 2:4). There is a God who sent His Son into the world to convert the lost and bring to himself those who have wandered away. Wonderful thing! The pagans, deceived by cunning, dreams and ghosts of the devil, and confirmed in the wickedness of idolatry and rigidity, abandoned and despised their wisdom, which delights their sensual heart... and became enlightened. There must be a supernatural light here, which opened the eyes of their souls and showed them darkness and beauty. Anger is a feeling of heart disease, born out of resentment or insult from someone. Anger is a painful and fierce passion and cannot be hidden, like other passions. For a heart filled with anger, like a boiling cauldron, spews out various signs of anger, which appear on various members. They turn red with anger and their eyes sparkle like sparks; the veins swell with anger; eyebrows and hair rise; anger produces gnashing of teeth, foam flowing from the mouth, nodding and turning of the head; the face darkens with anger. The angry one squeezes his hands, hits the ground with his feet, hits his chest; torments hair and clothes; he who is inflamed with anger shouts, screams, tears up, complains, blasphemes, and often spews things out that he later regrets. A person in anger changes completely; his appearance is likened to that of a demon possessed. How vile and ugly is the soul of one who is angry! How vile is his soul in the eyes of God, if only the signs of an angry person seem so unbearable to us, who ourselves also carry evil within ourselves. The ugliness of an angry soul can be seen not only in a person of age, but also in small youth, when it screams, rages, and turns away from everything until the anger is satisfied. Rep. What great poison from the devil has filled the human heart! How great evil lies within us! And this teaches us to continually sigh and pray to God, so that He Himself will correct and renew our heart, so fiercely and deeply corrupted. Question What comes from pent-up anger? Rep. Anger turns into malice and remembrance when it is held for a long time and nourished in the heart. Therefore, we are commanded to stop it quickly, so that hatred and malice do not increase, and evil is not added to evil. Let not the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4:26). Like a fire, if it is not extinguished soon, it consumes many houses; so anger, if it is not stopped soon, is the cause of many troubles. Saint Chrysostom speaks about malice: when we are malicious and deceitful towards others, then we sharpen the sword against ourselves and wound ourselves much more than them (conversation 4 on John). An evil person acts worse than a demon. For demon does not rise up against demon; but they all arm themselves against man and seek his destruction. And an evil man seeks the destruction of his brother, who has the same father according to the flesh - Adam, has the same nature, confesses the same Redeemer - Christ, by Whose blood he was redeemed from the devil and hell, by the same bath of St. baptism baptized. Oh, malice, devil’s daughter, malice, how you blind the poor man! About pride Saint Tikhon from St. Chrysostom offers these thoughts: pride is the root and source of all lawlessness (Conversations 13 on Matt.). The evil Velia, shaking the whole world, came forth from pride (Ibidem.). Pride destroys all spiritual virtue (Conversations 16, on John). Pride makes our entire life unclean, even if we did purity, virginity, prayer, and almsgiving (Conversations 5, on Philipp.). Proof of poverty of mind is pride (Demon 1, after the book of Thessaloniki). The more someone humbles himself, the more he exalts himself (Conversations 11, in the village of Ephesians). And that is why St. Chrysostom had the custom at a certain hour in the morning to pray for humility with this prayer: Lord, give me: humility, chastity and obedience (Morning Prayer). Question How blessed. Tikhon reflects on pride? Rep. Abhorrent, he says, sin is pride; but it is learned from few people, because it is deeply hidden in the heart. The beginning of pride is ignorance of oneself: this ignorance blinds a person, and a person is proud... What are the fruits of the bitter seed of pride? 1) A proud person seeks honor, glory and praise in every way. He always wants to appear to be something and to indicate, command and command others; and whoever hinders his desire becomes angry and angry with him. 2) Having lost honor and authority, he grumbles, is indignant and blasphemes. What have I sinned? What am I to blame for? Is my work worth it? 3) He begins things beyond his strength, which he cannot correct. 4) He interferes arbitrarily in other people's affairs: he wants to tell everyone and everything everywhere, although he himself does not know what he is doing; so his pride blinds him. 5) He praises himself without shame and exalts himself: I did this and that, I rendered such and such services to society... 6) He humiliates and despises other people: he is a vile person, he is worthless... 7) He does not submit to authority and superiors, does not obey... the neck of the proud is cruel and unyielding. 8) The good that he has in himself is attributed to himself, to his own diligence and labor, and not to God. But, man! What can you have of yourself, who came naked from your mother’s womb? What can you have when there is one God - the source of all good? What is the diligence and labor of ours without the help of Him, without Whom everyone is nothing, like a shadow without a body? 9) A proud person extremely dislikes reproof and admonition: he considers himself clean, although he is all dirty. 10) In humiliation, in contempt, in trouble and adversity, he is not patient, grumbling and often blasphemes. 11) In words, in actions, he shows arrogance, pomp and a certain contempt... These are the fruits of pride, hated by God and people... Oh, if only a person would know himself, would know his poverty, misery and damnation! He would never be proud. But the more wretched a person is that he does not see and does not recognize his poverty and wretchedness. O Lord, deliver me from all ignorance, and especially from ignorance of myself and my poverty! O Master! let me see my sins and humble myself! Question Tell me something about the formation of states and peoples? Rep. This is what is said in the works of our great contemporary teacher about the formation of states and peoples. Where does this multitude of people come from, united by language and customs, whom we call the people? It is obvious that this multitude was born from a certain smaller tribe, and this came from a family. And so in the family, actually the so-called one, lie the seeds of everything that later opened up and grew in the great family, which is called the state. Consequently, one must look there for the beginnings and the first image of power and subordination, visible today in society. The father, who naturally has the power to give life to his son and to form his faculties, is the first ruler; a son who can neither develop his abilities nor preserve his life itself is naturally subservient. But since the power of the father was not created by the father himself and was not given to him by the son, but occurred together with man from the One who created man, then it is revealed that the deepest source and the highest beginning of the first, and consequently all subsequent power between men, is in God. From Him first of all the whole family in heaven and on earth is named (Eph. 3:15); then, when the sons of sons are born into a people, and from families a state grows, immense for the natural power of the fathers, God gives this power a new, artificial image and a new name, and thus through His wisdom kings reign (Prov. 8:15), and further, no matter how long the nations continue, no matter how the states change, the Most High always rules over the kingdom of men through the all-pervading Providence (Dan. 4:22). Metropolitan Filaret, part 2, section 7). Question How does St. Tikhon talk about heavenly citizenship, which is the true fatherland for a Christian? Rep. We seek not the imams of the city that is here, but the one to come. (Heb. 13:14). Blazh. Tikhon, reasoning about these words of the Apostle, says this: the Christian fatherland is heaven, where is the glory of the heavenly Father, to whom they pray: Our Father, who art in heaven; where is His glorious house, in which are many mansions (John 14:2); where is the great city, St. Jerusalem, having the glory of God, and the city does not require the sun and the moon, let them shine in it; For the glory of God enlighten him, and his lamp is the Lamb of God (Apoc. 21:10, 11, 23). There the heavenly Father brings joy to His sons with the sight of His most holy face; there the forefather's face settles with his righteous seed; there the prophets, apostles and saints rejoice - preachers of the truth; there the bright army of the martyrs triumphs; many venerables and ascetics rest there; there the Sun of Truth, unaware of the West, shines, and enlightens everyone with the brilliance of His glory, and with His grace draws to Him all who wander in this world, calling and honoring His holy name; there the throne of glory is surrounded by thousands upon thousands and darkness by those ethereal heavenly powers, and the Lord, the King of glory, sings incessantly: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:3). In this fatherland there is no fear from foreigners, no fear from enemies, no danger from illness, death, famine, poverty, enmity, malice; no complaint is heard there; crying, sorrow and sighing have been removed from there; there is no care for food, drink, clothing; there are no storms or bad weather; but always a favorable bucket; there is no morning, evening, night, but always day: there is no autumn and winter, but always a red and favorable spring and summer; there the inhabitants are always vigilant, but never tired; always live, but do not expect death; there is joy without sorrow, health without weakness, honor without danger and fear. There is no old, lame, blind, paralytic, ugly; but everything in blooming youth - red kindness and the age of her husband is perfect. There no one will offend, or be offended, or become angry, or annoy; no one envy anyone: everyone is happy with what he has. In this glorious and most blessed citizenship there is the most perfect silence, peace and love between citizens; joy about each other. Christians who, with faith and love, work for the heavenly Father, the King of heaven and earth, are migrating to this fatherland from this troubled world. Our Forefather concluded this fatherland with his disobedience for himself and for us; but Christ, the Son of God, Who deigned to wander for our sake, opened His freedom, even to the point of death, death on the cross, by obedience. Question What instruction comes from this? Rep. 1) We must work, strive, endure various disasters during our journey, fear from enemies who are trying to block the path to our fatherland, and ask for God’s help, so that it will strengthen us in this feat and give us the opportunity to die, maintain the faith and come to that land of the living. 2) If our fatherland is in heaven, and our real life is a wandering, then why do Christians here store up so much acquisitions for themselves, how can they live here forever? Why are they building so many houses? Why are so many lands, fatherlands, and peasants attracted? Why do they multiply goods, silver, gold, etc.?.. They will leave all this on the earth, and take nothing with them: nothing has been brought into this world, apparently, as if we could endure what we can (1 Tim. 6:7). But we will leave the very body that was brought into this world buried in the ground. As one soul, let us depart for the place designated by God. 3) Christians who want to get rich in this world should heed what the Apostle says: (1 Tim. 6:9), and that Christ God from the height of His glory: foolishness... what have you prepared for all who will be (Luke 12:20, Part 9, Chapter 3)? About sin Saint Tikhon from the holy lips of St. John offers this: sin is the cause of all evil. – Sin is a disease of the soul. “The sin of men makes beasts.” – Sin is great drunkenness and evil. - There is nothing worse than sin. - Sin is leprosy. – Sin is a grave relaxation. It is better to walk naked than to be burdened with sins. - The worst sin is a demon. – Sin is the root of death. – Sin is a spontaneous demon and voluntary madness. That's why St. Chrysostom unforgivingly at this certain hour said the prayer: Lord, forgive me those who have sinned in word, deed, or thought. Question What is sin, asks Saint Tikhon, explaining the mystery of repentance? Rep. Sin is a transgression of God's commandment. Question Why is sin called mortal? Rep. because it causes eternal death to the soul. Question How many mortal sins? Rep. Seventh: 1) pride, i.e., an unruly desire for power and glory; 2) delicacy, i.e., an immeasurable desire for external goods in order to have wealth and acquisitions (covetousness); 3) fornication and uncleanness, that is, disorderly desire for carnal defilement, or the very act of fulfilling bodily lust; 4) gluttony or gluttony, i.e. excessive eating and drinking; 5) envy, that is, sadness and heart disease about the good of one’s neighbor, joy and joy about evil; 6) anger, i.e. an immense desire for revenge; 7) laziness or despondency, that is, coldness and carelessness about spiritual salvation. Question How many sins are against the Holy Spirit? Rep. Six: 1) despair, when we do not hope for the mercy of God and His mercy; 2) excessive reliance on the mercy of God; 3) resistance to the known truth of the Holy Scriptures and the dogmas of faith, approved by the Apostles and Holy Fathers; 4) envy of the spiritual blessings that our neighbor receives from God; 5) remaining in sins and growing old in anger; 6) negligence about spiritual salvation until the end of life. Question How many sins are there crying to heaven to God and asking for vengeance? Rep. Four: 1) voluntary murder, 2) fornication of Sodom, 3) embitterment of the poor, widows and orphans, insult and oppression, 4) withholding or failure to pay bribes to mercenaries or workers. Question (From book 4). How is sin committed? Rep. In deed, word, thought, desire and intention. Case in point: murder, theft; in a word, something like: blasphemy, slander, slander, foul language; thoughts, such as: pleasure in thoughts from lust, secret hatred, malice; desire and intention, such as: lust of impurity, desire for someone else's good, revenge... and everything that is contrary to the tenth commandment: you shall not covet! Question How else is sin committed? Rep. Sin is not only when what is prohibited by God’s law is committed, but also when what is commanded by God’s law is abandoned. It is sinful to kill; but it is also a sin for those in need, for example. You can’t give a helping hand to someone drowning in water. For God commanded in His law both to avoid evil and to do good (Ps. 33:15). And just as he said, “Thou shalt not steal,” so he commanded, “Give to him who asks you” (Ex. 20:15; Matt. 5:42). Therefore, execution from God is determined not only for evil deeds, but also for abandoning good deeds: every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:9). The Lord sends those who have not done mercy into the fire, as we read in St. Matthew in chapter. 25, where the image of the judgment of Christ is presented. Question Doesn't a seemingly good deed turn into vice and sin? Rep. It is used when it is done not for good, but for evil: thus alms are discredited when they are given for the sake of vanity; The preacher sins when he preaches the word of God for the sake of his own praise. The reason for this is that such a person departs from God with his heart, and in that place places himself as an idol on which he must have and worship God; and the glory that is due to Him alone, as the author of all good, anticipates itself. Such a person has self-love in his heart, and instead of God he loves and honors himself. And his work is like an apple, red on the outside, but rotten and stinking on the inside; and he himself is like a sunken coffin, which is red on the outside, but stinks on the inside... A good deed is only purely good when it is done well, that is, when it comes from a good heart, and to a good end, that is, to the glory of God and for the benefit of one’s neighbor. Question What bl. Does Tikhon indicate the causes of sin? Rep. All Christians absolutely need a feat against all sin; and in order to become more comfortable against sin, you need to know the causes of sin. There are five of them: 1) corruption of human nature (Ps. 50:7). The sinful passions with which we are born incline and attract us to sin (Rom. 7:24). 2) The devil leads a person to sin (1 Pet. 5:8, 9; Eph. 6:10). These invisible enemies are always awake to our destruction: so we must not slumber. 3) The temptations of the world also lead to sin. We see this evil growing: one does this and that; someone else sees or hears this and foolishly imitates it. Temptation is like a pestilence. Woe to the world because of temptation: even so, woe to that man, to whom the temptation comes (Matthew 18:7). 4) The cause of sin is unkind upbringing of children. Ill-mannered children, when they come of age, strive for evil in every way... fathers and mothers, take heed to this. 5) Habit strongly attracts one to sin... habit, like a rope, attracts one to sin, and, like one who is greedy for bread and thirsty for water, so a sinner strives for the sin to which he is accustomed. All these opponents of our salvation are fierce to us, adds the bl. Tikhon. Fiercely the flesh with passions and lusts, fighting against the spirit. The devil is a fierce adversary, who constantly seduces and fights us. Fierce and temptations, with which carnal lust, like fire by the wind, is fanned and kindled. But for one who is accustomed to evil, the most cruel thing is habit: it is second nature to man. It is a difficult feat for anyone to achieve against these opponents, but it is necessary and important. There is no more glorious victory than defeating yourself and sin. There is no crown and triumph without victory; victory is without feat against enemies. Christians! let us enter into this feat, and, with the help of Christ, achieve victory and receive from Him the crown of kindness. Question Like bl. Tikhon discusses the power of voluntary sins? Rep. Reflecting on the words of the prophet Jeremiah: if the Ethiopian changes his skin, and the lynx changes his motley, you can do good, having learned evil (Jer. 13:23), the following speaks about the power of sin (book 4, chapter 2, §46). Until a person is tempted by sin in some way, he approaches it not without fear, and after sinning his conscience is greatly tormented. For the mind, enlightened by the grace of God, before sin, like a candle, shines in a person and shows him both the abomination of sin and the subsequent wrath of God following sin; That’s why people are afraid to dare to sin. But when he sins and also dares several times, he conveniently begins to do that lawless deed, and the more he sins, the more daring he becomes. Sin, says St. Chrysostom, until it begins, has a certain shame: when it is completed, he makes those who do it more shameless (Conversations 10 on the acts of the Apostle). An addiction or habit to sin, which comes from slowing down in sin and from repeated repetition of sin, is so strong that, like a second nature, it attracts a person to what he is addicted to. Great, great is the custom of torment and only that it suits the needs of nature. Like a tree, the more it grows, the more it puts down roots into the ground: so, the more sinful a custom grows, the deeper in the heart its roots deepen. Saint Tikhon, in his Trans-Don solitude, reflecting on original sin, its reality and cause, clearly and strikingly outlined this subject in his treasure, collected from the world (Part 11). It happens, says Bl. Tikhon that poison is given to a person from evil people: so from the ancient serpent, our enemy, the devil, sinful, deadly poison was influenced into our nature. Our nature was pure, immaculate, holy; but when he became infected with the poison of the cunning and crafty serpent, then he fell into incurable weakness and misfortune. The poison present in a person infects his entire body: so this deadly poison of the serpent has infected all our powers, mental and physical! Hence - pride, arrogance, vindictiveness; hence – flattery, deceit, lies; hence - adultery, fornication, uncleanness, temptations, heresies, drunkenness, etc., etc. Poison taken inside a person torments a person, and over time causes an unbearable illness: so this serpentine poison, hidden in the soul, torments the soul and brings various kinds of suffering to it. Look what pride produces in a person! How it torments him! How many ways does he invent to achieve honor! Having achieved it, with what care and concern he takes care of it! How indignant he is when he is despised by someone! How sick, embarrassed, and grumbling when he is deprived of honor! It is impossible to say what the love of money does, what care, care and illness it causes to a poor soul!.. Fornication, what torment, what burning in the heart and throughout the human body it creates, is known to everyone, and especially to those living celibately... Every thing is known from its action: thus the hidden poison of the serpent in the heart and soul of man is known from cruel and painful actions. Anyone who knows this great and destructive evil must seek healing from it, lest he die from it forever, soul and body... Let us know, therefore, beloved. Let us turn to Christ, the physician of souls and bodies... The ancient serpent has infected us with his fierce poison: from Christ, the Son of God, let us seek healing. He alone can heal us and heals through faith those who sigh and pray to Him... just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is fitting for the Son of man to be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life (John 3:14, 15). Lord Jesus Christ! heal me, and I will be healed. Question Like bl. Does Tikhon prove that sin is a great evil? Rep. The following arguments show that sin is a great evil: 1) The majesty of God is insulted by every sin. To offend a simple person is not an unimportant matter; dignified - more important; What a grave evil it is to offend the infinite and indescribable God! 2) Through sin, the law of God, eternal and immutable, is ruined. In the law of God it is depicted that it should be this way, and not otherwise, as depicted; at approx. Honor and love God above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is what the eternal and unchangeable Truth demands. But a blind sinner dares to destroy the inviolable and violate the inviolable, to the dishonor of the eternal God and his own destruction. 3) Sin is such a great and terrible evil that no one could destroy it except the only begotten Son of God. It was necessary for the almighty Son of God to come and take it away with His suffering and death. Don’t think, man, that it’s even a little sin. When the Lamb of God does not take away sin from you, then throughout all of endless eternity you will pay for it in Gehenna to the righteousness of God. 4) It is terrible for pagans who do not know God to sin; but it is more terrible for Christians: for the pagans are convicted by one conscience, and Christians by both conscience and the written law of God are convicted of sin. The pagans, just as they do not know God, do not see His will as declared in the law: Christians hear the will of God preached all day long. Sin for Christians is nothing more than apostasy, treason, which is betrayed not to man, but to God. 5) Sin separates a person from God: your sins separate between God and between you (Isa. 59:2). And the more a person sins, the more he moves away from God; The further one moves away, the more it becomes darkened. God is light (1 John 1:5). Therefore, the further someone departs from God, the more darkness he goes into and the more blind he becomes in his mind. 6) Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34): whoever commits fornication is a slave of fornication; the drunken and gorged slave is the belly; loving silver and gold, the slave is mammon. Understand the same about other passions: for if anyone is overcome, he works for this (2 Pet. 2:19). Oh, if only the poor sinner would understand this work! I would recognize myself as more unfortunate than prisoners, convicts, prisoners in prison, chained people and other people suffering physically. 7) Everyone who commits sin is of the devil, says the Apostle, and calls sinners children of devils (1 John 3:8). It is very disastrous and scary to be a son of the devil, but sin, this evil and devilish seed, leads a person to this terrible disaster. 8) Sin, separating a person from God, Who is the only source of life, deprives the separated soul of life. So our ancestors in paradise, on the day on which they ate from the forbidden tree and sinned, died. 9) Sin is a great evil; for a conscience irritated by sin torments a person, and the torment is so severe that it often leads to despair, as happened to Cain the fratricide. O evil, tormenting evil - evil conscience! O grave evil - sin that so troubles our conscience! It is better to have an ulcerated body than a wounded conscience by sins. 10) Sin is a great evil, because for sin Gehenna, hell and eternal torment are prepared. What a great and terrible misfortune it is to be eternally deprived of God’s mercy and His sweetest contemplation, and to be alienated and rejected from the blessed council and to fall into the most painful eternal state. 11) Sin is a great evil because it also brings temporary punishments, such as bloody wars, pestilences, diseases, famines, cowards, fires. For if there were no sin, there would be nothing sorrowful. 12) Sin is a great evil, because even the most innocent nature suffers from it. Man sins, but other creatures suffer: the earth does not produce fruit; cattle and beasts perish from hunger, the air and water are corrupted, etc. The cause of all this is human sin (Deut. 2:15–17). O sin - unspeakable evil! as if the infinite and all-good God is offended. Cold-hearted betrayal is a sin by which we betray the immortal and righteous God. An incurable ulcer is a sin that hurts, torments and consumes our conscience! Mental leprosy is a sin that no one except the only begotten Son of God can heal. The source of temporary and eternal disasters, the root of condemnation and death, the transformation of nature, the darkening of the mind, the corruption of spiritual kindness, and the worst evil of all – sin! Righteous St. Chrysostom wrote: there is nothing more painful than sin. Truly the most evil sin is greater than the demon. For sin also made the demon a demon, who was created by the Creator as a bright angel. Truly it is better to walk naked than to walk burdened with sins (Chrysostom, in various conversations)! It is better to sit in captivity and prison than to sin; It is better to be wounded and in any illness than to sin; It is better not to see the light and sit in darkness than to sin; It is better to endure cursing, ridicule, reproach, reproach, beatings and wounds than to sin; Finally, it is better to endure every evil that may be in the world than to sin... Sin is sweet to a damaged person; but its fruits are bitter. A bitter seed bears bitter fruit. Let us recognize sin, and let us depart from sin. People know that poison is harmful, and they avoid it; they know that the serpent stings and is careful of it; they know that robbers expose and kill, and they avoid them... Sin harms more than any poison; sin is more poisonous than any potion; sin exposes us more than any robber: it kills soul and body. Christ, the true Light, enlightener of the blind! Enlighten the eyes of our hearts too, so that we may recognize sin and turn away from evil. The beginning of salvation is to know your misfortune. The comprehensiveness of original sin is explained by Macarius of Egypt: “Imagine a king, he says in conversation 11, who has property, and the servants under his control are ready to serve; and it happened that they took him and took him captive... It is necessary for the servants to follow him. So Adam was created pure by God to serve Him, and these creatures were given to serve Adam, because he was made lord and king of all creatures. But as soon as the evil word found access to him and spoke to him, Adam first received it with outer hearing, then it penetrated into his heart and enveloped his entire being. And thus, after his captivity, all creation that submits to him was already captured along with him; therefore, through him, death reigned over every soul, and as a result of his disobedience, the entire image of Adam was so blotted out that people changed and came to the worship of demons.” Bl. Tikhon thoughtfully reflects on the power of original sin in the following articles on spiritual treasures: Mud, or dirt at the bottom of the spring (part 11, p. 9); a man wounded by robbers and fallen into their hands (ibid. p. 17); poison hidden in man (ibid. p. 28); abuse, (ibid. p. 34); cattle (ibid. p. 60), and in the view of the offspring. Notice this evil in your little child, he says. What is revealed in him - pride, anger, envy, etc. How he screams and rushes about in anger! These are the essence of the fruits of the serpent seed sown on the human heart... The more it grows, the more evil arises from his heart; and as the years multiply, soul-destroying passions and carnal lusts multiply and rise... A law was given from God to curb this evil; but he only showed human weakness, and did not help; sin showed, but sin did not take away; He threatened execution, but did not release him from execution. No one could free themselves from this debt by themselves... Eternal punishment followed the whole world, according to the severity of God's truth. For the eternal and infinite God is angry with the sins of the world... From here learn, since there is a great evil, which we cannot mourn until death, the sin of Adam, the seed of the serpent, poisonous and deadly, spilled over all the powers of the soul and body; - since great, I say, evil lies hidden in our hearts, from which we cannot get rid of and which we cannot defeat with our own strength (part 7, art. 4, about the Christian duty to Christ the Son of God). Question From what is it clear that original sin did not completely destroy the good in man, but that there are remnants of good in him? Rep. 1) From the fact that until a person is tempted by any sin, he does not approach it without fear... Thus, some themselves deign to be killed rather than to kill those attacking them. So theft, embezzlement, fornication and other iniquities are approached not without shame and fear. For conscience and reason, before sin, shines like a candle and shows the abomination of sin and the wrath of God for sin. 2) From the fact that God, when creating man, planted conscience in his soul, so that, as a rule, he would be governed by it, and would be instructed in what to do and what to shirk. This conscience, offended by sin, worries and torments the person who has sinned. As long as a sin is committed, its evil is not recognized; but when, after the fall, conscience awakens, then the sinner will know that bitterness is sin. Like a drunk, while he drinks and is intoxicated, he does not feel his harm; and when he sleeps it off, then he feels how harmful drunkenness is: so a sinner, while he remains in sinful drunkenness, does not feel sinful harm; but when conscience awakens (or, which is the same, the remnant of primordial good acts in it), then it recognizes how great, grave and painful evil is sin... This witness is faithful: no matter how you console or soften it, it will not stop blaspheming, denouncing and crying out. For both the written law and the natural law, although darkened in the sinner, always exposes sin and reminds the sinner of God’s judgment. 3) The greatest lawless people are looking for a hidden place to do lawless deeds. No one wants to openly sin, and the sin committed is hidden in every possible way. These are not derivations, as from the remnant and action of the primordial goodness and conscience in man. Question Can a person completely lose the remnants of primordial goodness? Rep. Lucifer lost, and became and stands in one evil. However, bl. Tikhon, without resolving this issue positively, speaks in one place (in book 5) about the impoverishment of good in man. To a sin-loving person, sin for whom it works is like an idol. His sin-loving heart is a vile church. Instead of calves, rams and other animals, he sacrifices his will and most willing obedience... About this and St. Chrysostom teaches: “Do not say this to me, as if you are not worshiping a golden idol; but show by deed that you do not do this, the hedgehog commands you to do so; for the essence of idolatry is different images: one considers mammon to be a master, another considers the womb to be God, another considers another the most cruel lust... You do not devour oxen with it, like the Greeks, but, much worse, you kill your soul (Conversations 6 after the last to Romans).” How vile and disastrous is the presence of sin! It is disgusting, because passion, instead of God, is revered as an idol; it is disastrous, for he who reveres it, Christ and God, in whom our salvation lies, renounces and with great difficulty frees himself from this vile work; and, what is most disastrous of all, having grown old, many in the next century, without repentance and hope of salvation, depart and become eternal captives of death and hell. Saint Tikhon talks about the imputability of original sin, and the justification and merits of Christ. Just as from the old Adam man in his carnal birth received all evil and misfortune, sin and oath, anger and death: so it is fitting for a believer in Christ to receive from Him all good and blessedness, justification and blessing of God, grace, renewal and eternal life! Just as from Adam he received a heart that was unclean, sin-loving, angry, malicious, envious, disobedient, etc.: so it is fitting for him to receive from Christ by faith a heart that is pure, loving, willing, humble, God-loving, brotherly, meek, etc. Just as from Adam we are born according to the flesh and in this birth all evil is born with us: so from Christ we are born according to the spirit, and in this birth it is proper to put off the old man with passions and lusts, and put on the new man, created by God in righteousness and excellence of the truth (Eph. 4:22, 24). Just as in Adam we died spiritually and became powerless, as if we were dead, to do good deeds: so in Christ and by His grace we must rise from the dead spiritually, i.e. to come to life by faith and grace to do godly deeds (part 7). Question How does St. Tikhon reveal the contagiousness and lethality of original sin and arbitrary sins? Rep. He explains this in his: Spiritual Treasure, collected from the world, in the article: Do not touch this, there is poison, thus: It happens that a person, wanting to protect another so that he does not get hurt, holds him back and tells him: don’t touch this, there is poison here - the poison is hidden. Thus, God’s word (and Guardian Angel and good conscience) protects us from sin: in sin the poison is hidden; when you touch it, it will kill you: the patterns of sin are death (Rom. 6:23). The poison is in hatred, resentment and slander: beware of that! poison is in drunkenness, luxury and voluptuousness: beware of that! poison is in enmity and quarrel, in covetousness and every unrighteous deed: beware of this! poison is in idleness, laziness, in slander and condemnation: beware of that! poison is in slander, swearing, foul language, blasphemy, bad language and every useless and rotten word: man, beware of that! poison is in pride, love of glory, vanity, hypocrisy: beware of that! poison - in every deed, word, thought, undertaking that is contrary to God: beware of that! Beware of bodily death; How much more must we beware of the spiritual death that sin brings about? The more honest the soul, the more important, the more precious the body; all the more should you take care of it. Beware or do not beware of bodily death, you cannot escape it: everyone needs to die, and so do you. And when you protect your soul from deadly poison, that is, sin, then you will live forever, even though you die: for by the grace of God you will rise not to death, but to eternal life. Beware, my soul, of all sin, lest it kill you. Blessed is the man who listens to the admonitions and warnings of God's word and is guarded against all sin! Damned is he who does not heed this soul-saving voice (Part IX, p. 31)! Question Given our weakness and powerlessness, where can we get help in our struggle against sin? Rep. Help in the struggle against sin consists of: 1) good upbringing in early life, that is, upbringing in the punishment and teaching of the Lord. Just like a fresh clay vessel, when it is first given something to drink, it will emit such a smell throughout its existence: so all other life depends on upbringing. Everyone is born evil; Therefore, in order to become good, correction and training are required. Although passions exist in a young heart, they have not yet intensified; and therefore, when from the beginning they are curbed, tamed, pacified by punishment and fear, we must expect good hope in the young man. 2) Removal from evil and corrupt people. For even if a person was well brought up and lived piously; but by dealing with evil people, he can become corrupt (1 Cor. 15:33). 3) Study in God’s holy word and read or listen to other soul-helping books... 4) Do not turn away, but even more so, love the reproof and instruction of good and reasonable people... 5) More often bring to mind that at baptism they denied Satan and all his works, and promised to serve God with honor and righteousness... 6) Remember the last four: death, the judgment of Christ, hell and the kingdom of heaven... Thinking about these is Christian philosophy, which teaches not to experience the nature of things, but to recognize the vanity of the world, the shortness of time and the length of eternity: remember your last, and you will never sin (Sir. 7:39). May the meanness and abomination of sin turn a Christian away from sin; because sin is the seed and fruit of the devil, for the devil sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8). 8) The death of Christ and His terrible suffering for our sins are powerful to turn us away from sin. He humbled himself so deeply for our pride! For our foul language, slander, and slander, His most holy ears suffered reproach and blasphemy!.. He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities (Is. 53:5). Should you, a Christian, do that for which the Son of God, your Savior, suffered such dishonor and reproach? What caused Christ bitterness and torment, should you enjoy it? It won't happen! 9) Evil thoughts that lead to sin should be cut off immediately, just as you shake off a fiery spark from your hand... Cut off the root, and there will be no tree; suppress the seed and the fruit will not grow. 10) To help you fight against sin, you must always have God before you, following the example of St. David: I will foresee the Lord before me (always) (Ps. 15:8), and look at Him with the eyes of my soul, as omnipresent and omniscient, before Whom nothing is hidden; like a righteous one, who will reward everyone according to their deeds; like a good and benevolent Father, who is offended by sin; as great and holy, before Whom it is shameless and terrible to sin, to commit disorder and not to have reverence!.. 11) Sins, for the most part, come from occasions and temptations. So David the King went out to the roof of the king’s house to walk around, and saw his wife Uriin, and fell into sin with her... So now many people leave their homes... and since they sin a lot, sometimes in word, sometimes in deed, sometimes they seduce, sometimes they are tempted!.. Therefore, he who wants to escape from sin must flee from opportunities to sin... 12) since through our eyes and ears, as through windows, every temptation enters the church of our heart, and whether we want it or not, it touches us and arouses lust: therefore, we should not give them freedom: it is safer to not allow an enemy into the house than to allow it and fight against it... 13) Our diligence and asceticism cannot do anything without God’s help. For we have a corrupted nature, prone to all evil; and Satan always strives for the heel of our feet; hides snares for us and places temptations in our paths... Therefore, constant prayer is absolutely necessary for those who want to strive against sin. We demand God’s help at every hour; for our enemy combats us every hour. Because you should always ask for help from God against him. God helps those who strive and care, strengthens those who strive and crowns those who overcome. Lord Jesus, death and hell to the winner! help us; We can do nothing without You; We can do everything with You. Question What is sin, possessing and not possessing? Rep. A twofold sin, according to the reasoning of church teachers, is noted. There is another who owns man: the apostle speaks of him: let not sin reign in your dead body (Rom. 6:12). This sin is otherwise called spontaneous: because it is committed with desire, advice, intent, knowledge and prejudice, against the conscience, which worries and hurts. For example: to seduce, kidnap, deceive, take revenge. This sin is called mortal: for the sinner, if he does not repent, will suffer eternal death, according to the Apostle: the patterns of sin are death, and: the sin of the sin gives birth to death (Rom. 6:23; James 1:15). With such a sin, faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit cannot be purchased, but are expelled through it; a person who sins thereby loses all the blessings acquired through Christ; Christ does not benefit him... Another sin is living in a person, but not possessing a person, and is nothing other than natural weakness: the flesh, with passions and lusts, rebelling against the spirit; corruption and corruption born with a person; which sin (weakness) the pious resist with the strength of faith and spirit and do not allow to dominate them. For example lust arises for uncleanness, or for revenge, or for hatred, etc. They tame this lust and reproach, pacify and conquer. And although the pious resist this sin, nevertheless, those overcome by weakness often do what they do not want and do not know (Rom. 7:19): for we all sin many times (James 3:2), - cleanse me from my secrets (Ps. 19:13). What is meant here by secret sins? Not those sins that are done secretly with will and are hidden from man... but - which man himself does not see in his conscience, but God sees clearly and purely. The heart of man is deep (Jeremiah 7:9; Psalm 63:7), and is infected with the deadly poison of the serpent’s seed, so that a lot of work is required to discern it, mourn, and wash away its uncleanness with faith. Who can boast of having a pure heart (Prov. 20:9)? (Bk. VIII, ch. 4). Question Are there cases in which a person can become a participant in the sins of others? Rep. We participate in the sins of others when we encourage someone to sin, especially a person who, apart from us, cannot find help for himself anywhere and places all his hope in us. Such are the essence of those spiritual fathers who indulge a person to lead a dissolute life, contrary to the divine commandments and church traditions. The same applies to masters who encourage their slaves to do bad things, or husbands to their wives, fathers to their children, teachers to their students, giving them freedom to sin. Question In what other ways do we participate in the sins of others? Rep. When we give others a reason to sin by some temptation that leads to sin, or by permission, or by an obscene word, or by praising a vice, or by reproaching good deeds. This can also include one who intentionally brings another into anger, or does not resist, by force, the desire of vice, or does not instruct in accordance with his duty. – Each of these becomes a participant in someone else’s sin. Question What sins are against the Holy Spirit? Rep. Excessive and reckless trust in the grace of God, despair, and, moreover, a contradiction of clear and proven truth, and rejection of the Orthodox Christian faith. Question What does it mean to rely excessively on the grace of God? Rep. Excessive trust is excessive reliance on God’s mercy, when someone, continuing to sin himself, hopes that God will not withhold His grace from him and will not punish him, and thus considers God’s justice to be nothing. Those who have fallen into such error, let them listen to these apostolic words: or are they negligent about the riches of His (God’s) goodness, and meekness and long-suffering? Because of your cruelty and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of God’s righteous judgment (Rom. 2:4, 5). In the same way, those who, with faith alone, without good works, hope to inherit eternal life, are also deceived. Question What is despair in God's mercy? Rep. Despair exists when a sinner falsely thinks that God will not forgive him for the sins he has committed, nor will he accept him into His grace for the good deeds he has committed, being occupied with the thought that human wickedness exceeds God’s mercy, as Cain said: “My greatest guilt is that it will be forsaken by me” (Gen. 4:13). Such great blasphemy is very offensive to the mercy and goodness of God. Question What is contradiction or stubbornness with which someone rebels against clear truth? Rep. Persistence or contradiction to the recognized and established truth is a sin, which consists of when someone has thoroughly understood what is good; but only in order to sin with greater courage, he stubbornly rebels against him, both in word and deed, contrary to the dictates of his conscience. About those who are subject to this sin, Scripture says: the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, holding the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). Those who slander the good deeds of their neighbor sin in a similar way, saying that they do not come from God. This is what the Pharisees and Jews did to Christ when He cast out unclean spirits with a word and performed miracles. Those who envy God’s grace in their neighbors, and who, out of malicious intent, do not teach unenlightened people the members of the faith, are also involved in such sin. We should also think about those who attribute piety and other virtues that come from the Holy Spirit to hypocrisy. Those who reject the Orthodox faith of Christ are also subject to this sin, as it is said (Matt. 10:32, 33): everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father. And whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32, 33) (Orthodox Confession Part III. Reply to 38 et seq.). Question What does Saint Tikhon offer for the salvation of a sinner? Rep. 1) Excites him to repentance; 2) he frightens the unrepentant sinner with rebuke and threats, and 3) he consoles him against spiritual temptation, which occurs through thoughts, leading him to despair. 1) Question How does it excite you to repentance? Rep. Or are you careless about the riches of His goodness (the Lord God), and meekness, and long-suffering, unaware that the goodness of God leads you to repentance (Rom. 2:4)? Glory to the riches of Your goodness, meekness and long-suffering, our most loving God! For us, O sinners! We must not be ignorant of the riches of His goodness, lest we fall into the judgment of His righteousness... We are afraid of human judgment, which concerns only our body; Why are we not afraid of God’s judgment, which destroys both body and soul? We are afraid of temporary death: why are we not afraid of eternal death? We run away from temporary misfortune, dishonor, reproach, disgrace, poverty, captivity, illness: why don’t we try to run away from eternal misfortune? We wash our mortal body with water: why don’t we wash our immortal soul with repentance? We regret the lost wealth, honor, glory, which should all end with this life: why don’t we regret the loss of that wealth, that honor and glory, which will be the eternal treasure of God’s chosen ones? We are looking for temporary bliss, which, like a dream, passes; but about the eternal - careless. Oh, the delights and vanity in which man, a sinner, is entangled!.. Let us turn, but he is not long-suffering, waiting for us. Now He is waiting for us and wants to receive us; but he does not promise the morning... Christ is our King, and we are His subject servants; From Him is our name: Christian. We promised to serve him with faith and truth at baptism; They wrote down their names and hearts to him: where is our promise? where is the faith? where is the truth? where is the job that is right for him? Why doesn't the name agree? Why do we call ourselves Christians, but work for the world and sin? Let us leave peace to a world that does not know the true God and His Son Jesus Christ. Let the pagans, who have no hope, be consoled by its feigned beauty and sweetness: we are called to great inscrutable blessings and born of the Spirit. Let them wallow in cronyism and mud: we have been washed in the bath of baptism and clothed in the pure truth of Christ... Let us strive to preserve this holy robe, and if we have lost it, to return it with tears and repentance. 2) Question What are the rebuke and threats from God to the unrepentant sinner? Rep. From the Old Testament this: I will deliver you under the sword: you will all fall to the slaughter. I have called you, and you will not listen; verbs and verbs; and do evil in my sight (Isa. 65:12). And I will come to you with judgment, and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, and against adulterers, and against those who swear in My name as lies, and against those who deprive the hireling of wages, and against those who rape widows, and against the orphans, and against those who do not fear Me, says the Lord Almighty (Mal. 3:5). Quickly fill up; I will not endure your sins. When you stretch out your hands to Me, I will turn My eyes away from you (Isa. 1:14, 15). In the New Testament: even the ax lies at the root of the tree: every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down (Matthew 3:10, 7:19). Unless you repent, you will all perish the same way (Luke 13:5). Throw the invisible servant into utter darkness (Matthew 25:30). Do not flatter yourself: neither harlots, nor defilers, nor wicked women, nor homosexuals, nor covetous people, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor molesters will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). Question What is holy. Tikhon adds to these and many others - punishments for the sinner? Rep. It is very dangerous, he says, to despise God’s rebuke: whoever despises them actually recognizes them. God's rebuke is not idle words, but it has its own power and effect, and will certainly be fulfilled by deed itself if we do not correct ourselves. Our Ancestors despised this rebuke from God: on the same day, if you cut down the forbidden tree from it, you will die by death (Gen. 2:17), and they died by death. The former lawless ones were despised under Noah, and they perished in a flood. The Sodomites despised them and did not escape the terrible fiery execution. For God is not mocked... (Gal.6:7). The same destinies of God are now visible: the same God even now punishes wickedness, which He hates, and executes the wicked, who are negligent of the riches of His goodness. Do you see how many thousands the pestilence eats, the sword of war strikes! How many lawless people, even on their lawless grandfather, are amazed and go down to hell according to their deeds! Fear, O sinner, the judgments and rebuke of God and be converted (Books VI and VII). 3) Question How does Saint Tikhon encourage and console the sinner who, at the beginning and on the path of his conversion, is tempted by thoughts of despair? Rep. How great and how grave the calamity is for a sinner when he, upon turning from a sinful life, is overwhelmed by thoughts of despair - only those who have experienced this themselves know this. They constantly feel the waves striking their souls: there is no salvation for him in his God... (Ps. 3:3). From here fear, horror, confusion and all kinds of anxiety arise in the heart... Such a sinner, like a greedy one, seeks bread and a thirsty one for drink, consolation, but does not find it... And in such inconsolability he becomes weak, turns pale, dries up and melts away... I propose, says Saint Tikhon, to this suffering soul the following reasoning: 1) When you think about your sins, think about God’s mercy. No matter how many of your sins you have, and no matter how great they are, God has more mercy... Magnify your mercy to the heavens, O Lord (Ps. 57:11). “How many and grave are my sins?..” But the goodness and mercy of God is endless: and all your sins before them are less than a drop of water - before the whole ocean. “How can I share with the Saints who have lived in so many virtues?” You pray to the Lord with the thief: remember me, Lord. Pray with the publican, the prodigal son, Manasseh and other sinners. 2) When you lived in sins and angered God with your sins, God, for the sake of His goodness, did not want to destroy you: will He be pleased now, when He has ceased from sins? rejected?.. He healed mortal bodies by faith: will he not heal your immortal soul?.. Only believe, and you will be saved (abbreviated).