Repentance through Divine Discipline and Recognition

Woman, whom you gave with me, this one gave to me from the tree and I ate. God, being a source of goodness, calls us again after the mistakes, not omitting the perfect knowledge of the good from our reasoning, even if through sin we turn away from virtue. This God also does to Adam in the present, calling him while he is hiding, saying to him, 'Where are you?' (Genesis 3:9). For he himself had been appointed by God to work and to guard the paradise, having received this place as his own; but having turned away from this because of disobedience, he subsequently hears from God, 'Where are you?' (Genesis 3:9).

Because it is to be learned from the Acts of the Apostles that whenever someone is appointed to a rank, it is called a place—just as when the apostles, desiring to raise up a disciple to stand in the place of Judas the traitor who had put forward Jesus, were lifting up a prayer to God, they were saying, 'You, Lord, know the hearts of all, reveal one to take the place of this ministry' (Acts 1:24). And it followed for Adam, having stepped out, the divine order that the suitable place of the rank would fall away; for he had been cast out from the paradise. And the 'Where are you?' (Genesis 3:9) might even be embarrassing; for God says 'I indeed placed you in virtue, but now where are you?' understanding this, he is ashamed.

And those who, understanding the incorporeal essence as the primary underlying substrate of the soul, and because of this, ought to consider her to be outside of every place, hear it embarrassingly, as if God says 'Where are you?' You exist in a place; you, who because of incorporeality are free from every place, but having not guarded that and having been joined to a body, have become in a place? But also the one having citizenship in heaven and having the heart in heaven because it has been stored up there and is there, is not in a place, having become supra-cosmic. Since Adam also had it thus, he passed over, and thus he hears 'Where are you?' (Genesis 3:9).

And you, the approaching of the Lord here is God; for it is said: 'And God the Lord said.' For when it was concerning creation, it went before: 'In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth' (Genesis 1:1); but when transgression followed, then also the name of the Lord approaches; for it follows the Lord to come against those who are negligent of His commands. For it was necessary for a rebuke, which naturally from...

It becomes a benefit, combining discipline with mercy; for this reason it is said, 'And the Lord God called' (Gen 3:8). David also sings this, saying, 'I will sing to you of mercy and judgment, Lord' (Ps 89:13); for by joining the act of showing mercy with the act of judging, he shows a pattern of philanthropy. For even while rebuking, He shows mercy; for He leads the chastisements toward what is profitable.

Let us also see the response: 'I heard your voice walking in the paradise' (Gen 3:8). For when someone, having become a sinner, prays for a brief perception to merely receive the understanding of God through creation—in which He walks, providing order to each of the existing things—then he turns back and recognizes that He surveys all things and governs them; thus, even through external observation, it happens. For when one beholds the sun's ordered course, the heavens' movement, the moon's changes, the stars' seasonal intervals, and reasons that the driver and commander of all this is the Creator of all things, walking among all, he hears the voice of God, not occurring by chance, but being impressed upon the intellect, that nothing escapes God, but all things are under His economy. And thus, being ashamed, he hides; for the one sinning, not having God before his eyes, sins.

Regarding perception, it is said: 'I heard your voice walking in the paradise and I was afraid, because I am naked' (Gen 3:10). For that very fear still holds a flash of how shameful and chastening vice is. He says that the cause of the fear is the nakedness, which comes from having lost virtue, which was a covering; for virtue is a divine garment. Thus also Paul exhorts: 'Put on the Lord Jesus' (Rom 13:14) and 'Put on the bowels of compassion' (Col 3:12), which is: be adorned in a merciful manner and in the Christ-like way of life; and again: 'Let us put on the armor of light' (Rom 13:12) to prepare ourselves to fight against the adversaries. Since, therefore, he was deprived of these garments because of the transgression, and was being reproved by his conscience, he did not have the boldness to gaze upon God; for this reason he says: 'I was afraid, because I am naked' (Gen 3:10); for just as one who has done absurd things, if he were to seek to face a ruler regarding what has been done, hides himself, so also Adam, who did not...