John Chrysostom, Sermon on Repentance 3

of Christ, like lead they are sunk, not with 60.707 chariots and horses, but with reasonings and opinions. Let us therefore respect the goodness of Christ, let us be ashamed before his sufferings, let us not make his wounds in vain, let us not prefer shameful pleasure to his good pleasure and command, let us not repay the benefactor with evils, let us not take his members and make them members of a prostitute; for we are not our own masters; we were bought with a price. Who then sold us, or who bought us? The devil sold us through sin, Christ redeemed us through righteousness. But how did he buy us? By giving gold, or silver? No, but his own blood which is much more precious than gold and stone; for he bought all our sins; and they are many, and in various and different ways they disturb our salvation.

What sins? Those of the law; but not that the law is sin, may it not be so; but that apart from the law 60.708 I did not know sin. Since, therefore, the law made me liable to a curse as a transgressor, for this reason Jesus Christ came and redeemed me from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. Let us not, therefore, prefer the universal providence of the devil to the economy of Christ; let us not, for the sake of sin, run past the beauty of repentance. If you fear the threat, take refuge in the commandment; if you wish to escape the coming judgment, turn away from evil, and do good; that is, put away sin, and become a worker of repentance, so that he who does not will the death of sinners but that they should turn and live, having accepted the eagerness of your soul, may grant you the forgiveness of sin; and let us for the things that have been said send up praise and glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Χριστοῦ, ὡσεὶ μόλιβδος καταποντίζονται, οὐ σὺν 60.707 ἅρμασι καὶ ἵπποις, ἀλλὰ σὺν λογισμοῖς καὶ γνώμαις. Αἰδεσθῶμεν οὖν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγαθότητα, ἐντράπωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ πάθη, μὴ ματαιώσωμεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς μώλωπας, μὴ τὴν αἰσχρὰν ἡδονὴν τῆς καλῆς αὐτοῦ προκρίνωμεν ἡδονῆς καὶ ἐντολῆς, μὴ κακοῖς τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀμειψώμεθα, μὴ λάβωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ μέλη, καὶ ποιήσωμεν πόρνης μέλη· οὐκ ἐσμὲν γὰρ ἑαυτῶν κύριοι· τιμῆς ἠγοράσθημεν. Τίς δὲ ἡμᾶς ἀπέδοτο, ἢ τίς ἡμᾶς ὠνήσατο; Ὁ διάβολος ἡμᾶς ἀπέδοτο διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασε διὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης. Πῶς δὲ ἡμᾶς ἠγόρασε; χρυσίον, ἢ ἀργύριον δούς; Οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον αἷμα τὸ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύ· πάσας γὰρ ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἠγόρασε· πολλαὶ δέ εἰσι, καὶ ποικίλως καὶ διαφόρως ἐνοχλοῦσαι ἡμῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν.

Ποίας ἁμαρτίας; Τὰς τοῦ νόμου· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὅτι ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία, μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκτὸς νόμου ἁμαρτίαν 60.708 οὐκ ᾔδειν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ νόμος ὡς παραβάτην με ἔνοχον κατάρας ἐποίει, διὰ τοῦτο ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ἐξηγόρασέ με ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Μὴ τὴν πάνδημον οὖν πρόνοιαν τοῦ διαβόλου προκρίνωμεν τῆς οἰκονομίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ· μὴ πρὸς χάριν τῆς ἁμαρτίας παραδράμωμεν τῆς μετανοίας τὸ κάλλος. Εἰ φοβῇ τὴν ἀπειλὴν, κατάφυγε ἐπὶ τὴν ἐντολήν· εἰ μὲν μέλλουσαν κρίσιν ἀποδρᾶσαι θέλεις, ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· τουτέστιν, ἀπόθου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἐργάτης γένου τῆς μετανοίας, ἵνα ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος τὸν θάνατον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτοὺς, ἀποδεξάμενός σου τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν προθυμίαν, χαρίσηταί σοι τὴν ἄφεσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων αἶνον καὶ δόξαν ἀναπέμπωμεν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.