The Synergy of Wills and the Crucifixion of the Self

"Long-lasting on the good earth, which the Lord God gives to you." If you were to take this regarding this earth and these immediate parents, it is a lie. Regarding the present text, it is not said "which he gives to you."

"Stop your tongue from evil." He calls you to learn the fear of the Lord, so that having learned, you may become holy, undefiled, lacking no virtue. Therefore come, so that you may stop your tongue from evil. Let the tongue of the inner man no longer have evil. Then indeed it becomes all outward, when it has and brings forth the good. And it follows the stopping of the tongue from evil and the lips no longer speaking deceit, and it also calms the hypocrisy; for one who acts deceitfully is to do evil.

"Their tongue is a piercing arrow, deceitful are the words of their mouth." These are those from the heresies, those who stand before ungodliness. One can therefore say regarding the explicit text: since at that time especially when we say this, all were running toward evil, as for the remainder to sing laments over them, he was saying toward such people: for he did not say "each of my brothers" or "each of our brothers", that is, of the saints, but of those desiring to have one father, those born of the devil through wanting to do his desires; for "you are of the father the devil and you want to do the desires of the devil."

Regarding such brothers, born for the father and the evil one, he says: "every brother stumbles"; for indeed their father is such: by deceit he led all under himself and leads those following him by wickedness. "And every friend" is such that he "will fall". He is not speaking about those who are truly friends. Jesus says to the disciples: "You are friends"; and he gave the reason: "because all things of the father I have made known to you." None of these friends will fall. Because of this they are free. Therefore the word is toward those who are such: "they will by no means speak truth." Regarding those not speaking truth, the word is: "he did not stand in the truth." He who is not standing in the truth has once been in it. But we never say about anyone that he does not stand in a craft, unless he has been tested in a craft or in many crafts and...

He might pass from one state to another. If he had not become one in the truth, not standing in it would not have brought him reproach. And behold the doctrine: how 'God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim 2:4)? If no one opposes His will, how is it that some are lagging behind, despite His wanting all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth—so that I may not say, the majority? If He wants it, and if we also want it, and a convergence of the two wills occurs, salvation happens; for no one is good against his will, no one who does not want is saved, and no one hurrying toward approaching God and having kept His law is able to know the truth.

For this reason also the Savior says in the Gospel: 'If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and let him take up his cross and follow me' (Matt 16:24). 'If anyone wants': as far as it concerns the Savior, He wills him to do this, but He does not compel; He moves the choice, He awakens the desire. 'If anyone' therefore 'wants to come after me', 'if anyone wants to follow me'—for this is what 'to come after me' means—, 'let him take up his own cross': let him be crucified to the world, let him put to death 'his members which are upon the earth', let him become inactive toward the world. He who is crucified has his feet hindered from walking as he wants, and his hands from doing what he wants. Therefore, when someone is crucified toward the world, he neither walks according to it anymore, nor does he do its things; and by this, the world is also crucified to the one crucified, so that the world may also be inactive toward him, neither walking according to him, nor doing those things that harm him.

'If anyone' therefore 'wants to come after me': perhaps not, perhaps yes; for virtue, when spoken of continuously, is virtue and perfection, not as in other actions. Just so also the apostle writes: 'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances' (1 Thess 5:16-18). He who rejoices always possesses the virtue always; for he rejoices not upon anything else except upon being well-pleasing in the pleasing God. 'Loving to see good days' (Ps 90:16). The 'to see' here means to be tested, and 'to be tested of good days' means to enjoy. 'Keep your tongue from evil'. Let your word be restrained, let it be tested; let it desire to have an unsearchable word; as it writes...