Cyril of Jerusalem
Lecture 2
“The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins….” — Ezekiel 18:20-23
Summary: Baptism is an work of God’s love through the Spirit, rooted in sincere repentance.
Preview: 1. Fear sin as a fire of man’s own choosing; of free will; God made the vine good; man has many inventions; created for good works, we do evil; so we bring fire to our own bosom, burn the sinews of the soul, break the bones of the mind, and darken the heart. 2. What is sin? Not living, angel, or demon; not external; it is inside us; remember judgment: for as soon as we forget God, we devise wickedness and commit iniquity. 3. Wickedness also comes from the prompter, the devil; yet, we must not surrender our will to him; even believers may be rent; as roots and seeds penetrate rock, so lust may penetrate the heart; tear it out before it must be cut down with axes, before it blinds. 4. The devil is first author of sin; of his free will he became devil; from archangel to Satan, so Ezekiel says; he cast from heaven drew many down with him; Adam inherited thorns. 5. Is there no salvation for us who are dead? He that woke Lazarus will raise us; He [Jesus] shed His blood for us: therefore, we have hope. As thorny ground may be recovered by cultivation, we may be saved if we only will. 6. God loves man in no small measure; confession of sin from the heart, leads to forgiveness. 7. We who would see the loving-kindness and long-suffering of God, must consider Adam cast from Paradise, or Cain consigned to groaning for murder; small sentences for great sins. 8. Or, consider the people of Noah’s day who were given one hundred years to repent. 9. And to women, consider Rahab, who found salvation through repentance; though she had lived a wanton life.[i] 10. The people made a calf: yet, were forgiven; Aaron sinned: yet, continued as High Priest; Moses prevailed when he prayed for Aaron; shall not Jesus prevail in His prayer for us: for God forgives our sin through Jesus, Who is without sin. 11. Or of David, the adulterer and murder; who repented at the accusation of Nathan; in humility made confession; was cured, forgiven: though the kingdom received irreparable damage. 12. Yet, David, though comforted by the Prophet, continued in repentance for seven days; when Absalom revolted, David fled to the Mount of Olives seeking the Redeemer Who would ascend from there into heaven. 13. Confession is good for repentance and salvation are its fruits; as also, wicked Ahab repented temporarily. 14. Or, even Jeroboam had his hand restored; Manasses also, Isaiah’s murderer, humbled himself and was saved. 15. Do not mistrust the power of repentance; by confession Hezekiah routed [Assyria]; he also had fifteen years added to his life because he lamented; so, we must bewail ourselves. 16. Or consider Ananias [Daniel 1:7; 3]; but, they were rescued justly. 17. Consider Nebuchadnezzar: did he not deserve ten thousand deaths? 18. He was turned into a raging beast; he ate grass like an ox; he was conquered by insanity; but, lifting up his eyes to heaven, he repented and was restored. 19. What then? If you repent and live a worthy life, will you not receive remission and the kingdom: for God is loving, swift to pardon, slow to punish. Even Peter retained his Apostolic dignity after three denials. 20. With so many examples, make confession, receive forgiveness, inherit the kingdom.
[i]
The reference to Babylon may indicate a minor error and a different Rahab… the
err, if any, is not worth elaborating.
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