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Yes, my beloved brother, believe and be persuaded that it is so and this is our faith. This therefore it is, believe, brother, to be born again and to be renewed and to live the life in Christ. Or do you not hear Basil the Great saying in his hortatory discourse on the Lights: "Do you not desire to see yourself, O man, become young from being old?", and Paul: (223) "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." What "all things" does he mean, then? You say, you say. Has the heaven been changed? Has the earth? But has the sun, or the stars, or the sea, or any of the things seen become new and recent? But you cannot say this; for to us and for our sake he has said this. For being dead, we are raised to life; being corruptible, we are remade into incorruption; being mortal, we are changed into immortality; being earthly, we become heavenly; being carnal, having our birth from the flesh, we become spiritual, being reborn and refashioned by the Holy Spirit.

These things therefore are the new creation in Christ, brothers; these things are accomplished and come to be in the true and elect believers every day, and they become partakers of all these things partially, as we have often said, while in the body, in a knowable way; and not only so, but also after death they hope to inherit these things completely and certainly, that is, becoming whole in all the good things now received. For if we are taught to eat and drink Christ, and to be clothed with Him and to see Him and again to be seen by Him always, but we also know that we have Him in us and that we in turn abide in Him, so that He is our indweller, and we in turn are indwellers of Him, as He clearly becomes a house for us just as we in turn become a house for Him, and then we are His sons, and He becomes our father, and He is light shining in darkness, and we say we see Him according to "the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light," if therefore we say that all these things and the rest, as has been shown, all that the divine Scriptures teach to happen in us in the present time of this life, do not happen to us at all, or that they happen (224) indeed, but mystically and imperceptibly, with us knowing nothing of these things, how do we differ from the dead?

Do not then, by so giving yourselves over to unbelief, descend into the abyss of perdition; but even if until now you did not hope to receive a perception of such things and for this reason you asked for nothing, at least from the present be fully assured, first believing these things to be true and in harmony with the divine Scriptures, by going through all of them, that is, that from now on the seal of the Holy Spirit is given knowably to us, the faithful. And having believed, so run that you may obtain, so fight as not beating the air; and in addition to these things "ask, and it will be given to you; knock, and it will be opened to you," whether here or in the age to come. Meanwhile, be taught, meanwhile repent, be subject, fast, weep, pray; and so through these and such things, run, fight, pursue, seek, knock, ask, inclining to nothing else, until you obtain, until you grasp, until you receive, until it is opened to you and you enter, until within the bridal chamber you behold the bridegroom, until you hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much," until you become sons of light and sons of day. But do not before seeing and receiving and experiencing these things deceive your own selves and reason falsely, thinking yourselves to be something when you are nothing, and as if relaxing in your conscience, you suppose yourselves to be spiritual before receiving the Holy Spirit, and for this reason you unwisely rush into undertaking the thoughts of others and you step up to hegemonies and authorities and fearlessly dare the priesthood and to metropolises and episcopacies for (225) shepherding the Lord’s people yourselves through countless

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Ναί, ἀδελφέ μου ἀγαπητέ, πίστευσον καί πείσθητι ὅτι οὕτως ἐστί καί αὕτη ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστι, πίστευσον, ἀδελφέ, τό ἀναγεννηθῆναι καί ἀνακαινισθῆναι καί ζῆσαι τήν ἐν Χριστῷ ζωήν. Ἤ οὐκ ἀκούεις τόν μέγαν Βασίλειον λέγοντα εἰς τόν προτρεπτικόν αὐτοῦ λόγον τῶν Φώτων· "Οὐκ ἐπιθυμεῖς σεαυτόν ἰδεῖν, ἄνθρωπε, ἀπό γέροντος νέον γινόμενον;", καί τόν Παῦλον· (223) "Εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινή κτίσις· τά ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδού γέγονε τά πάντα καινά". Ποῖα πάντα λέγει τοιγαροῦν; Εἰπέ, σύ, εἰπέ. Μή ὁ οὐρανός ἐνηλλάγη; Μή ἡ γῆ; Ἀλλά ὁ ἥλιος, ἤ οἱ ἀστέρες, ἤ ἡ θάλασσα, ἤ τι τῶν βλεπομένων καινόν καί πρόσφατον γέγονεν; Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἔχεις τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· πρός ἡμᾶς γάρ καί δι᾿ ἡμᾶς τοῦτο εἴρηκε. Νεκροί γάρ ὄντες, πρός ζωήν ἀνιστάμεθα· φθαρτοί, καί εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν μεταποιούμεθα· θνητοί, καί εἰς ἀθανασίαν μεταβαλλόμεθα· γήϊνοι, καί γινόμεθα ἐπουράνιοι· σαρκικοί ἐκ σαρκός τήν γένεσιν ἔχοντες, καί πνευματικοί γινόμεθα, τῷ Ἁγίῳ ἀναγεννώμενοι καί ἀναπλαττόμενοι Πνεύματι.

Ταῦτα τοιγαροῦν ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ καινή κτίσις εἰσίν, ἀδελφοί· ταῦτα εἰς τούς ἀληθινούς πιστούς καί ἐκλεκτούς καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἐπιτελοῦνται καί γίνονται, καί τούτων ἁπάντων μέτοχοι μερικῶς, ὡς πολλάκις εἴπομεν, ἐν σώματι ὄντες, γνωστῶς γίνονται· οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί μετά θάνατον ὁλοτελῶς ταῦτα καί βεβαίως κληρονομῆσαι ἐλπίζουσιν, ὅλοι δηλαδή ἐν ὅλοις τοῖς νυνί μεταληφθεῖσι γινόμενοι ἀγαθοῖς. Εἰ γάρ καί τόν Χριστόν ἐσθίειν καί πίνειν, ἐνδύεσθαί τε καί ὁρᾶν καί αὖθις ὁρᾶσθαι παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἀεί διδασκόμεθα, ἀλλά καί ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτόν ἔχειν καί ἐν αὐτῷ πάλιν μένειν ἡμᾶς οἴδαμεν, ὡς αὐτόν μέν εἶναι ἡμῶν ἔνοικον, ἡμᾶς δέ πάλιν ἐνοίκους αὐτοῦ, οἰκίᾳ γινομένῳ δηλονότι ἡμῖν καθά καί ἡμεῖς πάλιν οἰκία γινόμεθα αὐτῷ, εἶτα καί υἱοί μέν ἡμεῖς αὐτοῦ, αὐτός δέ πατήρ ἡμῶν γίνεται, καί φῶς ἐκεῖνος ἐν σκότει λάμπον ἐστίν, αὐτόν δέ βλέπειν ἡμεῖς λέγομεν κατά τό "ὁ λαός ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει εἶδε φῶς μέγα", ἐάν οὖν ταῦτα πάντα καί τά λοιπά, ὡς δεδήλωται, ὅσα δηλονότι αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαί γίνεσθαι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ ἐνεστῶτι καιρῷ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἐκδιδάσκουσι, μηδόλως γίνεσθαι λέγωμεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἤ γίνεσθαι (224) μέν, μυστικῶς δέ καί ἀνεπαισθήτως, μηδέν πρός ταῦτα γινωσκόντων ἡμῶν, τί νεκρῶν διαφέρομεν;

Μή δή τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ οὕτως ἑαυτούς ἐκδιδόντες, εἰς βυθόν ἀπωλείας κατέρχεσθε· ἀλλ᾿ εἰ καί μέχρι τοῦ νῦν αἴσθησιν τῶν τοιούτων λαβεῖν οὐκ ἠλπίσατε καί διά τοῦτο οὐδέν ᾐτήσασθε, κἄν ἀπό τοῦ παρόντος πληροφορήθητε, πρῶτον ἀληθῆ ταῦτα πιστεύσαντες εἶναι καί συνᾴδοντα ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς, πάσας αὐτάς δηλονότι διεξερχόμενοι, ὅτι ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη γνωστῶς ἡ σφραγίς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἡμῖν τοῖς πιστοῖς δίδοται. Καί πιστεύσαντες οὕτω διώκετε ἵνα καταλάβητε, οὕτω πυκτεύσατε ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέροντες· καί πρός τούτοις "αἰτεῖτε καί δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· κρούετε καί ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν", εἴτε ἐνταῦθα εἴτε ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι. Τέως διδάσκεσθε, τέως μετανοεῖτε, ὑποτάσσεσθε, νηστεύετε, κλαίετε, εὔχεσθε· καί οὕτω διά τούτων καί τῶν τοιούτων τρέχετε, πυκτεύετε, διώκετε, ζητεῖτε, κρούετε, αἰτεῖσθε, πρός μηδέν ἕτερον ἀπονεύοντες, ἕως καταλάβητε, ἕως δράξησθε, ἕως λάβητε, ἕως ὑμῖν ἀνοιγῇ καί εἰσέλθητε, ἕως ἔνδον τοῦ νυμφῶνος τόν νυμφίον θεάσησθε, ἕως ἀκούσητε· "Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθέ καί πιστέ, ἐπί ὀλίγα ἦς πιστός, ἐπί πολλῶν σε καταστήσω", ἕως υἱοί φωτός καί υἱοί ἡμέρας γένησθε. Ἀλλά γάρ μή πρό τοῦ ταῦτα καί ἰδεῖν καί λαβεῖν καί παθεῖν φρεναπατοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἑαυτούς καί παραλογιζόμενοι εἶναί τι δοκεῖτε μηδέν ὄντες, καί ὡς ἀναπεπτωκότες τῇ συνειδήσει πνευματικούς ἑαυτούς εἶναι πρό τοῦ τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον λαβεῖν οἴεσθε, καί διά τοῦτο εἰς τό ἀναδέχεσθαι λογισμούς ἀλλοτρίους ἀσυνέτως ἐπείγεσθε καί εἰς ἡγουμενείας καί ἀρχάς ἐπιβαίνετε καί ἱερωσύνης ἀφόβως κατατολμᾶτε καί πρός μητροπόλεις καί ἐπισκοπάς τοῦ (225) ποιμαίνειν τόν τοῦ Κυρίου λαόν ἑαυτούς ὑμᾶς διά μυρίων