Finally, the blessed Apostle wished to show clearly that he had said this about saints and the perfect, such as himself. As though pointing to himself with his finger and by touch, he adds: I myself, Paul.
That is, I who utter this disclose the mysteries of my own conscience, not another's. The Apostle usually employs this form of speech when he wishes to indicate himself in particular.
For example: "I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor 10:1). Again: "I myself did not burden you" (2 Cor 10:12, 16, 13). "I, Paul, say to you: if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing" (Gal 5:2).
It may also be understood that he wished to speak of himself with greater expressiveness. Behold, I, Paul, whom you know as Christ's Apostle, whom you honor with all reverence, and of whom you think as exalted and perfect.
I, in whom Christ speaks, confess that, although with the mind I serve the law of God, nevertheless with the flesh I serve the law of sin.
That is, through the distraction unavoidable in the present human condition, I turn from heavenly things toward earthly things. From the height my mind falls down to cares for lowly things.
I feel that every moment I am taken captive by this law of sin. Therefore, although by unwavering desire I remain in the law of God, I know that I cannot escape the force of this captivity.
I can escape it only if I constantly flee to the grace of the Savior.
All the saints sincerely confessed that they were unclean and sinners. Therefore all the saints, groaning daily and grieving over this weakness of their nature, examine the variety of their thoughts and the hidden recesses of their conscience.
They humbly cry: "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for no one living shall be justified before Thee" (Ps 142:2). "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin'?" (Prov 20:9).
"There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin" (Eccl 7:20). Thus they recognized that human righteousness is weak, imperfect, and always unworthy of God's mercy.
One of those whose uncleannesses and sins God cleansed by the fiery coal of His word, sent from the altar, speaks after a wondrous contemplation of God, after the revelation of heavenly mysteries, and after seeing the exalted seraphim.
He says: "Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people also of unclean lips" (Isa 6:5).
I think the Prophet would probably not have recognized the uncleanness of his lips even then, if he had not been counted worthy, while contemplating God, to know the true incorruptible purity of perfection.
At the sight of it he suddenly recognized his own uncleanness, of which he had previously been unaware. For when he says, "Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips," he confesses this concerning the uncleanness of his own lips.
He also confesses it concerning the people, as is clear from what follows: "I dwell among a people of unclean lips."
Likewise, when in prayer he confesses the uncleanness of all as sinners, he includes not only the impious people but also the righteous in the common supplication.
He says: "Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned long ago. In them we have always been, and we shall be saved. We have all become like one unclean, and all our righteousnesses like garments at the time of monthly purification" (Isa 64:5-6).
What could be more evident than this saying? The Prophet includes not one only, but all our righteousnesses. Considering everything that seems unclean or loathsome, he wished to compare them with a menstrual garment.
Nothing in human life is more filthy or defiled than that. Even the righteous and the saints are not without sin.
Therefore you vainly object against evident truth, since a little earlier you said: if no one is without sin, then no one is holy. And if no one is holy, then no one is saved.
The knot of this question can be untied by this testimony of the Prophet. "Behold, Thou wast angry," he says, "for we sinned long ago."
That is, when because of the exaltation of our heart or our negligence Thou didst turn away and deprive us of Thy help, the abyss of sins immediately swallowed us.
It is as if someone were to say to the shining sun: Behold, you have set, and because of this thick darkness has covered us.
Yet when Isaiah says that he sinned, and not only sinned but always remained in sins, he does not utterly despair of salvation. He adds: "In them we have always been, and we shall be saved."
This saying, "Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned long ago," I compare with the Apostle's words: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
What the Prophet adds, "In them we have always been, and we shall be saved," agrees with the Apostle's following words: "the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Likewise the Prophet's words, "Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people also of unclean lips," seem to agree with the words just cited.
They agree with: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
Likewise what follows in the Prophet: "And behold, one of the seraphim flew to me. In his hand was a coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar."
"He touched my lips and said: Behold, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity shall be taken away, and your sin shall be cleansed" (Isa 6:6-7).
This seems to agree with what the Apostle said: "the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Thus you see how all the saints confessed, not so much in the person of the people as in their own true person, that they were sinners. Yet they did not despair of their salvation.
Rather, the fullness of justification, which they do not hope to obtain by themselves because of the condition of human weakness, they expect from the grace and mercy of God.
It is proved from the model of the Lord's Prayer that no one is without sin.
That in this life no one is free from debts, that is, from sins, even if he is a saint, the Savior teaches us. He gave His disciples the pattern of perfect prayer.
Among the other exalted and most sacred petitions, which were given only to saints and the perfect and cannot befit the wicked and unbelieving, He commanded this also to be included.
"And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" (Mt 6:12). Therefore, if this prayer is uttered by saints, as we must undoubtedly believe, who can be so stubborn and prejudiced?
Who can be so swollen with the pride of diabolical frenzy as to claim that he is without sin? Such a man would consider himself higher than the Apostles.
He would even accuse the Savior Himself of ignorance and vanity. It would be as though the Savior did not know that some could be free from sins.
Or else He taught in vain those whom He knew to have no need of this prayer. But since absolutely all the saints keep His commandments and say daily, "Forgive us our debts," then if they say this truly, truly no one is free from guilt.
If they deceive, then it is likewise true that they are subject to the sin of falsehood.
Therefore the wise Ecclesiastes, surveying in his mind all human actions and occupations, pronounces without any exception: "There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin" (Eccl 7:20).
That is, on this earth there is no one so holy, so diligent, and so attentive that he can constantly cleave to the true and only Good, God.
No one can do so in such a way that he knows he does not sin even by daily distraction from Him. Nevertheless, although someone confesses that he cannot be free from sin, this does not prevent him from being righteous.
Even during prayer itself, one can scarcely avoid sin. Therefore, let whoever attributes sinlessness to human nature contend with us not by empty words, but by the testimony and approval of his own conscience.
Only then let him finally declare that he is without sin, when he recognizes that he has not been separated from that highest Good, God.
Even if someone, examining his conscience, recognizes that he has performed at least one divine service without any interruption by word, deed, or thought, let him say that he is without sin.
Therefore, if we recognize that in the slight distraction of the human mind it is impossible not to have all these idle and vain thoughts, we must sincerely confess that we are not without sin.
For however carefully someone tries to keep his heart, he will never keep it according to the desire of his spirit while the flesh resists.
The more the human spirit advances and reaches greater purity of contemplation, the more it sees itself as unclean in the mirror of its own purity.
For when the spirit rises to a loftier vision and sees something greater than what it does, it desires that greater thing. Therefore it necessarily always despises what it remains in as lower and insignificant.
Although we know that we are not without sin, we must not withdraw from Holy Communion.
A purer sight notices more. A blameless life brings forth greater grief of self-reproach. Correction of conduct and zealous concern for the virtues multiply groans and sighs.
No one can be content with the degree of perfection to which he has advanced. The purer he becomes in spirit, the more unclean he sees himself.
He finds more causes for humility than for exaltation. The faster he hastens toward the height, the better he sees that still more remains for him to strive toward.
The excellent one among the Apostles, whom Jesus loved, uttered this saying as though from the Lord's breast: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn 1:8).
Therefore, if we say that we have no sin, we do not have truth in ourselves, that is, Christ. We make no progress in anything.
By this declaration alone we prove that from simple sinners we have already become lawless and impious.
If we wish to test more surely whether human nature can acquire sinlessness, from whom can we learn more clearly than from those who have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires?
For them the world has truly been crucified (Gal 5:24; 6:14). From their hearts they have not only destroyed all passions by the root, but also strive to remove even the memory and thoughts of sins.
Yet they daily confess that they do not remain without sin for even one hour.
Nevertheless, we must not keep away from the Lord's Communion because we recognize ourselves as sinners. Rather, with thirst we must hasten to it more and more for the healing of the soul and the purification of the spirit.
Yet we must do so with such humility of spirit and faith that, considering ourselves unworthy to receive such grace, we desire still more the medicine for our wounds.
Otherwise, one could not worthily receive Communion even once a year. Some do this while living in monasteries.
They assess the worthiness, sanctification, and benefit of the heavenly Mysteries in such a way that they think only the holy and spotless should receive them.
It would be better to think that these Mysteries, by the communication of grace, make us pure and holy. Such people show more pride than humility, though they think otherwise.
For when they receive them, they consider themselves worthy to receive them.
It would be far more right for us to receive them every day for the healing of our infirmities, with that humility of heart by which we believe and confess that we can never worthily touch the Holy Mysteries.
This is better than, puffed up by a vain persuasion of heart, to believe that after a year's interval we become worthy to receive them.
Therefore, so that we may understand this and hold to it fruitfully, let us more zealously beseech the mercy of the Lord to help us accomplish it.
This is learned not by some preliminary verbal explanation, as are other human arts, but by deed and experience.
THEOSIS