On True Christianity

By St. Tikhon of Bishop of Voronezh (“Wonderworker of Zadonsk”)

Chapter 1: On the Word of God

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life,​ (John 5:39) says Christ.

1. The word of God is contained in prophetic and apostolic books, which in the Greek
language are called ​Biblia​, that is, the books. These books are also called ​scriptures​, as
Christ says: ​Search the scriptures​, etc. And the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: ​from a
child thou hast known the holy scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15), etc. They are also called ​the
books of the law of God​, because they contain the law of God, etc.

2. The word of God is called and is ​of God because it was declared and given to us from
God through prophets and apostles as messengers, as the holy apostle Peter wrote: ​For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21). And apostle Paul says: ​when ye received
the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is
in truth, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). And he says to Timothy: ​All scripture is
given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The holy scripture is as a message from the
Heavenly King to His own servants, us the unworthy ones, that He willed to send
through His faithful servants who are enlightened by His Holy Spirit, in order to reveal
His holy will and His merciful goodwill. For that reason, it has a certain wondrous and
divine power and action, so that in a short time, as we can see in the preaching of the
apostles, it went forth into all the universe not through a multitude, but through twelve
men, not wise but simple and unlearned, as it is written: ​their sound is gone out into all
the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world (Psalms 18:5, Romans 10:18). And
it has not only gone out, but brought forth so much fruit that the nations, mired and
grown old in the delusion of idol-worship, cast aside the superstition of idolatry and
cleaved unto the crucified Christ, who died such a dishonorable death, and accepted
Him from their hearts as Savior and God. And though the devil's cunning and plotting
acted so that the wise and powerful of this age greatly resisted their preaching, they
could do nothing. And as wind cannot prevail against the rays of sunlight, the turbulent
wind of the devil could not prevail against the apostles as the rays of Christ, the Sun of
truth, sent to earth. And what is more wondrous, many of those who held those
preachers to be foolish speakers and insane desired to become their pupils, and
accepted as the truest and greatest wisdom that teaching at which they used to laugh,
considering it foolishness. Thus the word of God is called fruitbearing (Colossians 1:6),
and sown in the hearts of men ​beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold,

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some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:23). True and veritable is the word of God spoken
through His prophet: ​For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth
out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11). From this it
follows, Christians: 1) We ought to honor and love the word of God as a great and
heavenly gift, as did the holy David (Psalm 118). 2) Give thanks from the heart for this
great gift from the heavenly Father. 3) Learn from it day and night. 4) Correct our lives
and ways in accordance with His statutes. 5) Ungrateful and thoughtless are those who
leave off reading or listening to it, those who have no time to read the word of God but
have time to read entertaining books, who long to know what goes on in Italy, in Rome,
in Asia, in Africa, and other places but do not want to learn from the word of God what
goes on in their own souls and to which end they are headed: to eternal life, or to
eternal torment. Doubtless, this is the sign of a soul wandered astray.

3. The Holy Bible, or the books that contain the word of God, is divided into books of the
Old and New Testaments. The ​Books of the Old Testament are all those that were
written before the coming of Christ, that is: the books of Moses, the Prophets, etc. The
Books of the New Testament are those that were written from the apostles after the
coming of Christ, and contain the teaching and holy preaching of the salvific coming of
Christ, that is: the four Gospels, the Epistles, etc.

4. The word of God contained in the holy books of the Old and New Testaments, is
divided into two main parts, that is: the ​Law and the ​Gospels.​ By the law of God we
mean the commandments of God, in which God either commands us or forbids us to do
something, that is: ​Shun evil, and do good (Psalms 33:15). By the Gospels we mean all
His merciful and joyful promises to us, or those that have already taken place, that is: of
the coming of Christ the Son of God, Who has already come and wrought the great work
of our salvation. Or those that are yet to take place, that is: the general resurrection and
eternal life for those who believe in Christ. The entire power and summation of the
Gospels is given by Christ in these words: ​For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life​ (John 3:16).

5. The law of God, although it was given to our forefathers Adam and Eve in Paradise,
was written in their hearts. But then it was given to the holy Moses on Mount Sinai, on
two tablets written by God, and through Him declared to all people, as it is written in
the book of Exodus (Exodus 32 - 34). The Gospels were brought to earth and preached
by Christ the Son of God from the depths of His Heavenly Father: ​And came and

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preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (Ephesians
2:17) As He speaks of Himself: ​The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
(Luke 4:18-19) On the law and the Gospels the Holy Apostle John wrote in short: ​For the
law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.​ (John 1:17)

6. Whatsoever the Word of God reveals to us, that we must believe without doubt, as if
our eyes had seen it, and even more so. For our senses can sooner deceive us than the
Word of God, which is spoken from God Who is without falsehood. We should believe it
more than the preaching of one who rose from the dead, for it is written: ​If they hear
not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead. ​(Luke 16:31) For the witness of God, which is declared in the holy Scriptures and
established by signs and miracles, is more trustworthy than the voice of the whole
world, for ​the testimony of the Lord is sure (Psalms 18:8). For any man can lie, but God,
as the eternal Truth, cannot lie. For ​the Lord is faithful in all His words (Psalms 144:13),
and ​Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words of God shall not pass away.​
(Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33) And therefore whatever God has revealed to us, it is surely
so, and whatever He foretold will yet take place, it will certainly take place in its time.
There will certainly be the resurrection of the dead, there will be the second coming of
Christ, even as there was the first, there will be His righteous judgement, the rewards of
the righteous and the sinners, etc.

7. The word of God is given to us from God, and written by Spirit-inspired men for that
end that we, by clinging to it, would receive eternal salvation. ​But these are written, ​says
Saint John, ​that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31) And Saint Paul says: ​For
whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)
Therefore Christ sends the Jews to search the Scriptures: ​Search the scriptures; for in
them ye think ye have eternal life (John 5:39). And although our forefathers and the holy
patriarchs were saved without the holy Scriptures, they were taught, instructed, and
consoled by the ​living voice of God, as we read in the book of Genesis. We, however,
should not expect such a voice and instruction from God, but should seek counsel and
instruction from His holy written word, according to the word of Christ: ​search the
Scriptures. The word of God is beyond doubt, true, firm and unshakeable, as given from
God, the rule of holy faith and God-pleasing Christian life. For this is the lamp for our
feet, as the prophet proclaims: ​Thy Law is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
paths. (Psalms 118:105) And ​we have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
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do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day
dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19) And ​the Law of the Lord is
pure, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, giving wisdom unto the
simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, gladdening the heart; the commandment of
the Lord is bright, giving light unto the eyes. (Psalms 18:8-9) ​All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Therefore the good news of Christ is called and
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Romans 1:16), for ​faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), and through it we
believe on Christ (John 17:20) for ​it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21) For this reason, the diligent reading or hearing of
it is necessary for all Christians who desire to have a true and living faith, to keep it to
the end, and so to be saved. As those who are walking on a road or doing anything need
a sensory light, so those who are walking on the way to eternal life and laboring in the
work of faith and piety need the lamp of the word of God, so that they do not wander
into the way of the ungodly. And as the body is strengthened by food every day, so that
it does not weaken and waste away through weakness, so we ought every day to
strengthen our souls by the spiritual food of the word of God, so that it does not
weaken from famine and so perish. A man by himself is blind, and therefore needs
enlightenment. He is weak, and therefore needs to be strengthened. He is lazy and
despondent, and therefore needs encouragement and consolation. All of these are
acquired from the word of God. Many are the plots of the devil and the allurements of
the world of which the word of God warns us, all of which seek to turn the soul aside
from the way of piety. Therefore, wandered astray are those Christians who turn aside
from this Godly rule and walk about as if blind or in darkness. And in the end, if they
remain so, they will fall into the pit of destruction.

8. The word of God, as the truest and most perfect rule of piety, is necessary for all
Christians, as has been said. But for the shepherds, that is for the bishops and priests, it
is most necessary. For they have taken the ​key of knowledge (Luke 11:52) that is the
word of God, and by it they should open the door both for themselves and for others to
Christ the Living God and source of life, and to the eternal blessedness that was opened
by His death. The holy apostle wrote to Timothy, and thus to every shepherd: ​Take heed
unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both
save thyself, and them that hear thee, (1 Timothy 4:16) and moreover ​give attendance
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (1 Timothy 4:13). Therefore those shepherds who
do not attend to the reading of holy Scripture according to the exhortation of the
Apostle are not sound in their calling. For how can such a shepherd teach others, when

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he himself is ignorant? How can he enlighten others, when he himself is in darkness and
blindness? How can he direct others, when he himself is gone astray? Such shepherds
are likened by Christ to the blind guides: ​they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.​ (Matthew 15:14)

9. The word of God is given and written equally for all in general, and for each in
particular, for me and for you, and for others. For God does not respect the human
person, but ​will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:4) Therefore, He willed His holy word to be written for each and every one,
so that anyone might receive eternal salvation by reading or hearing it. As God speaks to
me in His word: ​I am the Lord thy God; love thy neighbor as thyself, etc., even so He
speaks to you. And Christ bids everyone to search the Scriptures: ​search the Scriptures.
And the greetings of the Apostolic Epistles are to ​all Christians, as anyone can see in the
Epistles. And the holy apostle John in his epistle wrote: ​I write unto you, fathers, I write
unto you, young men, I write unto you, little children, ​etc. (1 John 2:13-14) He wrote to
fathers, young men, and little children: therefore it follows 1) each and every one,
people of every calling and rank, that is the ordained and the unordained, noble and
simple, men and women can and must read and listen to it. 2) All people, of every
calling and rank, are obliged to obedience, that is to turning away from evil and doing
good. 3) They sin, who believe and teach that the holy Scriptures should not be read by
simple people, but only by priests and other ordained persons. It is certain, this opinion
is the invention and plot of the devil, who leads people aside from this soul-profiting
reading, so that without reading the holy Scriptures they would not have a true and
living faith, and so would not be saved.

10. It is not those who merely hear the word of God who are blessed, but those who
hear it and keep it, as Christ says: ​blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep
it. (Luke 11:28) For this reason we must strive to hear and to keep what we heard with
God's help. For this reason the apostle exhorts Christians: ​But be ye doers of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and
not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:For he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
(James 1:22-24) For God did not declare His word in order for it to sit outwardly upon
parchment as some dead sketching, but for it to bear its fruit inwardly in our hearts. For
the word of God is the ​living divine seed that must bear spiritual fruit in the soil of our
hearts. What use is seed sown into the ground, if it does not bear fruit? So the word of
God that is preached and heard is of no use when it does not bear fruit in our hearts,
when we do not strive to correct our lives in accordance with its statutes. A monarch's
directive is published so that his subjects would know his will and do it. So the word of
God is published so that we would correct our lives in accordance with its statutes. For it
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is of no benefit to hear the word of God and not to live according to its statutes. The
word of God that is heard and not kept will be to even greater condemnation, as will be
said below.

11. God speaks in His holy word to the human soul: ​I am the Lord thy God,​ etc. He says
to the soul: ​turn away from evil and do good, repent, believe, humble yourself, love, be
patient, etc. For the soul must listen to the voice of God, obey it, repent, believe, love,
be patient, etc. And when evil thoughts arise, must not accept them, but when a good
counsel is felt inwardly, must follow it. It follows: 1) It is of no use to appear sound
outwardly, but be unsound inwardly: to be humble in the body, but proud in the soul, to
have faith and love on one's tongue, but unbelief and its fruits in the heart. This is
hypocrisy. 2) Every sin is in the soul, and is later shown outwardly in our members and
committed by them. For example, murder, theft, adultery, etc. are in the soul. For the
hand will not kill or steal, the tongue will not speak evil or slander, the eye will not look,
the ear will not hear what is improper, the stomach will not overeat, the feet will not
walk to evil, if the soul does not desire it. Likewise, every virtue must be in the soul, and
on occasion be shown outwardly and act. For example, faith must be in the soul, and on
occasion show itself by confession. Love must be in the soul, and on occasion show itself
through works of mercy, etc. The one who has true love for his neighbor will not refuse
him who asks. And when God speaks to man: ​do not kill, do not steal He is not speaking
to the hands, but to the soul from which murder and theft proceed, and are committed
by the hands. Likewise, He is not speaking to the tongue: ​do not bear false witness but
to the soul that misuses the tongue for false witness, etc. Therefore the apostle calls our
members ​instruments of righteousness and unrighteousness (Romans 6:13). They are
instruments of righteousness when the soul works righteousness by them. They are
instruments of unrighteousness when the soul uses them to work unrighteousness. 3)
The murderer, the thief, the fornicator etc. is not only he who does evil in deed, but also
he who desires to do evil. ​A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit (​ Matthew 7:18), says Christ. Therefore, the word of God
attributes murder not only to the one who murders a man in deed, but also to the one
who hates a man. ​Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15), says Saint
John. Likewise, Christ calls the lustful desire adultery. ​Whosoever looketh on a woman to
lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:28) And
although the civil judge does not punish evil desires, the judgement of God will punish
them, as committed against His holy and eternal law: ​thou shalt not covet​. For God does
not judge only the external sins, but also the internal, although they may not appear
outwardly to men.

12. God Who commands us to turn away from evil, the Same commands us to do good:
shun evil, and do good (Psalms 33:15). He Who forbids us to steal or rob, the Same also
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commands us to give: ​Give to him that asketh thee (Matthew 5:42). Consequently: 1)
We are equally obliged to flee from evil and to do good. 2) It follows that doing what is
forbidden and not doing what is commanded are both against the holy law of God, and
therefore are sin. For everything that is done against the holy law of God is sin. ​Sin is the
transgression of the law (​ 1 John 3:4), according to the witness of the apostle. Christ
sends into eternal fire not only for evil deeds, but also for carelessness toward good
deeds. ​Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels (Matthew 25:41), He will say to those on His left hand in the day of His
judgement. And for what cause? ​For I was an hungred, He will say, and ye gave me no
meat etc. (Matthew 25:42) Saint Basil the Great teaches this in his sermon On Divine
Judgement, as does Saint Chrysostom in his 13th homily on Romans Chapter 3. From
this it follows that the wealthy sin, when they do not give from their possessions to the
poor who ask of them. Also others sin, who hide God's gifts within themselves, and do
not make them useful to others. For these are the ​talents,​ for which we must give
answer to our Lord in the day of His righteous judgement. (Matthew 25:14-30)

13. The one who wishes to read or hear the word of God with spiritual benefit should
note the following: 1) Since this is the most precious gift of God, we must read it or
listen to it with reverence, eagerness, and diligence. We listen with attention, diligence,
and reverence to a monarch or a man of high rank who is speaking to us. Even more so
we should listen to God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who is speaking to us and
conversing with us in His word. When we pray to Him ​in spirit and in truth​, we converse
with Him. So, when we properly read His word, or listen to the server reading it, we hear
Him conversing with us. 2) We must read or hear the word of God not to be
sharp-witted or well-spoken, but to know God and Christ the Son of God, and His holy
will, and so to be saved. This is the proper objective of reading or hearing the word of
God. Since it is given to us for the salvation of the soul, this is the purpose for which we
must read or hear it. 3) Hide it in the heart as precious spiritual treasure, as David the
prophet said: ​Thy words have I hid within my heart, O Lord, ​that I should not sin against
Thee. ​(Psalms 118:11) Keep it and ​exercise in it day and night (Psalms 1:2), and nourish
the soul with it as the body is nourished with bread, and even more so. For as the body
without food grows weak and disappears, so faith without the food of the word of God
grows weak, and later disappears. Or how a lamp goes out without oil, so faith and all
piety grow dim and go out without the word of God. For ​faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.​ (Romans 10:17) As we add oil to the lamp so it does not go
out, so we must light and warm our faith with the word of God, so that it would not go
out, and that we might not be deprived of all the spiritual blessedness that is contained
in faith. 4) Think and consider it beyond doubt, that the great, almighty, holy and
terrible God speaks in His word to all people, and also to me and to you, the vile,

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destitute, poor, cursed and sinful ones: ​I am the Lord thy God,​ repent, believe, be
humble, love, be patient, be meek, etc. It is fearful not to listen to Him, the Righteous
One. It is sorrowful to grieve Him, the Good and All-Merciful Father. It is shameful not to
honor Him, our Benefactor. It is impossible to hide from Him, Everywhere Present and
All-Knowing. However, ​His mercy is great to the one who trembles at His word.​ (Isaiah
66:2) 5) Do not look at others and what they are doing, whoever they may be, but hold
only to the word of God, and meditate on what it teaches. For day by day, faith and love
diminish in men, and temptations multiply, which make our hearts waver, and attempt
to put out the faith that has begun. 6) Our mind without God's enlightenment is blind,
our will without God's grace is evil, and our desire and effort without God's help are not
strong. Therefore, we must diligently pray to God that He Himself would enlighten our
mind, correct our will, and help our desire and effort, imitating the divinely wise
Psalmist who diligently prays through the entire 118th Psalm that God may correct him
and set him on the path of His commandments, help him, and lead him in the way of
truth. For we must begin the word of God with prayer, read or hear it with prayer, and
end it with prayer and thanksgiving. This is why in the church assembly we pray before
the beginning of the reading of the word of God, that is the Epistle and the Gospel, and
at the end we give thanks to God for His great gift. The one who is beginning to read or
hear the word of God can pray with the Psalmist in this manner: ​open Thou mine
spiritual ​eyes, that I may recognize the wondrous things of Thy Law (Psalms 118:18), O
Lord. ​I am a pilgrim upon earth, O hide not Thy commandments from me. (​ Psalms
118:19) Or in this manner: O Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, open my mind to know
Thy holy word, as Thou opened the minds of Thy apostles. (Luke 24:31) Or however
God's grace inspires one to pray. The one who listens and hears the word of God should
pray in a similar manner, and activate prayer by meditation in a similar manner to what
is being read. For example, the one who is reading or hearing about the ​beatitudes
(Matthew 5:3-12) should pray to Christ, the Cause of true blessedness, that He would
plant and establish the root of blessedness in his heart, that is a true and living faith
from which sweet fruits proceed, that is: poverty in spirit, tenderness, meekness,
hunger and thirst for righteousness, love with its fruits, purity of heart and simplicity of
heart, etc. The one who is reading or hearing this word of Christ: Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21) , should keep in mind that we can
neither truly and properly call upon God, or do God's will without God. ​Without me ye
can do nothing, ​(John 15:5) says God Himself. He can join the following prayer to the
reading: O Lord, help me, the sinner, to call upon Thee ​in spirit and in truth (John 4:23),
teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God (Psalms 142:10), so that calling upon Thee
and following Thy holy will, I may be saved by Thy true promise: ​whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) The one reading or hearing

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how Christ ​opened the eyes of the blind (Matthew 20:34), can add this prayer: O Son of
God, Who enlightened the eyes of the blind as God, enlighten the eyes of my soul, that I
may see Thee, the eternal Light, and follow Thee with faith and love. The one reading or
hearing this apostolic word: ​Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again (2 Corinthians
5:15), can pray like this: O Jesus the Son of God, Who died for all and for me the sinner,
mortify the scheming of my flesh, help me to die to sin and to the world, that I may live
to Thee, my Redeemer, Who died for me and rose again. One may act similarly in other
cases, and activate and fortify prayer by meditation, and meditation by prayer. Having
finished the reading or hearing of the word of God, one must give thanks to the merciful
God that He willed this lamp to shine for us who are in darkness, to enlighten our minds.
And we should also pray that the day star arise in our hearts by the grace of the Holy
Spirit, Who spoke by prophets and apostles.

14. Christians who live without fear and break the law of God gather unto themselves
the wrath of God, according to the word of the apostle: ​despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up
unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God. (Romans 2:4-5) I say they gather more wrath than pagans, who do not know the
true God and His holy law. For only the natural law will judge pagans, but unreformed
and hardened Christians will be accused and judged both by natural and written law in
the day of Christ's judgement. ​He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath
one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day (John 12:48), says Christ. The words of the holy Scriptures, says Basil the Great, will
appear at Christ's judgement. For He says: ​I will reprove thee, and set thy sins before thy
face (Psalms 49:21). Then commandments will appear before the hardened Christian,
which he heard and broke, and will accuse him. God's prohibitions and promises will
appear, that have indeed come to pass and were written in the Scriptures which he did
not believe, and will accuse him. Then the conscience will arise and remind him of God's
good works and blessed deeds that he despised, such as: Christ's coming into the world
for the sake of sinners, His suffering, death, etc.; the word of God that he heard so many
times and despised, the admonitions in sermons that he heard so many times and
forsook. And he will suffer exceedingly from these memories, and even more from the
pangs of his conscience, especially because he will have no hope of returning what he
lost through negligence. From this it follows that he will begin to judge and reproach
himself uselessly, to hate himself, to abhor and curse himself. He will wish to turn into
nothing, and will not be able to. To this most fearful torment and sorrow will be added
the most severe perception of the wrath of God, the fire that burns but does not

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consume, etc. Those who despise the law of God will not avoid this torment, no matter
how much they soothe themselves and dull their evil conscience. For ​that servant, which
knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes, (Luke 12:47) says Christ. For this reason Christ declares ​woe
unto those who hear the word of God and do not repent. It will be easier for men of
Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom in the day of judgement than for lawless Christians, unless they
repent (Matthew 11:21-24). ​God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap (Galatians 6:7). Therefore, Christians who have fallen away from God by
their lawless life must without fail turn to God with all their hearts, and beseech His
goodness with tears that He might accept them in His highest mercy, and bear fruits
worthy of repentance if they do not want to feel divine judgement on themselves worse
than pagans. ​Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire​ (Matthew 3:10).

15. It is a sign of the wrath of God, when there is some place where the word of God is
not preached, as God says through His prophet: ​Behold, the days come, saith the Lord
God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from
the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and
shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12) As bread is for the body, so the word of God is for the
soul. For as the body is nourished and strengthened by food, so the soul is nourished
and strengthened in faith by the word of God. Therefore, as famine comes for the body
when the clouds do not rain, and the parched earth yields no fruit, so a famine follows
for souls when they are deprived of hearing the word of God. For faith, which is
nourished and strengthened by the word of God, then grows weak and disappears, and
unbelief and false belief follow instead. Thus it happens that people consider as sin
something in which there is no sin, and on the contrary do not consider something sinful
which is a great sin. They call virtue vice, and vice they call virtue. Therefore, many
consider it a sin to touch certain foods which God did not forbid, but they devour the
homes of widows, orphans, and other defenseless people, which God forbade under
threat of temporal and eternal punishment. Other lawless fruits follow from this, which
indicate a godless life, such as: oathbreaking, extortion, theft, flattery, lies, deceit,
unreconcilable malice, and all manners of uncleanness and lawlessness. For man by
himself is blind, and therefore needs enlightenment. He is forgetful, and therefore
needs frequent reminders. He is slothful, and needs to be encouraged. He is frail and
despondent, and so he needs consolation. He is hesitant, and therefore needs to be
fortified. He is doubtful, and so he needs direction. All of these things are acquired from
the holy Scriptures. ​All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of

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God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) But
when he is deprived of all this, what must follow is a woeful and lamentable state of the
soul. Dire is the famine of the body, but more dire is that of the soul. For a famine of the
body leads to the death of the body, but famine of the soul leads to the death of the
soul, which far more evil than bodily death. As much as the soul is more honorable than
the body, so much the distress of the soul is more dire than of the body. Neither the
righteous nor sinners will avoid a bodily death, but we will avoid the death of the soul
with God's help, if we hold to His holy word. If the soul is alive with faith, then the body,
even though it dies, will arise at the general resurrection and join with the soul. But if
the soul dies, then both body and soul will perish eternally. Woe to those poor souls
who are wasting away from this death-bearing famine! But greater woe to those whose
duty it is to feed souls with the food of the word of God, who do not feed those starving
ones! Thus they themselves do not enter the Kingdom of God, and do not let in those
who wish to enter. It is an even greater woe, when they open the way to all manner of
lawlessness by their scandals. For the simple people, looking up to them as to their
leaders, imitate their ways and manner of life. Such-and-such are doing this, why
shouldn't we do it? Thus they reason, insanely and blindly, and day by day faith
decreases, and love grows dim with the faith, piety wanes, and unrighteousness
multiplies. It is necessary in those cases to ​pray the Lord of the harvest, that he will send
forth labourers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38), according to the word of Christ. Of this
work of the greatest importance, which holds our eternal salvation: 1) Those in whose
hearts the spark of piety has not gone out should sigh and pray for it. 2) Those who
guide the churches should apply their care and diligence.

16. It is also a bad sign when the word of God is being preached, but the people listen
reluctantly and slothfully, do not receive it deeply into their hearts, or even worse,
withdraw from it. In the parable of the sower it is written: ​And when he sowed, some
seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon
stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because
they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and
because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the
thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth
fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. (Matthew 13:4-8) The seed
is the word of God. The ground that is good and bore fruit from the seeds that were
sown represents good people who bear the fruits of repentance. The ground that did
not bear fruit represents three kinds of careless people, in whom the word of the Gospel
teaching bears no fruit. The first kind of people are like the ​way side​, who though
hearing do not hear the word of God. That is, they hear only with their bodily ears the
word that is being preached, but do not allow it into their heart. They do not reflect on

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what they heard, but entertain themselves with other vain thoughts. And so only the
sound of the word of God strikes their ears, but it does not reach their hearts. This way
the devil takes away from them the word of God, so they would not ​believe and be
saved​. The second kind of people hear the word of the teaching and ​receive it with
gladness,​ as Christ teaches. But since they ​have no root in themselves​, in time of trial or
persecution they allow it to wither, and are ​fruitless. The third sort of people are those
who likewise hear the word of God, but the ​cares of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches are as seeds of thorns that ​choke the word​, and they ​become unfruitful​, as Christ
Himself explains​. (Matthew 13:19-22, Mark 4:14-19, Luke 8:11-14) From this it is
evident: 1) Hearing the word of God carelessly is of no benefit. 2) The word of God that
is heard and received with joy, but not taken into the heart, will be choked by the cares
and afflictions of this age, or by worldly vanities, love of glory, love of money, and love
of pleasure as by thorns, and will be fruitless. 3) Those who hear the word of God
carelessly and do not bury it in their heart bear no fruit. Then what fruit can there be
from those who withdraw from the word of God altogether, and wish neither to hear it
nor to read it? 4) From all this it is again apparent how small is the number of those
being saved. Only one fourth of those who hear the word of God are being saved, as we
see in the parable. Take out those who withdraw from the word of God, take out
idol-worshippers, Jews, Mohammedans, heretics, and other false believers, and only a
small flock of the sheep of Christ will remain, as Christ Himself says: ​fear not, little flock.
(Luke 12:32) For there are few who want to go by the narrow way, ​which alone leadeth
unto life (Matthew 7:14). 5) We, Christians, should examine ourselves and strive to be
not only hearers, but doers of the law. Let us bear fruits worthy of repentance, so that
we would not be cut down by the axe of divine judgement as fruitless and cast into the
fire. ​Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(Matthew 3:1

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