A Christian’s immediate task is to realize the divine life on earth. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Christianity is every human being’s duty. A Christian achieves the lost goodness, for which he was created, and fights against that which destroys this goodness.

But how can divine life be renewed in man here on earth? Christ came in the flesh in order to sanctify the earth and to give man a chance to come to know and feel the divine life through the human life of Christ, His suffering on the cross and His death. Therefore to crucify oneself with Him, to put off the old man and to put on the new one is the way to restoring the divine life, and this is done by fighting against sin: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12)

Giving himself over to passions and sins, a human being lives under the influence of the prince of this world, the devil, and is willing to worship him in order to receive "happiness" instead of true good. The devil told Christ, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matt. 4:9). Struggle against the evil one is a man’s cross, but it is through the cross that God and his life begin to come to reign in the heart. Divine life is not of this world, it is the Kingdom of God on earth. At the same time this life is the very true and real life, the life in its highest manifestation, which is communion with God. Communion with God! ... This sounds so unachievable, how is it possible in the confines of this sinful and vain life? Yet one can achieve communion with God here on earth. In saints we see an example of the lost order of life being restored; we see harmony and return to the original state, which leads to the communion with God. This communion is the true and real good, which every person can achieve.

This path involves crucifying oneself with Christ. It is impossible to acquire good without following in the footsteps of Christ. Only by following Christ a person achieves his good. Christ came to this earth in order to save every sinner, to "pick up a stray sheep upon His shoulders" and to bring him to God, making him a partaker in Divine life. This Divine life is not a theoretical ideal, but a practical requirement. God cannot renounce his manifested love toward human race, wishing good to man. Christ elevates a sinner, showing to him that he is an image of God. He allows man to use his abilities to improve and to learn to live for the sake of good. Sin has obscured the image of God in us; we do not know ourselves and do not see this image in others. Christ has come to restore the darkened image of God in man. Fighting against sin, we scrape the dust and soot of sin off the God’s image in us, which image is our true person, and this image is renewed. God’s miraculous sign of our time, renewal of sacred images (icons), is a symbol and God’s call for us to put off the old man and to build up the new one. Maybe, this is God’s call to sinful humankind in the last hour.

Our sinful state is not normal and violates the harmony of life. What is necessary is a right relationship between the spirit, soul and body: dominance of soul over body, and then dominance of spirit over soul; this returns man to the original harmony. Then man is restored in his royal dignity and is again made the king of nature. We see that even wild beasts and the elements are obedient to those who do the will of God, such as St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Seraphim of Sarov. And this is no surprise, for thus man returns to his original purpose in this world. Living the life of soul rather than that of spirit, we only sometimes feel the moving of the Holy Ghost: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8)

Usually the acts of the Holy Ghost are not manifested in us, because we are bound with chains of sin. The Holy Spirit begins to act in a person as he or she becomes free from sin. We see that holy men win over the world around them and work miracles. There is nothing strange in a miracle; it is an act of God in the power of His might. An unprepared heart does not accept miracles, and people explain them away and do not see the divine nature of the acts. Even during Christ’s life on this earth miracles were rejected as, for instance, the miracle involving the man born blind. Miracles worked by holy people do not violate the laws of nature, but restore those laws.

What is spiritual, or heavenly, life and how do we approach it? One cannot understand spiritual life without becoming closer to it. It is the opposite of carnal, sinful life. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:14). Spiritual and carnal people speak different languages: for one being in a church is joyful, for the other it is boring. A sinful heart does not hear the divine sounds of heaven. Just as it is impossible to experience emotions in music without being brought up in music, in the same way spiritual experiences are not available to people infected by sin and not struggling against it. It is only as a result of fighting sin that we begin to understand spiritual life. God is known in holiness. We are made closer to God by what makes us similar to Him. And these similarities are developed in us through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Holiness is a step towards communion with God. State of holiness should not be viewed as complete absence of sin in people, but as strengthening in them of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, such as peace in the heart, for example. State of holiness is strengthened in us through fight against sin and victory over some sinful states of soul and body. This fight is painful, has to do with the cross and spiritual labor, but leads to holiness. The ultimate goal is communion with God, but holiness is the path to this communion. God is revealed to us as a result of our will’s effort and labor. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). He manifests His goodness to us, He gives light to both good and evil, for God is love.

How does one recognize spiritual life? It is known by its fruit. The Holy Spirit is the source of spiritual life. The fruit of the Holy Spirit grows as a result of union between human will, directed at fighting sin, and the grace of God. According to Apostle Paul, "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23). But the works of the flesh are such that it is better not even to mention them; in the words of the Apostle, they are "adultery, fornication, uncleanness… strife," etc. (Gal. 5:19). In this world we observe the fruit of the Holy Spirit manifested in the lives of holy people. Christ himself—the incarnate God-the Word—was in circumstances similar to ours, so that we do not become afraid of the shining of Divine light, but through man be able to understand the divine qualities. Christ’s life on earth revealed to people the divine life in earthly conditions. Here on earth Christ showed a little bit of His Divine glory, as happened, for example, at the Lord’s Transfiguration on the mountain. As the Church sings in one hymn, "On the mountain Thou transformed thyself, and Thy disciples saw Thy glory, O, Christ God, to the extent they were able to comprehend it." When the Holy Spirit is active in a person, then peace, meekness and joy of the Holy Spirit dwell in that individual, the sinful man becomes enlightened or transformed. When the Lord comes to reign in our hearts, the Kingdom of God begins to be established inside of us, and the Holy Spirit begins to act in the heart. Every one of us can achieve this. Acquiring of the Holy Spirit is the most important task of our lives.

By an act of the Holy Spirit we reach the state of peace, which is the true, real life. This peace is achieved through daily struggle and overcoming of sinfulness, which is a part of human nature. Everything that there is good in us is a gift from God. A Christian must use this gift to build up his spiritual life. A Christian has the task of gaining victory over what is bad in him, and magnifying what is good. Thus getting closer to God-Father, a Christian is like that prodigal son, who finally decided to return to his father, having experienced a lot of hardship. As he was going to his father, his father came out to meet him. This is a mutual process between God and man. To our effort and diligence God responds with His grace, and this process is called salvation of the soul. Overcoming our sinfulness with the help of God’s grace, we transition into the state of holiness, as God is reflected in us. These moments of victory over sin are the acts of the Holy Spirit and comprise spiritual life.

Some think that Christian virtues are only expressed externally, such as through various works of charity. Yet numerous states of a Christian soul are internal virtues. Individual good works comprise virtues, which serve as stepping stones towards heaven. In beatitudes, found in His Sermon on the Mount, Christ laid out the steps that make us closer to God, and for those who follow these steps the results are evident even here on earth. Blessed are the pure in heart, the meek, the peacemakers… In the life to come we will see God face to face, which will be the fullness of bliss; but here, let us reflect the glory of God as He shows His light in us. Doing good, we are God’s co-workers. Doing good is life eternal. We will reap the fruit of the Holy Spirit, if we do not fail. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9)

When we acquire the Holy Spirit, the gates of eternity are open before us; we receive a dwelling place in heaven in the life to come, while here on earth we move toward the state of holiness, which is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God begins here on earth, in our heart, when it is filled with holy feelings, which transform our life. Man is given the task of reflecting the glory of God, the Light of Christ. Being transformed and communing with God, we reflect the beams of His light, thus partaking in His glory. Holy people radiate the Light of Christ. The ray of heavenly light hits the earth, goes through a person, enlightens him by the power of God’s grace and is radiated back to Heaven. The ultimate purpose of the world is the glory of God; and the ultimate purpose of every human being is salvation of his soul and the return to his original state. Amen.