THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. We are justified by grace alone in Christ, without having given anything in return for our lives or securing our freedom through our own efforts; rather, we have received it through the mercy and compassion of the Lord. This is foreshadowed in Deuteronomy where it is written: ‘In the seventh year you shall make forgiveness. Every lender shall release his neighbor from the debt owed to him, and he shall not demand repayment from his brother, for the act of forgiveness is commanded for the sake of the Lord. You may collect from a foreigner, but you must forgive what is owed to you by your brother.
Read more (254 words)
However, there must be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you are to receive it as your possession’ (Deuteronomy 15:1-4). Can you perceive the truth illuminated through these shadows? This vividly illustrates the care our Savior has for us: to those who have drawn near through faith and who have become His household and siblings through the communion of the Holy Spirit and the incorporation of divine nature, He has excused their debts without them having rendered any payment; He has not exacted punishment for their offenses, despite them being answerable for how they have lived their lives. On the other hand, those who remain as strangers, almost like aliens due to their destructive unbelief, far removed from Him, have been made liable for their debts, and justly subject to judgment and consequences for unaddressed sins. Thus, to the believers He proclaimed: ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free’ (John 8:31-32). Conversely, to those who reject genuine and evangelic teachings, He solemnly warned: ‘unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins’ (John 8:24). Therefore, do you grasp that He desires to set free those who are close to Him by faith, while those who remain as strangers, lost in their sins, will have to answer for their transgressions before the Judge? Palladius. Indeed.