About the Fear of God
November 7
(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Theodotos the Innkeeper)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
November 7
(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Theodotos the Innkeeper)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
Reading the lives of the saints, we often find accounts of many robbers, harlots, and other great sinners abandoning their evil lives, turning to God, becoming the most zealous servants of God, and subsequently, for their holy lives, even being granted the gift of miracles. Tell me, brethren, what was the reason that the aforementioned people turned from the enemy of our salvation to God, from sin to virtue, and from the path of destruction to the path of righteousness? We do not know which reason you will point to for all this, but we, for our part, believe that the main reason for the sinners' conversion to repentance and correction of their lives was the fear of God. Hearing this, you may ask: how is this evident? We answer that it is evident from the following examples.
The Holy Martyr Theodotos, called the Innkeeper [May 18], although the son of Christian parents, had wicked inclinations in his youth. He was very greedy and, for this purpose, opened a tavern — that is, as it is said in his life, a house of perdition. In the ancient times in which Theodotos lived, opening a tavern meant ensnaring people's souls to destruction, corrupting them, forcing them to eat and drink early, forgetting God, and ruining their honor and fortune. It was with this shameful purpose that Theodotos opened his tavern. How long he ran it out of greed, we do not know, but we do know that the word of Scripture was once fulfilled in Theodotos: "By the fear of the Lord, everyone departs from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). Once Theodotos came to his senses, remembered God, death, the Last Judgment, and hell, and the fear of God penetrated the sinner's heart, Theodotos immediately transformed the house of destruction into a house of salvation. From that time on, he began feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked in his tavern, and began to be a benefactor to the churches and their clergy. Then, in his spiritual progress, he grew from strength to strength, culminating in courageously confessing Christ before the persecutor of Christians, accepting terrible torments and death for Him, and with them, earning a martyr's crown.
Another example. Saint David, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates on September 6, was initially a robber: he committed much evil and killed many. He was, says the writer of his life, "like no one else was evil." One day, while resting on a mountain with his companions and reflecting on his life, he was horrified by his deeds, repented, and resolved to devote the rest of his days to serving God. Abandoning his accomplices, he came to a monastery and, as it is said, "began to strive for abstinence and restrain himself through humility. And all seventy monks in the monastery prospered." Such a turnaround for the better in David's life was brought about by the fear of God that touched his heart.
And from this it becomes clear, brethren, that this fear of God was truly the main reason for the conversion of all sinners to repentance and correction of their lives. And this truth, in addition to the examples cited, is also confirmed for us by Saint John Chrysostom. "If," he says, "we remember that God is present everywhere, hears everything, sees everything — not only our deeds and words, but also our intentions and thoughts — then we will not dare to do, say, or think anything unlawful."
In view of all this, let us constantly strive to establish the fear of God in our hearts. To this end, let us often imagine that there is an all-seeing and just God above us, that sooner or later death will overtake us all, that there is heaven and hell, and that in due time the Last Judgment of God will befall us. And of course, when we do this, nothing evil or ungodly will enter our minds, and we will begin to walk in the renewal of our lives. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Another example. Saint David, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates on September 6, was initially a robber: he committed much evil and killed many. He was, says the writer of his life, "like no one else was evil." One day, while resting on a mountain with his companions and reflecting on his life, he was horrified by his deeds, repented, and resolved to devote the rest of his days to serving God. Abandoning his accomplices, he came to a monastery and, as it is said, "began to strive for abstinence and restrain himself through humility. And all seventy monks in the monastery prospered." Such a turnaround for the better in David's life was brought about by the fear of God that touched his heart.
And from this it becomes clear, brethren, that this fear of God was truly the main reason for the conversion of all sinners to repentance and correction of their lives. And this truth, in addition to the examples cited, is also confirmed for us by Saint John Chrysostom. "If," he says, "we remember that God is present everywhere, hears everything, sees everything — not only our deeds and words, but also our intentions and thoughts — then we will not dare to do, say, or think anything unlawful."
In view of all this, let us constantly strive to establish the fear of God in our hearts. To this end, let us often imagine that there is an all-seeing and just God above us, that sooner or later death will overtake us all, that there is heaven and hell, and that in due time the Last Judgment of God will befall us. And of course, when we do this, nothing evil or ungodly will enter our minds, and we will begin to walk in the renewal of our lives. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
