7. In baptism a person acquires the freedom granted by Christ, so that he can perform works of freedom without compulsion, if he wishes. And he has the right to insist on his beloved self-will even after baptism, because it does not tolerate any compulsion. Neither God nor Satan can forcibly change a person's will, even after baptism. When the Lord says that the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away (Mt 11:12), He has in mind the will inherent in each person, and each of us must compel himself after baptism and not turn to evil, but properly adhere to the good. Even if we are coerced by the authorities, surely God, who gave Us freedom, will make us immovable in the face of violence.

8. There is no violence now. God Himself, by Baptism, freed us from slavery based on violence, abolished sin by His Cross and gave us the commandments of freedom. And to sin or not to sin is left to our will, since we know the commandments. If we keep the commandments, they provide us with the love of God, who has made us free. And if we neglect the commandments and reject them, we are only manifesting our unhealthy addiction to pleasure.

9. Whoever says, "We want to keep the commandments, but we cannot," sin rules over them even after baptism, commanding them at all times. Let such people know that their holy baptism has not yet been perfected, and that the Holy Spirit has not yet given them complete freedom from sin and power to keep all the commandments. Therefore, they are still subject to sin. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, says the Scriptures, has freed me from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2), abolishing it forever.

10. It is in our will either to bind ourselves again with the fetters of voluptuousness, or to be free through the fulfillment of the commandments. It happens that we hate sin, but an evil thought forcibly takes possession of our mind. Yes, it happens, I don't argue. But this is no longer a trace of Adam's sin, but of our contempt for the commandments after baptism. If, after cleansing in the font, we can keep the commandments, but do not do so, we are unwittingly possessed by sin and controlled until we repent and beg God to help us fulfill them, then He will cleanse us from the sin of contempt for the commandments.

11. There are two reasons for the action of evil in us, and for both we are to blame. One is the more powerful the more we neglect the commandments, and the other inevitably takes possession of us because of the iniquities committed after baptism. This act of evil can only be abolished by God, if we pray to Him by giving alms, saying prayers, and enduring the misfortunes that befall us. After all, all of the above gives us, albeit in a mysterious way, the grace of God granted in Baptism. The one who performs the feat always abstains and will not cease to abstain until the Lord destroys the "seed of Babylon."

12. Consider: there are twelve shameful passions. If you deign to love one of them, it will make up for the other eleven. Therefore, do not leave any sin unblotted, even if it is the smallest, so that it does not lead you later to a greater evil.

13. If you have begun to get along with evil, do not say that it does not possess you. As soon as you have contacted him, you are already defeated by him. An evil event is like a small net. If you start to get entangled in it even a little through negligence, you will soon become completely confused and suffocate. None of the virtues by themselves can open the door of the kingdom destined for us, but only all the virtues in their general interconnection. Whom a small evil easily defeats, a great one will inevitably enslave him. And whoever despises all evil, fights against it with God's help.

5. From St. Diadochos

Abstinence is the general name for all virtues. He who is temperate is abstinent in everything. If even a small part of the body is damaged, then the whole person will no longer be whole, even if the damage is small. In the same way, he who neglects even one virtue destroys all abstinence, as if it had never existed.

2. It is necessary not only to be diligent in bodily virtues, but also to be able to purify our inner man. For what is the use of keeping the body a virgin, if the soul commits adultery with a demon through disobedience?

3. What reward does one count on who restrains gluttony and all bodily desires, but does not notice his own self-conceit and vanity?

4. May the reliable bond of the future judgment reveal in God's light the destiny of man, so that there may be no omissions and losses, and may it justify those who do works of righteousness in a spirit of humility.

6. From St. Maximus

After the Resurrection, the Lord said to the Apostles: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20). Every person who is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, must fulfill the entire Gospel. The Lord connected the keeping of all the commandments with the right faith precisely because He knew the impossibility of man's salvation if even one of them was omitted.