Church Fathers V3 - Fr George Grube - Saint Mina Coptic Orthodox ...

There is a constant struggle both from without and within ourselves for the
very soul we possess. The struggle is that of Christ against Satan and we must
understand it! Once we know that we must either serve God or Satan, there is
no middle ground. The reality and intensity of our sin-our disobedience-
answers the question, do we stand for, or against, Almighty God?
WRITINGS OF THE FATHERS:
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+ Of sins, some are carnal, i.e. of the flesh, and others are spiritual. The source
through which sins are so named is the fact that every sin is a matter of either
action or else of thought.
- Tertullian
+ St. John in his larger Epistle, clearly teaches the differences of sin. He uses
these words, "If any man sees his brother sin a sin that is not "unto death", he
will ask and Christ will give him life...AII unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin
not leading to death" (1 John 5:16-17).
- St. Clement of Alexandria
+ Adultery, fraud and manslaughter are mortal sins, (Ed. sins leading to death).
- St. Cyprian
+ "Take the shield of faith, with which you may be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the evil one." says St. Paul, (Ephesians 6:16). Faith then, is what
intercepts the flaming darts of lust. By the fear of future judgment and belief
in the heavenly kingdom, it destroys them.
- St. John Cassian
+ Former sins don't stand in the way of those who have reformed their lives
because the subsequent righteousness has erased the stain of their former
lives. Those who repent of what they have done comprehend their former
errors. Regarding this, the Greeks speak better and more significantly of
metanoia, which we may speak of as a return to right understanding.
- Lactantius
+ Those who return to a right understanding (metanoia) and rescue their minds
from madness, who grieve over their sins and rebuke themselves for madness,
and commit their minds to a better course of life are guarded against being led
into the same snares again...Repentance over sin makes us cautious and
diligent to avoid the faults into which we were once tricked.
- Lactantius
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