Without worship of God and knowledge of God, there can be no truth. Just as true worship of God, which consists in fear, love, submission, obedience, humility, hope, and patience, is a witness to the knowledge of God, so the untrue, but only verbal and hypocritical worship of God is a sign of ignorance of God, as the Apostle teaches: "Whoever says, 'I have known Him,' but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and there is no truth in him (1 John 2:4).

Judge for yourself, for what reason do you revere and listen to the king, the ruler, the father and the master? Not because they are respectable people, otherwise all people should be honored and listened to: but because you recognize the king as your king, the ruler as your master, your father as your father, and your master as your master. What do you love and thank for the sake of your benefactor? Because you have him as your benefactor. What do you love for the sake of a merciful and kind person? Because you consider him as such. Why do you come to the rich and generous for the sake of almsgiving? Because you hope to get from him. Why do you seek help and protection from your defender in times of need? Because you trust in his power. Why are you afraid to anger a righteous ruler? Because you recognize him as such. Why do you not do anything unseemly before your superior, master, and father? Because you see them before you and do not dare to do so, so as not to offend and anger them.

Ради чего же Богу всего этого не воздаешь, если признаешь Его за Бога твоего, Царя твоего, Господа твоего, Отца твоего, Благодетеля твоего, Защитника и Помощника твоего? Или опять же почему немного более Богу то воздаешь, чем людям? Бог, как несравненно высший всех есть, так несравненно большего почитания достоин, нежели все и всякого звания люди.

Исповедуешь Бога – но почему не почитаешь Его как Бога?

Исповедуешь Его Царем и Господом своим– но почему не повинуешься Ему, как Царю и Господу своему?

Исповедуешь Его Отцом своим – но почему не любишь Его, как отца своего, и не показываешь Ему сыновнего послушания?

Исповедуешь Его Благодетелем своим – но почему не благодаришь, как благодетеля?

You confess Him to be your Defender, Helper and Deliverer – but why do you seek help, protection and deliverance in your need and sorrow not from Him, but from man?

You confess that God is everywhere and in every place, and sees all human deeds, and from His word you hear this—why do you not give Him honor and revere Him, as you do before your father, master, and authority?

You confess Him to be the righteous Judge – why do you not fear His righteous judgment and do not cease to sin? And so on.

You see that your heart and thought of God are not in agreement with your lips, and your deeds and life do not correspond to your confession. How can you say that you know God, and do not give God what His honor requires of you? If you know God as you say, but you do not worship Him as God, neither is your knowledge true without reverence, and so you are in blindness, darkness, and ignorance.

§ 54. Not only in his office to God, but also in his office to his neighbor, that is, to every person, the carnal and unenlightened man is blind. We see that a person does evil to his neighbor that he does not want for himself, and does not do the good that he wants for himself. We see how indignant and angry he is with him who offends him, curses him, curses him, blasphemes him, defames him, touches his bed, steals, steals, takes away what is done to him, and does him other offenses; but he himself is not ashamed to do the same evil or to repay evil for evil, and does not feel it. On the contrary, he wants his neighbor to have mercy on him, not to leave him in need, for example: he feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, clothes the naked, brings the stranger into the house and gives him rest, visits the sick and the imprisoned, and does other works of mercy to him – he wants this, this truth is indisputable – but he himself does not want to do this to his neighbors. We see this evil – self-love, untruth and blindness in Christians, who either silently pass by their neighbors in distress and as if they do not see them, or are not ashamed to answer: what do I care about him?

We see this self-love and unrighteousness in Christians: not only to do evil, but also not to do good to one's neighbors – there is untruth. And, what is worse, we see that many Christians steal, kidnap and deceive, flatter, lie, deceive, slander, slander, judge, scold, commit adultery and do other offenses to their neighbors, which they do not want to do to themselves, are not ashamed and are not afraid, as was said above. All this comes from blindness.

§ 55. In this office, that is, to one's neighbor, a person becomes blind because he does not heed the office of God, and in this position he becomes blind and erroneous. God commanded us not to do evil, so to do good to our neighbor. Therefore, a person, when he either does evil or does not do good to his neighbor, does not listen to the command of God, and does not revere the God who commands, does not fear, does not love; and so, not fulfilling his duty to his neighbor, he leaves his office to God. And from this it is evident that the duty to one's neighbor from the office to God is inseparable, and one cannot be fulfilled without the other. He does not honor God who forsakes his duty to his neighbor; he does not fear God, who is not afraid to do evil to his neighbor; and he does not love God who does not love his neighbor. The Apostle teaches us about this: "Whoever says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, is a liar (1 John 4:20). For God commanded to love thy neighbor: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matt. 22:39); – and again: "This I command you, that you love one another" (John 15:17). Therefore, whoever does not love his neighbor does not listen to God, Who commands him to love his neighbor, and so does not honor Him.