By St. Nikolai Velimirovich
(Prologue, Dec. 6)
"And God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1).
Brethren, everything that was created and how it was created by the most pure and sinless God is pure and sinless. Every creature of God is pure and sinless as long as it is turned toward God, as long as it is not separated from God and until it does not become hostile to God. Every creature of itself praises and glorifies God as long as it is pure and sinless. That is why the Psalmist sings: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord [Alleluia]!" (Psalm 150:6).
Every intelligent creature of God feels as its natural and primary purpose to praise the Lord. And since it is so, brethren, people ask: "If this is so, from whence is evil in the world?" It comes from sin, only from sin. Sin changed a bright angel [Lucifer] into a devil. The devil willingly made himself a vessel of sin and then hurried to make other creatures of God similar vessels. By their own free choice other angels consented to sin with the devil and after that, the first people, Eve and Adam. From this proceeded the mixture of good and evil in the world.
However, even today, that which is of God in creation is good, as it was in the first days of creation. Poison came from sin, for sin indeed is poison, the most bitter poison that exists. Sin was the cause of the curse, brought about the darkening of the minds, caused the hostility of creation toward their Creator, distanced man from God and man from man, and man from nature and nature from man.
O, my brethren, all that comes from God is good and all that comes from sin is evil. No evil exists that is bound to God and there exists no kind of evil that is not bound to sin. Many philosophers have examined the essence of evil and, because of their crude minds, have asserted that evil is in matter and that matter is evil. However, only we Christians know that sin is the essence of evil and that evil has no essence other than sin. It is obvious from this that if we desire to protect ourselves from evil, we must protect ourselves from sin.
O, sinless God, help us to protect ourselves from sin and the corruption of sin. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
