No one understands the sweetness of health better than one who mourns its loss. Thus, the prophet David discovered for the first time how precious it is to live without sin, having experienced the deep sorrow that sin brings. This is why the song of repentance begins with an acknowledgment of God's mercy and the resulting justification. These elements bring healing to the soul and stand in stark contrast to the frailty derived from sin. He proclaims blessed are they who have forsaken iniquity, suggesting that those who, despite their sins, are not abandoned by God but are instead inspired by His grace to repent and receive forgiveness, are truly blessed. He reiterates this in another way: their sins are covered, for sins are abandoned when they are erased as if they had never been committed. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not attribute sin, for in his heart there is no deceit (Heb. soul). From the mercy of God, which encompasses many, it shifts to the righteousness of few, affirming: O how truly fortunate is the individual who stands blameless, who sins neither in actions nor in thoughts; his heart is pure. Here, 'soul' refers to the spirit, including both the aspect of thought commonly called the heart and the aspect of speech labeled as the mouth. The Apostle highlights this distinction in his first letter to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 2:11: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” He also addresses the second aspect in 1 Cor. 14:15: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding.” The innocence referenced here is not natural innocence or innocence achieved through human efforts apart from divine aid, which is nonexistent in anyone; rather, it is that which God bestows upon a select few through a special grace, absolving them from the consequences of original sin such that they do not commit serious sins with their own will—like Saint Job, who declared: “I will not turn away from my integrity; I will hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go” (Job 27:5-6). Similarly, figures such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, John the Baptist, and the Blessed Virgin Mary exemplify this. Within us, even innocence demands a form of sin's remission, warranting the general assertion: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Apostle Paul cites this in his epistle to the Romans to demonstrate that no one can be justified by deeds without first receiving grace, stating: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5ff.). Through these words, the Apostle explicates the Prophet, indicating that David does not deem blessed those who achieve justification through their actions, but those who receive the remission of their sins and are justified by God’s mercy.
THEOSIS