What should man do to draw near to the Image of God?
Humankind is created in the image and likeness of God. Ideally, throughout their life, a Christian should strive for theosis. But how exactly is this achieved?
One of the foundational stones in the work of salvation is renunciation of the world. Without it, salvation is impossible. This stone is laid at the very beginning of the path. Its essence is: "withdraw from the earth," meaning from worldly vanity, excessive accumulation, verbosity, and meaningless fuss. Neither fleeing to a monastery, nor the desert, nor a cell, nor even seclusion from the hustle and bustle can save. "Unless you learn to rise above the vanity within yourself, you will suffer damage anywhere."
To renounce the world within oneself, it is necessary to create an appropriate internal background and disposition. The life structure of Christians is diametrically opposed to the spirit of modern consumer civilization, this ideology of materializing the person, turning them into an anonymous numbered object, where their "self" is merely a tool for manipulation by politicians, military, and sales managers.
The world cultivates in a person an insatiable hunger for possessing things, a thirst for acquisition—this is the quality that kills our love for God. This is why it is so important to build an internal barrier, so that, living in the epicenter of an apostate civilization, we are not harmed by it.
When the world needs to compel a person to do something against their will, it uses only one weapon—fear and violence. In some cases, this is preceded by an attempt to bribe.
From the earliest times to the present day, the fathers teach the same thing: "Live in the world as if in the desert," "Love everyone and associate with no one, except when you see that a person is pious and fears God. But even with them, associate in moderation and only from time to time," "While living among the world and people, be as if you are living in the desert and seeing no one," "Live in the world as if you are not there and never were: seeing, do not see, and hearing, do not hear."
Saint Theophan the Recluse, when leaving his house, set a goal for himself: "not to be impressed by anything," and he succeeded: "There is a state," he writes, "when a person, hearing, does not hear, and seeing, does not see. This is the condition you need to cultivate in your heart. Then, even if cannons fire, you will not hear."
"Friendship with the world" is not a lack of asceticism or life as such – it is always "enmity against God." Concessions and service to the spirit of this world are sacrifices on the altar of materialism, militarism, and selfish humanism of pagan offerings. Secularization has become the main weapon of the devil in the pre-apocalyptic time.
"The image and measure of the foretold apostasy are fully realized in modern humanity; the universal departure from God on our planet has now established itself in all areas of life," writes Elder Joseph of Vatopedi.
In our world, we live by the rules of a game invented by the devil. It is woven from patches of numerous cells named "success," "prosperity," "beauty," "fashion," "sexuality," "public opinion," "rating," "business", "career", "science", "status", "civic duty and obligation" – there are millions of them. Deceived humanity believes that the rules, guidelines, opinions, and orientations of this game are true and correct.
Rarely does anyone think that it is possible to live differently. The synapses of our brain have been fenced off by Satan with red flags, beyond which lies a forbidden zone: this is "not accepted," this is "not allowed," or "you must," "you are obligated." We owe nothing in this world to anyone but God and our parents. All of these are inventions created by the devil.
Christians are people who do not play by the rules. Particularly illustrative in this regard is the ascetic feat of the holy fools, who completely disregarded all accepted social rules and norms.
The feat of holy foolishness is too high for us. We are offered a slightly different, though related, model of life. Let’s call it pilgrimage. The essence of this model is to despise all the imposed sinful rules of this world. For this, we must learn not to look back at people, at their opinions, at what "people will say" or "think", or at "what will happen to me because of this." All these fears are only in our heads; they are the devil's markers to make us afraid to break taboos. In reality, none of this exists. There is only us, God, and His commandments.
“If a person does not put in his heart that apart from himself and God, there is no one else in the world, he will not be able to find peace in his soul. If I had not destroyed everything, I would not have recreated myself” (Abba Alonius).
The Apostle Paul is no less radical than Christ: “If you do not count all worldly things as garbage (in the original – 'dung'), you will not gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8). It will not be possible to put your life in order until the right hierarchy of values is established. If at the top of this hierarchy there is no pursuit of "the Kingdom of God and His righteousness", then the whole life will be a failure, even with apparent successes in particular areas. Thus, chasing "particulars," we often lose the most important thing – heartfelt prayer.
Elder Ieronymos of Aegina instructed his disciples as follows: “Watch your mind. Do not bind yourself with anything. I even regret the churches I built because I burdened my mind with many worries and hindered it from praying. Intensely watch your mind. Do not burden yourself with grief, meaningless problems, or anything else. In water, if it is clean and calm, you can see a pin at the bottom. So it is with the mind.”
In asceticism, the central principle is the renunciation of all that is unnecessary. Those who seek encounters with God, beginning with restrictions in food and sleep, entertainment and socializing, naturally progress to taming their emotional impulses, thoughts, and imaginations. This process extinguishes the flashes of emotions that disturb the heart. Bodily asceticism is dead without spiritual asceticism. Asceticism is the practical implementation of the Christian idea of an inverted scale of values (see the Sermon on the Mount by the Savior).
A person of the world lives for themselves, whereas a person of Christ is oriented towards self-sacrifice. For this reason, there can be no "easy" Christianity, and no "comfortable" path to salvation. The rejection of asceticism in liberal Christianity is an attempt to make the path of the Cross convenient, painless, and peaceful – it is a step backward, away from Christ.
Asceticism is not a privilege of monasticism; it is the essence of the path to salvation.
Connected with this is the resolute renunciation of all things and means beyond real necessity, mercilessly getting rid of everything superfluous. This especially applies to luxury items. The ascetic principle demands extreme modesty and simplicity in everything—from a pen or hairpin to clothing and surroundings.
Anyone wishing to be saved must constantly monitor their inner inclinations: has an interest arisen in what society esteems prestigious and fashionable? Has envy crept in? Is there a desire to acquire new things beyond what is necessary – whether it be a car or clothing? The essence lies not in the price of things but in our attitude towards them, which indicates the extent of our enslavement to the world. Hence, "woe to you who are rich"! Here, it is not about the balance in the bank but about the inclination towards any, even trivial, accumulation.
In contemplative prayer, a person cannot perceive the hidden until they are liberated from the visible and their concepts of it. Want to find God? Then first, "leave behind your phones, internet, communication, verbosity, all the hustle..." teaches Porphyrios Kavsokalyvitis. But "to the extent that a person cuts off the comforts of this world from themselves, to that extent they are deemed worthy of joy in the Holy Spirit." "Strive not to be without God for a single moment of your life, and then you will always be safe," "As much as a person loves God and remembers Him, so much God loves and remembers that person."
Only when the holy peace of Christ begins to touch the soul will the first signs of grace appear – the soul is called to double its guard.
The slightest breath of this lustful world will immediately blow it away. Grace is the subtlest breath of the Holy Spirit, extremely sensitive to everything impure, and immediately withdraws from the soul for the slightest transgression, for a word of condemnation, for gossip, for overindulgence, for an outburst of anger or a lustful thought.
One can "drive away" grace with a single glance, mood, or slight movement of psychic energy towards evil. The most important task of a Christian is to halt this. Therefore, we need to be continuously attentive and careful. Always. Until the very moment when the soul separates from the body.
