The question of how to atone for sins before God worries many true believers. After all, situations sometimes happen in life that negatively affect our behavior. We commit offenses, and in the future we experience pangs of conscience.
Unfortunately, the church is no longer as important as it was in the past. There is even an opinion that religion and faith are abstract concepts, relics of the past. But those who do visit the temple do not always take it seriously: they do not know how to be baptized correctly, how to pray, or how to light a candle.
Such aspects lead to inevitable consequences. We do not realize the magnitude of the full responsibility for our behavior. And gradually life becomes filled with sinfulness. But the understanding that the path has been chosen incorrectly and the time has come for change still comes. This often happens in difficult moments, for example, when a serious illness is discovered. And a person faces a task: how to atone for sins before God and receive forgiveness?
Modern concept of the 7 deadly sins
When talking about the seven sins that are considered mortal, there is no need to draw parallels with the commandments mentioned in Scripture. Of course, there are common features, but these are two completely different concepts.
What are mortal sins?
- Dejection is indifference to everything that happens, reluctance to interfere in anything, lack of interests, apathetic behavior. A person protects himself from current worries and sits back.
- Gluttony is a constant craving for food, even without the feeling of hunger. This is an attempt to drown out all problems with food and pleasure from it.
- Anger is absolutely unjustified aggression towards the outside world, revenge.
- Greed is an unhealthy desire to accumulate material values and a reluctance to share with anyone;
- Envy is a negative reaction to other people's successes. This sin is also associated with jealousy - attacks on a loved one, accusations for no reason.
- Pride is defining oneself as the pinnacle of all things. Such people are not inclined to accept other people's opinions, much less take them into account. For them there is only their own self.
- Lust is a fall in front of oneself as a person. Leads to frivolous relationships and sexual desires of an unhealthy nature.
Throughout his life, every person encounters all seven sins. Under certain circumstances, they overcome us and lead us to immoral behavior.
But all these temptations cannot completely overcome the human will, and if you pull yourself together in time and take the righteous path, you can receive divine forgiveness.
What is the meaning of working off karma?
Spiritual immaturity pushes people to commit sins, changing their entire future fate not only in this, but also in subsequent incarnations. A soul that has sinned cannot reach the highest level of development and again has to return to the previous level. The sinner will definitely experience what he has done to other people. For example, the forces of justice will punish pride with loneliness, murder will be rewarded with the premature death of the culprit himself or people close to him, the adulterer in the new incarnation will suffer from the betrayal of his partner, and poverty awaits the envious person.
All human actions have far-reaching consequences that can change fate
If your soul bears a grave sin, do not be surprised that a person will definitely appear in life through whom a fair punishment will be received. Only after going through and comprehending all the tests sent by fate can we consider that the lesson for the soul has been learned.
Sins and Virtues
Every sin included in the concept of mortals has a virtue opposed to it. The only exception: despondency. This terrible human passion must be fought every minute: believing, hoping and loving. This is stated in the ancient works of the righteous living during the time of Jesus Christ.
For believers, humility is important, thanks to which communication with the Lord and remission of sins is possible. This virtue is seen as the opposite of pride.
Anger is opposed to meekness. Envious people will receive forgiveness only after they learn to give love. Those who show greed must overcome this sin within themselves and become generous.
Chastity is opposed to lust. Diligence fights laziness. And by abstaining, you can say goodbye to gluttony.
Is it possible to atone for a mortal sin?
The first thing you should pay attention to is the sincerity of repentance. Without it, the heart is unable to open up to heaven. If you cannot figure out your own sins in detail on your own, you should tell your priest about your mental anguish. A spiritual father will help you find the right path to the Lord.
Confession is the most important part of a righteous life. While within the walls of the temple, observe how parishioners approach the priest and humbly tell him about the sinfulness of past years.
The mentor advises how to build your future life. If you decide to confess, first read the prayer for forgiveness of sins. And have no doubt that the secrets will remain in the church - the priest will never reveal the secrets of his parishioners.
And only a truthful confession will help you receive forgiveness: even if you are afraid to admit your bad deeds, overcome this fear.
The spiritual father usually gives everyone advice:
- some receive instructions on daily prayer addressed to the Creator
- others must fast
- and some priests advise ordering a special prayer service
But only a heartfelt appeal to heaven will free you from the heavy burden that does not allow you to breathe freely. If even a drop of unbelief slips into your prayer, you are unlikely to receive the long-awaited peace of mind. Daily holy conversation with him will help you get closer to God.
Don’t be afraid - talk to the Lord, repent before him, talk about what’s gnawing inside. The very process of prayer clears the mind of evil thoughts. Peace spreads throughout the body.
A large percentage of women, having reached a certain age, realize their mistakes in youth. And this is especially true for abortion. This is a serious sin that has no explanation or justification.
But when a woman repents, comes to church and tells the priest about it, this means that forgiveness is possible. But from this moment on, her life should be woven only from good deeds, from humility, from exemplary behavior.
The solution may be to help orphanages. Children who have never felt parental care will be grateful. And this will cause a huge flow of positive energy towards the repentant woman.
Church note
A church note given “for health” or “for repose”, along with candles, is the most widespread and common church appeal of people to the Lord, the Mother of God and the holy saints
But dear readers! Please do not think that the Church focuses us on the concepts of “should” and “impossible”, that the Church, like a kind of corral, slams the door behind us - and that’s it, now there are only fasts and rules, obedience and cutting off everything that is possible. The Church is the house of God in which the human soul grows and develops. The purpose of this life is to become a partaker of Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven in joy and peace. The path to God is long, the whole life. In the spiritual life of every person, regardless of age, there is childhood, adolescence, and maturity. And you need to “grow”, improve gradually, albeit with the compulsion of the will (as in any matter), which actually proves love for God. You just need to remember that spiritual growth is the main task of life, a spiritual guideline in any field of life. We must remember the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, freeing people from the torment of sins and bitter captivity in the elements of this world, and that only in the Church does a person find true freedom.
Repentance involves not just awareness of sin, but specifically sin before God. And this is very important. All the feelings that penitential practice invites us to go through: self-reproach, humility, seeing ourselves as worse than everyone else, fear of punishment, etc. - in their true sense, they must be not just human feelings, emotions, movements of the soul, heart, mind - but precisely religious feelings, and positively religious ones at that. That is, they are true and correct only when they are accomplished in God, before Him, in the context of Him and the Church by the joint action of our soul and the grace of God - co-creativity, synergy - but in no case on their own. I draw your special attention to this, because here is the root of all religious errors. Self-reproach does not mean convincing yourself: I am a freak and a nonentity. Humility is not a complex of guilt and inferiority, speaking in the language of psychology. Repentance is not self-remorse, not at all. I repeat, these are positive religious feelings, that is, they mean: there is a God, He is Love and Mercy; He is my Savior, exactly mine, all good and good is all His. Mine is indeed passions and infirmities; but despite them, He gave me such a gift in the Church - to live by Him, His goodness, goodness and perfection; and I am a member of His Body, I live by Him and I do not want to live by myself, by my passions. And for the sake of precisely this, and only this - to live by Him, I do everything: I repent, and pray, and abstain, and fight against sin, and so on, and so on, that the Church prescribes - in order to seek Christ, to be with Him so that by His grace you can fill your weakness. And not for the sake of simply stating hourly that I am a sinner, not in order to eat myself up. This is what happens in repentance.
And humility is the feeling that God loves me immensely, as well as all others, and we are the same before Him - equally weak and sick, and I, perhaps, more than others; but He accepts us all, heals, nourishes, supports, consoles, admonishes us with great love and mercy, like a mother and child; and before Him everything is ours, even something good and good - nothing, zero, dust and ashes. This is humility and self-reproach. And all these repentant feelings should bring to a person’s soul not despondency and despair, not an inferiority complex, which always happens when we deprive repentance of a church context, but – precisely because these are spiritual movements of the soul – the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is not delight, not rosy exaltation, not blood fever - the grace of the Holy Spirit is evidenced in the soul by a subtle, peaceful, joyful, humble, quiet, cool, truly spiritual feeling, giving a person peace, love and freedom - and, as it were, gathering a person into something whole, into what it should be according to God's plan.
Church services in Orthodox churches in Jerusalem
Sorokoust about repose
The everlasting psalter
Church note
Prayer for health
Sorokoust about health
Prayer for forgiveness of sins
Thoughts about a sin committed in the past can eat a person from the inside, preventing him from sleeping peacefully, preventing him from working and concentrating. And, most importantly, the understanding penetrates into the mind that the sinfulness of the past days closes the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The power that prayer for forgiveness of sins is great - it is impossible to evaluate it. The desire, coming from the depths of the heart, to repent before the Creator increases the energetic connection with heaven.
After all, the believer understood and accepted that he had committed a sinful act unworthy of a Christian. He assessed his own guilt so as not to take the same rash step in the future.
A prayerful appeal represents a spiritual appeal to the Lord. Already after the first spoken sacred words, purification, generosity and kindness descend upon the believer.
In order not to return to bad thoughts, you should follow the instructions of the Orthodox faith throughout your life. Don’t forget about visiting the temple – its walls are imbued with the power of so many spoken prayers! The energy of such places surprises with its strength, which is why communication with God in church is easier for a person. Thoughts become clear, and peace reigns in the soul.
Confess regularly - repentance before a spiritual mentor will allow you to relive your sin again and realize its wrongness. The prayer for forgiveness can also be said at home. This should be done every day before going to bed at night. Here is her text:
Lord my God, You know what is saving for me, help me.
And do not allow me to sin before You and perish in my sins, for I am sinful and weak.
Do not betray me to my enemies, for I have come to You, deliver me, Lord, for You are my strength and my hope.
And to you be glory and thanksgiving forever! Amen
If you do not allow evil and bad thoughts to enter your mind, listen to the advice of the priest and pray regularly, the Creator will definitely answer you.
Symbol of faith
How to atone for your sins
We cannot atone for our sins, but we have hope. The Lord Jesus Christ says that He came precisely to serve and to give His soul as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
The main thing is not human sins and infirmities in themselves; the main thing - both the first and the most important - is that we are, first of all, members of the Church, members of the Body of Christ, and then - the sick, the weak, the powerless, sinners, whatever. The main thing is that, as in all spiritual life, so in repentance, in the center of it, in the first, main place, is He - and not some me with my supposed super-sinfulness.
Christ made atonement for our sins at Calvary; we are called to receive His gift through repentance and faith. The Lord founded the Church and established the Sacraments in it - special actions through which He frees us from sins and gives us strength for a new life. Therefore, we just need to come to Church and bring our sins to confession. The Word of God firmly promises us that if we confess our sins, He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Only Christ can cleanse our sins.
A spiritual person can atone for sin through prayer. To do this, you need to remember your life and your sinful adventures. So they found a case and illuminated it with their consciousness, what it is and how to evaluate your thoughts and actions. If you see your sin and condemn it, repenting, then the sin is immediately atoned for and you are lifted up in spirit and your path changes.
Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy (Church note)
Health is commemorated for those who have Christian names, and repose is remembered only for those baptized in the Orthodox Church.
Notes can be submitted at the liturgy:
For proskomedia - the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphoras, which are subsequently dipped into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins
Sin is not just some kind of immoral act, it is primarily the law of God, the laws of spiritual life established by the Creator Himself, lawlessness (1 John 3.4), or, in other words, sin is the will of God. Sin did not come from God and not from nature, but from the abuse of the mind and will of his rational beings, from their arbitrary deviation from God, from replacing His holy will with their own, from self-will. The first violator of His will was Lucifer, one of the rank of Archangels. Now he is Satan, that is, the enemy of God. Therefore, committing a sin is a conscious or unconscious resistance to God, and one must avoid sin in every possible way, making an effort to do so. That original, natural sin, which infected the nature of the first parents, and therefore is hereditary as long as carnal humanity exists, is the reason for the personal sins of everyone. That is why the Lord said, “There is no man who has not sinned.” Thus, the personal sins of each person come from damaged human nature, under the influence of the external world, which “lies in evil,” and from the devil. If you commit a sin, you must repent in order to again become closer to your Creator and Savior, your eternal Protector and Guide.
The Lord forgives us all sins, except mortal sin. Mortal sin is stubborn unrepentance, when the sinner in his bitterness reaches the point that he cannot repent with all his heart. And even if someone was terribly guilty before God, he can, by humbly prostrating himself before Him, bring repentance. Repentance is the basic background of our entire Christian life. The Monk Ephraim the Syrian left us the necessary prayer: “grant me to see my sins.” Again and again: seeing your sin is a spiritual act of extremely great value for all who seek the Face of the Living God. Moreover, this act is the action in us of God Himself, Who is light. Unfortunately, very few people understand in their hearts the true nature of sin. Usually they stand at the level of human morality, and even if they rise above it, it is still not enough (and morality itself, if necessary, can be changed...) Great ascetics, when they confessed, accused themselves of all evil, because they did not find such a sin that was not committed by even a momentary touch of the mind. And no one can be sure that he is beyond the power of the thoughts that visit him. So, to the best of our ability to see ourselves, we need to confess our sins so as not to take them with us after death.
The everlasting psalter
The indefatigable Psalter is read not only about health, but also about peace. Since ancient times, ordering a commemoration on the Everlasting Psalter has been considered a great alms for a departed soul.
It is also good to order the Indestructible Psalter for yourself; you will feel the support. And one more important point, but far from the least important,
There is eternal remembrance on the Indestructible Psalter. It seems expensive, but the result is more than millions of times more than the money spent. If this is still not possible, then you can order for a shorter period. It's also good to read for yourself.
Our entire earthly life, from birth to our last breath, can ultimately be seen and appreciated in an instant. Imagine a vessel of perfectly clean glass full of water; at first glance you can tell whether the water is clean or not, and to what extent. This is how it will be with us upon our transition to another world. Every movement of thought, even fleeting, leaves its mark on the overall quality of our life.
Suppose that during the entire period of my earthly existence only once an evil thought, for example, murder, ran through my heart. And this single thought will remain a dark spot on the body of my life if it is not expelled through repentant self-condemnation. Nothing can be hidden: “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2-3). And for every evil thought we will be tortured in ordeals, which will result in an intermediate judgment: the soul will either go to God, or, pushing away from God, will move “into outer darkness,” to endless torment.
Prayer of repentance and forgiveness
In the hand of Your great mercy, O my God, I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and words, my deeds and all my movements of body and soul.
My entry and exit, my faith and life, the course and end of my life, the day and hour of my breathing, my repose, the repose of my soul and body.
But You, O Most Merciful God, invincible to the sins of the whole world, Goodness, Gentle Lord, accept me, more than all sinners, in the hand of Your protection and deliver me from all evil, cleanse my many iniquities, grant correction to my evil and cursed life and from those to come. Always delight me in the fall of cruel sins, and in no way, when I anger Your love for mankind, cover my weakness from demons, passions and evil people.
Forbid the enemy, visible and invisible, guiding me along the saved path, bring me to You, my refuge and my desire.
Grant me a Christian death, unashamed, peaceful, keep me from the airy spirits of malice, at Your Last Judgment be merciful to Your servant and number me at the right hand of Your blessed sheep, and with them I will glorify You, my Creator forever. Amen.
