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by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

59.161 HOMILY 28. For God sent not His Son to judge

the world, but that the world might be saved. 1. Many of the more careless, abusing God's loving-kindness to the magnitude of their sins and the excess of their negligence,

utter these words: There is no Gehenna, there is no punishment, God forgives us all our sins. A certain wise man, silencing these, says: Say not, His mercy is great; He will be pacified for the multitude of my sins; for mercy and wrath are with Him, and His indignation rests upon sinners; and again, As His mercy is great, so is His correction also. And where, one might say, is His loving-kindness, if we are to receive according to the worth of our sins? That we shall indeed receive according to our worth, hear both the Prophet and Paul saying; the one, that You will render to every man according to his works; the other, Who will render to every man according to his work. But that even so the loving-kindness of God is great, this also is clear from this. For God, having divided our affairs into two ages of life, this present and the future life, and having made the one an arena of contests, and the other a place of crowns, has shown great loving-kindness even in this. How and in what manner? Because having committed many and grievous sins, and not ceasing from youth to extreme old age to defile our souls with countless evils, He has not demanded from us an account for any of these sins, but has given remission of them through the laver of regeneration, and has bestowed righteousness and sanctification. What then, he says, if someone deemed worthy of the mysteries from his first youth should afterward commit countless sins? Such a one is then worthy of greater punishment. For we do not pay the same penalties for the same sins, but much harsher ones, when we transgress after initiation into the mysteries. And Paul makes this clear when he says: He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 59.162 Therefore, such a one will be worthy of greater punishment. Nevertheless, even for this man He has opened the doors of repentance, and has given many ways to wash away what has been transgressed, if he is willing. Consider then how great are these proofs of His loving-kindness, to forgive by grace, and after grace not to punish the sinner who is worthy of punishment, but to give him time and opportunity for his defense. For all these reasons Christ said to Nicodemus: God sent not His Son to judge the world, but that the world might be saved. For there are two comings of Christ; the one that has already happened, and the one that is to come; but the two are not for the same purposes, for the first came to pass, not that He might examine our deeds, but that He might forgive them; the second, not to forgive, but to examine. For this reason concerning the first He says: I came not to judge the world, but to save the world; but concerning the second, But when the Son comes in the glory of His Father, He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. And these shall go away into life, but those into everlasting punishment. And yet the first coming was also a judgment, according to the principle of justice. Why? Because before His coming there was a natural law, and prophets, and again a written law, and teaching, and countless promises, and displays of signs, and chastisements and punishments, and many other things which could correct; and it would have been consistent to demand an account for all these things; but since He is loving toward mankind, He does not do so

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χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.161 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΗʹ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα κρίνῃ

τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κόσμον. αʹ. Πολλοὶ τῶν ῥᾳθυμοτέρων εἰς ἁμαρτημάτων μέγεθος καὶ ὀλιγωρίας

ὑπερβολὴν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ κεχρημένοι φιλανθρωπίᾳ, ταῦτα φθέγγονται τὰ ῥήματα· Οὐκ ἔστι γέεννα, οὐκ ἔστι κόλασις, πάντα ὁ Θεὸς ἀφίησιν ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα Οὕσπερ ἐπιστομίζων σοφός τις ἀνήρ φησι· Μὴ εἴπῃς, Ὁ οἰκτιρμὸς αὐτοῦ πολὺς, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου ἐξιλάσεται· ὅτι ἔλεος καὶ ὀργὴ παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς καταπαύσει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, Κατὰ τὸ πολὺ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, πολὺς καὶ ὁ ἔλεγχος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ποῦ, φησὶ, τὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, εἰ τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀποληψόμεθα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων; Ὅτι μὲν τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀποληψόμεθα, ἄκουε καὶ τοῦ Προφήτου καὶ τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· τοῦ μὲν, ὅτι Σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· τοῦ δὲ, Ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ οὕτω πολλὴ ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον. Εἰς γὰρ δύο ζωῆς αἰῶνας τὰ ἡμέτερα διελὼν ὁ Θεὸς τούτους, τὸν παρόντα καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα βίον, καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐν ἀγώνων τάξει, τὸν δὲ ἐν χώρᾳ στεφάνων ποιήσας εἶναι, πολλὴν κἀντεῦθεν τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι πράξαντος πολλὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ οὐ διαλιπόντας ἀπὸ νεότητος εἰς ἔσχατον γῆρας μυρίοις τὴν ψυχὴν καταῤῥυπαίνειν ἑαυτῶν κακοῖς, οὐδενὸς τούτων ἀπῄτησεν εὐθύνας ἡμᾶς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλ' ἔδωκεν αὐτῶν ἄφεσιν διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας, καὶ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἁγιασμὸν ἐχαρίσατο. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ἂν ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας μυστηρίων καταξιωθείς τις μετὰ ταῦτα μυρία ἁμάρτῃ; Ὁ τοιοῦτος λοιπὸν μείζονος κολάσεως ἄξιος. Τῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἁμαρτημάτων οὐ τὰς αὐτὰς τίννυμεν δίκας, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρας, ὅταν μετὰ μυσταγωγίαν πλημμελήσωμεν. Καὶ δηλοῖ Παῦλος οὕτω λέγων· Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωϋσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶ καὶ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει· πόσῳ δοκεῖτε χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν 59.162 υβρίσας; Μείζονος οὖν ἔσται κολάσεως ἄξιος ὁ τοιοῦτος. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτῳ μετανοίας ἀνέῳξε θύρας, καὶ πολλοῖς τρόποις ἔδωκεν ἀπονίψασθαι τὰ πεπλημμελημένα, ἂν ἐθέλῃ. Ἐννόησον οὖν ἡλίκα ταῦτα φιλανθρωπίας δείγματα, τὸ καὶ χάριτι ἀφεῖναι, καὶ μετὰ τὴν χάριν τὸν ἁμαρτόντα καὶ ἄξιον ὄντα κολάσεως μὴ κολάζειν, ἀλλὰ διδόναι καιρὸν καὶ προθεσμίαν ἀπολογίας αὐτῷ. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα πάντα ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς τὸν Νικόδημον ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κόσμον. ∆ύο γάρ εἰσιν αἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαι· ἡ ἤδη γεγενημένη, καὶ ἡ μέλλουσα· οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς δὲ αἱ δύο, ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν προτέρα γέγονεν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐξετάσῃ τὰ πεπραγμένα ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀφῇ ἡ δὲ δευτέρα, οὐχ ἵνα ἀφῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐξετάσῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο περὶ μὲν τῆς προτέρας φησίν· Οὐκ ἦλθον ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω τὸν κόσμον· περὶ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας, Ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων. Καὶ ἀπελεύσονται οἱ μὲν εἰς ζωὴν, οἱ δὲ εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον. Καίτοι γε καὶ ἡ προτέρα παρουσία κρίσεως ἦν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον. ∆ιατί; Ὅτι πρὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας νόμος ἦν φυσικὸς, καὶ προφῆται, καὶ γραπτὸς πάλιν νόμος, καὶ διδασκαλία, καὶ μυρίαι ἐπαγγελίαι, καὶ σημείων ἐπιδείξεις, καὶ κολάσεις καὶ τιμωρίαι, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα τὰ διορθοῦν δυνάμενα· καὶ ἀκόλουθον ἦν τούτων πάντων ἀπαιτῆσαι εὐθύνας· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν, οὐ ποιεῖται