Chapter 2.

On addiction or habit to sin

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, and the leopard his spots? In the same way, can you do good, having become accustomed to doing evil?

(Jeremiah 13:23)

§ 46. As long as a person is not tempted by sin, he approaches it not without fear, and after sinning his conscience torments him greatly. Thus, some themselves prefer to be killed rather than to kill those who attack them. Thus, theft, embezzlement, fornication, and other iniquities are first approached, not without shame and fear. For conscience and reason, enlightened by the grace of God, shines in man like a candle before sinning and shows him the abomination of sin and the wrath of God that follows sin, which is why man is afraid to dare to sin. But as soon as he sins and dares to do the same several times, it is already convenient for him to proceed to that lawless deed; and the more he sins, the more easily he dares to do so.

"Sin," says St. John Chrysostom, "while it begins, has a certain shame; but when it is accomplished, then He makes those who do it more shameless" (Discourse 10 on the Acts of the Apostles). For the mind, darkened by sin, like darkness, and the conscience, stained by the frequent repetition of sin, weakens in its accusatory action, although it never ceases to denounce even the most shameless; and like fire covered with rubbish, smoke, so it, although it is clogged with sins, nevertheless the smoke of God's wrath coming upon them does not cease to show and proclaim.

§ 47. From a delay in some sin or from the repeated repetition of a sin, an addiction or habit to sin is formed. Thus becomes addicted to drunkenness, theft, covetousness, fornication, slander, condemnation, and other iniquities.

§ 48. This addiction or habit is so strong that it is like the second nature of a person to what he is addicted to. "Great is the torment of custom," says St. Chrysostom, "and such is that it is built into the need of nature" (Discourse 7 on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians), since addiction takes root deep in the heart. And the more a person commits some sin and delays in it, the stronger the addiction deepens in his heart. Just as a tree, the more it grows, the more it puts its root into the ground, so the more sinful custom grows, the deeper its root is established in the human heart. But just as a tree, the larger it is, the more difficult it is to be pulled out of the ground, so the more the custom of sin is strengthened and established, the more difficult it is for a person to be freed from it, and not without God's help.

"Fierce warfare is to overcome custom," says Augustine in Psalm 30. And although it often happens that a person abstains from passion for a while; but by custom, as with a rope, he is attracted to the same vomit; And as fire is by the wind, so by the old custom the evil lust in him is fanned and kindled, and receives its power. We clearly see this truth in those who are accustomed to drunkenness. How bitterly many of these poor people, having sobered up, weep, weep, scold themselves, seeing their misfortune and the destruction of their souls, but on occasion, carried away by custom, turning again to passion, in this miserable, truly worthy state of weeping, they end their lives. As for the passion of drunkenness, so should we understand about other passions. We see that neither shame, nor human fear, nor the fear of God, nor the fear of earthly temporal judgment and punishment, nor the fear of God's judgment and eternal punishment, can turn thieves and covetous people away from wickedness; they would rather endure everything and perish than leave their delicacy. Of such it is said: They will not sleep unless they do evil; their sleep is lost (Prov. 4:16).

§ 49. Passion love is an inner and spiritual idolatry; for those who serve the passions revere them as idols, by the inner conquest of the heart. Thus, for those who please and serve the belly, God is the belly (Phil. 3:19); for the covetous, covetousness is idolatry, according to the teaching of the Apostle (Col. 3:5); those who serve mammon consider mammon to be the Lord (Matt. 6:24), and everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34); and whoever is overcome by someone is his servant (2 Peter 2:19).

For a sin-loving person, the sin he serves is like an idol. His sin-loving heart is like an abominable pagan temple, in which he offers sacrifice to this abominable image, for there is sin in his heart. Instead of bulls, rams, and other animals, he sacrifices his will and most willing obedience. And so, the more times a sinner deigns to commit the sin to which he is addicted, the more in his heart he denies Christ; and the more times he fulfills sin in deed, the more he offers sacrifice to that idol. No one can serve two masters, says the Lord (Matt. 6:24).

St. John Chrysostom teaches about this as follows: "Do not tell me that you do not worship a golden idol, but show me that you do not do what gold commands you. For the images of idolatry are different: one considers mammon to be the Lord, another the belly to be a god, another another most loving lust. You do not devour oxen with it, like the Greeks, but much worse, you stab your own soul; You do not kneel, you do not worship, but with great obedience you do everything that the belly, gold, and lusts are tormented by you. That is why the Greeks are vile, because they have deified our passions" (Discourse 6 on the Epistle to the Romans). How abominable and disastrous is sinful addiction! It is disgusting, for passion is revered as an idol instead of God. Miserable – for he who reveres it from Christ and God, in Whom our salvation is, denies it; and with great difficulty man is freed from this vile work. And what is more miserable, having become fossilized in this, many even in that age depart without repentance and hope of salvation and become eternal prisoners of hell and death.

§ 50. In order to get rid of this vile and difficult work for a person, it is useful to note and do: