Our Holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (444)
Romans 1:28-2:9; Matthew 5:27-32
Read Romans 1:28-2:9
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Normally, we think of the wicked deeds listed by Paul as the kinds of things the lead to punishment from God or to separation from God. But Paul lists these wicked deeds as the punishment itself for not properly acknowledging—worshipping God. This reverses our usual way of thinking, but it should be very instructive for us.
When we do not properly worship God, we become this, to quote Paul: “[All] manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” False worship leads to moral evil. Likewise, a genuinely righteous person, someone who is the opposite of everything listed above, acknowledges rightly Who God is.
Which comes first, the right worship or the right living? For us who have beheld Christ’s resurrection, we must always strive for both at all times.
Our worship and our prayer ought to acknowledge God for His glory and majesty, His love and mercy. When we pray like this, our hearts will begin to be moulded more towards the righteousness required of us.
On the flip side, we need to examine the list of sins that Paul gives and discover where they exist in our hearts. Where you find the sin, actively take steps to root it out from your life. Becoming intentionally more virtuous will open our hearts to the purification needed from the Holy Spirit.
And, heaven forbid, don’t judge others! If you judge others of their sin, you will just confirm and strengthen your own sin and cause it to take root more deeply.