It is essential for one who ardently seeks the eternal realms to diminish their affection for worldly pursuits, enabling them to grow stronger in their love for God.
By the term bailiff, we can understand a merciless deceiver, the one who ensnared humanity in the trap of deception, thereby binding it to the chain of death. This adversary, who presented humanity with the currency of sin in paradise, continually demands payment as iniquity proliferates. The gospel truth warns about this bailiff: Lest the judge should give thee up to the torturer (Luke 12:58). The voice of this torturer represents our temptation's defeat. We may hear this call if it troubles us, yet we can disregard it if we stand firm against it.
Indeed, it is said, Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). This is accurate, for anyone who yields to the allure of sin relinquishes their former freedom and submits to iniquity's reign. However, we can resist such a tyrant by opposing the injustice that ensnares us, combating harmful habits, and renouncing every degrading desire that undermines our inherent liberty. Through repentance, we can overcome our guilt and cleanse ourselves with tears from the stains we bear.
THEOSIS