The Deception of Apostasy vs. the Fruitfulness of the Church

And almost all matter was honoring it as a god. And because of this, the Lord accepted the incarnate economy on behalf of the human race, in order to abolish the manifold error and to turn them back toward the worship of the truly God through the bath of regeneration, and to gather together all humanity scattered into the church and to designate it as his own body, and so that his word might be fulfilled: 'There shall be one flock, one shepherd' (John 10:16).

But again the envious devil, by his own wickedness and his ancient craft, does not cease deceiving the unthinking ones; for just as before, having renamed idols as gods, he led men astray from the truly God, so also now, having named many churches—or rather, if it is necessary to speak the truth, having raised up idols of churches—he causes those believing in him to depart through the apostasy of Christ, so that just as then, through the so-called gods, they departed from God, so also now, through the so-called churches, he might tear away them from the truly Church. For it is the habit of the devil to deceive through great promises; for approaching the first human, the womanid: 'If you eat of the tree of knowledge, you shall be as gods' (Gen 3:5), promising to make them gods, that is, immortal, and he seized their life for himself.

Therefore his deceit has even more; for when the Savior appeared and many believed in him, the evil one incited persecution against the Christians, and those whom he could no longer hold by deception, he forced to become apostates through tyranny. And it was a thing to be seen as terrible: kings raging against the Christians, laws full of lawlessness, judges vengeful for impiety. For piety was a crime for every murder and every sorcery; and only the Christians filled the prisons, they were turned about, they were beaten, they were fried, they were burned, they were thrown to the beasts.

And all these things being brought upon them by the evil one and his ministers, in order that they might deny the church of God, they bravely and willingly bore all things because of the love toward the Savior, and they died sweetly the temporal death, exchanging it for the eternal life. Having learned these things, the devil, and having understood that his violence was being defeated and all his schemes, he turned to another kind of deception and...

Again, there is a useful promise and a humble appearance and a devout religious practice. For who would not easily be deceived by this trick, when self-control and renunciation are being preached? He knows that it is heavy for a Christian to hear: 'Apostate from God, deny the Savior, flee from the church, abandon the blood of Christ through whom you were purchased.' If these things were said, who would have listened to him?

But now, by the old method, promising great things of the true paradise, the church of Christ, he drives the man away. For truly the church of Christ is a paradise, in which is both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, and a spring rising from the earth and watering the paradise, from which even the four rivers flow; and it also has much variety of fruits. For this reason it is a paradise, since there are many kinds of fruits; for a paradise is not of a single kind, as the apostates say.

And each one, according to his faith and zeal, increases and bears fruit; let him only remain in the paradise of Christ, just as it has been written: 'Being planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God' (Ps 92:13). And if even a time of martyrdom should come, let us deliver up the body, let us leave the temporary life, let us throw away lineage, let us disregard possessions; let all things be lost, let faith, hope, and love remain in us, as the apostle says (1 Cor 13:13).

And in another place: 'I am persuaded,' he says, 'that neither life nor death, nor things present nor things to come, nor any else creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Christ' (Rom 8:35-39). And what is this love? Our Lord Jesus Christ himself said: 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him' (John 6:56).

And because of his great love toward us, his indwelling blood paid a price on our behalf; 'for you were purchased with precious blood,' says the apostle Peter (1 Pet 1:18-19). Therefore, he who denies the blood of Christ insults his presence and treats as worthless the value laid down for him. And how will those defending themselves, having denied the blood of God and having fled from the church, answer? For if, as we said, the apostles and martyrs suffered so much for the blood of Christ and were perfected in this confession, what punishment are these worthy of, who are without wounds, who are without the sword?