When the good morals of the Christians weaken, one sleeps with the woman of another. But this is a terrible thing. Of course in our times debauchery has surpassed any interdiction of the civil law and of the law of God and of any traditional fetters.
Many say: What are these? Prejudices. And what big sin is debauchery? Unfortunately debauchery, I assure you, causes a great harm. Do you know where? Among our Christians. Is it possible something like this? And for not saying again what I`ve said before and many of you are my witness – that our Christians make abortions, I assure you that many of our the Christians who make abortions, make debaucheries as well
You may tell me : `Then we deserve to be pitied with plenty of tears and wails. That is why we are in such a great dilemma how to maintain ourselves true Christians in such a rotten world.
Saint Ignatius tells again to saint Policarp:
`Tell to my sisters to love God and to be content physically and spiritually with their husbands.[1] And I repeat: they women must be content with their husbands. `My man¬ or `my woman` and nothing else.
Saint Paul, the Apostle says it as well. Referring at the issue of immorality he tells the Thessalonians the following things:
`and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. – you will not go out of the boundaries of marriage and will not look at another person – For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life`[2].
Therefore what means to be Christian in this world ? Not to commit adultery. And if I am young and unmarried, no matter if I am a boy or a girl, not to commit debauchery, but stay pure and let the Church come with those crowns and put them on my head for purity and virginity. This means to be Christian in the middle of a decayed world.
[1] Saint Ignatius Teophorus, op. cit., Cap. V, 1, p. 188.
[2] I Thessalonians 4, 6-7.
Excerpt from the book THE CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD Hieromonk Athanasios Mitilineos.
