Sins are usually called not only sinful deeds, i.e. actions, deeds, words, thoughts, feelings that are contrary to the commandments of God, the Christian moral law, but often also the causes of sinful deeds - the passions and sinful habits of the human soul, as contrary to God's plan for man, distorting the perfection of human nature, created in the likeness of God. We are reminded of our sins by daily prayers at home: the evening prayer to the Holy Spirit, the daily confession of sins at the end of evening prayers, as well as the fourth prayer before Holy Communion: "For at Thy dreadful and impartial judgment seat..." (not placed, however, in all prayer books), and others. In most manuals for those preparing for the sacrament of confession, sins are distributed according to the Ten Commandments of the Law of God and the commandments of the Gospel. An example of confession built on this principle is contained, for example, in the book "The Experience of Building a Confession" by Archimandrite John Krestyankin (published by the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, 1992). This manual is especially valuable because it represents the living word of the pastor to our Christian contemporaries. In it one can find sins characteristic of our time. It should be noted that the Gospel understanding of the commandments of the Law of God, given through the prophet Moses to the ancient people of Israel, is much more extensive and profound than the Old Testament. Sin is considered to be the violation of the commandment not only by deed, but also by thought and desire. However, the last, tenth commandment, as if preparing the Old Testament people for a perfect understanding of the Law, says: "Thou shalt not covet." In the appendix to this book we place a fairly complete and detailed enumeration of sins in the "General Confession".

Sins Against God

The entire multitude of human sins can be conditionally divided into sins against God, against neighbors, and against one's own soul. Here we will point out only a few sins, because not only to describe, but also simply to enumerate all their multitude is not part of the task of this book, and it is impossible.

Modern people for the most part have forgotten about God, have forgotten or did not know the way to the temple of God at all, at best they have only heard about prayer. But if we are believers, then did we not hide our faith for the sake of false shame and fear of people? If so, then did not the Lord say of us: "Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man also be ashamed, when He shall come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38)? One of the most serious sins is deliberate abuse of God and faith, blasphemy and murmuring of God. For the latter sin, the demoniac and a significant number of the insane are subjected to their illness. Blasphemy. We commit this sin when we speak mockingly of the various beliefs of the Church and her sacred customs, of which we understand nothing; Likewise, when we do not stand up for the faith, hearing knowingly false and unscrupulous reproaches against it. False oath; constant and irreverent godliness. In the latter, the absence of the fear of God in man and disregard for the greatness of God are manifested. We also sin against God in that we do not fulfill our vows to reform or pious vows to undertake some podvig or perform a work of charity. For this, the Lord often sends the sinful soul a feeling of heavy despondency or as if groundless anger, anguish or fear - so that it, remembering the unfulfilled vow, will repent and correct its sin. By the fact that we do not attend church services. Christians should attend the services of the Holy Church, at least on Sundays and feast days, and if we do not do this, we sin before God. It is unwise to comfort oneself with the thought that most people do not attend church at all. According to the rules of the Holy Apostles, those who were absent from church for three weeks in a row were completely excommunicated from church communion. By the fact that we do not pray every day at home. Apart from the fact that this is our duty, we must fulfill this duty as a Christian, a son of the Church, if we do not want to be only a plaything of passions: either debauchery, or drunkenness, or covetousness, or despondency, for only with a constant struggle against oneself and through the grace given to the worshippers can a person correct his life. And if he does not pray and does not resort to the Church, then his sinful vices will remain with him, no matter how beautiful the words about salvation and purification from passions he may say. We sin greatly before God when we are carried away by various mystical and occult teachings, when we show interest in foreign and pagan sects, which have especially multiplied at the present time. We also sin in sympathy with the belief in the transmigration of souls, which came from the ancient pagan Hindus, theosophy, and astrology. Also superstition. Apart from the many superstitions we have inherited from our pagan ancestors, we are often carried away by the absurd superstitions of modern educated society: more and more new fictions and fantastic theories, accepted only at the demand of fashion. Sin before God is also neglect of one's soul. Forgetting God, we forget our soul together with Him and do not heed it. It is impossible to pay attention to one's soul except by opening it before God, praying to Him, and reverently before Him.

Sins against Neighbors

Through forgetfulness of God and negligence about our souls, we often inflict spiritual harm on our neighbors. A particularly grave sin is the gross insult of parents, the constant insults inflicted on them. The Lord said to Moses: "Whosoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death" (Exodus 21:17). And this death sentence to those who curse their parents is confirmed by the Saviour, precisely as a commandment of God (Matt. 15:4; Mk. 7:10). Similar to this sin is the insolence of the disciples in relation to the teachers. Offenses inflicted on neighbors. By offense we must understand not only that which angers a person, but even more that which harms him, and most of all harms his soul. We offend our neighbors when we advise them something bad, vicious; when we ridicule their good qualities: chastity or modesty, obedience to parents, conscientiousness in service or in teaching. In doing so, we make ourselves even more grievous sinners before God than thieves and robbers. But even more criminal are those who tempt an innocent person to sin, using efforts, sometimes long, for this. When we instill doubts in the faith in the hearts of our neighbors, we ridicule their piety, we discourage them from prayer and church, we sow discord between brothers, spouses, co-workers, or comrades. All those who act in this way are helpers and servants of the devil, who receives a strong power over them, because they themselves have given themselves in obedience to his will. Such is the slander of one's neighbors in conversations with people and in the press, as well as condemnation without the certainty that one's neighbors are really guilty. Sin against one's neighbor is hatred, schadenfreude instead of compassion. This sin is similar to murder (1 John 3:15). Rancor, even if it is not expressed in vindictiveness. It counts our prayers as worthless, according to the word of the Lord (Mark 11:24-26), and shows that our heart is filled with all self-love and self-justification. Disobedience is also a sin against one's neighbors - in the family, at school or at work. Sin in the universe began with disobedience; disobedience is followed by a multitude of new evils: laziness, deceit, insolence against parents or superiors, the search for sensual pleasures, theft, rejection of the fear of God, robbery and murder, rejection of faith itself. Evil feelings of disobedience, and especially of rancor and schadenfreude, grow in the soul that loves to condemn. Along with the habit of needlessly condemning people, we develop a delight in the shortcomings of our neighbors, and then an unwillingness to recognize something good in them, and from here it is close to schadenfreude and rancor.

Sins against one's own soul

We also turn out to be unworthy masters of our own soul, which God has given us in order to make it capable of serving Him and our neighbors. A soul that has submitted to God is always dissatisfied with itself and reproaches itself, except for direct violations of God's commandments, for not zealously fulfilling them. The sin of laziness. We try to go to the church where the service ends first, we shorten our prayers, we are lazy to visit the sick or prisons, according to God's commandment, we do not care about charity, mercy and service to our neighbors - in a word, we are lazy to "work for the Lord" (Acts 20:19) selflessly, unselfishly. We like to engage in idle talk when it is time to work, we like to visit houses where there is nothing useful or pleasing for the soul, in order only to kill time, instead of profitably occupying it. Idle talk forms the habit of lying, not caring about the truth, but saying what is pleasing to the ear. And this is not an unimportant matter: all the bad deeds in the world are seasoned with lies and slander. It is not for nothing that Satan is called the father of lies. Flattery is born from the habit of lying. In human society, this instrument of all earthly acquisitions has become commonplace. The opposite sin of flattery is the habit of swearing, which is so common now, especially among young people. Abusive words coarse the soul and offend the interlocutors. The Lord is especially angry with those who call their neighbors by the names of evil spirits. A Christian who values his salvation will not say such words. The sin of impatience. A good half of our quarrels and sorrows in the family, at work, in society, arise from the fact that we did not try to restrain for a few minutes the feeling of irritation at someone's carelessness or malfunction, or at the offense caused to us. The feat of patience is also necessary for the observance of fasts, for the violation of which a Christian is excommunicated by councils for two years from Holy Communion; their observance is the best way to curb the passions, acquire virtues and acquire a disposition for prayer and spiritual reading. According to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, any sin deprives a person of the grace of God, makes him alien to God, and - as a consequence of this alienation - deprives him of spiritual life. It is possible to be healed from sinful death only by bringing sincere repentance. Repentance is not just repentance for individual sinful actions, but the rejection of one's former sinful life, built on the principles of self-love and self-gratification, and the choice to live "according to God," according to the will of God, in doing God's commandments. True Christian life begins with repentance and must be imbued with a repentant mood. No cures for sinful ailments are ineffective and useless if they are not dissolved by repentance. For every person who seeks salvation, to find this difficult and painful path is the only thing that is required. "The way of repentance... sanctified by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, shining from the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers...", writes St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. - On the path of repentance you will not find satisfaction with yourself. Looking inward, you will not find anything flattering to your self-esteem. You will be comforted by your weeping and your tears, your consolation will be lightness and freedom of conscience. Such is the lot and inheritance set apart by God for those whom He has chosen for spiritual, true service to Himself" (from the letter). But there are sinful illnesses of the soul, associated with false views of piety and of life in general, which hinder repentance and thus place man, in essence, outside the Church, outside the society of those who are being saved. These are the essence of the following. Unbelief and lack of faith. Unbelief is a conscious stubborn rejection of the truths of faith. It is necessary to distinguish between real unbelief and doubt and imaginary doubt, which often occurs from suspiciousness. The sin of unbelief or lack of faith is also doubt in the sacraments of the Church. Self-deception and delusion. It is an imaginary closeness to God and to anything Divine and supernatural in general. Christians who are zealous for outward feats are sometimes subjected to self-deception. Surpassing their acquaintances in the feats of fasting and prayer, they already imagine themselves to be spectators of Divine visions, or at least of grace-filled dreams; in all cases of their lives, they see special, deliberate instructions from God or a guardian angel, and then they imagine themselves to be God's special chosen ones and often try to predict the future. The Holy Fathers do not arm themselves against anything so ardently as against this very affliction – spiritual delusion. This fatal disease has spread especially in our time, since the end of the last century: the Ioannites, the Churikovites and similar followers of the newly-appeared "prophets" and "Christs". A prolonged concealment of sin. Such a miserable state of the human soul is associated with the fear of consciousness of sin and is most often the result of sins that are either very shameful and filthy (unnatural, according to the seventh commandment, such as incest, bestiality, childbearing) or criminal: murder, infanticide, theft, robbery, attempted poisoning, malicious slander out of jealousy or envy, instilling hatred towards loved ones, incitement of neighbors against the Church and faith, and the like. As a result of false shame or fear, a person who has committed a sin sometimes suffers all his life, considering himself lost for salvation. And he can really destroy his soul if, for example, sudden death deprives him of the opportunity to repent. This sinful illness entails another, no less, evil - lying at confession. Despair. Often this feeling oppresses a person after irreparable sins, for example: infanticide or destruction of a fetus, causing irreparable harm to someone, misfortune; Despair always has in it the hidden poison of pride or self-love, as if the beginning of some kind of murmuring and reproach to God's providence, an embittered feeling against God or against people. Carelessness and petrified insensibility. This is the opposite of despair. It is manifested, for example, in the fact that people commit grave sins - such as fornication, inflicting offenses on their wives and parents, deception, the complete removal of their lives from the temple of God - and confess this, but with a light heart, do not realize the perniciousness of these sins and do not think of starting a struggle with them. Self-justification and blaming others. The spirit of self-justification is one of the greatest enemies of our salvation. Whether we are saved or far from salvation is determined not by the number of our sins, but by the ability to admit guilt and sinners, the degree of contrition for our sins. Likewise, by the offenses inflicted on us by our neighbors, by the injustice done to us, we are by no means justified before God, but we are responsible for our own faults and passions, with which we have sinned. The readiness to blame oneself for everything, and not others, is the opposite of self-justification - this is a great virtue, which not only exalts a person in the eyes of God, but also attracts the hearts of people to him.

The Passions, Their Sinful Deeds and Some Cures Against Them

Repentance consists not only in the confession of sinful deeds, but most of all in the desire and striving to be freed from the sinful states that captivate us, i.e. the passions. It is important to see and confess your sins in deed, word, and thought. But for the healing of the soul from sinful ailments, it is far from enough to limit oneself to repentance for individual sinful actions. To fight only against the sins found in actions is as unsuccessful as cutting the weeds that appear in the garden, instead of uprooting them and throwing them away. The teaching on the healing of the soul is usually placed by the ancient Fathers in relation to the main passions, the name and number of which are the same for the majority of teachers of asceticism. In the Holy Fathers, they are arranged in a certain order, which is not at all accidental, since there is an internal connection between the passions. "Evil passions and impiety are not only introduced through one another, but are also similar to one another," teaches St. Gregory Palamas. The main passions are as follows: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sorrow, despondency, vanity, and pride. This scheme does not exhaust all the passions existing in the fallen world. But to the enumerated main vices can be reduced every passionate movement of the human soul. Pdp. John Cassian even presents a kind of "genealogical table" of all the other "most famous" vices (see: Conversations of the Egyptian Ascetics, Discourse 5, §16). In this book we present a description of the eight main passions and their opposite virtues in their manifestations (deeds), compiled by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) on the basis of the teaching of the Holy Fathers. The ascetic fathers also give advice regarding the healing of the passions, both general and for each passion separately. The first general cure for any passion is to recognize its sinfulness and perniciousness, and to recognize oneself as suffering from this passion, spiritually ill and in need of healing. The second remedy should be "righteous anger" at the passion itself. That is why the Creator has instilled in us the ability to be angry, in order to direct this feeling to our sins, to our passions, and to the devil, and not at our neighbors, nor against our enemies, nor against those who hate us... By these means the passion is weakened, but not completely killed. The struggle with passion cannot be easy and short. And the main means in this struggle is prayer to the Lord for help in our battle and for healing. Then it is necessary to struggle with the very manifestations of passion, to refrain from manifestations of it: sinful thoughts, words, deeds and deeds. In waging a struggle against passion, against sinful disposition, it is necessary to take care of instilling in the soul a virtue that is the opposite of this passion. The variety of all possible sinful states and manifestations of the human soul is infinite, so below we will dwell only on the main and most widespread, and speaking of their healing, we do not at all have the goal of exhausting all means, but will point out only the main ones, for the variety of human characters, positions and moods is also infinite. In each specific case, one must follow the advice of a spiritual father who knows both our external circumstances and the internal structure of the soul.

Anger

The angry passion in us is betrayed by our frequent quarrels with our family and those with whom we have to constantly come into contact in everyday life. We are usually angry at not following our orders, at any insufficiently polite word or attitude towards us. For the most part, anger is not an independent passion in the human heart - it expresses the dissatisfaction of another passion or even random desires. Anger often exposes other passions that live in a person. In the vain and covetous, anger is expressed in envy, in the profligate in jealousy, in the gluttonous in captiousness, and so on. The passion of anger, which possesses a person for a long time, if he does not bring tearful repentance for it, often turns into hatred - the most abominable sin in the eyes of God, for he who hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15). The opposite virtue to anger is angerlessness and the meekness associated with it. Great is the gain of angerlessness: you will gain many friends for yourself by this gift - both in heaven and on earth... The most effective, although bitter at the first intake, remedy for anger and irritability is to ask for forgiveness after a quarrel. It is bitter, but bitter only for the proud. And if it seems so intolerable, then this exposes another serious disease in a person - pride.

Pride and vanity

The sin of pride among modern people, for the most part, is their permanent state and is not considered a sin at all, but is called "self-esteem", "honor", etc. Of course, our contemporaries are not the only ones who suffer from pride: only the saints are free from it, and the descendants of Adam, who did not crucify their passions, carry this burden on themselves and must fight until they are freed from its burden. Pride has two varieties - vanity and internal, or spiritual, pride. The first passion is chasing human praise and celebrity. The second is a more subtle and more dangerous feeling: it is full of confidence in its own merits, so that it does not want to seek human praise. Conceited thoughts often appear even in reverent and humble in heart, even in their God-pleasing deeds. In such cases, one must continue to do a useful deed, and for the thoughts of vanity that burst into the soul, reproach oneself and act against them. Not only the Lord, but also reasonable observers of life always see who is working for the cause, and who is out of vanity. We must always examine our conscience to see if the impulse of vanity has participated in our deeds, and then to repent of this sin, and not to abandon our works. Spiritual pride is manifested in exalting oneself over others. Struggling with this passion, it is necessary to remind oneself of one's many sins and passions at any manifestation of it. It is especially important to force yourself to ask for forgiveness, to endure punishment without a murmur.