THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. We are granted justification freely by the grace found in Christ, not having made any payment for our lives or earned the glory of freedom, but rather receiving it through the compassion and humanity of the Lord. This concept was foreshadowed in Deuteronomy, which states: ‘In the seventh year you shall make forgiveness. Forgiveness is that every lender who lent to his neighbour shall forgive the debt, and shall not charge his neighbour or his brother; for forgiveness is declared for the Lord's sake. From a foreigner thou shalt levy; but whatsoever shall be thine from thy brother, thou shalt forgive.
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Except there be a beggar with thee: for the Lord shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee as an inheritance, that thou mayest take it as an inheritance’ (Deuteronomy 15:1-4). Do you perceive the truth illuminating what is hidden? This clearly reveals the care of our Saviour for us. To those who draw near to Him through faith, who have become part of His household and kin through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the inclusion in His divine nature, He forgives their debts without expecting anything in return; He refrains from exacting punishment for their wrongdoings, despite their accountability for how they have lived. Conversely, those who remain distant due to their destructive unbelief and are far from Him are considered to be in debt, and, with unatoned sin, they are rightly held accountable for judgment and punishment. Therefore, to the believers, He declared: ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:31-32). To those who disregard true and evangelical teachings, He emphatically stated: ‘unless you believe that it is I, you shall die in your sins’ (John 8:24). Do you grasp that He offers freedom to those who have become familiar to Him through faith, while those who remain strangers and deadened in their sins are told they will have to account for their transgressions before the Judge? Palladius. Indeed.