Chrysostom (pronounced Chris es tom) lived and preached in the 300-400's as the pastor of Antioch and then archbishop of Constantinople. His life was recently featured in Preaching magazine and this was written of him:
"No one who is wronged is wronged by another, but experiences this injury at his or her own hands."
Douglas Webster (Professor of Pastoral Theology and Preaching at Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham) then wrote:
"Nothing can ruin our virtue or destroy our soul that is not self-inflicted. John (Chrysostom) argued that poverty cannot impoverish the soul. Malignancy cannot malign the character. The lack of health care cannot destroy a healthy soul. Famine cannot famish one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. No! Not even the devil and death can destroy those who live sober and vigilant lives. The devil robbed Job of everything but could not rob Job of his virtue. Cain took Abel's life but could not take away his greater gain. Only those who injury themselves are injured.
Self-betrayal is the danger, littleness of soul the problem. 'Those who do not injury themselves become stronger,' wrote John, 'even if they receive innumerable blows; but they who betray themselves, even if there is no one to harass them, fall of themselves, and collapse and perish.'"
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