Not Doing Good Is Also Sin

But, as we had begun to say, it is not enough for a Christian to keep himself from wickedness unless he also carries out the duties of good works. This is proved very clearly by the saying in which the Lord threatened that those who have done no evil, but have not done all that is good, will be condemned to eternal fire. He declares, “Then the king will say to those on his right hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,” and what follows. He did not say, “Depart from me, you cursed, because you have committed murder, or adultery, or theft.” For they are condemned and sentenced to the punishments of eternal Gehenna not because they had done evil but because they had not done good; not because they had done what was forbidden, but because they had not been willing to do what was commanded. And from this we can see what hope there is for those who, on top of that, do some of the things that are forbidden, when even those who have simply not done what was commanded are sentenced to eternal fire. [a]

For I do not want you to flatter yourself in this way, that because you have done certain things, it does not matter if you have not done certain others. For it is written, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all.” Adam sinned once and died. Do you think you can live while you keep doing what killed another man, though he did it only once? Or do you imagine that he committed some great crime, and so was justly condemned to a heavier punishment? Then let us consider what he actually did. He ate the fruit of the tree against the commandment. What then? Did God punish man with death for the sake of the fruit of a tree? No: not because of the fruit of the tree, but because of contempt for the commandment. So the question is not about the kind of offense but about the breaking of the commandment.

And the same one who told Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree has commanded you: not to speak evil; not to lie; not to disparage others; not to listen to someone disparaging others; not to swear at all; not to covet; not to envy; not to get drunk; not to be greedy; not to repay anyone evil for evil; to love your enemies; to bless those who curse you; to pray for those who slander and persecute you; to turn the other cheek to someone who strikes you; and not to go to law before a worldly court, so that if anyone tries to take away your goods, you should lose them gladly. He has commanded you to flee from the charge of greed; to beware of the sin of all pride and boasting; and to live humble and meek, after the example of Christ, avoiding the company of the wicked so completely that you will not even eat with the sexually immoral, or the covetous, or slanderers, or the envious, or those who disparage others, or drunkards, or robbers. Now if you show him contempt in any such matter, then, if he spared Adam, he will spare you too. Indeed, Adam might have been spared with better reason than you, since he was still ignorant and inexperienced, and had no example to hold him back of anyone who had sinned before him and died because of his sin. But after such examples as you have, after the law, after the prophets, after the Gospels, and after the apostles, if you still set your mind on breaking the commandment, I do not see how pardon can be granted to you.