Fleshly and Spiritual Lives

[Acts 3:11–16; John 3:22–33] We have two lives, fleshly and spiritual. Our spirit is as though buried in our flesh. Once it begins to extract itself — coming to life by God’s grace — from its intertwining with the flesh and to appear in its spiritual purity, then it will be res?urrected, or it will resurrect itself piece by piece. When it wholly tears itself out of this binding, then it comes forth as if from a tomb, in a renewed life. In this manner the spirit becomes separate, alive and active; whereas the tomb of the flesh is separate, dead and inactive, though both are in the same person. This is the mystery of what the apostle says: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (II Cor. 3:17). This is liberty from decay, which surrounds our incorruptible spirit; or from passions, corrupting our na?ture. This spirit, entering into the freedom of the children of God is like a beautifully coloured butterfly, fluttering away from its cocoon. Be?hold its rainbow colouring: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper?ance (Gal. 5:22). Is it possible for such a beauty of perfection not to arouse in us a desire to emulate it?

Saint Theophan the Recluse