THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
And the Apostle did not simply say, "having believed," but "being fully assured." Such is the nature of faith. It is clearer than rational proofs and persuades more firmly. No other thought can enter the realm of faith and shake it.
One who follows rational proofs can change his convictions. But one who is established in faith has already closed his hearing against arguments that destroy faith. Therefore, after saying that Abraham was justified by faith, the Apostle shows that by faith he also glorified God.
This chiefly belongs to life itself, as it is said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16). In this, faith is revealed.
Yet, from another side, as works require strength, so also does faith. In works the body often shares the labor. But in faith the progress of the soul alone is shown. Its labor is greater, since no one shares its struggles.
Do you see how the Apostle has shown that everything proper to works belongs even more to faith? It has praise before God, needs strength and labor, and again glorifies God.
When he says that God is able to fulfill what He promised, the Apostle, it seems to me, proclaims the future. God promised not only present things, but also future things, of which the present is an image.
Therefore unbelief belongs to a weak, small, and impoverished mind. Whenever anyone reviles us for faith, let us in turn rebuke them for unbelief. They are miserable, fainthearted, foolish, and weak, no better than donkeys.
As faith belongs to a lofty and noble soul, so unbelief marks a most irrational and base soul, fallen into the madness of animals. Therefore, leaving them aside, let us imitate the patriarch and glorify God, as he gave Him glory.
What does "he gave glory to God" mean? It means that he understood His righteousness and His infinite power. Having formed a fitting conception of God, he became wholly assured of God's promises.
Let us also glorify God by faith and works, so that we may receive glory from Him as our reward. For He said, "Those who glorify Me I will glorify" (1 Sam 2:30).
Even if no reward had been promised, to be counted worthy to glorify God would itself be glory. If people who sing praises before kings boast of this alone, even without gaining anything else, consider what praise is ours.
Through us our Master is glorified. On the other hand, what punishment is it to act so that He is blasphemed through us? All the more, He desires glorification for our sake, since He Himself has no need of it.
What distance, in your opinion, is there between God and man? Is it not like the distance between men and worms? Yet even by saying this I have said nothing, for nothing definite can be said about it.
Would you wish to receive great and resounding glory from a worm? If even with a strong desire for glory you would not wish this, will He need your glorification, being free from such desire and infinitely above you?
Yet, though He has no need of your glorification, He says that He desires it for your sake. If He did not disdain to become a servant for your sake, why do you marvel that for the same reason He accepts this also?
He considers nothing unworthy of Himself if it helps our salvation. Knowing this, let us flee every sin by which God is blasphemed. "As from the face of a serpent," it is said, "flee from sin" (Sir 21:2).
If you approach sin, it will bite you. Yet it does not approach us of itself. We run to it willingly. God arranged this so that we should not fall under the dominion of the devil, for otherwise no one could withstand his power.
Therefore God drove him away like some robber and torturer. He does not dare attack unless he finds someone unarmed and alone in his own territory. He does not dare draw near unless he sees that we are walking in the wilderness.
This wilderness and dwelling place of the devil is nothing other than sin. Therefore we need the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the spiritual sword. Then we shall not merely suffer no harm.
If the devil wishes to attack us, we shall cut off his head. We need unceasing prayers in order to trample him underfoot. The devil is shameless and insolent. Besides this, he attacks from below, yet even by this means he conquers.
The reason is that we ourselves do not strive to stand above his blows. He cannot rise high, but crawls upon the earth. Therefore the serpent is his image. If God assigned him such a place at the beginning, much more is he so now.
If you do not know what it means to attack from below, I shall try to explain this manner of warfare. What does it mean to attack from below? It means to conquer through earthly things, through pleasures, wealth, and everything worldly.
Therefore, if the devil sees someone soaring toward heaven, first, he cannot pounce upon him. Secondly, even if he dares, he quickly falls himself. He has no feet. Do not fear. Nor has he wings. Do not be afraid.
He only crawls upon the earth and creeps among earthly affairs. Let there be nothing in common between you and the earth. Then you will not even need labor.
The devil does not know how to fight openly. Like a serpent, he hides in thorns, often lurking in the deceitfulness of wealth. If you cut down these thorns, he will immediately become timid and flee.
If you know how to charm him with divine incantations, you will wound him at once. We have spiritual incantations: the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Cross.
This incantation not only drives the dragon from his lair and casts him into the fire, but even heals wounds. If many have uttered it and were not healed, this came from their little faith, not from any weakness in what was uttered.
So also many touched Jesus and pressed upon Him, yet received no benefit. But the woman with the issue of blood touched not His body, but the hem of His garment, and stopped the long-flowing streams of blood.
The name of Jesus Christ is terrible to demons, passions, and diseases. Let us adorn ourselves with Him and guard ourselves with Him. So Paul became great, though he was of the same nature as we are.
Faith made him altogether different. Such was the abundance of gifts in him that even his garments had great power. What excuse do we deserve if the shadow and garments of the Apostles drove away death, while our prayers do not even calm the passions?
What is the cause of this? A great difference in the spirit. Our natural powers are common and equal with Paul's. Like us, he was born and brought up. He lived on the same earth and breathed the same air.
But in all else he was far better and more perfect than we are, namely in zeal, faith, and love. Let us imitate him and allow Christ to proclaim through us also. He desires this more than we do.
For this reason He fashioned the instrument of speech. He does not want it to remain useless and inactive, but desires always to hold it in His own hands.
Why do you not keep it ready for the hand of the Artist? Why do you loosen the strings, soften them by luxurious living, and make the lyre altogether useless for Him?
You ought rather to stretch and tune the strings, and rub them with spiritual salt. If Christ sees that our soul is thus tuned, He will draw sounds from it. When this happens, you will see angels, archangels, and cherubim rejoicing.
Therefore let us become worthy of those most pure hands. Let us ask the Lord to touch our heart. Yet, better said, no request is needed. Only make your heart worthy of such a touch, and the Lord will be the first to hasten to you.
If He hastens to those who wish to flee to Him, as when He praised Paul before he had become such, what will He not do when He sees that you have made yourself wholly ready?
As soon as Christ draws sounds from our soul, the Spirit will undoubtedly descend upon us. We shall be better than heaven, having not the sun and moon imprinted on our body, but the Master Himself of sun, moon, and angels.
He will dwell and walk within us. I say this not so that we may raise the dead or cleanse lepers, but so that we may show the miracle greater than all these, namely love.
Wherever this good exists, the Son with the Father immediately appears, and the grace of the Spirit descends. For Christ says, "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:20).
To have beloved persons around oneself indicates the strong attachment proper to those who love deeply. But who, you ask, is so insignificant that he would not wish to have Christ with him? We are, when we are at enmity with one another.
Perhaps someone will laugh at me and say, "What are you saying? You see that we are all gathered under the same walls, within the same church enclosure. We form one harmonious flock, quarrel with no one, and are all guided by one shepherd.
We all listen together to what is said to us and offer common prayers. Yet you speak of warfare and enmity?" Yes, I remind you of warfare. I say this with a sound mind, not having lost my reason.
I see what I see, and I know that we are in one common enclosure, under one shepherd. But for this very reason I especially weep, that with so many inducements to concord we rise up against one another.
Again you ask, "What strife do you see here?" Here, none. But when we depart, one accuses another, another openly insults, this one envies, extorts, and plunders, that one oppresses, another gives himself to shameful love, and another weaves a thousand plots.
If it were possible to reveal our souls, you would see all this exactly. You would agree that I am not raving.
Do you not see in military camps that, when peace has been made, soldiers lay aside their weapons and enter the enemy camp without any covering or defense?
But when they are protected by weapons, with guards and watches everywhere, sleepless nights, and fires constantly burning, this is no longer peace, but war.
This may be observed among us as well. We guard ourselves and fear one another. Each whispers in his neighbor's ear. As soon as we see an outsider approaching, we fall silent and conceal everything in plain sight.
This is not proper to trusting people, but to those who are excessively cautious. You say, "We do this not in order to injure, but in order not to suffer injury."
For this very reason I grieve. Living among brethren, we need protection to avoid injury. We light so many fires and set guards and watches.
The cause is frequent lying, frequent deceit, a general lack of love, and implacable enmity. Because of this, of course, one sees that many trust pagans more than Christians. What shame this deserves, what tears, what groans!
"What shall I do?" you say. "This man is coarse and unbearable." Where is your love of wisdom? Where are the apostolic ordinances commanding us to bear one another's burdens?
If you do not know how to deal with a brother, how can you live well with a stranger? If you do not know how to be joined to your own member, how can you draw and adapt an outsider to yourself?
But what shall I do? I see an extreme difficulty in shedding tears. Following the prophet's example, I would pour forth abundant streams from my eyes, seeing on this field thousands of battles more terrible than those he saw.
When he saw the invasion of barbarians, he said, "My belly is in pain" (Jer 4:19). But I see those subject to one commander rising up against one another.
They bite and tear one another's members. Some do it for money, others for glory. Some simply laugh at and mock one another without any cause, inflicting thousands of wounds on one another.
I see the dead, more disfigured than in war. I see that only the empty name of brotherhood remains. I cannot devise how worthily to lament so grievous a sight.
Therefore be ashamed, be ashamed before this table of which we all partake. Be ashamed before Christ, slain for us, and before the sacrifice offered here.