THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
Envy is a relentless force! It constantly schemes against those who are good and good-hearted, subjecting the one who suffers to countless misfortunes. The miserable Saul, before David left him, sorrowfully expressed his anguish, saying, "It is very hard for me; the Philistines fight against me, and God has departed from me." Until David's departure, Saul had not known defeat in battle; he had enjoyed safety and glory, as the honor of the commander was reflected upon him as king.
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The adversary, understanding that acknowledging one's sins leads to liberation from them, encourages the soul to persist without shame. Yet you, dear ones, when you err, should declare, "I have sinned." There is no better plea than this. By doing so, you will appease God and become more cautious against repeating those same transgressions. However, if you seek baseless justifications and distance your soul from fear, you will only deepen your inclination to fall into sin once more, provoking God's anger. There is no shortage of shameless rationalizations for those who have sinned. A murderer might cite his rage, a thief his poverty, an adulterer his desires, while others might invoke authority; yet all these remain groundless excuses that fail to provide worthy justification. Sin originates not from external circumstances but from the will of the sinner. To illustrate this, consider the example of someone who endures poverty, experiences lust, and faces all the demands of the flesh, yet refrains from such sins. What excuse can they offer? As one sage wisely stated, "Who shall put a scourge to my thoughts, and to my heart an instructor in wisdom, that they may not spare my transgressions, nor indulge in their errors" (Sir. 23:2)? Look at David; upon sinning, he did not make excuses but openly declared, "I have sinned before the Lord" (2 Sam. 12:13). Although he might have pointed to the actions of Bathsheba, he recognized that such reasoning would be unwarranted, and instead, he focused on a truthful confession, stating simply, "I have sinned." In contrast, Saul, when reprimanded for consulting a medium, lamented, "It is very hard for me; the Philistines fight against me," and thus faced severe consequences. Instead of admitting, "I have sinned, I have done wrong," he attempted to justify himself with hollow pretexts.