Letter Two

Truly and righteously you answer: the great love of God is that He Himself came to seek and save (Matthew 18:11) man. Here we can righteously proclaim the well-known words of the Psalmist: "Lord, what is man, that Thou hast revealed Thyself to him, or the son of man, that Thou thinkest of him" (Psalm 143:3)?

A wondrous creation of God is man! Created differently from other things. Of all things it is written, God said, and it came to pass; commanded, and it was created (Psalm 32:9). It's not like that about a person, but what? Let us create man. Thus the Triune God advised; as if God intended to do some great deed, He said: Let us make man. What kind of person? In our image and likeness we shall create (Genesis 1:26). Man was honored with great and high honor by his Creator at the time of creation, so that it cannot be higher. All creatures are witnesses to the omnipotence and wisdom of God, but man, moreover, is honored by the image of God and created by His special counsel. Let us learn, brother, our primitive nobility, dignity and superiority.

When this wondrous creature of God, because of the cunning of the serpent and his disobedience, was dishonored and perished – which we cannot mourn – the goodness of God again appeared upon him, again honored him miraculously, again exalted him. How? God Himself, his Creator, came to seek and save him. He did not send an angel or an archangel, but He Himself entered into this work, He Himself put on human flesh, and lived on earth, and suffered, and died for man. You see the goodness of God, you also see the dignity of man. God Himself came for his sake, who was lost, so that the more a man was dishonored by the cunning of the serpent, the more honorable and exalted he was by his Creator.

Glory to God, Who was so well pleased! Glory to God, Who came to save us! May the glory of the Lord be forever!

Let us worship God, Who has come to save us sinners, and let us honor Him with true faith and a grateful heart: let us turn from creation to our Creator, and from the vain world to our God, and let us love Him, and seek Him, and serve Him with a pure heart, so that we may not appear ungrateful.

Save yourself.

Letter Three

To the incomprehensible love for mankind of the Son of God and to the high honor of the human race, it is also necessary that the Apostle wrote: "He does not receive angels, but the seed of Abraham" (Hebrews 2:16). That is, the Son of God, desiring to save us, was made flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones, and became like us in all things, except sin; The Son of God became the son of man, and God is unchangeable by man. Therefore we see in His holy Gospel that He repeatedly called Himself the Son of man, out of love for us and out of humility, because of which He is not ashamed to call people brethren, saying: "I will declare Thy name to My brethren" (Hebrews 2:11, 12). For this reason He also made God, His Heavenly Father, our Father, and commanded Him to be called His Father, saying: "Thus pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). And after the resurrection He said to His disciples: "I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17).

Glory to God, Who has so highly honored us, the unworthy! Glory to the Son of God, Who has become like us – for our sake! Let us also honor the Lord, Who has honored us, so that we may also be vouchsafed eternal honor from Him by His grace.

Save yourself.

Fourth Letter