Chrysostom
Good and Faithful Servant
You have done well to give all glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for the improvement you have seen. This is the mark of a soul truly grateful, not seeking its own display but the glory of God. But you also show wisdom in not resting upon what has been gained, for the enemy is always ready to return with seven spirits worse than the first, unless the house of the heart is fully occupied by the Spirit.
The fight against such sins is not a matter of outward purification only. What does it profit to wash the body if the soul remains defiled? It is the inner man that must be renewed. As the Apostle says, be renewed in the spirit of your mind. The old man, that corrupt self with its lustful desires, must be put off daily, and the new man, created after God in righteousness and true holiness, must be put on. This happens not by mere effort of will, but by approaching the throne of grace with boldness in your time of need, where you shall find mercy and grace to help. Do not think that many tears alone can accomplish it, unless they are joined to a resolute change of mind and a turning away from every occasion of sin.
The goads of lustful thoughts will still try to pierce your mind, but remember that you have been made more than a king if you learn to rule over these unruly passions. Sin is not your nature by compulsion; it is a choice. If your will had been bound, the Lord would not have said, Blessed are your eyes for they see, speaking of the mind’s sight. You can see and choose the better way. Therefore let the sweetness of spiritual songs and the beauty of a pure life so fill your soul that the fleeting pleasures of the flesh appear worthless. Let the mercy you have received teach you to be merciful to yourself, not by excusing sin, but by never despairing. The Layer of baptism did not save you so that you might continue in sin, but so that you might live in newness of life. Arm yourself therefore with the mind that despises death itself, how much more base desires, and press on until you stand complete. God, who has begun this work, will perfect it if you do not grow weary.
The fight against such sins is not a matter of outward purification only. What does it profit to wash the body if the soul remains defiled? It is the inner man that must be renewed. As the Apostle says, be renewed in the spirit of your mind. The old man, that corrupt self with its lustful desires, must be put off daily, and the new man, created after God in righteousness and true holiness, must be put on. This happens not by mere effort of will, but by approaching the throne of grace with boldness in your time of need, where you shall find mercy and grace to help. Do not think that many tears alone can accomplish it, unless they are joined to a resolute change of mind and a turning away from every occasion of sin.
The goads of lustful thoughts will still try to pierce your mind, but remember that you have been made more than a king if you learn to rule over these unruly passions. Sin is not your nature by compulsion; it is a choice. If your will had been bound, the Lord would not have said, Blessed are your eyes for they see, speaking of the mind’s sight. You can see and choose the better way. Therefore let the sweetness of spiritual songs and the beauty of a pure life so fill your soul that the fleeting pleasures of the flesh appear worthless. Let the mercy you have received teach you to be merciful to yourself, not by excusing sin, but by never despairing. The Layer of baptism did not save you so that you might continue in sin, but so that you might live in newness of life. Arm yourself therefore with the mind that despises death itself, how much more base desires, and press on until you stand complete. God, who has begun this work, will perfect it if you do not grow weary.
