Freedom

 May 7, 2021

It’s been a long and busy day and evening, so tonight’s musings are not my own, but are the meditations of the Orthodox cleric John of Kronstadt concerning how sin destroys our freedom.

“Let no one think that sin is something unimportant – no, sin is a terrible evil, that destroys the soul, both now and in the future life. The sinner in the future life will be bound hand and foot (meaning the soul) and cast into outer darkness. As the Savior said: "Bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness;" that is, he entirely loses the freedom of his spiritual powers, which, being created for free activity, suffer through this a kind of overwhelming inactivity for every good work: in his soul the sinner recognizes his powers and at the same time he feels that these powers are bound by unbreakable chains – "he shall be holden with the cords of his sin." 

“To this must be added the terrible torment arising from the very sins themselves, from the consciousness of our own foolishness during the earthly life, and from the image of the angry Creator. Even in this present life sin binds and destroys the soul. What God-fearing man does not know what sorrow and oppression strike his soul, what torturing, burning fire rages in his breast when he has sinned? But besides binding and destroying the soul as it does temporarily, sin also destroys it eternally if we do not repent here of our sins and our iniquities from our whole heart. Here is also a proof by experience that sin destroys the soul temporarily and eternally. If it happens to any God-fearing person to go to sleep without having repented of the sin, or the sins, he has committed during the day, and which have tormented his soul, these torments will accompany him the whole night, until he has heartily repented of his sin, and washed his heart with tears (this is also from experience). The torments of sin will wake him up from sweet sleep, because his soul will be oppressed, bound a prisoner by sin.”

How often has the freedom of my spirit been bound by hidden unconfessed sins? Too often, I’m afraid. The Good News is that repentance and confession restores freedom. Our God is gracious, and the power of the Cross is without equal. Jesus has broken the chains of sin, setting us free. Praise his holy Name!