The Kingdom of God is not acquired by eating one thing and not eating another, or by drinking one thing and not drinking another. Or—this is not what constitutes the Kingdom of God, not what adorns it, not what constitutes its distinctive character. Or—this is not what makes those who have entered the Kingdom of God glorious, and this is not the sign of whether someone is in the Kingdom of God or not. "Do not think that this is very great progress, and that the Kingdom of Heaven is acquired by this" (Blessed Theodoret). "Do you really think that this will be counted to your credit? And in another place he says the same thing: even if there are pits, we abound; and even if there are no pits, we are deprived" (cf. 1 Cor. 8:8). There is nothing to prove here; it is enough to say. The meaning of the Apostle's words is this: "If you eat, will this enter you into the Kingdom?" (St. Chrysostom).
What then enters into the Kingdom? What are its blessings? What serves as a sign that someone is one of its heirs? Truth, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. "A virtuous life, peace with one's brother, the joy that comes from concord" (St. Chrysostom). "True righteousness in peace and love, concord and diligence, which give birth to joy in God, obtains the Kingdom for us" (Blessed Theodoret). Truth is not just justification and the remission of sins, but an inner righteousness that has banished all unrighteousness from the heart and instilled in it a sense of righteousness and right thinking, from which come righteousness and righteous deeds—in a word, holiness, ready for every good deed and powerful to accomplish it. Peace—a peaceful state within oneself, in thoughts and feelings, resulting from liberation from the restless passions of self-indulgence; peace descending from above and overshadowing the soul with a sense of God's good will, guarded by the awareness that nothing unjust has been voluntarily permitted, and giving boldness to gaze joyfully upon the all-generous God; and a peace of love with all brothers, making all one soul and enriching each with a sense of the power of such a life, which is composed of all lives, constituted in a peaceful union of the heart. Joy—not any kind of sensory, but detached and detached from all sensory things, not drawing oneself outward, as usual, but deepening oneself, for there the heart is given to taste the joyful blessings which the eye has not seen (1 Cor. 2:9)—from which unceasing tasting flows a joy which cannot be bought by anything else. Joy is inseparable from life; but true joy exists only in the spiritual life, while the life of the soul and the senses possesses only fleeting joys, always troubled and restless. True joy is inseparable from the spiritual life because this life is established only through union with the all-blessed God through His grace. The all-blessed God pours out unceasing joy into the heart that is vitally united to Him through faith, love, and hope.
All this concerns the Holy Spirit. Although the Apostle associates the Holy Spirit with joy alone, in essence, not only joy, but also peace and righteousness, comes only from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives strength for life and piety, and therefore makes a person righteous. The Holy Spirit draws our spirit from the passions of the soul and body and, establishing peace within, keeps it at peace with God and the brethren. The Holy Spirit grants joy, immediately upon turning to God, only as a foretaste and enticement, and after cleansing from passions—as a constant, or more or less constant, experience. For then begins the tangible action of the grace of the Holy Spirit in the heart, with which spiritual sweetness is inseparable, and with this sweetness, joy. From this it follows that truth, peace, and joy in their true meaning exist only in Christians; and among Christians, in those in whom the gift of grace has been kindled.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Feofan_Zatvornik/tolkovanie-k-rimljanam/4
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