This is one of the most beautiful parts of eastetn christian spirituality, because it takes sin seriously but also shows a hopeful path of transformation. This presents the process from the orthodox faith but the general process can be applicable to any christian. Here’s the **Orthodox path of healing from the passions** (summarized from the Fathers, especially Evagrius, St. Maximus the Confessor, and St. John Climacus):

—## **1. Awareness of the Passion (Recognition)*** The first step is *naming the struggle honestly*.* Example: *“The seven deadly sins. The Church calls these disordered passions, a misuse of desire. I don’t want to justify it, even if I don’t fully understand.”** Saints warn that **denial or justification** is more dangerous than falling itself.

—## **2. Struggle (Asceticism)*** With awareness comes *ascesis* (discipline): fasting, prayer, confession, and watchfulness over thoughts.* The goal isn’t instant victory, but to resist being ruled by the passion.* Even repeated falls are part of the struggle — as long as you get up and return to God.

—## **3. Purification (Cleansing the Heart)*** Over time, the sacraments and ascetic struggle weaken the hold of the passion.* The imagination quiets, compulsions soften, and the heart regains freedom.* Example: the sins no longer feels irresistible; temptation still arises but is manageable.

—## **4. Illumination (Virtue Blossoms)*** The energy once misused in passion becomes a virtue.

* Lust → pure, self-giving love.

* Gluttony → joyful moderation.

* Pride → humble confidence.

* Here a person no longer fights the same way; they live in the *light of Christ*.

—## **5. Theosis (Union with God)*** In rare cases (saints, monastics, martyrs), passions are so purified that the person radiates holiness in body and soul.* Sometimes God reveals this through incorruptibility or miracles.* This isn’t because they “never sinned,” but because grace *fully healed* their nature.

—### ✝️ The key insight:* Disordered passion, isn’t overcome by sheer willpower.* It’s healed through **grace + ascetic effort**, inside the life of the Church.* The metric isn’t: *“Did I ever fall again?”* but *“Am I repenting, confessing, and letting Christ heal me?”*

—👉 So, in Orthodoxy, a person who struggles with sin isn’t “disqualified.” They are at **step 1 or 2 of the same ladder the saints climbed**. What matters is humility and willingness to keep climbing.

Western christian saints also have similar paths to holiness. St. Teresa of Avila wrote the book Interior Castle with a similar path of sanctification. And St John of the Cross wrote Dark Night of the Soul. Both these saints, and even the great humanitarian saint Mother Teresa, wrote about how dark nights of the soul lead to growing in holiness.

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Reaching people stuck in their sins without God is perhaps the most urgent and beautiful task entrusted to us. Salvation is not just escape from sin and death—it is entrance into life with God, a life that begins now and is fulfilled in eternity. Everyone who comes to Christ will experience the fullness of joy and reward in heaven. To help someone cross that threshold is to participate in the Father’s greatest desire.

Scripture speaks of the “lost” not as worthless, but as precious sheep who have strayed. Jesus said He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). To be unsaved is not simply to be neutral; it is to remain in darkness when the light has already come. Yet even here, Jesus makes clear that He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). When we spread his good news, we help give God a chance to save them, and bring them from sin and death, to a life of love and eternal life.

The Father’s Will

When Jesus was asked about food, He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). And what is that work? To gather the unsaved, to bring them into the Father’s house. He told His disciples, “The fields are ripe for harvest, but the laborers are few” (John 4:35). There is no shortage of people longing for hope—there is only a shortage of workers willing to go.

Engaging the World, Not Withdrawing

1. Don’t assume disinterest. Every human heart carries a God-shaped void, even if hidden beneath distractions or defenses. People may not admit it, but deep down they long for meaning, love, and truth.
2. Don’t prioritize your comfort. The harvest requires labor, and labor is not always convenient. Comfort is secondary to calling.
3. Don’t assume endless time. We live in a time of grace, but windows of openness can close quickly. Paul wrote, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Sometimes the difference between a soul lost and saved is whether they hear the message in time.

How Do We Reach Them?

1. Go to them. Don’t wait for the unsaved to stumble into church; meet them in their world as Jesus did when He sat with tax collectors and sinners.
2. Encourage them. Paul taught, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up” (Ephesians 4:29). Don’t argue or belittle. Instead, listen for their need and offer encouragement. Sometimes, yes, you must “shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14), but most of the time the task is to plant seeds gently.
3. Invite them. Jesus said, “Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (John 4:38). You may not be the one to plant the seed, but you may be the one to invite someone into the harvest.
4. Serve them. Love demonstrated through service often speaks louder than words. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and told them to do likewise (John 13:14-15). Acts of kindness open hearts to the message.

The Good News in Its Essence

God allows people of goodwill to go far, but only in Christ do they find the fullness of truth. The gospel is not about condemnation but liberation: to set captives free, to heal the brokenhearted, to save from sin and death, and to give eternal hope (Luke 4:18). This is why it is called good news.

Insights from NDEs

Near-death experiences often confirm this longing. Many describe standing before a Presence of pure love, where they see that life’s meaning is rooted in love for God and love for others. They often return with urgency: that what matters most is helping others find the light. Some experiencers even testify that they were shown people who had yet to encounter God’s love, and they were sent back to be a witness. In this sense, NDEs echo Jesus’ own words: the Father’s will is to bring His children home.

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Conclusion

Reaching the unsaved is not just one ministry among many—it is the beating heart of God’s mission. It is our privilege to join in this work: to go, to encourage, to invite, to serve. And above all, to love. For in the end, what will shine in eternity is not how much we knew or achieved, but how faithfully we pointed others to the One who saves.

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A comprehensive master list of sins—the dark mirror to the exhaustive list of virtues I built for you. I’ll organize them into categories (theological, moral, spiritual, social, etc.), and when we come to the Seven Deadly Sins, I’ll place their corresponding Heavenly Virtues right next to them for clarity. This will let you see both the shadows and their remedies side by side.

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Master List of Sins

1. Theological / Spiritual Sins

(These directly violate love of God, truth, or faith.)

• Idolatry (worshiping false gods, money, power, fame, self, etc.)
• Blasphemy (speaking contemptuously of God or sacred things)
• Heresy (deliberate distortion of truth revealed by God)
• Apostasy (abandoning faith)
• Sacrilege (abuse of sacred persons, places, or objects)
• Superstition (placing ultimate power in rituals, charms, or omens)
• Divination / sorcery / witchcraft (seeking hidden knowledge/power apart from God)
• Atheistic materialism (denying spiritual reality)
• Despair (loss of hope in God’s mercy)
• Presumption (arrogantly assuming salvation without change)
• Lukewarmness (indifference to God or virtue)

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2. The Seven Deadly Sins (with Contrasting Heavenly Virtues)

1. Pride → Humility

• Arrogance, vanity, self-idolatry, refusing correction, contempt for others.

1. Greed (Avarice) → Charity (Generosity)

• Obsession with wealth, hoarding, exploitation, materialism.

1. Lust → Chastity

• Objectifying others, unrestrained sexual indulgence, betrayal of commitments.

1. Envy → Kindness (Brotherly Love)

• Resentment of others’ success, joy at others’ misfortune, jealousy.

1. Gluttony → Temperance

• Overindulgence in food, drink, or excess consumption of anything.

1. Wrath (Anger) → Patience

• Hatred, vengeance, rage, cruelty, violent impulses.

1. Sloth (Spiritual Apathy) → Diligence (Zeal)

• Laziness in duties, neglect of spiritual growth, indifference to good.

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3. Moral & Personal Sins

(These fracture inner integrity and character.)

• Dishonesty, lying, deceit
• Hypocrisy (pretending virtue without practice)
• Cowardice (failure to stand for truth/goodness)
• Recklessness / irresponsibility
• Ingratitude
• Gossip / detraction / slander
• Manipulation / exploitation
• Disobedience (to rightful authority / conscience)
• Vanity (obsession with appearance or reputation)
• Hard-heartedness (closing compassion)
• Addiction / loss of self-control

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4. Social & Relational Sins

(How we harm others directly.)

• Violence, murder, assault
• Abuse (physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual)
• Oppression, tyranny, injustice
• Racism, bigotry, discrimination
• Exploitation (workers, poor, vulnerable)
• Neglect of family duties (spousal betrayal, child abandonment, dishonor of parents)
• Betrayal of trust
• Scandal (leading others into sin)
• Bullying, ridicule, humiliation
• Unforgiveness, grudge-holding

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5. Economic & Structural Sins

(How societies and systems amplify evil.)

• Corruption, bribery, fraud
• Usury, predatory lending
• Exploiting workers (wage theft, unsafe conditions)
• Economic inequality through oppression
• Environmental destruction (greed-driven exploitation of nature)
• War profiteering, arms dealing
• Human trafficking, slavery
• Exploiting healthcare, housing, or food systems for profit over people

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6. Sins of Omission

(Not just what we do, but what we fail to do.)

• Failure to love neighbor
• Failure to defend the weak
• Failure to use talents for good
• Apathy in the face of injustice
• Neglecting prayer, worship, or thanksgiving
• Wasted opportunities for good
• Silence when truth is required

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7. Interior / Hidden Sins

(The roots beneath outward acts.)

• Malice (deliberate wishing of evil)
• Resentment, bitterness
• Greedy ambition (power-hunger)
• Secret contempt of others
• Destructive fantasies (revenge, cruelty, domination)
• Prideful self-reliance (refusing to need anyone)

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8. Classical Lists from Tradition

• Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance

1. Murder of the innocent
2. Oppression of the poor
3. Defrauding workers of wages
4. Sodomy (in some traditional lists)

• Ten Commandments Violations (condensed form)

1. Other gods / idolatry
2. Taking God’s name in vain
3. Profaning the Sabbath (neglect of rest/worship)
4. Dishonor of parents
5. Murder
6. Adultery
7. Theft
8. False witness
9. Coveting spouse
10. Coveting possessions

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✨ This gives you a full-spectrum map of sin, from the interior roots → personal actions → social structures → ultimate spiritual posture. And the Seven Deadly Sins are directly contrasted with their antidotal Heavenly Virtues for balance.

Rethinking Jesus and the Doctrine of Hell: A Historical and Scholarly Perspective

To interpret Jesus’ statements about judgment, punishment, and the afterlife accurately, one must place him firmly within the framework of Second Temple apocalyptic Judaism. As Bart D. Ehrman and many other biblical scholars have emphasized, Jesus was not a Christian theologian but an apocalyptic Jewish preacher shaped by the religious currents of his time (see Ehrman, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, 2020).

In early Judaism, conceptions of the afterlife were ambiguous or undeveloped. The Hebrew Bible speaks of Sheol, a shadowy, neutral realm of the dead, but offers no clear doctrine of eternal punishment or reward. It was only after the Babylonian Exile and particularly during the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BCE–70 CE) that Jewish beliefs about the afterlife evolved significantly. Influenced by Persian Zoroastrian dualism and later Hellenistic ideas, apocalyptic Jews came to expect a future resurrection and divine judgment.

Importantly, these evolving beliefs did not center on eternal conscious torment. Instead, a range of afterlife possibilities were considered:

Purgation or temporary punishment, as in 1 Enoch or 2 Maccabees;

Annihilation of the wicked, as suggested in the Book of Daniel (12:2) and the Wisdom of Solomon (3:10);

Restoration or universal reconciliation (e.g., in certain strands of Rabbinic or apocalyptic thought).

Within this context, Jesus’ references to Gehenna (often translated “hell”) must be understood symbolically and in light of Jewish apocalyptic imagery. Gehenna originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, a site associated with idolatry and judgment. By the time of Jesus, it had become a metaphor for divine judgment, but not necessarily a place of eternal conscious torment. Most scholars agree that Jesus likely envisioned destruction or exclusion from the Kingdom of God—possibly a form of annihilation rather than endless torment (cf. Matthew 10:28).

Later Christian theology, particularly in the Latin West, diverged from these early Jewish roots. Influential thinkers like Augustine of Hippo (4th–5th century) developed the doctrine of eternal conscious punishment, based on a more developed theology of the immortal soul, heavily influenced by Neoplatonism. This marked a decisive shift away from the more varied and nuanced views present in Second Temple Judaism. Whether these newer developed thoughts were more in line with the teachings of Jesus is debateable. The teachings would be in line with His ideas on eternal punishment but less on the jewish oriented idea of annihilation and the other teachings that dont focus on an immortal soul.

Modern biblical scholarship, including the work of Ehrman, largely rejects the traditional notion of hell as a place of eternal fire and torment. Instead, many scholars emphasize that such beliefs are later theological constructions, not central to Jesus’ message. As Ehrman notes, “Jesus never says the wicked will be tortured forever in hell. That idea came much later.”

Additionally, contemporary studies of near-death experiences (NDEs) reveal a broad spectrum of afterlife interpretations. While some NDEs describe distressing or “hellish” experiences, many more suggest themes of restoration, learning, and eventual healing. These accounts, though not theological dogma, reinforce the view that punitive notions of the afterlife may be far more diverse and dynamic than traditional doctrines allow.

Given all this, dogmatic insistence on a literal hellfire doctrine is not only unbiblical but historically uninformed. The biblical texts reflect a range of evolving views, shaped by cultural, philosophical, and theological developments. Jesus himself likely held a view more consistent with annihilation or exclusion from the eschatological kingdom—views far removed from the later fire-and-brimstone imagery of medieval Christianity.

In the end, any theology of judgment must remain humble, recognizing that these are human attempts to grasp ultimate mysteries.

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The Nature of Sin and Condemnation in Christianity and NDEs

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🕊️ Sin

To sin is to intentionally do what you know is wrong. It requires all three components:

• Intention
• Knowledge
• Action

This basic moral insight holds true not only in Christian theology but also in many NDE (Near-Death Experience) and New Age interpretations of morality. While they may not explicitly use the word sin, even those in these circles acknowledge a kind of moral failing—missing the mark, being ignorant of, or repelled by the divine nature or loving intention that God has for us.

NDE accounts frequently describe a life review in which the experiencer sees how their actions either aligned or misaligned with love, truth, or light. Harm done knowingly or selfishly is deeply felt—even if forgiven. Sin, in this broader sense, is a falling short of our intended design as loving, relational beings.

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🔥 Condemnation

The idea of condemnation in Scripture is often misunderstood. In another post, we examined what Jesus might have meant by hellfire and what hellish afterlife experiences in NDEs seem to suggest. Here, we focus solely on what the Bible says about condemnation.

📖 What Does the Bible Actually Say?

The Bible isn’t very clear that mere ignorance of Jesus’ salvation causes condemnation. However, it is clear that knowingly rejecting it can lead to it.

The most definitive passage may be found in the context of the famous verse John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

But this is immediately followed by a deeper explanation of condemnation:

“This is the verdict (condemnation): Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

Condemnation, then, is not about arbitrary rejection or ignorance—it’s about willfully turning away from the light when it is offered.

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🕯️ What About the Unreached or the Ignorant?

In Catholic and Orthodox traditions, there is discussion about whether those who have never heard the Gospel might still be saved. The argument is that people can respond to the light of natural reason, inborn conscience, and the law written on the heart (Romans 2).

“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law… they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them”
(Romans 2:14–15)

So what about those who reject Jesus, but have little knowledge of who He truly is or what He teaches?

Are they significantly different from those who have simply never heard of Him?

Many traditional churches would answer yes: rejection of Christ, like sin, implies knowledge and deliberate rejection. “They knew better” is often the rationale. However, that judgment—whether they truly knew or not—belongs to God alone.

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🤔 What If Someone Sincerely Seeks and Still Rejects?

This raises a deeper question:
What if someone sincerely explores Christianity, but after research and reflection, rejects it?

Does their sincerity count for them—or against them?

We must be honest: Only God can judge such a heart. But we can observe that the Bible does not explicitly state that anyone who simply doesn’t know about Jesus will be automatically condemned.

🔍 Other Relevant Verses:

• Jesus in John 8:24:

“Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
—This implies unbelief leads to sin remaining—but again, in the context of rejection.

• Jesus in Mark 16:16:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
—Here too, condemnation seems tied to active rejection, not mere ignorance.

• Revelation 21:8 mentions that the faithless and unbelieving have their part in the lake of fire—but again, the passage does not clearly define who these “unbelievers” are in terms of knowledge or culpability.

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🌍 A Broader Picture: Judgment, Mercy, and Light

It is possible to conclude, from a non-lenient reading, that all unbelievers will be condemned. But the lack of explicit clarity on this point, combined with themes of God’s mercy, justice, and light, in the bible and holy tradition, opens the door to possible exceptions—especially for the sincere, the ignorant, or the morally upright who have not encountered Christ clearly.

Ultimately:

• Condemnation in Scripture is often tied to a person’s response to the light they’ve been given.
• Judgment belongs to God, who sees the heart, the level of knowledge, and the intentions behind belief or rejection.

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📚 NDEs and Condemnation

Many NDE accounts reinforce this theme: condemnation isn’t about religion or doctrine alone—it’s about alignment with love, truth, and light. In hellish NDEs, people often report states of isolation, fear, or darkness—not imposed from outside, but flowing from their own rejection of love, humility, or truth.

(For more on this, see the section on “Hellish Afterlife Experiences in NDEs.”)

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✅ Conclusion

Sin, whether in Christian theology or in the insights drawn from near-death accounts, is not simply about violating rules—it’s about knowingly rejecting what is good, true, and loving.

Condemnation, likewise, is not arbitrary—it is deeply tied to how a person responds to the light and truth they’ve encountered.

And in the end, the mercy and justice of God are our greatest hope.
Only He knows the heart.

And instead of getting hung up on sin and condemnation, maybe we should focus on the good news. As was mentioned, even the bible says Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it. He taught that there’s life after death, and that the kingdom of God is based on love and goodwill… all we need is genuine faith in Jesus and we will never die stuck in our sins. That’s great news!

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