In Orthodoxy there are 7 deadly sins. They are considered the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, fornication, envy, gluttony, anger and despondency, leading to more serious sins and the death of the soul. The list of mortal sins is based not on biblical, but on theological texts that appeared much later.

Pride

Pride - this most terrible of the 7 deadly sins - is preceded by such spiritual diseases as pride, arrogance, boasting, hypocrisy, vanity, arrogance, arrogance, etc. All these “diseases” are the result of the same spiritual “deviation” - unhealthy attention to your person. In the process of developing pride, a person first develops vanity, and the difference between these two types of spiritual illness is approximately the same as between a teenager and an adult man.

So how can people become sick with pride?

All people love goodness: cases of manifestation of virtue and examples of love evoke only approval from everyone. The child is pleased when his parents praise him for his diligence and success, and the baby tries to do even better, which is right. Encouragement is very important point in raising children, but, as one would expect, many, in their sinful nature, deviate from the plan: for example, a thirst for praise can also “help” a person deviate from the right path. Achieving praise, another person can do great things, but he will do this not for the sake of the worthy deeds themselves, but for the sake of the impression they make on others. This kind of sentiment leads to hypocrisy and hypocrisy.

Pride originates in self-confidence with the exaltation of everything that is “mine” and the rejection of what is “not mine.” This sin, like no other, is an excellent breeding ground for hypocrisy and lies, as well as for such feelings as anger, irritation, enmity, cruelty and related crimes. Pride is a rejection of God’s help, despite the fact that it is the proud one who especially needs the help of the Savior, since no one except the Most High Himself can heal his spiritual illness.

Over time, the vain person's mood deteriorates. He is preoccupied with everything except his own correction, since he does not see his shortcomings, or finds reasons to justify his behavior. He begins to greatly exaggerate his life experience and abilities and craves recognition of his superiority. Moreover, he reacts very painfully to criticism or even disagreement with his opinion. In disputes, he perceives any independent opinion as a challenge to himself, and his aggressiveness begins to meet rebuff and opposition from others. Stubbornness and irritability increase: a vain person believes that everyone interferes with him only out of envy.

On last stage With this spiritual illness, a person’s soul becomes dark and cold, as anger and contempt take up residence in it. His mind becomes darkened to such an extent that he is no longer able to distinguish good from evil, since these concepts are replaced by the concepts of “mine” and “someone else’s.” In addition, he begins to be burdened by the “stupidity” of his bosses and it becomes increasingly difficult for him to recognize other people’s priorities. He needs to prove his superiority like air, that’s why it hurts him when it’s not him who is right. He perceives the success of another person as a personal insult.

Greed

The Lord revealed to people how to overcome the love of money - with the help of charity. Otherwise, with our entire lives we show that we value earthly wealth more highly than incorruptible wealth. The greedy one seems to be saying: goodbye immortality, goodbye Heaven, I choose this life. Thus we exchange a valuable pearl, which is eternal life, for a counterfeit trinket - immediate gain.

God introduced systematic donations as a prevention against evil, whose name is greed. Jesus saw that the love of money drives true piety out of the heart. He knew that the love of money hardens and cools hearts, discourages generosity, and makes a person deaf to the needs of the disadvantaged and suffering. He said: “See, beware of covetousness. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Thus, greed is one of the most common sins of our time, having a paralyzing effect on the soul. The desire to get rich occupies people's thoughts, the passion for accumulating money kills all noble motives in a person and makes them indifferent to the interests and needs of other people. We have become insensitive, like a piece of iron, but our silver and gold have rusted, as they corrode the soul. If charity grew as our wealth grew, we would consider money only a means for doing good.

Fornication

In the life of a baptized person, it would seem, there should not be even a hint of this grave sin. After all, the Apostle Paul already wrote in his “Epistle to the Ephesians”: “But fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness must not even be mentioned among you.” But in our days, the depravity of this world has so dulled the moral feelings of Christians that even those raised in the Orthodox faith allow divorces and premarital affairs.

A fornicator is considered worse than a harlot. It is much harder for a fornicator to part with his sin than for a harlot. The vileness of his fornication is that he expects impunity. In contrast to the fornicator, the harlot woman always risks, in particular her reputation.

Currently, people have lost the sense of sin more than ever in the history of mankind. The greats of this world have worked hard to erase him from the consciousness of people. The commandments of God have always outraged the evil one, and it is no coincidence that crime is now growing in various countries, and in some of them even the sin of sodomy - sodomy - is not considered something reprehensible, and same-sex relationships are receiving official status.

Envy

Envy is a desecration of nature itself, damage to life, enmity against everything that God has given us, and therefore resistance to the Creator. There is no more destructive passion than envy in the human soul. Just as rust eats away iron, so envy eats up the soul in which it lives. In addition, envy is one of the most insurmountable types of enmity. And if good deeds incline other ill-wishers to meekness, then a good deed done to an envious person only irritates him.

With envy, as a weapon, the devil, the first destroyer of life, has wounded and overthrown man since the beginning of the world. From envy comes the death of the soul, alienation from God and the deprivation of all the blessings of life to the joy of the evil one, who himself was struck by the same passion. Therefore, envy must be guarded with special zeal.

But when envy has already taken possession of the soul, it leaves it only after it has driven it to complete recklessness. And let a man sick with envy give alms, lead a sober life and fast regularly, but if at the same time he envies his brother, then his crime is enormous. The envious person seems to live in death, considering those around him to be his enemies, even those who have not offended him in any way.

Envy is full of hypocrisy, therefore it is a terrible evil that fills the Universe with disasters. From envy the passion for acquisition and glory is born, pride and lust for power arise from it, and no matter what sin you remember, know: any evil stems from envy.

Envy originates from pride, because the proud person wants to rise above others. Because of this, it is difficult for him to tolerate equals around him, and even more so those who are better than him.

Gluttony

Gluttony is a sin that forces us to eat and drink only for pleasure. This passion leads to the fact that a person, as it were, ceases to be a rational being and becomes like cattle, which does not have the gift of speech and understanding. Gluttony is a great sin.

By “giving free rein” to the belly, we harm not only our health, but also all our virtues, especially chastity. Gluttony ignites lust, since excess food contributes to this. Lust leads to a fall, which is why it is so necessary that a person be well armed against this passion. You cannot give the womb as much as it asks for, but only what is necessary to maintain strength.

Various passions are born through gluttony, which is why it is considered one of the 7 deadly sins.

And if you want to remain human, restrain your belly and guard yourself with all care, so as not to accidentally be overcome by gluttony.

But first of all, think about how much hardship drunkenness and gluttony cause your stomach, how they depress your body. And what's so special about gluttony? What new can eating splendid dishes give us? After all, their pleasant taste lasts only when they are in your mouth. And after you swallow them, not only the sweetness will remain, but also the memory of tasting them.

Anger

Anger removes a person’s soul from God, because an angry person spends his life in confusion and anxiety, losing health and peace, his body melts away, his flesh fades, his face is pale, his mind is exhausted, and his soul grieves, and his thoughts have no number. But everyone avoids him, because they do not expect healthy actions from him.

Anger is the most dangerous advisor, and what is done under its influence cannot be called prudent. There is no worse evil that a person in the grip of anger can do.

Nothing darkens clarity of thought and purity of soul more than intense anger. An angry person does not do anything properly because he cannot think straight. Therefore, he is likened to people who, due to damage to their senses, have lost the ability to reason. Anger can be compared to a strong, all-consuming fire, which, scorching the soul, harms the body and even the very sight of a person becomes unpleasant.

Anger is like fire, engulfing the entire human being, killing and burning it.

Dejection and laziness

Demons bring despondency to the soul, suggesting that its patience will be exhausted in the long wait for God's mercy and that it will leave living according to the Law of God, since it recognizes it as too difficult. But patience, love and self-control can withstand the demons, and they will be confounded in their intentions.

Dejection and endless anxiety crush the strength of the soul, leading it to exhaustion. From despondency, drowsiness, idleness, wandering, restlessness, instability of body and mind, curiosity and talkativeness are born.

Dejection is the helper of all evil, so you should not make room in your heart for this feeling.

If each of the passions described here can be abolished by one of the Christian virtues, then despondency for a Christian is an all-defeating passion.

In the old days in Rus', the favorite reading was always “The Philokalia”, “The Ladder” of St. John Climacus and other soul-helping books. Modern Orthodox Christians, unfortunately, rarely pick up these great books. It's a pity! After all, they contain answers to questions that are often asked in confession today: “Father, how not to get irritated?”, “Father, how to deal with despondency and laziness?”, “How to live in peace with loved ones?”, “Why?” Do we keep returning to the same sins? Every priest has to hear these and other questions. These questions are answered by theological science, which is called asceticism. She talks about what passions and sins are, how to fight them, how to find peace of mind, how to acquire love for God and neighbors.

The word “asceticism” immediately evokes associations with ancient ascetics, Egyptian hermits, and monasteries. And in general, ascetic experiences and the struggle with passions are considered by many to be a purely monastic matter: we, they say, are weak people, we live in the world, that’s just how we are... This, of course, is a deep misconception. Every Orthodox Christian, without exception, is called to daily struggle, war against passions and sinful habits. The Apostle Paul tells us about this: “Those who are Christ’s (that is, all Christians. - Auth.) crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). Just as soldiers take an oath and make a solemn promise - an oath - to defend the Fatherland and crush its enemies, so a Christian, as a warrior of Christ, in the sacrament of baptism swears allegiance to Christ and “renounces the devil and all his works,” that is, sin. This means there will be a battle with these fierce enemies of our salvation - fallen angels, passions and sins. A life-or-death battle, a difficult and daily, if not hourly, battle. Therefore, “we only dream of peace.”

I will take the liberty to say that asceticism can be called, in some way, Christian psychology. After all, the word “psychology” translated from Greek means “the science of the soul.” This is a science that studies the mechanisms of human behavior and thinking. Practical psychology helps a person cope with his bad tendencies, overcome depression, and learn to get along with himself and people. As we see, the objects of attention of asceticism and psychology are the same.

Saint Theophan the Recluse said that it was necessary to compile a textbook on Christian psychology, and he himself used psychological analogies in his instructions to questioners. The trouble is that psychology is not a single scientific discipline, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology. There are many schools and areas that call themselves psychology. Psychology includes psychoanalysis by Freud and Jung, and newfangled movements like neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Some trends in psychology are completely unacceptable for Orthodox Christians. Therefore, we have to collect some knowledge bit by bit, separating the wheat from the chaff.

I will try, using some knowledge from practical, applied psychology, to rethink them in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Fathers on the fight against passions.

Before we start talking about the main passions and methods of dealing with them, let's ask ourselves the question: “Why do we fight our sins and passions?” I recently heard one famous Orthodox theologian, professor at the Moscow Theological Academy (I won’t mention his name, because I respect him very much; he was my teacher, but in in this case I fundamentally disagree with him) said: “Divine services, prayer, fasting - all this, so to speak, scaffolding, supports for the construction of the building of salvation, but not the goal of salvation, not the meaning of Christian life. And the goal is to get rid of passions.” I cannot agree with this, since deliverance from passions is also not an end in itself, but the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov speaks about the true goal: “Acquire a peaceful spirit - and thousands around you will be saved.” That is, the goal of a Christian’s life is to acquire love for God and neighbors. The Lord Himself speaks of only two commandments, on which the entire law and prophets are based. This “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." And “love your neighbor as yourself”(Matt. 22:37, 39). Christ did not say that these were just two of the ten, twenty other commandments, but said that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”(Matthew 22:40). These are the most important commandments, the fulfillment of which is the meaning and purpose of Christian life. And getting rid of passions is also only a means, like prayer, worship and fasting. If getting rid of passions were the goal of a Christian, then we would not be far from Buddhists, who also seek dispassion - nirvana.

It is impossible for a person to fulfill the two main commandments while passions dominate over him. A person subject to passions and sins loves himself and his passion. How can a vain, proud person love God and his neighbors? And the one who is in despondency, anger, serving the love of money? The questions are rhetorical.

Serving passions and sin does not allow a Christian to fulfill the most important, key commandment of the New Testament - the commandment of love.

Passions and suffering

From the Church Slavonic language the word “passion” is translated as “suffering”. Hence, for example, the word “passion-bearer,” that is, one who endures suffering and torment. And indeed, nothing torments people more: neither illnesses nor anything else, than their own passions, deep-rooted sins.

First, passions serve to satisfy the sinful needs of people, and then people themselves begin to serve them: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

Of course, in every passion there is an element of sinful pleasure for a person, but, nevertheless, passions torment, torment and enslave the sinner.

The most vivid examples passionate addiction - alcoholism and drug addiction. The need for alcohol or drugs not only enslaves a person’s soul, but alcohol and drugs become a necessary component of his metabolism, part of the biochemical processes in his body. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a spiritual-physical addiction. And it needs to be treated in two ways, that is, by treating both the soul and the body. But at the core is sin, passion. An alcoholic or drug addict's family falls apart, he is kicked out of work, he loses friends, but he sacrifices all this to passion. A person addicted to alcohol or drugs is ready to commit any crime to satisfy his passion. No wonder 90% of crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs. That's how strong the demon of drunkenness is!

Other passions can enslave the soul no less. But with alcoholism and drug addiction, the enslavement of the soul is further intensified by bodily dependence.

People who are far from the Church and from spiritual life often see only prohibitions in Christianity. They say they came up with some taboos and restrictions to make life more difficult for people. But in Orthodoxy there is nothing accidental or superfluous; everything is very harmonious and natural. The spiritual world, as well as the physical world, has its own laws, which, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated, otherwise it will lead to damage and even disaster. Some of these laws are expressed in commandments that protect us from harm. Commandments and moral instructions can be compared to signs warning of danger: “Caution, high voltage!”, “Don’t get involved, it will kill you!”, “Stop! Radiation contamination zone" and the like, or with inscriptions on containers with toxic liquids: "Poisonous", "Toxic" and so on. We, of course, are given freedom of choice, but if we do not pay attention to the alarming signs, then we will only have to take offense at ourselves. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature, and it causes harm, first of all, to the sinner himself. And in the case of passions, the harm from sin increases many times over, because sin becomes permanent and takes on the character chronic illness.

The word "passion" has two meanings.

Firstly, as the Monk John of the Climacus says, “passion is the name given to the very vice that has been embedded in the soul for a long time and through habit has become, as it were, a natural property of it, so that the soul already voluntarily and by itself strives towards it” (Ladder. 15: 75). That is, passion is already something more than sin, it is sinful dependence, slavery to a certain type of vice.

Secondly, the word “passion” is a name that unites a whole group of sins. For example, in the book “The Eight Main Passions with Their Divisions and Branches,” compiled by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), eight passions are listed, and after each there is a whole list of sins united by this passion. For example, anger: hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts, dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkness of his mind, incessant screaming, arguing, swear words, stress, pushing, murder, malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and resentment of one's neighbor.

Most holy fathers speak of eight passions:

1. gluttony,
2. fornication,
3. love of money,
4. anger,
5. sadness,
6. despondency,
7. vanity,
8. pride.

Some, speaking about passions, combine sadness and despondency. Actually, these are somewhat different passions, but we will talk about this below.

Sometimes the eight passions are called mortal sins . Passions have this name because they can (if they completely take over a person) disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation and lead to eternal death. According to the holy fathers, behind every passion there is a certain demon, dependence on which makes a person captive to a certain vice. This teaching is rooted in the Gospel: “When the unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and not finding it, he says: I will return to my house from whence I came, and when he comes, he finds it swept and tidied up; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and entering, they live there, and the last thing for that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11: 24-26).

Western theologians, for example Thomas Aquinas, usually write about the seven passions. In the West, in general, the number “seven” is given special significance.

Passions are a perversion of natural human properties and needs. In human nature there is a need for food and drink, a desire for procreation. Anger can be righteous (for example, towards enemies of faith and the Fatherland), or it can lead to murder. Thrift can degenerate into love of money. We mourn the loss of loved ones, but this should not develop into despair. Purposefulness and perseverance should not lead to pride.

One Western theologian gives a very successful example. He compares passion to a dog. It’s very good when a dog sits on a chain and guards our house, but it’s a disaster when he climbs his paws onto the table and devours our lunch.

Saint John Cassian the Roman says that the passions are divided into sincere, that is, coming from mental inclinations, for example: anger, despondency, pride, etc. They feed the soul. AND bodily: they originate in the body and nourish the body. But since a person is spiritual and physical, passions destroy both soul and body.

The same saint writes that the first six passions seem to arise from one another, and “the excess of the previous one gives rise to the next one.” For example, from excessive gluttony comes prodigal passion. From fornication - love of money, from love of money - anger, from anger - sadness, from sadness - despondency. And each of them is treated by expelling the previous one. For example, to overcome fornication, you need to bind gluttony. To overcome sadness, you need to suppress anger, etc.

Vanity and pride are especially important. But they are also interconnected. Vanity gives rise to pride, and you need to fight pride by defeating vanity. The Holy Fathers say that some passions are committed by the body, but they all originate in the soul, come out of the heart of a person, as the Gospel tells us: “From the heart of a person come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person "(Matthew 15: 18-20). The worst thing is that passions do not disappear with the death of the body. And the body, as the instrument with which a person most often commits sin, dies and disappears. And the inability to satisfy one’s passions is what will torment and burn a person after death.

And the holy fathers say that there passions will torment a person much more than on earth - without sleep and rest they will burn like fire. And not only bodily passions will torment people, not finding satisfaction, like fornication or drunkenness, but also spiritual ones: pride, vanity, anger; after all, there will also be no opportunity to satisfy them. And the main thing is that a person will also not be able to fight passions; this is only possible on earth, because earthly life given for repentance and correction.

Truly, whatever and whom a person served in earthly life, he will be with in eternity. If he serves his passions and the devil, he will remain with them. For example, for a drug addict, hell will be an endless, never-ending “withdrawal”; for an alcoholic, it will be an eternal hangover, etc. But if a person served God and was with Him on earth, he can hope that he will be with Him there too.

Earthly life is given to us as preparation for eternity, and here on earth we decide what O What’s more important for us is that O constitutes the meaning and joy of our life - the satisfaction of passions or life with God. Paradise is a place of God’s special presence, an eternal sense of God, and God does not force anyone there.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin gives one example - an analogy that allows us to understand this: “On the second day of Easter 1990, Bishop Alexander of Kostroma served the first service since the persecution in the Ipatiev Monastery. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether the service would take place - such was the resistance of the museum workers... When the Bishop entered the temple, the museum workers, led by the headmistress, stood in the vestibule with angry faces, some with tears in their eyes: “The priests are desecrating the temple of art...” During the cross As I walked, I held a cup of holy water. And suddenly the bishop says to me: “Let’s go to the museum, let’s go into their offices!” Let's go. The Bishop says loudly: “Christ is risen!” - and sprinkles the museum workers with holy water. In response - faces distorted with anger. Probably, in the same way, those who fight against God, having crossed the line of eternity, will themselves refuse to enter heaven - it will be unbearably bad for them there.”

The Bible is truly a wise book that can give advice in any life situation. Heroes and villains, vices and virtues - all this is mentioned on its pages. It is worth noting that the Bible does not just give instructions on what to do and what not to do - it always tries to explain everything and convey the meaning to people in the most visual way. In addition to the Bible, it is customary to include the works of famous figures in this field as sacred Christian texts, since it is believed that they wrote on behalf of the Lord.

Painted in great detail. They differ from each other in many ways: degree of severity, possibility of redemption, and so on. Speaking about what kinds of sins there are, Special attention it is worth paying attention to seven Many have heard about them, however, not all of them know exactly what sins are included in this list and how they differ from all the others.

What are the seven deadly sins

It is not by chance that they are called mortals, since in Christianity there is an opinion that it is these sins that can lead the soul to death. It is worth immediately noting that, contrary to popular belief, the seven deadly sins are not described in the Bible, and their concept appeared much later than it is believed that they were based on the works of a monk named Eugarius of Pontus, who compiled a list of eight human vices. Towards the end of the sixth century, Gregory I the Great shortened this list, and only seven deadly sins remained.

You should not think that the sins that will be described below are the most terrible in Christianity. The fact is, they are not those that cannot be redeemed, but simply can lead to the fact that a person himself becomes much worse. You can live your life without breaking any of the Ten Commandments, but you cannot live your life in such a way as to avoid the seven deadly sins (or at least some). The Seven Deadly Sins are what nature has given us. Perhaps, under certain circumstances, this helped a person survive, but it is still believed that these “sins” cannot lead to anything good.

Seven deadly sins

1. Greed. People very often try to get them without even thinking about why they need them at all. All life turns into a constant accumulation of property, jewelry, money. Greedy people always want to get more than they have. They don’t know the measures, and they don’t want to know.
2. Laziness. A person who gets tired of constant failures may simply stop striving for anything. Over time, he begins to be satisfied with a life in which nothing happens, there is no hassle and fuss. Laziness attacks quickly and mercilessly; by succumbing to it just once, you can lose yourself and your personality forever.
3. Pride. Many people do something not because it is really necessary, but only because it will help them rise above others. General admiration kindles a fire in them that burns all the best feelings that are stored in the soul. Over time, such a person begins to think only about himself.
4. Lust. The reproductive instinct is inherent in each of us, but there are people who cannot get enough of sex. Sex for them is a way of life, and only lust is on their minds. Everyone is dependent on it to one degree or another, but abuse of it has never brought anyone any good.
5. Envy. It very often becomes the cause of quarrels or even crimes. Not everyone is able to normally accept the fact that their friends and loved ones live better than themselves. History knows many cases when envy even forced people to commit murders.
6. Gluttony. Is it pleasant to look at a person who knows nothing better than to eat deliciously? Food is needed in order to live and do something good and meaningful in this life. However, gluttons believe that life is needed so that they can eat.
7. Anger. You need to be able to restrain your emotions. Of course, it’s easy to cut from the shoulder, but the consequences can be irreversible.

At one stage or another in life, almost all people commit at least some of these sins. And it is very important to stop in time, take a critical look at your life, so as not to waste it and try to become cleaner and better.

deadly sins: gluttony, anger, envy, lust, greed, pride and laziness. Everyone knows, but not all of us consider each of the seven on the list to be a sin. Some are guided by their personal views, others based on the realities of the structure of current society. Some people don’t understand, some are disingenuous, some don’t believe, but the main thing is that no one notices how these seven of us are slowly making slaves of our vices and multiplying and expanding the “range” of our sins. More details below.

There are seven mortal sins in Christian teaching, and they are called so because, despite their seemingly harmless nature, regular exercise they lead to much more serious sins and, consequently, to the death of the immortal soul, ending up in hell. Mortal sins are not based on biblical texts and are not a direct revelation of God; they appeared in the texts of theologians later.

First, the Greek monk-theologian Evagrius of Pontus compiled a list of the eight worst human passions. They were (in descending order of severity): pride, vanity, spiritual laziness, anger, despondency, greed, voluptuousness and gluttony. The order in this list was determined by the degree of a person’s orientation towards himself, towards his ego (that is, pride is the most selfish property of a person and therefore the most harmful).

At the end of the 6th century, Pope Gregory I the Great reduced the list to seven elements, introducing the concept of vanity into pride, spiritual laziness into despondency, and also adding a new one - envy. The list was slightly reordered, this time according to the criterion of opposition to love: pride, envy, anger, despondency, greed, gluttony and voluptuousness (that is, pride is more opposed to love than others and is therefore the most harmful).

Later Christian theologians (in particular, Thomas Aquinas) objected to this particular order of mortal sins, but it was this order that became the main one and remains in effect to this day. The only change in Pope Gregory the Great's list was the replacement of the concept of despondency with laziness in the 17th century.

The word translated as "blessed", is a synonym for the word "happy". Why doesn’t Jesus put a person’s happiness on a par with what he has: success, wealth, power, etc.? He says that happiness is a consequence of a certain internal state, which does not depend on what is happening around, even if a person is slandered and persecuted. Happiness is a consequence of a relationship with the Creator, because it was He who gave us life and knows better than anyone what its meaning is, and therefore happiness. Envy appears only when a person does not love and is therefore not happy. An emptiness appears in the soul, which some unsuccessfully try to fill with things or thoughts about them.

A. B Old Testament
- examples of envy (Gen 37:11; Numbers 16:1-3; Ps 105:16-18)
- commandment not to envy (Proverbs 3:31; Proverbs 23:17; Proverbs 24:1)

B. In the New Testament
- examples of envy (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10; Phil 1:15-17)
- negative consequences of envy (Mark 7:20-23; James 3:14-16)
- positive consequences of envy (Rom 11:13-14)
- envy among other sins (Rom 1:29; Gal 5:20; 1 Pet 2:1)
- love does not envy (1 Cor 13:4)

ANGER

If a person sees himself in the mirror in a fit of anger, rage, he will simply be horrified and will not recognize himself, his appearance has changed so much. But anger darkens not only and not so much the face, but the soul. An angry person becomes possessed by the demon of anger. Very often, anger gives rise to one of the most serious sins - murder. Of the reasons that cause anger, I would like to note, first of all, conceit, pride, inflated self-esteem - common reason resentment and anger. It’s easy to be calm and condescending when everyone praises you, but if you touch us with a finger, you can immediately see what we’re worth. Hot temper and short temper may, of course, be a consequence of an overly temperamental character, but still character cannot serve as an excuse for anger. An irritable, hot-tempered person must know this trait of his and fight it, learn to restrain himself. Envy can be considered one of the causes of anger - nothing irritates more than the well-being of your neighbor...

Two sages lived in the same hermitage in the Sahara Desert, and one of them said to the other: “Let’s fight with you, or else we’ll soon cease to really understand what passions torment us.” "I don't know how to start a fight", answered the second hermit. “Let’s do this: I’ll put this bowl here, and you’ll say: “This is mine.” I will answer: “She belongs to me!” We'll start arguing, and then we'll fight.". That's what they did. One said that the bowl was his, but the other objected. "Let's not waste time, - the first one said then. — Take it for yourself. You didn't come up with a very good idea about the quarrel. When a person realizes that he has an immortal soul, he will not argue over things.".

Dealing with anger on your own is not easy. Pray to the Lord before you do your work and the mercy of the Lord will deliver you from anger.

A. Human anger

1. The anger of people like
— Cain (Gen 4:5-6)
— Jacob (Gen 30:2)
—Moses (Exodus 11:8)
— Saul (1 Samuel 20:30)
— David (2 Samuel 6:8)
— Naaman (2 Kings 5:11)
— Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:6)
- And she (Jonah 4:1,9)

2. How to control our anger
- we must refrain from anger (Psalm 36:8; Eph 4:31)
- we must be slow to anger (James 1:19-20)
- we must control ourselves (Proverbs 16:32)
- in our anger we should not sin (Psalm 4:5; Eph 4:26-27)

3. We can be cast into hell fire because of anger (Matthew 5:21-22)

4. We must allow God to avenge sin. (Ps 93:1-2; Rom 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8)

B. The Wrath of Jesus

- to injustice (Mark 3:5; Mark 10:14)
- to blasphemy in the Temple of God (John 2:12-17)
- at the last trial (Rev 6:16-17)

B. Wrath of God

1. God's Wrath is Righteous (Rom 3:5-6; Rev 16:5-6)

2. Reasons for His Wrath
- idolatry (1 Samuel 14:9; 1 Samuel 14:15; 1 Samuel 14:22; 2 Par 34:25)
- sin (Deuteronomy 9:7; 2 Kings 22:13; Rom 1:18)
- lack of faith (Ps 77:21-22; John 3:36)
- bad attitude towards others (Exodus 10:1-4; Amos 2:6-7)
- refusal to repent (Isa 9:13; Isa 9:17; Rom 2:5)

3. Expression of His Wrath
- temporary sentences (Numbers 11:1; Numbers 11:33; Isaiah 10:5; Lamentations 1:12)
- on the day of the Lord (Rom 2:5-8; Soph 1:15; Soph 1:18; Rev 11:18; Ps 109:5)

4. The Lord controls His wrath
- God is slow to anger (Exodus 34:6; Ps 102:8)
- God's mercy is greater than His wrath (Ps 29:6; Isaiah 54:8; Hos 8:8-11)
- God will turn away His wrath (Psalm 77:38; Isaiah 48:9; Dan 9:16)
- believers are delivered from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Rom 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9)

IDLENESS

Idleness is avoidance of physical and spiritual work. Dejection, which is also part of this sin, is a state of pointless dissatisfaction, resentment, hopelessness and disappointment, accompanied by a general loss of strength. According to John Climacus, one of the creators of the list of seven sins, despondency is “a slanderer of God, as if He is unmerciful and unloving of mankind”. The Lord has endowed us with Reason, which is capable of stimulating our spiritual quests. Here it is worth quoting again the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” ( Matthew 5:6) .

The Bible does not speak of laziness as a sin, but rather as an unproductive character trait. Laziness refers to a person’s lethargy and inaction. The lazy man should follow the example of the hardworking ant (Proverbs 6:6-8) ; lazy is a burden to other people (Proverbs 10:26) . By making excuses, the lazy only punishes himself, because... the arguments he gives are stupid (Proverbs 22:13) and testify to his feeble-mindedness, causing ridicule of people (Proverbs 6:9-11; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 18:9; Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 24:30-34) . Those who lived only for themselves and did not realize the talent given to them will be subjected to merciless judgment. (Matthew 25:26 etc.).

GREED

You won't find the word "greed" in the Bible. However, this does not mean that the Bible has ignored the problem of greed. Quite the contrary, the Word of God takes a very close and careful look at this human vice. And it does this by breaking down greed into its components:

1. Covetousness (the love of money) and covetousness (the desire to get rich). “...for know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” ( Eph 5:5) .
The love of money, being the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10) , is the foundation of greed. All other components of greed and all other human vices originate in the love of money. The Lord teaches us not to be lovers of money: “Have a disposition that does not love money, being content with what you have. For He Himself said: I will never leave you nor forsake you" ( Hebrews 13:5) .

2. Extortion and bribery
Extortion is the demand and collection of interest on a loan, extortion of gifts, bribes. Bribe - reward, remuneration, payment, retribution, gain, self-interest, profit, bribe. Bribery is bribery.

If the love of money is the foundation of greed, then covetousness is right hand greed. The Bible says about this vice that it comes from the heart of a person: “Further [Jesus] said: What comes out of a man defiles a man. For from within, from the human heart, come evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, an envious eye, blasphemy, pride, madness - all this evil comes from within and defiles a person" ( Mark 7:20-23) .

The Bible calls covetous and bribe-takers wicked: "The wicked takes a gift from his bosom to pervert the ways of justice" ( Eccl 7:7). “By oppressing others, the wise become foolish, and gifts spoil the heart” ( Proverbs 17:23) .

The Word of God warns us that the greedy will not inherit the Kingdom of God: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" ( 1 Cor 6:9-10) .

“He who walks in righteousness and speaks the truth; who despises the gain of oppression, keeps his hands from taking bribes, stops his ears so as not to hear about bloodshed, and closes his eyes so as not to see evil; he will dwell on the heights; his refuge is inaccessible rocks; bread will be given to him; his water will not run dry" ( Isa 33:15-16) .

3. Greed:
Greed is the thirst for profit. The nature of a greedy person is well described in the book of the prophet Amos “Hear this, you who hunger to devour the poor and destroy the needy, you who say: When will the new moon pass, that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may open the barns, and reduce the measure, and increase the price of the shekel, and deceive with unfaithful scales, that we may buy the poor with silver? and the poor for a pair of shoes, and sell grain from grain" ( Am 8:4-6). “These are the ways of anyone who covets someone else’s goods: it takes the life of the one who takes possession of it” ( Proverbs 1:19) .

Exodus 20:17) . In other words, this commandment appeals to a person: "Don't be greedy!"

4. Stinginess:
“I will say this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one should give according to the disposition of his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; For God loves a cheerful giver" ( 2 Cor 9:6-7) . Is stinginess different from greed? These words are almost synonymous, but there are still some differences between them. Stinginess, first of all, is aimed at preserving what is available, while greed and greed are focused on new acquisitions.

5. Selfishness
“For the wicked boasts in the lust of his soul; the self-interested man pleases himself" ( Psalm 9:24). “He who loves greed will destroy his house, but he who hates gifts will live” ( Proverbs 15:27) .

Selfishness is a sin for which the Lord punished and is punishing people: “For the sin of his greed, I was angry and struck him, I hid my face and was indignant; but he turned away and followed the path of his heart" ( Isaiah 57:17) . The Word of God warns Christians “So that you do not deal with your brother in any way unlawfully or selfishly: for the Lord is the avenger of all this, as we told you and testified before” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:6) .

Lack of selfishness is an essential characteristic of true servants of God: “But a bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, chaste, decent, honest, hospitable, teacher, not a drunkard, not a murderer, not quarrelsome, not greedy, but quiet, peace-loving, not money-loving...” ( 1 Tim 3:2-3); “Deacons must also be honest, not double-tongued, not addicted to wine, not greedy...” ( 1 Tim 3:8) .

6. Envy:
“An envious person rushes to wealth, and does not think that poverty will befall him” ( Proverbs 28:22). “Do not eat food from an envious person and do not be enticed by his delicious dishes; because as the thoughts are in his soul, so is he; “Eat and drink,” he tells you, but his heart is not with you. The piece you have eaten will be vomited up, and good words you will spend yours in vain" ( Proverbs 23:6-8) .

The Tenth Commandment prohibits us from coveting the good of others: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17) . However, it is known that such desires most often arise in people due to envy.

7. Selfishness:
We have already had a fairly deep conversation about selfishness. We will not return to it, we will only recall that the components of selfishness are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We called this the triune nature of egoism: “For everything that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world” ( 1 John 2:16) .

Greed is integral part selfishness, for the lust of the eyes is everything that the insatiable eyes of a person desire. It is against the lust of the eyes that the tenth commandment warns us: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17) . So, selfishness and greed are two boots.

8. Gluttony:
The Word of God warns that the eyes of man are insatiable: “Hell and Abaddon are insatiable; so insatiable are human eyes" ( Proverbs 27:20). “Insatiability has two daughters: “come on, come on!”" ( Proverbs 30:15) “Whoever loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth will not profit from it. And this is vanity!” ( Eccl 5:9) “And I turned and saw still vanity under the sun; a lonely person, and there is no other; he has neither a son nor a brother; but there is no end to all his labors, and his eye is not satisfied with wealth. “For whom am I toiling and depriving my soul of good?” And this is vanity and an evil deed!” ( Eccl 4:7-8) .

The main reason for greed is spiritual emptiness: spiritual hunger and thirst with which a person is born into the world. Spiritual emptiness formed in the human soul as a result of spiritual death, which was a consequence of his fall. God created man perfect. When man lived with God, he was not greedy, but without God, greed became a character trait of man. No matter what he does, he is unable to fill this spiritual emptiness. “All a man’s labor is for his mouth, but his soul is not satisfied” ( Eccl 6:7) .

A greedy person, not understanding the reason for his dissatisfaction, tries to drown it out material benefits and riches. He, poor fellow, does not understand that spiritual poverty cannot be filled with any material benefits, just as spiritual thirst cannot be quenched with a bucket of water. All such a person needs is to turn to the Lord, who, being the only source of living water, is able to fill the spiritual emptiness in the soul.

Today the Lord addresses each of us through the prophet Isaiah: “Thirsty! go, all of you, to the waters; even you who have no silver, go, buy and eat; Go, buy wine and milk without silver and without price. Why do you weigh out money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen to Me carefully and eat what is good, and let your soul enjoy the fatness. Incline your ear and come to Me: listen, and your soul will live, and I will give you an everlasting covenant, the unfailing mercies promised to David." Isaiah 55:1-3) .

Only the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is able to satisfy the spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst of everyone who comes to Him: “Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" ( John 6:35) .

Of course, it is impossible to get rid of greed in one day, especially if you have been in slavery to this vice for a long time. But it's definitely worth a try. (Deut 24:19-22; Matthew 26:41; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Cor 9:6-7; Col 3:2; Rom 12:2; 1 Tim 6:6-11; 3John 1:11; Hebrews 13:5-6)

The next time you have a desire to profit from someone or have a reluctance to share with someone, remember the words of Christ: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” ( Acts 20:35)

A. The commandment about greed

- in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:17; Deut 5:21; Deut 7:25)
- in the New Testament (Rom 7:7-11; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5)

B. Greed leads to other sins (1 Tim 6:10; 1 John 2:15-16)

- to deceive (Jacob) (Gen 27:18-26)
- adultery (David) (2 Kings 11:1-5)
- disobedience to God (Achan) (Joshua 7:20-21)
- hypocritical worship (Saul) (1 Samuel 15:9-23)
- murder (Ahab) (1 Samuel 21:1-14)
- theft (Gehazi) (2 Kings 5:20-24)
- troubles in the family (Proverbs 15:27)
- lies (Ananias and Sapphira) (Acts 5:1-10)

B. Being satisfied with what you have is a remedy against greed.

- commanded (Luke 3:14; 1 Tim 6:8; Hebrews 13:5)
- Pavel's experience (Phil 4:11-12)

GLUTTONY

Gluttony is a sin against the second commandment (Exodus 20:4) and there is one type of idolatry. Since gluttons value sensual pleasure above all else, then, according to the words of the apostle, they have a god in their belly, or, in other words, their belly is their idol: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in shame, they think about earthly things” ( Phil 3:19) .

Sweets can become an idol, an object of desire and constant dreams of a person. This is undoubtedly gluttony, but already in thoughts. This is also something to beware of. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” ( Matthew 26:41) .

Gluttony literally means immoderation and greed in food, leading a person to a bestial state. The point here is not only about food, but also about the uncontrollable desire to consume more than is required. However, the fight against the vice of gluttony involves not so much the volitional suppression of the urge to eat, but rather reflection on its true place in life. Food is certainly important for existence, but it should not become the meaning of life, thereby replacing concerns about the soul with concerns about the body. Let us remember the words of Christ: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing" ( Matthew 6:25) . This is very important to understand because... in modern culture, gluttony is defined more as a medical illness than as a moral concept.

voluptuousness

This sin is characterized not only by extramarital sexual relations, but also by the very passionate desire for carnal pleasures. Let us turn to the words of Jesus Christ: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28) . A person whom God has endowed with Will and Reason must be different from animals who blindly follow their instincts. Also included in lust is different kinds sexual perversions (bestiality, necrophilia, homosexuality, etc.), which are inherently contrary to human nature. (Exodus 22:19; 1 Tim 1:10; Lev 18:23-24; Lev 20:15-16; Deut 27:21; Gen 19:1-13; Lev 18:22; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:11; 2 Cor 5:17)

The list of sins is contrasted with a list of virtues. To pride - humility; greed - generosity; envy - love; to anger - kindness; voluptuousness - self-control; to gluttony - moderation and abstinence, and to laziness - diligence. Thomas Aquinas especially singled out Faith, Hope and Love among the virtues.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: a list in order and the commandments of God. Many believers, reading the holy scriptures, often pay attention to such an expression as “the seven deadly sins.” These words do not refer to any specific seven actions, because the list of such actions can be much larger. This number indicates only the conditional grouping of actions into seven main groups.

Gregory the Great was the first to propose such a division back in 590. The church also has its own division, in which there are eight main passions. Translated from Church Slavonic, the word “passion” means suffering. Other believers and preachers believe that there are 10 sins in Orthodoxy.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy

The most serious possible sin is called a mortal sin. It can only be redeemed by repentance. Committing such a sin does not allow a person's soul to enter heaven. Basically in Orthodoxy there are seven deadly sins.

And they are called mortal because their constant repetition leads to the death of a person’s immortal soul, and therefore its ending in hell. Such actions are based on biblical texts. Their appearance in the texts of theologians dates back to a later time.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy. List.

1. Anger, anger, revenge. This group includes actions that, as opposed to love, bring destruction.
2. Lust b, debauchery, fornication. This category includes actions that lead to an excessive desire for pleasure.
3. Laziness, idleness, despondency. This includes a reluctance to do both spiritual and physical work.
4. Pride, vanity, arrogance. Arrogance, boasting, and excessive self-confidence are considered disbelief in the divine.
5. Envy, jealousy. This group includes dissatisfaction with what they have, confidence in the injustice of the world, desire for someone else's status, property, and qualities.
6. Gluttony, gluttony. The need to consume more than necessary is also considered a passion.
7. Love of money, greed, greed, stinginess. Most of all, attention is paid to when the desire to increase one’s material wealth comes at the expense of spiritual well-being.

List of sins for confession in Orthodoxy

Confession is one of the rites that help get rid of sins and cleanse the soul. The clergy believe that if repentance is supported by alms, fervent prayer and fasting, then after it a person can return to the state in which Adam was before the Fall.

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You can go to confession in any setting, but often it is a church during a service or another time that the priest appoints. A person who wants to repent must be baptized, walk in Orthodox Church, recognize the foundations of Orthodoxy and desire to repent of their sins.

To prepare for confession, repentance and faith are necessary. It is recommended to fast and read repentance prayers. A repentant person needs to confess his sins, thereby showing recognition of his sinfulness, while highlighting those passions that are especially characteristic of him.

It would not be superfluous to name specific sins that burden his soul. Here short list sins for confession:

• Offense against God.
• Caring only about worldly life.
• Violation of God's Law.
• Condemnation of clergy.
• Unbelief, lack of faith, doubts about the existence of God, about the truth of the Orthodox faith.
• Insult to God Holy Mother of God, saints, holy Church. Mentioning the Name of God in vain, without reverence.
• Violation of fasts, church regulations and prayer rules.
• Failure to keep promises that were made to God.
• Lack of Christian love.
• Non-attendance or rare attendance at the temple.
• Envy, malice, hatred.
• Homicide, abortion. Suicide.
• Lies, deceit.
• Lack of mercy, failure to provide assistance to those in need.
• Pride. Condemnation. Resentment, no desire to reconcile, forgive. Grudge.
• Stinginess, greed, money-grubbing, bribery.
• Temptation for any sin.
• Extravagance.
• Superstition.
• Use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs...
• Entering into direct communication with evil spirits.
• Fornication.
• Gambling.
• Divorce.
• Self-justification.
• Laziness, sadness, gluttony, despondency.

Is not full list sins. It can also be expanded. At the end of the confession, we can say this: I sinned in deed, in word, in thoughts, with all the feelings of soul and body. It is impossible to list all my sins, there are so many of them. But I repent of all my sins, both spoken and forgotten.

The most terrible sin in Orthodoxy

People often argue about which sin is the most terrible and which sins God agrees to forgive. It is generally accepted that suicide is considered the most serious sin. He is considered incorrigible, because having passed away, a person can no longer beg God’s forgiveness for his soul.

There is no clear ranking of sins in Orthodoxy. After all, if a small sin is not prayed away and repented of, it can lead to the death of a person’s soul and burden him.

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You can often hear about original sin in Orthodoxy. This is the name given to the act of Adam and Eve that they performed. Since it was committed in the first generation of people, it was recognized as the first sin of all mankind. This sin damaged human nature and is passed on to descendants by inheritance. In order to reduce its influence on a person or lose it altogether, it is recommended to baptize children and accustom them to the church.

Sin of Sodom in Orthodoxy

This is the customary name for a sinful thought, act or desire that is based on a person’s sexual attraction to a representative (representatives) of the same sex. Often the clergy classified this sin as one of the types of fornication, although some drew a fairly clear line between such concepts.

In turn, the sin of fornication in Orthodoxy is classified as a mortal sin. After all, it is believed that when connecting with a person, not only physical, but also spiritual intimacy occurs. And all this remains on our soul. She becomes unclean. In the middle, everything seems to be burned out.

That is why it is necessary every time to think about your carnal desires, and think about what this can lead to.

We cannot atone for sins in Orthodoxy on our own. But we have hope that the Lord has given us. To ease your burdens, you need to pray fervently. It is necessary to go to church and confess to God and the priest.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. Drive away from me all the misfortunes that tempt carnal passions. In redemption I fall down, I forget about my sins in the vanity. Forgive me for the sins that happened, and they have not yet been forgotten. Those sins that are still smoldering in the soul too often cause illness. Thy will be done. Amen".

The Lord is always with you!

Deadly sin- this is the most serious of all possible sins, which can only be atone for by repentance. For committing a mortal sin, a person’s soul may lose the opportunity to go to heaven. Interested in this topic, many people ask the question of how many mortal sins there are in Orthodoxy. There are seven mortal sins in Christian teaching, and they are called so because, despite their seemingly harmless nature, if regularly practiced, they lead to much more serious sins and, consequently, to the death of an immortal soul that ends up in hell. Mortal sins are not based on biblical texts and are not a direct revelation of God; they appeared in the texts of theologians later.

If we begin to live like those who die every day, then we will not sin (St. Anthony the Great, 88, 17).

Seven deadly sins list
LOVE OF AVERAGE
PRIDE
FORNICATION
ENVY
Gluttony (Gluttony)
ANGER
DEPRESSION

The history of the appearance of the list of seven sinful acts or 7 deadly sins

Acts considered mortal in the Orthodox faith are distinguished by the degree of severity and the possibility of their redemption. Speaking about sinful acts, especially more attention should be paid to the seven acts that are considered mortal. Many have heard about this, but not everyone knows which of the sinful acts will be on this list, and what will distinguish them. Sin is called mortal not from the head, because Christians believe that when committing these sins, human souls can perish.

It is worth noting that seven deadly sins, although the opinion of society is not sure of this, is not described by the Bible, because their direction of the concept appeared later than the composition of the Holy Letter began. It is believed that the monastic works of Evgarius of Pontius could serve as a basis. He compiled a list that initially included eight human sins. It was later reduced to seven positions.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: list in order and commandments of God

Why were the sins like this?

It is clear that these sinful acts or the seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy are not as terrible as theologians believed. They are not beyond redemption, they can be confessed, it’s just that committing them can contribute to people becoming worse, moving further and further away from God. If you put in more effort, you can live in such a way that you do not break any of the ten commandments, but it is difficult to live in such a way that you do not commit any of the seven sinful acts. Essentially, sinful acts and mortal sins in Orthodoxy in the amount of shadow mother nature placed in people.

Under certain circumstances, people are able to survive by contradicting the teaching about sinful acts, but, not paying attention to this, they believe that this cannot achieve good fruits. When you haven't heard anything about what is meant by the seven deadly sins, the list with short explanations presented below can clear up the matter.

Seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy

It is common for a person to want a lot of money, making every effort to obtain material values. However, he does not think whether they are needed in general. These unfortunate people are blindly collecting jewelry, money, and property. They try to get something more than they have, without knowing the limit, without even having the desire to know it. This sin is called love of money.

Feeling self-esteem, self-esteem. Many people can do something by trying to be higher than others. More often, the actions that are performed are certainly necessary for this purpose. They delight society, and in those who are subject to a sense of pride, a fire is born that burns all the feelings considered to be the best within the soul. After a certain period of time, a person tirelessly thinks only about his beloved self.

3. Fornication.(That is sex life before marriage), adultery (that is, adultery). Dissolute life. Failure to store feelings, especially
touch, where is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books. Voluptuous thoughts, indecent conversations, even a single glance directed with lust at a woman are considered fornication.

The Savior says this about it: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not commit adultery,” but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(Matt. 5, 27. 28).
If he who looks at a woman with lust sins, then the woman is not innocent of the same sin if she dresses up and adorns herself with the desire to be looked at, seduced by her, “For woe to that man through whom temptation comes.”

4. Envy. Feelings of envy may not always exist white. Often it can become a cause that contributes to the emergence of discord and crime. Not everyone can easily accept the fact that someone was able to achieve better conditions for accommodation. History gives many examples when feelings of envy led to murder.

5. Gluttony. People who eat a lot and overeat at the same time cannot evoke anything pleasant. Food is necessary to maintain life, to be able to perform meaningful actions in relation to beauty. But those who are subjected to the sinful act of gluttony believe that they were born for the purpose of eating.

6. Anger. Hot temper, irritability, adoption of angry thoughts: dreams of revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind with it: obscene
shouting, arguing, cruel, abusive and caustic words. Slander, memory malice, indignation and insult to one's neighbor, hatred, enmity, vengeance, condemnation. Unfortunately, we are not always able to control ourselves and our anger when the wave of emotions overwhelms us. First of all, it is cut from the shoulder, and then it is only observed that the consequences are irreversible. You need to fight your passions!

7. Dejection. Laziness towards everyone good deed, especially to prayer. Excessive restfulness with sleep. Depression, despair (which often leads a person to suicide), lack of fear of God, complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until last days life.

Fighting Sin

You need to fight your passions, tame your emotions, because this leads to a disastrous end! Sin must be fought at the initial stage of its inception! After all, the deeper sin enters our consciousness, our soul, the harder it becomes to fight it. Judge for yourself, in any matter, illness, education, work, the longer you put off work, the more difficult it is to catch up!

And most importantly, forgive God's help! After all, it is very difficult for a person to overcome sin! The devil is plotting, trying to ruin your soul, pushing it to sin in every possible way. These 7 deadly sins It’s not so difficult not to commit if you ask the Lord for help in fighting them! One has only to take a step towards meeting the Savior and He will immediately come to the rescue! God is merciful and does not abandon anyone!

ARTICLE 1. CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY

Eight deadly sins and the fight against them

"The Ladder" by St. John Climacus

In the old days in Rus', the favorite reading was always “The Philokalia”, “The Ladder” of St. John Climacus and other soul-helping books. Modern Orthodox Christians, unfortunately, rarely pick up these great books. It's a pity! After all, they contain answers to questions that are often asked in confession today: “Father, how not to get irritated?”, “Father, how to deal with despondency and laziness?”, “How to live in peace with loved ones?”, “Why?” Do we keep returning to the same sins?

Every priest has to hear these and other questions. These questions are answered by theological science, which is called asceticism. She talks about what passions and sins are, how to fight them, how to find peace of mind, how to acquire love for God and neighbors. The word “asceticism” immediately evokes associations with ancient ascetics, Egyptian hermits, and monasteries. And in general, ascetic experiences and the struggle with passions are considered by many to be a purely monastic matter: we, they say, are weak people, we live in the world, that’s just how we are... This, of course, is a deep misconception. Every Orthodox Christian, without exception, is called to daily struggle, war against passions and sinful habits. The Apostle Paul tells us about this: “Those who are Christ’s (that is, all Christians. – Auth.) crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24).

Just as soldiers take an oath and make a solemn promise - an oath - to defend the Fatherland and crush its enemies, so a Christian, as a warrior of Christ, in the sacrament of baptism swears allegiance to Christ and “renounces the devil and all his works,” that is, sin. This means there will be a battle with these fierce enemies of our salvation - fallen angels, passions and sins. A life-or-death battle, a difficult and daily, if not hourly, battle. Therefore, “we only dream of peace.”

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: list in order and commandments of God

I will take the liberty to say that asceticism can be called, in some way, Christian psychology. After all, the word “psychology” translated from Greek means “the science of the soul.” This is a science that studies the mechanisms of human behavior and thinking. Practical psychology helps a person cope with his bad tendencies, overcome depression, and learn to get along with himself and people. As we see, the objects of attention of asceticism and psychology are the same.

Saint Theophan the Recluse said that it was necessary to compile a textbook on Christian psychology, and he himself used psychological analogies in his instructions to questioners. The trouble is that psychology is not a single scientific discipline, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology. There are many schools and areas that call themselves psychology. Psychology includes psychoanalysis by Freud and Jung, and newfangled movements like neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Some trends in psychology are completely unacceptable for Orthodox Christians. Therefore, we have to collect some knowledge bit by bit, separating the wheat from the chaff.

I will try, using some knowledge from practical, applied psychology, to rethink them in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Fathers on the fight against passions.

Before we start talking about the main passions and methods of dealing with them, let's ask ourselves the question: “Why do we fight our sins and passions?”

Recently I heard one famous Orthodox theologian, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy (I will not name him, because I respect him very much; he was my teacher, but in this case I fundamentally disagree with him) said: “Divine services, prayer, fasting is all, so to speak, scaffolding, supports for the construction of the building of salvation, but not the goal of salvation, not the meaning of Christian life. And the goal is to get rid of passions.” I cannot agree with this, since deliverance from passions is also not an end in itself, but the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov speaks about the true goal: “Acquire a peaceful spirit - and thousands around you will be saved.”

That is, the goal of a Christian’s life is to acquire love for God and neighbors. The Lord Himself speaks of only two commandments, on which the entire law and prophets are based. This “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." And “love your neighbor as yourself”(Matt. 22:37, 39). Christ did not say that these were just two of the ten, twenty other commandments, but said that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”(Matthew 22:40). These are the most important commandments, the fulfillment of which is the meaning and purpose of Christian life. And getting rid of passions is also only a means, like prayer, worship and fasting. If getting rid of passions were the goal of a Christian, then we would not be far from Buddhists, who also seek dispassion - nirvana.

It is impossible for a person to fulfill the two main commandments while passions dominate over him. A person subject to passions and sins loves himself and his passion. How can a vain, proud person love God and his neighbors? And the one who is in despondency, anger, serving the love of money? The questions are rhetorical.

Serving passions and sin does not allow a Christian to fulfill the most important, key commandment of the New Testament - the commandment of love.

Passions and suffering

From the Church Slavonic language the word “passion” is translated as “suffering”. Hence, for example, the word “passion-bearer,” that is, one who endures suffering and torment. And indeed, nothing torments people more: neither illnesses nor anything else, than their own passions, deep-rooted sins.

First, passions serve to satisfy the sinful needs of people, and then people themselves begin to serve them: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

Of course, in every passion there is an element of sinful pleasure for a person, but, nevertheless, passions torment, torment and enslave the sinner.

The most striking examples of passionate addiction are alcoholism and drug addiction. The need for alcohol or drugs not only enslaves a person’s soul, but alcohol and drugs become a necessary component of his metabolism, part of the biochemical processes in his body. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a spiritual-physical addiction. And it needs to be treated in two ways, that is, by treating both the soul and the body. But at the core is sin, passion. An alcoholic or drug addict's family falls apart, he is kicked out of work, he loses friends, but he sacrifices all this to passion. A person addicted to alcohol or drugs is ready to commit any crime to satisfy his passion. No wonder 90% of crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs. That's how strong the demon of drunkenness is!

Other passions can enslave the soul no less. But with alcoholism and drug addiction, the enslavement of the soul is further intensified by bodily dependence.

People who are far from the Church and from spiritual life often see only prohibitions in Christianity. They say they came up with some taboos and restrictions to make life more difficult for people. But in Orthodoxy there is nothing accidental or superfluous; everything is very harmonious and natural. The spiritual world, as well as the physical world, has its own laws, which, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated, otherwise it will lead to damage and even disaster.

Some of these laws are expressed in commandments that protect us from harm. Commandments and moral instructions can be compared to signs warning of danger: “Caution, high voltage!”, “Don’t get involved, it will kill you!”, “Stop! Radiation contamination zone" and the like, or with inscriptions on containers with toxic liquids: "Poisonous", "Toxic" and so on.

We, of course, are given freedom of choice, but if we do not pay attention to the alarming signs, then we will only have to take offense at ourselves. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature, and it causes harm, first of all, to the sinner himself. And in the case of passions, the harm from sin increases many times over, because sin becomes permanent and takes on the character of a chronic disease.

The word "passion" has two meanings.

Firstly, as the Monk John of the Climacus says, “passion is the name given to the very vice that has been embedded in the soul for a long time and through habit has become, as it were, a natural property of it, so that the soul already voluntarily and by itself strives towards it” (Ladder. 15: 75). That is, passion is already something more than sin, it is sinful dependence, slavery to a certain type of vice.

Secondly, the word “passion” is a name that unites a whole group of sins. For example, in the book “The Eight Main Passions with Their Divisions and Branches,” compiled by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), eight passions are listed, and after each there is a whole list of sins united by this passion. For example, anger: hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts, dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of his mind, incessant shouting, arguing, swear words, stress, pushing, murder, memory malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and resentment of one's neighbor .

Most holy fathers speak of eight passions:

1. gluttony,
2. fornication,
3. love of money,
4. anger,
5. sadness,
6. despondency,
7. vanity,
8. pride.

Some, speaking about passions, combine sadness and despondency. Actually, these are somewhat different passions, but we will talk about this below.

Sometimes the eight passions are called mortal sins . Passions have this name because they can (if they completely take over a person) disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation and lead to eternal death. According to the holy fathers, behind every passion there is a certain demon, dependence on which makes a person captive to a certain vice. This teaching is rooted in the Gospel: “When the unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and not finding it, he says: I will return to my house from whence I came, and when he comes, he finds it swept and tidied up; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there, and the last thing for that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11: 24-26).

Western theologians, for example Thomas Aquinas, usually write about the seven passions. In the West, in general, the number “seven” is given special significance.

Passions are a perversion of natural human properties and needs. In human nature there is a need for food and drink, a desire for procreation. Anger can be righteous (for example, towards enemies of faith and the Fatherland), or it can lead to murder. Thrift can degenerate into love of money. We mourn the loss of loved ones, but this should not develop into despair. Purposefulness and perseverance should not lead to pride.

One Western theologian gives a very successful example. He compares passion to a dog. It’s very good when a dog sits on a chain and guards our house, but it’s a disaster when he climbs his paws onto the table and devours our lunch.

Saint John Cassian the Roman says that the passions are divided into sincere, that is, coming from mental inclinations, for example: anger, despondency, pride, etc. They feed the soul. AND bodily: they originate in the body and nourish the body. But since a person is spiritual and physical, passions destroy both soul and body.

The same saint writes that the first six passions seem to arise from one another, and “the excess of the previous one gives rise to the next one.” For example, from excessive gluttony comes prodigal passion. From fornication - love of money, from love of money - anger, from anger - sadness, from sadness - despondency. And each of them is treated by expelling the previous one. For example, to overcome fornication, you need to bind gluttony. To overcome sadness, you need to suppress anger, etc.

Vanity and pride are especially important. But they are also interconnected. Vanity gives rise to pride, and you need to fight pride by defeating vanity. The Holy Fathers say that some passions are committed by the body, but they all originate in the soul, come out of the heart of a person, as the Gospel tells us: “From the heart of a person come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person "(Matthew 15: 18–20). The worst thing is that passions do not disappear with the death of the body. And the body, as the instrument with which a person most often commits sin, dies and disappears. And the inability to satisfy one’s passions is what will torment and burn a person after death.

And the holy fathers say that there passions will torment a person much more than on earth - without sleep and rest they will burn like fire. And not only bodily passions will torment people, not finding satisfaction, like fornication or drunkenness, but also spiritual ones: pride, vanity, anger; after all, there will also be no opportunity to satisfy them. And the main thing is that a person will also not be able to fight passions; this is possible only on earth, because earthly life is given for repentance and correction.

Truly, whatever and whom a person served in earthly life, he will be with in eternity. If he serves his passions and the devil, he will remain with them. For example, for a drug addict, hell will be an endless, never-ending “withdrawal”; for an alcoholic, it will be an eternal hangover, etc. But if a person served God and was with Him on earth, he can hope that he will be with Him there too.

Earthly life is given to us as preparation for eternity, and here on earth we decide what O What’s more important for us is that O constitutes the meaning and joy of our life - the satisfaction of passions or life with God. Paradise is a place of God’s special presence, an eternal sense of God, and God does not force anyone there.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin gives one example - an analogy that allows us to understand this: “On the second day of Easter 1990, Bishop Alexander of Kostroma served the first service since the persecution in the Ipatiev Monastery. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether the service would take place - such was the resistance of museum workers...

When the bishop entered the temple, the museum workers, led by the director, stood in the vestibule with angry faces, some with tears in their eyes: “The priests are desecrating the temple of art...” During the religious procession, I held a bowl of holy water. And suddenly the bishop says to me: “Let’s go to the museum, let’s go into their offices!” Let's go. The Bishop says loudly: “Christ is risen!” – and sprinkles the museum workers with holy water. In response - faces distorted with anger. Probably, in the same way, those who fight against God, having crossed the line of eternity, will themselves refuse to enter heaven - it will be unbearably bad for them there.”

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