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“Let us enjoy the full fruitfulness of the Divine commandments of Christ”

(Canon for Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent)

About love for God and neighbor

In order to learn and fulfill the commandments of Christ, you need to know: what exactly are these commandments and how many are there? Hardly anyone can give an accurate and definite answer to this question. Our catechisms speak in detail only about the 10 commandments of the Old Testament; and of the commandments of the New Testament, only 9 promises about the so-called beatitudes are mentioned. Meanwhile, there are many New Testament commandments of Christ, as can be seen from the Gospel history throughout its entire space. There are many commandments given both by example and spoken by the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ; but for some reason they have not yet been collected together - for a more convenient and constant remembrance of them. To see them all, you need to constantly read all the Gospels; and this, obviously, is not always possible and not for everyone. And the commandments are forgotten! From St. Fathers and teachers of the Church, it seems, only St. Maximus the Confessor said something about this to his co-questioner. “Although,” he said, “there are many commandments, they are all combined in one word - the following: love the Lord your God with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself" (). The brother asked the Confessor: “If there are many commandments, what are they, and who can fulfill all the commandments?” St. Maximus answered: “All commandments can be fulfilled by those who imitate the Lord and follow Him step by step. Whoever follows the Lord - step by step - will see all His commandments, given by Him both in word and example; and whoever imitates the Lord will fulfill all His commandments.” To the question: “Who can imitate the Lord?” St. Maximus said: “Of those who are enslaved to the world and its vanities, no one can imitate the Lord; those who can say: Behold, we have left everything, and after You we are dying(), will receive the strength to imitate the Lord and follow all His commandments.” And the angel answered and said to him: I am Gabriel, standing before God, and I am sent to speak to you and bring this good news to you. (). Be like me, brothers, and see those who walk like the image of us (). There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. (). And those who are Christ's are crucified in the flesh with passions and lusts () Let me not boast except about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: to whom peace was crucified, and to the world (). He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (). Moreover, they are My enemies, who did not desire Me, even if there was a king over them, bring this and cut it off before Me(). So, let us follow the Lord step by step, first mentally, according to the instructions of the Holy Gospel History, in order to see and list all the commandments of Christ; and then let us take care to actually fulfill them, so that we may love the Lord God and our Savior with all our hearts and souls, and thus inherit an ever-blessed life. Without sincere love for the Lord and fulfilling His commandments, it is impossible to be saved.

The first of all commandments: Hear, O Israel, your Lord is one Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart - with all your heart and with all your soul - with all your soul, and with all your mind - and with all your thought, and with all your thought yours, and with all your strength (; ). This is the first and great commandment. The second is similar to it: love your sincere neighbor as you love yourself. (). This great commandment is not to bear (). In this two commandment all the law and the prophets hang(): on these two commandments the whole law and the prophets are established. So, the main, fundamental, universal and eternally unchanging Divine commandment of the Old and New Testaments is the commandment about love for God and neighbor. The commandment to love God and neighbor has the goal of rooting in us the seed of a new life, holy and pleasing to God, and bringing into us a union of perfection (). to God, according to the teaching of the Gospel, there must be: the most sincere, complete and most perfect (), - and therefore cannot in any way be combined with love for the world - (); must be expressed in obedience to the will of God, in fulfilling the commandments (;); must strive to imitate the perfections of the highest Being and have the goal of His glory (;); finally, it must be so deep and unshakable that we are ready to make all sacrifices for the sake of the name of God (: demolished.). Love for neighbors, inextricably linked with love for God (), embraces all people, friends and foes (). She is unfeigned everywhere, zealous, from a pure heart (), and certainly expresses herself in deeds (;). One imbued with Christian love does not offend his neighbor, not only in deed, but even in word and thought (); on the contrary, he himself generously endures all insults and forgives all insults (). He is always merciful and generous to his neighbors (;); he cares not only about their external well-being, but also about the salvation of the soul (;), and in general he is so devoted to his neighbors that he is ready to lay down his very soul for them - (). See Intro. in Bogosl. Macarius (Bulgakov). How to acquire such complete love for God and neighbors? See book “Life in Christ”, ed. Athos. P. M. 1899 The universal commandment of love for God and neighbors is, as it were, a solar center in which all the commandments of Christ that follow coincide and from which come out.

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About being in God and in everything Divine

What is it like for Mene; Don’t you know that in those even My Father, I am worthy to be(). “Why did you need to look for Me? Or did you not know that I should be concerned with the things that belong to My Father?” This is the answer of the Savior to His Most Pure Mother and St. Her betrothed Joseph, who sought and found Him in the Temple of Jerusalem, when He was only 12 years old, and talked there with the Jewish teachers. These first words of the Lord, recorded in the Gospel of Luke, obviously contain the commandment of Christ, given to us in His example, that every Christian, as a follower of Him, must be completely devoted to God, and throughout his entire life constantly abide in God and in everything Divine - always think about God, always learn from His law, always try to fulfill His will. In a word, this is complete and perfect devotion to the will of God, for which The hedgehog to live is Christ, and the hedgehog to die – acquisition(). She has neither her own will nor her own wisdom, does not seek anything, is not afraid of anything, and does not grieve about anything, does not fear any disasters, does not grieve over any loss, rejoices and thanks God in the very suffering. – The Lord Himself magnified this virtue in His face when He said: I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me(); and he considered the creation of God’s will to be His desired food. All the saints were completely devoted to the will of God; and all true Christians cannot find for themselves a more desirable and soothing virtue, for he who has completely surrendered himself to God rests in the arms of God, like a baby in the arms of his mother, and all everyday troubles are not terrible for him: he is in a quiet refuge. But how to acquire devotion to the will of God? To do this, we need to be firmly convinced that we are completely dependent on God, and that He cares about us more than the most compassionate parents do about their children - so be sure and pray: “You, Lord, know what is good for me, do with me.” according to Your will! I am yours, Savior, save me!”

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About the fulfillment of all righteousness

It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness(). “Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” These words were spoken by the Lord St. John the Baptist, at His baptism in the Jordan, when the Baptist was afraid to baptize the Lord, knowing who He was, and he himself asked Him for baptism.

In these words there is a new great commandment, given, in the example of the Savior, to His followers. According to this commandment, every true Christian, in his life and work, must always fulfill all truth. For if he allows himself to lie and deceive, he will no longer be a son of light, but will be a son of darkness—he will be a son of the devil, who is the father of lies.

The commandment to fulfill righteousness is nothing more than sincere, heartfelt obedience and submission to the Law of God, united with the fear of God, for in the law there is truth, but in lawlessness there is a lie.

Having made sure that there is truth in the Law of God, a Christian should no longer test why this or that is commanded, and why something is prohibited; but with unconditional submission of your mind and heart, fulfill what is commanded and avoid what is forbidden. This great virtue attracts the eyes of the Lord Himself to the one who possesses it, saying: to whom will I look but to the meek and silent and trembling of My words?!(). What great mercy of God to a Christian who is devoted to God and obedient to the Law of God!

But this attractive virtue is difficult to acquire and will not be possible soon. Our inquisitive pride wants to know everything: why and for what purpose this or that is required or prohibited - everything wants to be solved and determined in its own way. Meanwhile, due to its limitations and weakness, it often gets entangled in untruths and lies. And how many of these false self-righteous people there are among us! Therefore, it is necessary to diligently sigh to the Lord: “Give me, O Lord, obedience, give me unconditional obedience to Your law, so that I may not stray from the path of righteousness into false paths!”

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About repentance and faith in the Gospel

From there Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is drawing near. (); The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the Gospel(). With these words the Lord began His sermon to the human race. These words contain a universally binding commandment to all Christians: repent and believe in the Gospel teaching. Start with this and continue the work of your salvation throughout your life. A true Christian must always be at peace with God. But it is impossible to be at peace with God without continuous repentance. This repentance does not consist only in the words: “Forgive, Lord, have mercy, Lord!” But at the same time, all actions that condition the remission of sins are inevitable, i.e.: a certain consciousness of the impurity of a thought, look, word, temptation, or something else - consciousness of one’s guilt and irresponsibility - without self-justification, and prayer for the remission of sins for the Lord's sake. Faith in the Gospel is the same as faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior - in His person and deeds depicted in the Gospel. The Lord Himself said about Himself to Nicodemus: He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life(). This faith must be living, firm, unshakable, active, promoted by love, expressed in good deeds. Repentance and faith are inextricably linked and cannot exist separately, in the true sense; but in their combination lies the mystery is great(). Those. when in the same spirit the knowledge of one’s poverty, given by repentance, and the knowledge of the Savior, given by faith, meet, then the riches of Christ and the repentance of the penitent are combined together, and from this combination a new creature is born - a new man.

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About self-sacrifice and bearing the cross

If anyone wants to come after Me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me ().

Here is another double commandment of Christ for those who want to follow Him: deny yourself and take up your cross.

To deny oneself means to abandon everything sinful that lives in a person; and to take up one’s cross means to decide to endure without complaint all the disasters and misfortunes that constantly happen in our lives.

Thus, to deny oneself already means to take up one’s cross, and to take up one’s cross is the same as to deny oneself. Self-sacrifice without a cross and a cross without self-sacrifice are unthinkable. When taken together, self-sacrifice and the cross put a Christian on the path of Christ.

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About the narrow and narrow path

Enter through the narrow gate; because the wide gate and the long way lead to destruction... but the strait gate and the narrow way lead to life(). According to this commandment, the strait gate and narrow path that the Lord Himself traversed in His earthly life constitute the only entrance to the kingdom of glory and eternal bliss. And how many among us are there who carefreely and fearlessly walk the broad paths, and do not think about themselves that they are going to destruction, either not knowing or forgetting this commandment! And how few are the chosen ones who firmly remember the narrow path indicated by the Savior - both in deed and in word, and strive to follow it to the kingdom of heaven!

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About meekness and humility

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.(). How touching is this commandment, by which the Lord, the Way and the Life, calls to Himself all those who labor and are burdened, and promises to give them rest! He seems to be asking and begging them: take My yoke upon you: it is good; learn from Me meekness and humility: This burden is light. And the beloved disciple of Christ, St. Evangelist John the Theologian, of course, says from experience that commandments Christ's not heavy(). How happy is he who fulfills these commandments! Meekness and humility are also inseparable: where there is meekness, there is humility; and where there is humility, there is meekness.

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About mercy

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful(). This is a commandment with which the entire being of a true Christian must be imbued, because at the world court of Christ, only the merciful will stand at His right hand, will be recognized as blessed by the Heavenly Father, and will inherit the kingdom of heaven prepared for them. Our Lord and Savior is the real mercy and the source of mercy; therefore, His follower, filled with mercy, is likened to Him and to our merciful heavenly Father, Who is all love.

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About improvement in life

Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect(). This commandment indicates the main goal that every true Christian must constantly keep in mind and to which he is obliged, throughout his entire life, to strive with all his strength and measures in order to achieve it, constantly improving more and more in his religious and moral life. He who does not have or has lost sight of this goal begins to wander in different directions, finally loses the path to his destination for blissful eternal life, and perishes.

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About the Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me: Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven(; ). Every true Christian, in order to actually be the son of God and heir to the kingdom of heaven, must certainly, during his earthly life, adorn his soul with these virtues, certain well-known promises - that is: humility, weeping and contrition for sins, meekness and lack of anger , love of truth, mercy, purity, love of peace, patience with insults, enduring persecution for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and thus acquire the “heavenly heart” that is depicted in the Lord’s sayings about the beatitudes. Without these virtues, it is impossible to obtain eternal bliss.

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About the light of good deeds

So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ().

These words, first of all, refer to the Apostles and their successors - the shepherds and teachers of the holy Church of Christ, who were previously called the salt of the earth and the light of the World. But every true Christian, illuminated and enlightened by the light of Christ and possessing a heavenly heart, must be in his midst a burning and shining lamp for everyone around him, so that everyone sees his good deeds, imitates them, and thus glorifies our heavenly Father.

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About peacefulness

You have heard what was said to the ancients: do not kill; whoever kills will be subject to judgment. (). But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment.. Because make peace with your rival brother quickly while you are still on the road with him in this life (). With this commandment, the Lord plucks from the hearts of His followers the very root of murder prohibited by law - anger and malice, and, thus, gives this commandment its most perfect form - elevates it to the highest principle of spiritual life.

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About chastity

You have heard what was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not commit adultery. (). But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.. Because if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; so that your whole body is not thrown into hell(). This commandment is necessary in order to protect a Christian from any fornication by the very act of committing it, and to keep him at the height of pure chastity.

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About the oath

Have you heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows before the Lord? (). But I say to you: do not swear at all... but let your word be: yes, yes; no no(). This commandment was given to Christians because no one has the right to swear either by heaven, or by earth, or by his own head, for all this is not his, and everything except “yes” and “no” is from the evil one; and in the community no one loses trust more than the one who often swears or swears. But the jury oath has a special meaning.

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About freedom from anger

Have you heard that it was said: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth? (). But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.(). Here, according to the interpretation of St. I. Chrysostom, high Christian philosophy, of which the first degree is not to start offence; the second - when it has already been caused - do not repay equal evil to the offender; third - not only not to do to the offender what you suffered from him, but also to remain calm; fourth - to give oneself over to suffering; fifth - to give more than what the one who caused the offense wants to take; sixth - do not hate him; seventh - even to love him; the eighth is to do good to him; the ninth is to pray for him, as stated in the next commandment. (See the interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew by John Chrysostom).

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About love for enemies

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (). Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing; and you will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and evil(). He who loves an enemy is a kind of miracle worker, says St. Dimitry Rostovsky. He makes gentle lambs out of beasts. Enemies bring us great benefit, for they monitor our shortcomings and make us cautious and more perfect; and with their tongues they cleanse us from sins.

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About alms

Be careful not to do your alms in front of people so that they will see you: otherwise you will have no reward from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.(). With this commandment and the next two, the Lord destroys the passion of vanity, a passion that is all the more dangerous because it secretly creeps into the soul of even other pious people, and all the good that is in it imperceptibly dissipates and insensitively carries away.

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About prayer

When you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not say unnecessary things, like the pagans, for they think that in their many words they will be heard. Don't be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray like this: “Who art in heaven!” Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, and we also forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen (). For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; and if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins, the Lord added in the explanation of the 5th petition of the Lord's prayer. There is a wonderful teaching about prayer by St. Demetrius of Rostov in the book “The Inner Man Secretly Praying.” And the Lord's Prayer is explained in the teaching of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk in the book “On Prayer, or Calling on God.” See also “Teaching on the Lord’s Prayer” ed. Athos. P.M. 1898

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About the post

When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may appear fasting not before men, but before your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.(). The Lord commands us to give alms, pray and fast in secret, warning against our bad inclination - to take comfort and enjoy the praises of men, and fearing that this inclination, carefully hidden, not only from people, but also from ourselves, will lead us to Pharisaic hypocrisy which is content with human praise, without caring or thinking about the reward of our heavenly Father. It is clear how offensive this is to God and harmful to us!

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About hope in God and surrendering oneself to the will of God

Don't worry and don't say what should we eat? or what to drink? or what to wear? Because the pagans seek all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things: each day’s care is enough.(). Collecting earthly and heavenly treasures at the same time is unreasonable and incompatible. It is unreasonable to collect earthly treasures, because they often perish; to collect both together is incompatible, because the heart cannot be two, it will certainly adhere to one thing: either heavenly or earthly; just as it is impossible to serve two masters at the same time, because a servant will certainly love one master and begin to neglect the other. Moreover, if a person’s heart lies close to earthly treasures, then the eye of his mind will darken, and everything will be dark, while a heart that has fallen in love with heavenly treasures will make the eye of his mind bright, and everything will be light. There must be one thing here; for one cannot serve God and mammon. And worrying about collecting food, drink and clothing for many years is a sign of feeble-mindedness and lack of faith, offensive to God, who so richly feeds everyone - even the smallest creatures living in the universe, so luxuriously clothes all the plants, even the grass of the field! It turns out that a Christian who believes and trusts in God needs to direct all his concerns mainly to the search for the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and everything else that he needs will be given to him from God the Father and his Provider.

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On non-judgment of neighbors

Judge not lest ye be judged; For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.(). Righteous judgment is the work of God, and not of man: whoever condemns his neighbor delights in the judgment of God, and, moreover, distorts it - he almost always judges incorrectly. “When you judge your neighbor, you are not condemning him,” says St. John Chrysostom, “but you expose yourself and yourself to a terrible judgment and severe torture.” And how can you begin to heal your neighbor when you yourself need healing more than him?! One who is himself guilty of the same thing should not judge, and does not care about correcting himself and his neighbor.

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About treating your neighbors as yourself

As you want people to do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets(). This is a world commandment about mutual relations between people. Considering this commandment, we, as people, know from ourselves what others should do. So, if we want people to do good to us, then we ourselves must do good; If we want everyone to love us, then we ourselves must love everyone, and in general, what we ourselves do not love, we must not do to others. By this commandment, Christ the Savior showed that the Divine teaching about virtue in general is both brief and convenient to fulfill, because it is close to us by nature and is known to everyone, so that no one can excuse themselves for ignorance of it.

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About non-covetousness

Take heed, beware of covetousness; for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions(). This commandment was explained by the Lord with a parable about a rich man who had a good harvest, and he was disposed to live for his own pleasure for many years: drink, eat, have fun all the days of the day; but in his worries about collecting a rich harvest and storing it, he suddenly died, and was rightly called crazy by the Lord.

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About vigilance

Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and you be like people waiting for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, you may immediately open the door to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake... Be ready, too, for at an hour when you do not think, the Son of Man will come (). Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know when the owner of the house will come - in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. What am I telling you, I’m telling everyone, stay awake(). This most important of the commandments is explained in the Gospel of Luke () and Matthew ().

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On patience and other private commandments

Save your souls with your patience (). He who endures to the end will be saved ().

Unshakable patience consists in the fact that a person not only does not get irritated, does not get angry, does not indulge in cowardly murmuring, but endures everything bitter, sorrowful, painful in his life, with humility and self-condemnation, as if standing before the Most High Judge Himself and accepting torture from Him for your sins.

In patience all Christian deeds and virtues are accomplished and through patience are completed. Without patience, nothing good can be done, especially difficult things, and nothing can be done in ordinary life; Moreover, in Christian life one cannot take a single step without patience.

But how to learn patience? We need, with God's help, to decide - to silently endure and endure everything that happens to us, in anticipation of a change for the better. The experiences of life will teach and show how patience is necessary, useful and beneficial for us in all respects; and having learned this, a person will no longer give up patience, will get used to it, and, finally, will feel that with patience it is easier to endure all the hardships of life, especially Christian deeds, and to achieve a quiet refuge, where there is no illness, no sorrow, no sighing. How freely, how joyfully, how joyfully he will breathe then, having sailed across the stormy and many-poor sea of ​​life - when all his qualities and virtues and complete love for God, and deep humility, and heartfelt submission to the Law of God, and perfect devotion to the will of God, and kind To God, purity of soul and heart, and true love for others, and in general the whole-hearted desire to fulfill the commandments of Christ - will be preserved in him and nurtured by unshakable patience! An example of patience is the Lord Himself and all the saints.

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In addition to the generally binding commandments of Christ, there are also His more specific commandments.

1) On Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth ().

2) About keeping the shrine– sacraments of faith “from enemies” ().

3) On constancy in prayer ().

4) On being wary of false prophets ().

5) About listening to the word of God (; ).

6) About confession ().

7) About spiritual food ().

8) On the dignity and non-seduction of children (; ).

9) On sound reasoning and peace among Christians among themselves ().

10) About Christian court ().

11) About forgiveness (; ).

12) About spiritual thirst ().

13) About the knowledge of truth, and about freedom from slavery to sin ().

14) About the divorce of spouses (; ).

15) About virginity ().

16) About not giving temptation to your neighbor ().

17) About the power of faith ().

18) On preserving the soul for eternal life(; demolished. ).

19) Salvation from the temptations of false teachers (; ; ).

20) On imitation of the example of the Savior ().

21) About the modesty of those who do everything commanded ().

22) About the retribution of Caesar's to Caesar, and God's to God ().

23) About communion (; ; ).

24) Love following the example of Christ the Savior is the Christian banner ().

25) About abiding in Christ the Savior.

Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father will be glorified, if you bear much fruit and become my disciples. Abide in My love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. You are My friends if you do what I command you (). Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; and whoever does not believe will be condemned (). Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen ().

Having given His disciples all the above commandments, and in His word and example, our Lord and God at the last supper with them said to them: I have given you an example so that you can do the same as I have done for you.(), and thereby obliged all His faithful and true followers to fulfill all His commandments unswervingly. It is absolutely necessary for us to fulfill the commandments and commands of our Lord and Savior simply because He is our Lord and Savior. It is necessary to fulfill His commandments in order to know through experience the life-giving power and their Divine meaning for our lives: Whoever wants to do the will of God will find out about this teaching, is it from God?- said the Lord Himself (). It is absolutely necessary to fulfill the commandments of Christ in order to enter into the spirit of Christ, to cleave to Him with your whole being: “he who cleaves,” it is said, “to the Lord becomes one spirit with the Lord,” and thus becomes a true Christian, and whoever cares little about fulfilling, or and does not fulfill them at all, he can never acquire the Spirit of Christ, and, therefore, it will be in vain to bear the title of Christian: whoever does not have the spirit of Christ is not His, not Christ’s(), not a Christian. So, my beloved brother in the Lord! Pay all your attention to the commandments of Christ, always have them before your eyes and in your hands until you study them, assimilate them to yourself so that they become your eternal property - turn into your flesh and blood. Then it will be easy for you to fulfill them in all the necessary cases of your life, and by fulfilling them, you will be a true follower of your Savior and will undoubtedly receive salvation.

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"Follow Me." There is one more commandment of the Lord in the Gospel, brief in expression, but comprehensive in meaning, a commandment calling His followers: follow me. In conclusion, let us pay attention to it, according to the explanation of St. Tikhon of Zadonsky.

Follow Me, - our Lord said to the Apostle Peter (). This word also applies to every follower of Christ. The word is very important and impressive because it came from the lips of our Savior Himself.

The importance and power of this word was revealed by Saint Tikhon in the second part of his “Spiritual Treasures Gathered from the World,” in article 46, entitled: “Follow Me.” It happens, he says, that one person, on various occasions, says to another: “follow me.”

Christian! So Christ the Lord says to each of us: follow me. Read St. Gospel, listen to Him, and you will hear His sweetest voice: follow me. I am your Creator, and you are My creation: follow me. I am your King, and you are My subject: follow me. I am yours, clothed in your servile flesh: follow me. I came into the world for you: follow me. I came to you and for your sake; I, invisible, appeared on earth for you and everyone: follow me. I, unapproachable to the Cherubim and Seraphim, have become approachable to sinners and to you: follow me. I, the King of Heaven, lived on earth for your sake: follow me. I, omnipotent and omnipotent, for your sake have become weak: follow me. Although I was rich, for your sake I became poor, so that through My poverty you may become rich (): follow me. I, the Lord of glory, for your sake was mocked and dishonored: follow me. I, the eternal and ever-present life, for your sake tasted death, the death of the cross: follow me. I, who sit on the throne of glory and am worshiped by the angels, praised and glorified, for your sake I was blasphemed by sinners: follow me. I, who alone have immortality and live in the unapproachable light, for your sake was counted among the dead and laid in a dark tomb: follow me. I, your Redeemer, your Deliverer, your Savior, Who, not with silver and gold, but with My Blood, redeemed you from the devil, death and hell: follow me. You see My love for you: show your love to your Lover, and lovingly: follow me. Your love benefits you, not Me; just as your dislike harms you and not Me: follow me.

God! What is man that you have known to him? Or the son of a man, as you impute him– do you think about him? Man is like vanity(). “I sing to Thee: by hearing, O Lord, I heard and was horrified. You came before me, looking for the lost one. In this way I glorify Your condescension before me, O Most Merciful One!” My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready. “Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to Your mercy!”

What, Christian! Do you want to renounce your Lord and Benefactor, Who calls you to Himself, and not follow Him? This is scary and shameless! fearful, so as not to provoke Him to righteous anger, not to fall under His righteous judgment and thus not to perish. Shamelessly: for He is your highest Lover and Benefactor. Tell me, perhaps, if the king of the earth called you to follow him, would you not rush after him with joy, abandoning everything for the sake of small and temporary honor and self-interest? And here the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Heavenly King calls you to follow Him: follow me! and calls not to temporary honor, glory and self-interest, but to an eternal life and kingdom, to eternal honor and glory: follow me, follow me, and I will bring you to My eternal Kingdom, to My heavenly and eternal Father: no one will come to the Father except Me(). Sinner! Will you really not give up everything after this and follow Him?! But, after all, He continues to call all sinners: the fornicator, the adulterer and the lover of uncleanness! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me. Evil avenger and killer! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me. Thief, predator, robber and covetous man! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me. A reproacher, a scolder, a slanderer and every slanderer! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me. Liar, deceiver, deceiver and hypocrite! listen to the voice of the Lord (): repent and follow me. Every sinner who lives in unrepentance! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me. Listen to the voice calling you, listen to the voice of Him who loved you so much, and such a merciful, humane and wonderful providence showed for you, listen to His voice: repent and follow me.

The Lord calls every person: man is My beloved creation! I came down from heaven to raise you to heaven: follow me. I lived on earth to make you a resident of heaven: follow me. I did not have where to bow my head to bring you to the house of My Heavenly Father: follow me. I worked to bring you into eternal peace: follow me. I became poor to make you rich: follow me. I cried, was sick, grieved and grieved in order to give you consolation, joy and gladness: follow me. I was blasphemed, mocked and dishonored, so that you, My dishonored creation, could honor and glorify: follow me. I was bound to free you from the bonds of sin: follow me. I, the Judge of the living and the dead, was judged and condemned in order to save you from eternal judgment: follow me. I was imputed with the wicked to justify you: follow me. I tasted death, the death of the Cross, in order to revive you, My creation, killed by the poison of the snake: follow me. I ascended to heaven so that you too may ascend: follow me. I have sat down at the right hand of God the Father so that you may be glorified: follow me. I have become like you in everything, except sin, so that you too may be like Me: follow me. I took upon Me your image, so that you too might be conformed to Me: follow me. I came to you to draw you, My dear fallen creature, to Me: follow me. You see, man, the demonstrated love of My for you; You also see My providence for you; for all this I do not demand anything from you, except that you be grateful to Me and follow Me, and thus receive salvation with eternal glory. I want this from you, so may your desire for this be done. Follow Me I hunger and thirst for your salvation, and I will give you My salvation.

Love My poverty, and you will be truly rich. Love My humility, and you will be truly glorious and great. Love My meekness and patience, and through them you will be truly calm and peaceful. Leave the earth and you will have heaven. Leave the world, and you will have God within you. Deny yourself, and you will truly possess yourself. Leave the joys of the flesh and the world, and you will have true consolation. Leave perishable wealth and you will have incorruptible wealth. Leave earthly honor and glory and you will have heavenly glory. Follow Me, - and you will have everything that your soul desires, but everything is true, incomparably better than what you leave behind.

So, sinful soul! listen and heed the voice of your Lover and Redeemer Jesus; and follow Him, that you may comprehend. Hurry, beloved, hurry while He calls and the doors are open. The sky is open; and publicans, adulterers, and all repentant sinners enter into it. Hurry there too, poor sinner, so that you too will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. The Apostles, Martyrs, Saints, Reverends and all the Saints of God entered there, and are now installed in the abodes of the Heavenly Father. Many people go there now, and those who come and all who follow their sweet Jesus, by His grace, are infused with eternal peace.

My soul! Listen, too, to the voice of the Lord, and cleave to that holy squad: go with them after the Faithful Leader Jesus, so that at the hour of your departure you will hear His voice: “Those who walked the narrow path of sorrow, all in life who took up the cross as if they were a yoke, and who followed Me in faith, Come and enjoy the honors and heavenly crowns that are in store for you.” Christ suffered for us, leave us an image, so that we may follow His footsteps. If He did not commit sin, neither would flattery be found in His mouth. Whoever we reproach against is not reproached, the suffering is not forgiven, but we hand it over to him who judges righteously, says St. ap. Peter (). And the Lord Himself said: If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, so will My servant be. (). Those who do not accept their cross and come after Me are not worthy of Me. (). I am the light of the world: if you walk in Me, you will not have to walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life. ().

But it also happens that one calls a person, saying: “follow me”; and the other, calling him back to him, also says to him: “Follow me.” This is what Christ says to every Christian: follow me, as stated above; and Satan, the enemy of the human race, calls a person to himself and whispers in his ears: “follow me.” A person hears his whispering as many times as he feels evil and ungodly thoughts rising in his heart: all this is his vile whispering. Oh man! Who should you listen to? Is it Christ your Lord, Who showed such a wonderful providence for you and wants to save you and bring you into His eternal Kingdom, as you saw above? Or the evil whisperer-devil, who wants to take you away from Christ, your Savior, and plunge you into eternal destruction?

Christ is Light; the devil is darkness. Christ is Life, the devil is death. Christ is the Truth; The devil is a lie and the father of lies. Christ is your Lover; the devil is your enemy. Christ is your Benefactor; the devil is your evildoer. Christ is the true and highest good; the devil is extreme evil. Christ is your Savior; the devil is your destroyer. Christ wants to save you, for this is why he came into the world, for your sake; the devil wants to destroy you forever. Christ wants to give you eternal life; the devil wants to kill you forever. Christ wants to bring you into His eternal Kingdom; the devil wants to lead you with him into eternal torment. Christ wants to enrich you forever; the devil wants to make you poor forever. Christ wants to glorify you forever; the devil wants to shame you. Christ wants to honor you forever; the devil wants to dishonor you forever.

You see that there is Christ and that there is the devil; and - why does he whisper to you, and - recalls you from Christ - your Lord - after himself. He wants to destroy you forever, just as he himself is in destruction. This is his trick! This is his intention against us! renounce, renounce, beloved, this evil whisperer, and spit on him, as you did at holy baptism. And, having turned away from that charming man, turn to Christ your Lord, and follow Him with faith and truth, as you promised Him in baptism. - He is your God, your Lord, your Lover, your Benefactor, your eternal Life, your ever-present Light, your true and eternal bliss, without Whom we cannot be blessed either in this age or in the future. “Come and cleave to your Lord, according to the words: It’s good for me to cleave to God! ().

But, despite the fact that the devil is a destroyer, many listen to him and follow him in great crowds. - Fornicators, adulterers and all lovers of uncleanness are coming. The memory-lovers, the misanthropes, the murderers and those who shed human blood are coming. There come those who oppose their parents, do not honor them, and curse them. Thieves, predators, robbers, bribery judges are coming, withholding the wages of mercenaries and stealing other people's property - with all manner of untruth and flattery. Slanderers, scolders and everyone come, with their tongues like a sword, beating and wounding their neighbors, Drunkards and sensualists are coming. The wicked, the cunning, the deceivers, and all those who deceive their neighbor are coming. All sorts of lawless people are coming, corrupted by their lives, opposing the word of God. Finally, those who have loved this age come, wise men of earth, not of heaven who love to live in the pride and pomp of this World. In a word: all those who do not care about God and the word of God go - their hearts cleave to earthly things, and they are negligent about their eternal salvation, acquired by the blood of Christ: all such follow in the footsteps of Satan. This Apostolic word befits all such: all those who have become corrupted after Satan() For all such are ashamed (disgraced) of the words of Christ and Christ Himself, - they fear (are terrified) of Him - humble, reproached, dishonored and move away from Him; but they want to be with the famous. They do not want to be with Him here in this world and follow Him; however, they want to be participants in His Kingdom, which is an impossible thing. “Whoever is with us here in the world will be with us in the next century.”

O man who bears the name of Christ, but follows Satan! Remember what denials and vows you made in baptism - how you denied Satan and all his works, and all his pride - how you spat on him - how you walked away from him; and how he came to Christ, - as he promised and swore an oath - to work for Him with faith and truth, - to follow Him - with humility and love, as a bride follows the groom. Where are your denials now? where are the vows? where is the oath? where is the work of Christ? Where is following Him? You lied to God, not to man. You left God, not man. You left the light and loved the darkness. You left your stomach and loved (chose) death.

Remember this and turn to Christ, your Savior. Flee from the deceiver as Israel did from Pharaoh. And although he will pursue you, because he has lost his prey; but be bold, and from the depths of your heart sigh to the all-powerful Jesus, so that he will not remember your iniquities and help you. He, who died for you, is waiting for you, and with joy - with merciful embraces - will embrace you like a prodigal son (). And when you are freed from the hard work of your tormentor, you will joyfully sing a victory song to your Helper: Helper and Protector be my salvation: this is my God, and I will glorify Him, God my Father, and exalt Him(). The angels in heaven will rejoice over you: there is joy before the angels of God for one sinner who repents ().

Prophet Moses on Mount Sinai

Ten Commandments

These are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:2-17):

1. I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in the sky above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

4. Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

6. Don't kill.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Don't steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

Truly, this law is short, but these commandments say a lot to anyone who knows how to think and who seeks the salvation of his soul.

Anyone who does not understand this main law of God in his heart will not be able to accept either Christ or His teachings. Whoever does not learn to swim in shallow water will not be able to swim in deep water, for he will drown. And whoever does not first learn to walk will not be able to run, for he will fall and be broken. And whoever does not first learn to count to ten will never be able to count thousands. And whoever does not first learn to read syllables will never be able to read fluently and speak eloquently. And whoever does not first lay the foundation of the house will try in vain to build a roof.

I repeat: whoever does not keep the commandments of the Lord given to Moses will knock in vain on the doors of Christ’s Kingdom.

FIRST COMMANDMENT

I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.

This means:

God is one, and there are no other gods besides Him. All creation comes from Him, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. In God resides all power and might, and there is no power outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then it is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, of grass to breathe, of a person to live - the essence of the ability of God. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creation receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as much as he sees fit, and takes back when he sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do anything, look only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:

“Merciful God, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, weak, and give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power I have received from You for evil, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors for the magnification of Your glory. Amen".

SECOND COMMANDMENT

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.

This means:

Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. If you climbed a high mountain, where you met the Lord God, why would you look back at the reflection in the puddle under the mountain? If a certain person longed to see the king and, after much effort, managed to appear before him, why would he then look left and right at the king’s servants? He can look around for two reasons: either because he does not dare to face the king alone, or because he thinks: the king alone cannot help him.

THIRD COMMANDMENT

Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

This means:

What, are there really people who decide to commemorate, without reason or need, a name that awes - the name of the Lord God Almighty? When the name of God is pronounced in the sky, the heavens bow, the stars flash brighter, the Archangels and Angels sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and the saints and saints of God fall on their faces. Then which mortal dares to remember the Most Holy Name of God without spiritual trembling and without deep sighing from longing for God?

FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

This means:

The Creator created for six days, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. Six days are temporary, vain and short-lived, but the seventh is eternal, peaceful and long-lasting. By creating the world, the Lord God entered time, but did not leave eternity. This mystery is great... (Eph. 5:32), and it is appropriate to think about it more than to talk about it, for it is not accessible to everyone, but only to God’s chosen ones.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

This means:

Before you knew the Lord God, your parents knew Him. This alone is enough for you to bow to them with respect and give praise. Bow down and give praise to everyone who knew the Highest Good in this world before you.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Dont kill.

This means:

God breathed life from His life into every created being. Life is the most precious wealth given by God. Therefore, the one who encroaches on any life on earth raises his hand against the most precious gift of God, moreover, against the life of God itself. All of us living today are only temporary carriers of the life of God within ourselves, guardians of the most precious gift that belongs to God. Therefore, we do not have the right and cannot take away the life borrowed from God, either from ourselves or from others.

SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Don't commit adultery.

This means:

Do not have an illicit relationship with a woman. Truly, in this, animals are more obedient to God than many people.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Don't steal.

This means:

Do not upset your neighbor by disrespecting his property rights. Don't do what foxes and mice do if you think you are better than the fox and the mouse. The fox steals without knowing the law on theft; and the mouse gnaws at the barn, not realizing that it is harming anyone. Both the fox and the mouse understand only their own needs, but not the loss of others. They are not given to understand, but you are given. Therefore, you cannot be forgiven for what is forgiven for a fox and a mouse. Your benefit must always be legal, it must not be to the detriment of your neighbor.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

This means:

Do not be deceitful, either to yourself or to others. If you lie about yourself, you know you are lying. But if you slander someone else, that other person knows that you are slandering him.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

This means:

As soon as you desire something that belongs to someone else, you have already fallen into sin. Now the question is, will you come to your senses, will you come to your senses, or will you continue to roll down the inclined plane, where the desire of someone else is taking you?

Desire is the seed of sin. A sinful act is already a harvest from the seed sown and grown.

Ten Commandments of God

And God spoke to Moses all these words, saying (book of Exodus, chapter 20):

1. I AM THE LORD THY GOD; LET YOU HAVE NO OTHER GODS BUT ME.

Sins against this commandment: atheism, superstition, fortune telling, turning to “grandmothers” and psychics.

2. DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF AN IDOLM OR ANY IMAGE OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN THE HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS ON THE EARTH BELOW, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER BELOW THE EARTH; DO NOT WORSHIP OR SERVE THEM.

In addition to gross idolatry, there is also a more subtle one: passion for acquiring money and various property, gluttony, pride. " Covetousness is idolatry"(epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians, chapter 3, article 5).

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

In vain means, without need, in empty and vain conversations.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; You shall work for six days, and do all your work in them; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

In the Christian Church, it is not Saturday that is celebrated, but Sunday. In addition, other holidays and fasts must be observed (they are marked in the church calendar).

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and that your days on earth may be long.

6. don't kill.

This sin also includes abortion, striking, hatred of one’s neighbor: “ Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer"(1st Council Epistle of the Apostle John the Theologian, Chapter 3, Art. 15). There is spiritual murder - when someone seduces his neighbor into unbelief and sins. " Fathers who do not care to give a Christian education to their children are child killers, murderers of their own children"(St. John Chrysostom).

7. Do not commit adultery.

Sins against this commandment: fornication (carnal love between people who are not in marriage), adultery (adultery) and other sins. " Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."(1st letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 6, art. 9). " Carnal lust in chaste people is kept in bondage through willpower and relaxed only for the purpose of procreation.”(St. Gregory Palamas).

8. don't steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Not only sinful deeds, but also evil desires and thoughts make the soul unclean before God and unworthy of Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded to keep these commandments in order to receive eternal life (Gospel of Matthew ch. 19, v. 17), taught to understand and fulfill them more perfectly than they were understood before Him (Gospel of Matthew ch. 5).

He stated the essence of these commandments as follows:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22, vv. 37-39).

THE HAPPINESS COMMANDMENTS

(excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount - Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5) with comments from the “Catechism” of St. Philaret (Drozdov)

Seeing the people, He went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

To be poor in spirit means to understand that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace. This is the virtue of humility.

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

The word weeping here refers to sorrow for sins, which God alleviates with gracious consolation.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution, so as not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

These are those who, like food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Deeds of physical mercy: feeding the hungry, giving clothes to the needy, visiting someone in hospital or prison, welcoming a stranger into your home, participating in a burial. Deeds of spiritual mercy: turning a sinner to the path of salvation, giving useful advice to a neighbor, praying to God for him, comforting a sad person, forgiving offenses from the heart. Whoever does this will receive pardon from the eternal condemnation for sins at the Last Judgment of God.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

The heart becomes pure when a person tries to reject sinful thoughts, desires and feelings and forces himself to unceasing prayer (for example: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”). Just as a pure eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Here Christ not only condemns mutual disagreement and hatred of people among themselves, but demands even more - namely, that we reconcile the disagreements of others. “They will be called sons of God,” since the work of the Only Begotten Son of God was to reconcile sinners with the justice of God.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

By righteousness here we mean life according to the commandments of God; This means that blessed are those who are persecuted for faith and piety, for their good deeds, for constancy and steadfastness in faith.

9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Those who desire bliss must be ready to joyfully accept insults, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith.

“Although Christ describes the rewards differently, he brings everyone into the kingdom. And when He says that those who mourn will be comforted, and the merciful will have mercy, and the pure in heart will see God, and the peacemakers will be called sons of God, by all this He means nothing other than the kingdom of heaven” (St. John Chrysostom).

Other commandments of God (from the Gospel of Matthew):

Anyone who is angry with his brother without cause is subject to judgment (Matthew 5:21).

Anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28).

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7) - commandment about prayer.

Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go there; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

The 10 commandments of Christianity are the path about which Christ said: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The Son of God is the embodiment of virtues, since virtue is not a created thing, but a property of God. Every person needs their observance in order to achieve his measure, which brings him closer to God.

The commandments of God were given to the Jews on Mount Sinai after a person’s internal law began to weaken due to sinfulness, and they stopped hearing the voice of their conscience.

Basic commandments of Christianity

Humanity received the Ten Old Testament Commandments (Decalogue) through Moses - the Lord appeared to him in the Fire Bush - a bush that burned and was not consumed. This image became a prophecy about the Virgin Mary - who accepted the Divinity into herself and did not burn. The law was given on two stone tablets; God Himself inscribed the commandments on them with his finger.

Ten Commandments of Christianity (Old Testament, Exodus 20:2-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21):

1. I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image; do not worship them or serve them.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh—Sabbath—is a day of rest, which you shall dedicate to the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and mother, may you be blessed on earth and have long life.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Don't bear false witness.
10. Don't covet anything that belongs to others.

Many people think that the main commandments of Christianity are a set of prohibitions. The Lord made man free and never encroached on this freedom. But for those who want to be with God, there are rules for how to spend their lives in accordance with the Law. It should be remembered that the Lord is the source of blessings for us, and His law is like a lamp on the path and a way not to harm oneself, since sin destroys a person and his environment.

Basic ideas of Christianity according to the commandments

Let us take a closer look at what the basic ideas of Christianity according to the commandments are.

I am the Lord your God. May you have no other gods before Me

God is the Creator of the visible and invisible worlds and the source of all strength and power. The elements move thanks to God, the seed grows because the power of God lives in it, any life is possible only in God and there is no life outside its Source. All power is the property of God, which He gives and takes away when He pleases. One should ask only from God and expect only from Him abilities, gifts, and various benefits, as from the Source of life-giving power.

God is the source of wisdom and knowledge. He shared His mind not only with man - every creature of God is endowed with its own wisdom - from a spider to a stone. A bee has a different wisdom, a tree has another. The animal senses danger, thanks to the wisdom of God, the bird flies to the very nest that it left in the fall - for the same reason.

All kindness is possible only in God. There is this kindness in everything He created. God is merciful, patient, good. Therefore, everything that is done by Him, the bottomless Source of virtue, is overflowing with kindness. If you want good for yourself and your neighbors, you need to pray to God about it. You cannot serve God, the Creator of everything, and another at the same time - in this case a person will be ruined. You must firmly decide to be faithful to your Lord, to pray to Him alone, to serve, to fear. To love Him alone, fearing to disobey, as your Father.

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.

Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. Whatever, whoever it is, no one should occupy this sacred place in your heart - worship of the Creator. Whether sin or fear turns a person away from his God, one must always find strength within oneself and not look for another god.

After the Fall, man became weak and fickle; he often forgets the closeness of God and His care for each of his children. In moments of spiritual weakness, when sin takes over, a person turns away from God and turns to His servants - creation. But God is more merciful than His servants and you need to find the strength to return to Him and receive healing.

A person can consider his wealth, on which he has placed all his hopes and confidence, as a deity; even a family can be such a deity - when for the sake of other people, even the closest ones, God’s law is trampled underfoot. And Christ, as we know from the Gospel, said:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).

That is, it is necessary to humble ourselves in front of circumstances that seem cruel to us, and not to renounce the Creator. A person can make an idol out of power and glory if he also gives his whole heart and thoughts to it. You can create an idol from anything, even from icons. Some Christians worship not the icon itself, not the material from which the cross is made, but the image that became possible thanks to the incarnation of the Son of God.

Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.

You cannot pronounce the name of God carelessly, casually, when you are subject to your emotions, and not to longing for God. In everyday life, we “blur” the name of God by pronouncing it irreverently. It should be pronounced only in prayerful tension, consciously, for the sake of the highest good for oneself and others.

This blurring has led to the fact that today people laugh at believers when they utter the phrase “do you want to talk about God.” This phrase has been spoken in vain many times, and the true greatness of the name of God has been devalued by people as something trivial. But this phrase carries great dignity. Inevitable harm awaits a person for whom the name of God has become banal and, at times, abusive.

Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God

The seventh day was created for prayer and communion with God. For the ancient Jews this was the Sabbath, but with the advent of the New Testament we acquired the Resurrection.

It is not true that, in imitation of the old rules, we should avoid all work on this day, but this work should be for the glory of God. For a Christian, going to church and praying on this day is a sacred duty. On this day one should rest, in imitation of the Creator: for six days He created this world, and on the seventh He rested - it is written in Genesis. This means that the seventh day is especially sanctified - it was created for thinking about eternity.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

This is the first commandment with a promise - fulfill it, and your days on earth will be long. It is necessary to respect parents. Whatever your relationship with them, they are the ones through whom the Creator gave you life.

Those who knew God even before you were born are worthy of veneration, just like everyone who knew the Eternal Truth before you. The commandment to honor parents applies to all elders and distant ancestors.

Dont kill

Life is a priceless gift that cannot be encroached upon. Parents do not give life to a child, but only material for his body. Eternal life is contained in the spirit, which is indestructible and which God himself breathes in.

Therefore, the Lord will always seek a broken vessel if someone encroaches on someone else’s life. You cannot kill children in the womb, as this is a new life that belongs to God. On the other hand, no one can kill life completely, since the body is just a shell. But true life, as a gift from God, takes place in this shell and neither parents nor other people - no one has the right to take it away.

Don't commit adultery

Illegal relationships destroy a person. The harm that is caused to the body and soul from breaking this commandment should not be underestimated. Children must be carefully guarded against the destructive influence that this sin can have on their lives.

The loss of chastity is the loss of a whole mind, order in thoughts and life. The thoughts of people for whom fornication is the norm become superficial, unable to comprehend the depth. Over time, hatred and disgust for everything holy and righteous appear, and evil habits and bad habits take root in a person. This terrible evil is being leveled out today, but this does not make adultery and fornication cease to be a mortal sin.

Don't steal

Therefore, stolen goods will only entail greater losses for the thief. This is the Law of this world, which is always observed.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What could be more terrible and offensive than slander? How many destinies have been destroyed due to false denunciation? One slander is enough to put an end to any reputation, any career.

Destinies turned in this way do not escape the punishing gaze of God, and the accusation will follow on an evil tongue, since this sin always has at least 3 witnesses - who was slandered, who was slandered and the Lord God.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's

This commandment is a transition to the New Testament beatitudes - a higher moral level. Here the Lord looks at the root of sin, its cause. Sin is always born first in thought. Envy causes theft and other sins. Thus, having learned the tenth commandment, a person will be able to keep the rest.

A brief summary of the 10 basic commandments of Christianity will allow you to acquire knowledge for a healthy relationship with God. This is the minimum that any person must observe in order to live in harmony with himself, the people around him and God. If there is a recipe for happiness, a mysterious Holy Grail that gives the fullness of being, then these are the 10 commandments - as a cure for all diseases.

The Ten Commandments of God in Orthodoxy play an extremely important role - they are the basis of the entire Christian faith and represent the entire essence of Christian law. The prophet Moses received them on Mount Sinai after, by the will of the Lord, he led the entire people of Israel out of Egypt, where they were in slavery.

Basics of Orthodoxy: why one should fulfill the commandments

God gave the 10 biblical commandments or Decalogue to the Jewish people during their journey from slavery to the land given by the Lord - Canaan.

Initially, the Lord Himself inscribed them on two tablets, but later they were rewritten by the hand of Moses.

The law can be divided into two parts:

• the first 4 commandments are about man’s relationship with the Lord;
• the last 5 are about the relationship between a person and his neighbors.

God's law is difficult for people with a sinful nature to obey. However, this is something that we urgently need to strive for. What is it for?

Just as the force of attraction, gravity, etc. operate, spiritual laws exist and operate. Violation of them leads to the threat of carnal and spiritual death.

People are not outraged by the existence of gravity, and they know that if you jump from a height, you can fall to your death. The same goes for prolonged immersion in water or falling into fire. Why does keeping the Lord's law cause so much outrage?

Atheists live as if the spiritual world does not exist, but this does not exempt them from the application of spiritual rules. If a person does not believe in the power of gravity, this does not mean that it does not exist and that violating it will lead to death. The same applies to the Decalogue - violation will lead first to spiritual death, and then to carnal death.

Many people view the Decalogue as a set of rules for going to heaven after death. But this is wrong, since the goal is to prove to a person that he cannot cope on his own and needs God’s help and Jesus Christ. No one can do this thoroughly on their own, but only with God's help. We all need the death of Jesus Christ and divine forgiveness with atonement. One should ask the Lord for help in fulfilling the law and pray in repentance if it has been broken.

Important! The 10 biblical commandments are necessary for anyone who considers himself a true Christian to know, because according to them he can check his life path and compare it with the one that the Lord has prepared.

Moses with the commandments given to him

God's commandments and their interpretation

The Creator wrote 10 rules on 2 stone tablets and passed them on to Moses. He remained on the mountain for another 40 days, and then went down to the people, but what he saw there was terrible - the Jews cast themselves a calf from gold and made it their god. Moses, in anger, threw the tablets to the ground and broke them.

After the people were punished, Moses went back up the mountain and wrote them down again. You should consider them all in detail for a better understanding.

First

“I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me."

What does this mean? Our Lord is the true and living God, who is one in the entire Universe and beyond. It is He who is the Creator of the whole world and all creations that live and exist by Him alone. The Christian religion is a religion of monotheism. There is no place in it for a host of gods, as there was in Greek, Roman and Persian culture.

There is only one God. All power is concentrated in the Creator, but outside of Him it simply does not exist. He is the beginning of time and its end, He is the beginning of time and the end. The movement of the sun across the sky, the movement of a drop on a leaf, the movement of an ant and the running of a leopard - in all this there is God’s hand and all this is possible only thanks to Him.

Despite the many names, the Lord is one. In Scripture He calls himself Yahweh (I Am Who I Am), Jehovah (I Will Be), God Almighty, Elohim (God), Adonai (Lord), Hosts (Lord of Hosts). But these are just characteristics, character traits. He is the source of strength, both spiritual and material, therefore only one should come to Him.

According to this sin:

• polytheism;
• magic;

Second

“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.”

For murder, a person will suffer a terrible punishment. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that you can kill with simple words. You should watch not only your hands, but also your tongue.

Seventh

"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

The Heavenly Father created the family at the beginning of existence. His idea is a man and a woman belonging to each other. There is no room for a third.

Despite heretical traditions about Adam's second wife Lilith, God created only Adam and Eve. Therefore, husband and wife should take care of each other, love and not look/think about others.

Family is not always easy, but a person must follow the law.

Read about family in Orthodoxy:

Eighth

"Thou shalt not steal."

The most important law in the field of human relations is that you should not take something that belongs to another. This applies to both small things and some large things.

The Heavenly Father gives to everyone according to his will, so if a person steals, he shows disrespect not only for the work of his neighbor, but also for God. If he thinks that someone has more of something and this is unfair, then this also expresses disrespect and disobedience to God's will.

Ninth

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

A lie spoils everything and sooner or later it is revealed. You should not be deceitful towards others or yourself. Deception does not bring anything good, and the motives for it are almost always sinful.

The Almighty always knows the truth and sooner or later it will be revealed to people. This law allows you to preserve a person’s spiritual health.

Tenth

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or anything that your neighbor has.”

This rule has something in common with rule 8, but it is more detailed. In the original, God speaks about a wife, about cattle, about property.

Even the mere desire to have something that is not yours is considered a sin. Desire is the seed of sin, and... If not uprooted in time, it will grow into a huge tree.

Commandments of Christ

It should be understood that the listed 10 laws and 9 Gospel commandments are different from each other, although it is necessary to fulfill them all.

The first were received by Moses from the Lord as the basis of the law for the Jews who became God's people. It was they who were created to separate the Jews from all other peoples who lived according to their own laws. Thanks to them, the Jews became a separate people of God at the dawn of the formation of religion. They were called upon not only to create a society and a state, but also to protect people from sin.

The commandments of Christ, given by him in the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7 of the Gospel of Matthew, are somewhat different.

Sermon on the Mount

They talk about the spiritual world, and almost never touch upon the carnal. Christ in them gives a definition of what a Christian soul should be, how a believer should develop in God.

Important! The commandments of Christ in no way deny the basic law (Decalogue), but on the contrary, they continue it. If the Lord forms society and relationships between people by law, then Christ speaks about the inner world of man and its formation.

Watch a video about Jesus' commandments