“We are philosophers – not in words – but in deeds. We do not speak great things; we live them.” – Cyprian

Quotes From the Early Christians

Apostolic Constitutions:

“If anyone follows unrighteousness and does those things that are contrary to the will of God – such a person will be considered by God the same as the disobedient unbeliever.”

Apostolic Constitutions:

“The Holy Spirit always abides with those who are possessed of Him, so long as they are worthy. . . . The Holy Spirit remains with a person so long as he is doing good, and He fills him with wisdom and understanding.”

Barnabas:

“The whole past time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“It is neither the faith, nor the love, nor the hope, nor the endurance of one day; rather, ‘he that endures to the end will be saved.’”

Clement of Alexandria:

“He who does not believe God is cheated of his own hope.  And he does not believe God, who does not do what God has commanded.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“But ‘to convert’ means that we in fact cease from our sins and no longer look behind.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“The Father is the only One who is able to undo what has been done and to blot out our former sins by the dew of the Spirit. He says, in effect, ‘I will judge you by the state in which I find you.’ So there may be a person who has done incredibly good deeds during his lifetime. But if he runs headlong into wickedness at the end of his life, then all his previous good deeds will fail to profit him. At the conclusion of the drama, he has given up his role. On the other hand, it’s possible for the man who once led a wicked and immoral life to eventually repent. During the remainder of his life after his repentance, he may overcome the evil conduct of a long time. But to do so requires great care, because he is like one who has suffered from a prolonged disease and needs to follow a certain regimen. He needs special attention. Thief, do you want to be forgiven? Steal no more. Adulterer, burn no more with lust. Fornicator, live purely in the future. You who have robbed, give back – and give back more than you took. False witness, practice truth. Perjurer, swear no more. All of you, get rid of the rest of your fleshly passions – wrath, lust, grief, and fear. In doing so, at the end of your life, you may be found to have already been reconciled to your adversary during your stay in this world (Luke 12:58). It is probably impossible to eradicate all your inbred passions at once. But by God’s power, by human intercession, by the help of the brothers, by sincere repentance, and by constant care, they will be corrected.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Open your compassion to all who are enrolled as the disciples of God. Don’t look contemptuously at personal appearance. Don’t be carelessly disposed to only a certain age group. If someone appears to be penniless, or ragged, or ugly, or feeble, don’t let your soul fret about it and turn away from them. Our bodies are only a form cast around us. They are the occasion of our entrance into this world, and they allow us to enter into this common school. But inside of us dwells the hidden Father, and His Son, who died for us and rose with us.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Sometimes heretics quote from the prophetic Scriptures, but they misuse them in several ways.  First, they don’t make use of all the Scriptures.  Second, when they do cite a passage, they don’t quote it in its entirety.  Thirdly, they quote prophetic statements out of context.  Furthermore, they like to select ambiguous passages, so they can distort them to agree with their own opinions.  Finally, they gather a few expressions here and there, not looking to the meaning, but making use of the mere words, while altering the meaning. “But truth is not found by twisting the meaning of Scripture.  Doing violence to the Scriptures is no way to establish one’s teachings.  Yet, people have used this method to corrupt all true teaching.  However, to find truth, a person must consider what perfectly belongs to the Sovereign God and what is becoming to Him.  One must also establish the meaning of any particular Scripture passage by using other similar passages from Scripture. “In contrast, heretics don’t want to turn to the truth. . . . When they promote false teachings to men, they are plainly fighting against almost the whole body of Scripture.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Likewise, no one is saved simply by trusting and believing that he will be saved. Instead, people should investigate the hope that the Savior gives them. By investigation, they should find out how they can confirm that which is unexpected. They can thereby possess the thing they hope for.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“So believe the prophecies, the gospels, and the apostolic words. By living in accordance with them, lending your ears, and practicing these deeds, when you die, you will see the fulfillment of these truths. For anyone who welcomes the angel of repentance in this world will not need to repent when he dies. He will not be ashamed when he sees the Savior approaching in His glory and with His army. He will not fear the fire. On the other hand, if you choose to continue to sin perpetually in pleasures – if you prefer to indulge yourself here rather than to seek eternal life – if you turn away from the Savior who offers forgiveness – blame neither God, nor riches, nor the fallen flesh. Blame your own soul, which voluntarily perishes. For whoever desires salvation and asks for it vehemently and boldly, the good Father in heaven will grant true purification and eternal life.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Trusting is more than faith. For when one has believed that the Son of God is our Teacher, he trusts that His teaching is true.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“What necessity is there for self-restraint to the one who has no need of it? For to have such desires that one must exercise self-restraint in order to control them is characteristic of someone who is not yet pure.  Rather, he is still subject to lusts.  Now, fortitude is taken on because of fear and cowardice.  It is no longer fitting that the friend of God . . . should fall into pleasures or fears and be occupied with the repression of lusts.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Abstinence from sins is not sufficient for perfection, unless a person also assumes the work of righteousness – activity in doing good.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“The spiritual man will pray that he may never fall from virtue, giving his most strenuous cooperation in order that he may become unfailing. . . . Now that he has made it his choice to live perfectly, he subjects himself to training, for the attainment of the stability of knowledge on each side. . . . However, this is not apart from the exercise of will, or the force of reason, knowledge, and providence. Rather, it is through them . . .”

Clement of Alexandria:

“For it is in this manner that one truly follows the Savior: by aiming at sinlessness and at His perfection.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Repentance, then, is a result of faith. For unless a man believes that to which he was addicted to be sin, he will not abandon it.  And he must believe that punishment looms over the transgressor.  He must believe that salvation belongs to the one who lives according to the commandments.  Otherwise, he will not reform.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“He that repents of what he did, no longer does or says the things he did. . . . He, then, who has received the forgiveness of sins should sin no more.”

Clement of Alexandria:

“Being very merciful, God has promised a second repentance for those who fall into some transgression yet remain in the faith. In that manner, if anyone is tempted after his calling, and is overcome by force and fraud, he may still receive repentance.  But he must not turn away from that repentance.  ‘For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.’ . . . But continual and successive repentings of sins does not differ at all from the case of those who have not believed at all.”

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