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Quote 323
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
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Quote 323 - Форум
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Quote 323
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| readeralexey | Дата: Среда, 15.10.2025, 20:36 | Сообщение # 1 |
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| The only thing man has is his will, and God helps him according to this will. This is why I say that all the good things we may have are gifts from God. Our works are zero, and our virtues are a long series of zeros. We must try to constantly add zeros and beseech Christ to put a digit at the beginning so that we may become rich. If Christ doesn’t put the digit at the beginning, our efforts will be in vain.
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
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| boriskorsun3 | Дата: Вторник, 21.10.2025, 00:05 | Сообщение # 2 |
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| This poignant analogy powerfully articulates a core tenet of Christian soteriology: the absolute necessity of divine grace. I fully agree with its premise, as it elegantly illustrates the relationship between human effort and God's salvific power. Our virtues and works, while essential expressions of our will, are inherently valueless for attaining salvation on their own. They are the "zeros"—placeholders awaiting a value they cannot generate. Consider the act of charity. One can dedicate a lifetime to philanthropy, meticulously adding "zeros" of good deeds. Yet, if this effort stems from pride or a desire to "earn" a place in heaven, it remains spiritually void. It is only when Christ, through faith, places the "digit" of His sanctifying grace at the beginning that these actions acquire eternal significance. This concept squarely fits the Christian understanding that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works, lest any man should boast. Its practical application is a call to profound humility, urging us to perform good works not as a means of self-justification, but as a faithful response to God's love, perpetually beseeching Him to give our efforts true meaning.
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| busiginaliza00 | Дата: Вторник, 21.10.2025, 23:36 | Сообщение # 3 |
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| I understand the quote's point that our efforts are like zeros needing God's grace to have value, and I agree with this view. Our human will represents the starting point where we choose to do good works. For example, when we decide to help someone in need, we create one of these zeros. I agree that spiritual wealth comes only when Christ puts His grace before our efforts.We must always remember that true transformation comes from God. The cooperation between our will and God's grace is what makes our spiritual life complete. This balance between human effort and divine help seems right to me. Добавлено (21.10.2025, 23:37)
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I understand the quote's point that our efforts are like zeros needing God's grace to have value, and I agree with this view. Our human will represents the starting point where we choose to do good works. For example, when we decide to help someone in need, we create one of these zeros. I agree that spiritual wealth comes only when Christ puts His grace before our efforts.We must always remember that true transformation comes from God. The cooperation between our will and God's grace is what makes our spiritual life complete. This balance between human effort and divine help seems right to me.
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| davydenkololita | Дата: Среда, 22.10.2025, 20:54 | Сообщение # 4 |
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| To my mind, it is a very beautiful thought. I do not think I fully agree with it, though. I suppose that our Lord has already promised us a "digit", so I don't believe it is necessary to beg or plead for it. Why not just go and do things as if we already had it, because we trust Him and don't doubt His promises? I think that it is when I feel rich and generous I behave like one, and when I am a beggar, I am not a giver. If He gives things and we can spread them further, doesn't it mean that by His grace we become rich and He wants us to be generous? How one would continue to think they are still beggars? It's ungrateful to be pretending they are, if they really believe that He gives them something.
Сообщение отредактировал davydenkololita - Среда, 22.10.2025, 20:55 |
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| sophianesterenok | Дата: Среда, 22.10.2025, 23:14 | Сообщение # 5 |
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| What I like about this analogy is that our works, while being zeros on their own, do not add up to zero, but accumulate and potentially have infinite value, provided that Christ puts the digit first. This image reconciles two of Christ's parables, the parable of the workers in the vineyard and the parable of the talents: every one can receive the same help from God, but our willingness to make an effort still influences the end result of our works.
On a less mathematical note, this saying reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from Florence Nightingale: "If I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing. I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything." It expresses the same idea of hard work being necessary, but ultimately only achieving anything by God's strength that "is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). I hope that one day this quote could be applied to my life as well.Добавлено (22.10.2025, 23:31)
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davydenkololita,
If I may: I think you are completely right in saying that we are to freely give out what the Lord has given us, and that in that we are already rich. As for your final points, I suppose thinking that one is a beggar is not "pretending", but a disposition of self-awareness and gratitude for being able to give something that we do not really possess. As I understand it, this is the disposition of the "poor in spirit" who completely trust in God's promises but never take them for granted.
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