Therefore:

1) Both to the avoidance of evil and to the creation of good, we are equally obliged.

2) From this it follows that both what is forbidden to do and what is commanded not to do is contrary to the holy law of God, and therefore is a sin. For everything that is done against the law of God is sin. Sin is lawlessness, according to the testimony of the Apostle (1 John 3:4).

Not only for evil deeds, but also for neglect of good deeds, Christ sends Him into eternal fire. Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, he will say to those who will be on the left side in the day of his judgment. And why? For I hungered, and ye gave Me not to eat, and so forth (Matt. 25:41-42). This is taught by St. Basil the Great in his discourse on the judgment of God, and by St. Chrysostom in his discourse on the 3rd chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. From this it follows that those rich sin who do not give of their possessions to the poor who ask of them; likewise, others sin, who hide the gifts of God within themselves and do not benefit their neighbors, although they could. And these gifts are the very talents for which we should give an account to our Lord on the day of His righteous judgment (Matt. 25:14-30).

§ 13. Whoever wishes to read or listen to the word of God with spiritual benefit should note the following:

1) Since it is the most precious gift of God, it should be read or listened to with reverence, eagerness and diligence. If we listen to an earthly king or a lofty man who addresses us and converses with us, with attention, zeal, and reverence, how much more should we listen to God, Who is the King of kings and the Sovereign of princes, Who in His word addresses us and converses with us. When we pray to Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23), we turn to Him and converse with Him, in the same way, when we properly read His word or listen to His servant reading Him, we hear Him conversing with us.

2) One must listen to or read the word of God, not in order to be witty or eloquent, but in order to know God and Christ the Son of God and His holy will, and thus receive eternal salvation. This is the proper purpose of reading or hearing the word of God. For since it is given to us for the salvation of our souls, we must read or listen to it for this purpose.

3) To hide it in the heart, as a precious spiritual treasure, like the prophet David: "In my heart I have hidden Thy word, that I may not sin against Thee" (Psalm 118:11); to keep and learn day and night (Psalm 1:2), and so to nourish the soul as the body is nourished by bread, and even more. For just as the body weakens and disappears without food, so faith without the food of the word of God weakens, and then disappears. Or as a lamp without oil is extinguished, so faith and all piety without the word of God become impoverished and extinguished. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, just as we pour oil into a lamp so that it does not go out, so it is fitting to kindle and kindle faith from the word of God, so that it does not fade away, and so we do not lose all the spiritual bliss that consists in faith.

4) To think and not to doubt at all that to all people, so to me and to you, vile, poor, wretched, accursed and sinful, the great, almighty, holy and terrible God says in His word: I am the Lord Thy God: repent, believe, humble, love, endure, be meek, and so on. And this is what God says, Whom it is terrible not to listen to as a righteous man; how to insult the good and gracious Father pitifully; how not to honor a benefactor shamelessly; As omnipresent and omniscient, it is impossible to deceive. On the contrary, He turns His gaze to him who trembles at His word and shows His special mercy upon those who fear Him (Isaiah 66:2; Ps. 102:11).

5) Not to look at others, what they do, whoever they may be, but to hold on to the word of God alone and to learn what it teaches. For day by day faith and with faith love diminish in people, and temptations multiply, which shake our hearts and want to extinguish the faith that has been conceived.

6) Since our mind is blind without God's enlightenment, our will is not evil without God's grace, and our desire and effort are not strong without God's help, therefore we must fervently pray to God that He Himself enlighten our minds, correct our will, and help our desire and effort; imitating the divinely wise Psalmist, who in Psalm 118 fervently prayed that God would enlighten him and guide him on the path of His commandments, help and lead him along the path of truth.

One should approach the Word of God with prayer, read or listen to it with prayer, and finish reading with prayer and thanksgiving. Therefore, in the church assembly, before the beginning of the reading of the word of God, that is, the Epistle and the Gospel, we pray and at the end of the reading we thank God for this great gift of His. Those who begin to read or listen to the word of God can pray with the Psalmist in the following way: Open my spiritual eyes, and I will see the wonders of Thy law, O Lord. I am a stranger on earth, hide not from me Thy commandments (Psalm 118:18-19). Or thus: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, open my mind to understand Thy holy word, as Thou didst open Thy apostle" (cf. Luke 24:45). Or pray as God's grace bestows on whom.

He who reads and hears the word of God must also pray and stir up prayer by reasoning about what is being read. For example, one who reads or hears the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-12) should pray to Christ, the Author of true beatitudes, that the root of the beatitudes, the true and living faith, may be planted and strengthened in his heart, for from faith flow sweet fruits, that is, spiritual poverty, tenderness, meekness, thirst for righteousness, love with fruits, sincerity and simplicity, and so on.

To him who reads or hears the word of Christ: Not everyone who says to Me: "Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21), – we must also remember that just as it is true and proper to call upon God, so we cannot do the will of God without God: "Without Me you can do nothing," says God Himself (John 15:5). Reflecting on this, we can add the following prayer to the reading of this word: "Lord, vouchsafe me, a sinner, to call upon Thee in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23); Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God (Psalm 142:10), that by thus calling upon Thee, and following Thy holy will, I shall be saved according to Thy true promise: Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13)."