THEOSISGregory the Great
For this is a significant transgression and the origin of wrongdoing. It resembles a fire that leads to ruin, obliterating all my descendants, as expressed in Job 31:11-12. There exists a distinction between 'sin' and 'crime'; all crimes are indeed sinful, but not every sin qualifies as a crime. In our earthly existence, there are individuals who may not commit offenses, yet none can exist without sin. Thus, the revered preacher, when illustrating a person deserving of priestly grace, did not claim they were 'without sin', but rather 'without offense' (Tit. 1:6). However, who among us can claim to be free from sin? As John asserts, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8).
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He also differentiates between sin and crime, a distinction worth acknowledging; occasional sins may soil the spirit, but crimes can lead to its demise. Blessed Job characterizes the sin of lust as a fire that consumes unto destruction, highlighting that the severity of this vice is not solely determined by the time of its defilement but rather that it leads to total ruin. The enormity of this wrong ensures that no amount of good deeds can cleanse it, and since the soul is burdened by this deep offense, he states that all offspring are uprooted. The ‘offspring’ of the soul represents virtuous actions. When the proper order is distorted, and the flesh prevails, all that is good within it can be consumed by the flames of lust. In the sight of the Almighty, righteous acts and acts of mercy are rendered ineffective if tainted by the filth of moral corruption. What merit exists if one genuinely empathizes with the plight of a neighbor while recklessly destroying the divine dwelling within himself? Therefore, if the fire of lust remains unquenched by a pure heart, then any virtues achieved are ultimately futile. Moses warns, “For fire is kindled in My anger, burning to the lowest hell, and consuming the earth with its produce, and setting fire to the foundations of the mountains” (Deut. 32:22). The fire indeed consumes the earth and its deeds when unchecked desires obliterate all that has been rendered good. Any actions borne from righteousness are surely incinerated by the flames of corruption. Thus, let it be stated: A fire springing up to annihilation, which shall root out all my offspring. If one does not resist the fleshly temptations, even what appears to be good will ultimately perish. However, there exist those whose negative traits lead them to humility, whereas commendable qualities may swell into prideful arrogance. It then becomes essential for us to reflect on whether blessed Job, in his remarkable purity and chastity, also embodied humility. This holy man, possessing many virtues, makes this evident through his earnest supplications: