Saving Others

Τοιοῦτον τοίνυν ἔχοντες Δεσπότην, οὕτω φιλάανθρωπον, οὕτως ἀγαθὸν, οὕτως ἥμερον, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας φροντίζωμεν, καὶ τῶν ἀδελγῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ σωτηρίας ὑπόθεσις γενήσεται, ὅταν καὶ τὸν πλησίον ὠφελῶμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδὸν χειραγωγῶμεν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅσον ἐστιν ἀγαθὸν τὸ δυνηθῆναι μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας καὶ ἕτερον κερδᾶναι, ἄκουσον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος τοῦ προφήτου· Ὁ ἐξάγων τίμιον ἐξ ἀναξίου, ὡς στόμα μου ἔσται. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὁ ἐκ τῆς πλάνῃς πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, φησὶ, χειραγωγῶν, ἣ ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὁδηγῶν τὸν πλησίον, κατὰ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐμὲ μιμεῖται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, Θεὸς ὤν, τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπέδυ σάρκα, καὶ διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ τί λέγω, τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπέδυ σάρκα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ ἄνθρώπινα ὑπέμεινεν, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν κατεδέξσατο, ἵνα ἡμᾶς τοὺς ὑπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν προδεδομένους τῆς κατάρας ἐλευθερώσῃ; Καὶ βοᾷ τοῦτο Παῦλοκ λέγων· Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς καράρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Εἰ τοίνυν αὐτὸς, Θεὸς ὢν καὶ τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνης τῆς ἀποῥῥήτου τυγχάνων, διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἄφατον ταῦτα ἄπανατα κατεδέξατο δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν· τὶ οὐκ ἅν εἴημεν αὐτοὶ δίκαιοι περὶ τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς ἐπιδείξασθαι καὶ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὥστε καὶ τῆς φάρυγγος αὐτοὺς ἐξαρπάσαι τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδὸν χειραγωγῆσαι; Ὅσῳ γὰρ ψυχὴ σώματος κρείσσων, τοσούτῳ εῶν χρήμασι βοηθούντων τοῖς δεομένοις, οὖτοι μειζόνων ἀξιοῦνται τῶν ἀμοιβῶν οἱ διὰ τῆς παραινέσεως καὶ τῆς συνεχοῦς διδασκαλίας τοὺς ῥᾳθύμους καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότας ἀνάγοντες ἐπὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν, καὶ δεικνύντες τῆς μὲν κακίας τὸ δυσειδὲς, τῆς δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν ἀρετῆς τὴν πολλὴν εὐμορφίαν. Ὁμῖλία Γ Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος

Thus possessing such a Lord, so benevolent, so good, so gentle, let us think of the salvation of our household and our brothers, for even this shall be an occasion of our own salvation, when we are concerned for the advantage of our neighbour, that we may lead him on the way of truth. And that we may learn how much good we may gather by the salvation of others, hear the prophet saying in the person of God, ' He who leads the precious from the worthless shall be as my mouth'  But what does this mean? It is he who leads from error to truth, he says, who leads by the hand his neighbour from sin to virtue, and insofar as a man is able to do this he is my imitator. For even He, God himself, took on our flesh, and for the salvation of the human race was made man. But why do I say he put on our flesh, and suffered human things, even to the taking up of the cross, that thus he liberate us who are obnoxious from the curse of sin? And this also Paul cries forth, saying, 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law and was made for us a curse.' If then God who is ineffable of essence, on account of inexpressible benignity underwent all this for our salvation, why is it not rightly asked of us that we save our own relatives from the jaws of the devil and lead them onto the way of virtue? For as that soul is more good in the body that goes to the aid of those who lack, so they are worthy of greater rewards who in warning and continual teaching induce the weak and indolent onto the right way, showing them the deformity of the vices and the great beauty of the divine virtues. Third Homily on Genesis, Saint John Chrysostom