True Victory

Οὗτός ἐστιν, oὗτος ὁ ἀθλητὴς ἀληθῶς ὁ ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ σταδίῳ, τῷ καλῷ κόσμῳ, τὴν ἀληθινὴν νίκην κατὰ πάντων στεφανούμενος τῶν παθῶν. ὅ τε γὰρ ἀγωνοθέτης ὁ παντοκράτωρ θεός, ὅ τε βραβευτὴς ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, θεαταὶ δὲ ἄγγελοι καὶ θεοί, καὶ τὸ παγκράτιον τὸ πάμμαχον οὐ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ τὰς διὰ σαρκῶν ἐνεργούσας πνευματικὰς ἐξουσίας ἐμπαθῶν παθῶν τούτων περιγινόμενος τῶν μεγάλων ἀνταγωνισμάτων, καὶ οἷον ἄθλους τινὰς τοῦ πειράζοντος ἐπαρτῶντος καταγωνισάμενος, ἐκράτησε τῆς ἀθανασίας· ἀπαραλόγιστος γὰρ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ψῆφος εἰς τὸ δικαιότατον κρῖμα. Κέκληται μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγώνισμα τὸ θέατρον, παγκρατιάζουσι δὲ εἰς τὸ στάδιον οἱ ἀθληταί· καὶ δὴ ἐκ τούτων περιγίνεται ὁ πειθήνιος τῷ ἀλείπτῃ γενόμενος. Πᾶσι γὰρ πάντα ἴσα κεῖται παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔστιν αὐτὸς ἀμεμφής, ἑλεῖται δὲ ὁ δυνάμενος καὶ ὁ βουληθεὶς ἰσχύσει· ταύτῃ καὶ τὸν νοῦν εἰλήφαμεν, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν ὃ ποιοῦμεν, καὶ τὸ γνῶθι σαυτὸν ἐνταῦθα, εἰδέναι ἐφ' ᾧ γεγόναμεν. Γεγόναμεν δὲ εἶναι πειθήνιοι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, εἰ τὸ βούλεσθαι σῴζεσθαι ἑλοίμεθα. Αὕτη που ἡ Ἀδράστεια, καθ' ἣν οὐκ ἔστι διαδρᾶναι τὸν θεόν. Τὸ ἄρα ἀνθρώπειον ἔργον εὐπείθεια θεῷ σωτηρίαν κατηγγελκότι ποικίλην δι' ἐντολῶν, εὐαρέστησις δὲ ὁμολογία. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὐεργέτης προκατάρχει τῆς εὐποιίας, ὁ δὲ μετὰ τῶν δεόντων λογισμῶν παραδεξάμενος προθύμως καὶ φυλάξας τὰς ἐντολὰς πιστὸς οὗτος, ὁ δὲ καὶ εἰς δύναμιν ἀμειβόμενος δι' ἀγάπης τὴν εὐποιίαν ἤδη φίλος. Μία δὲ ἀμοιβὴ κυριωτάτη παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, ταῦτα δρᾶν ἅπερ ἀρεστὰ τῷ θεῷ· [καὶ] καθάπερ ἂν ἰδίου γεννήματος καὶ κατά τι συγγενοῦς ἀποτελέσματος ὁ διδάσκαλος καὶ σωτὴρ ἀναδέχεται τὰς ὠφελείας τε καὶ ἐπανορθώσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἰδίαν χάριν τε καὶ τιμήν, καθάπερ καὶ τὰς εἰς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ βλάβας ἰδίας ἀχαριστίας τε καὶ ἀτιμίας ἡγούμενος. Τίς γὰρ ἄλλη ἅπτοιτ' ἂν ἀτιμία θεοῦ; διόπερ ἄλλην τοσοῦδε οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἀμοιβὴν κατ' ἀξίαν σωτηρίας ἀποδιδόναι πρὸς τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ὠφέλειαν. Ὡς δὲ οἱ τὰ κτήματα κακοῦντες τοὺς δεσπότας ὑβρίζουσι, καὶ ὡς οἱ τοὺς στρατιώτας τὸν τούτων ἡγούμενον, oὕτως τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶν ἀνεπιστρεψία ἡ περὶ τοὺς καθωσιωμένους αὐτῷ κάκωσις. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ὁ ἥλιος οὐ μόνον τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον φωτίζει γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν ἐπιλάμπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ θυρίδων καὶ μικρᾶς ὀπῆς πρὸς τοὺς μυχαιτάτους οἴκους ἀποστέλλει τὴν αὐγήν, οὕτως ὁ λόγος πάντῃ κεχυμένος καὶ τὰ σμικρότατα τῶν τοῦ βίου πράξεων ἐπιβλέπει. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ζ', Κεφ Γ' Source: Migne PG 9.424c-428a

This is the true athlete, he who in the great stadium, the fair world, is crowned for the true victory over all the passions. For He who presides over the contest is Almighty God, and He who assigns the prizes is the only begotten Son of God. Angels and holy ones are spectators, and the contest which embraces all the varied exercises, is 'not against flesh and blood,' 1 but against the spiritual powers of vehement passions working through the flesh. He who prevails in these great struggles, as with certain contests overthrowing the tempter in judgement, he seizes on immortality; for the sentence of God in most righteous judgment is infallible. The spectators are summoned to the contest, and the athletes contend in the stadium, and the one previals who has obeyed  the trainer. For to all, all rewards proposed by God are equal, and He is faultless. And he who has power receives mercy, and he who has chosen is mighty; for which we have received reason, that we may know what we do, and 'Know yourself' here means to know for what we were born. And we are born to be obedient to the commandments, if we choose to be willing to be saved. This is the Adrastia, through which there is no escape from God. Thus the work of man is obedience to God, who has proclaimed salvation manifold through the commandments, and confession is thanksgiving. For the benefactor first begins to do good. And he who with fitting thoughts readily receives and keeps the commandments, is faithful, and he who as far as able returns benefits on account of love is already a friend. One recompense among men is of most importance: the doing of what is most pleasing to God. As His own production, and so akin to Himself, the Teacher and Saviour receives assistance and improvement on the part of men as favour and honour, as also deems injuries inflicted on those who have faith in Him as to His own ingratitude and dishonour. For what other dishonour can affect God? Whence it is impossible to render a return at all equivalent to the salvation received from the Lord. And as those who mistreat property insult the owners, and those who mistreat soldiers insult the commander, so also the ill use of His consecrated ones is contempt for the Lord; for just as the sun not only enlightens heaven and the whole world, shining over land and sea, but also through windows and small chinks sends its beams into the innermost chambers of houses, so the Word diffused everywhere looks upon the smallest deeds of one's life. Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 7, Ch 3 1 Ephes 6.12