According to Orthodox belief, sin isn’t just that I don’t do this or the other that is a commandment of God, or do something or the other, which opposes one of God’s commandments. It is also this, of course, but mainly, sin is a state that is created inside a person as he strays from God to the point of losing communication with Him.
God is the father of all people and they, as His chil- dren, shouldn’t blindly obey Him in a military or le- galistic way, cringing before Him, and, in a manner, wish God would turn His face away so He wouldn’t watch them and then, secretly, they would break one of God’s commandments –and then, at other times, follow His commandment out of fear. They should submit themselves to God, not like this, but as His children, with love, naturally, spontaneously, filially. Their relationship with God should be like the rela- tionship between a child and its father.
Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos (†)
From the book: Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos, “SPIRITUAL MESSAGES” Panorama Thessaloniki, 2017
