On those who sin with the thought of subsequent repentance

There is no such mad merchant in the world who would throw all his goods into the sea in the hope that they would return to him. But there are Christians who are readily willing to lose the purity of their soul and the grace of God, which is the greatest of all gifts given to us by Him, and they hope to regain heavenly gifts and that their former purity will return to them as soon as they confess. These unfortunate ones, being shackled in the chains of hell, believe that they can cast them off at will. Walking before the morning star, who holds the keys to their souls, they think they can freely escape from him at any moment.

I will not further describe this delusion, for it is not new among people. Was it not this very suggestion that the tempter gave to Eve when he urged her to break God’s commandment? What did he say? You will not die (Gen. 3:4), meaning, you can do whatever you want, and nothing will happen to you because God is very kind. Eve was deceived by this, and after her, Adam was also deceived—he sinned, thinking of divine mercy, that is, Adam fell, believing that in reality, he would not be punished by God, even though He had warned him of punishment.

And you, my brother, what other example do you need to see the extent of insolence to which the devil has reached in his enmity against our Lord Jesus Christ? He, the unclean one, went so far as to suggest to the Lord that He throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, hoping that the Angels would support Him and not allow Him to suffer any harm, as it is written: "Throw Yourself down, for it is written: He shall give His Angels charge over You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone" (Matt. 4:6).

Thus, there is no need to elaborate on the fact that, by instilling the same deceitful thought, the enemy has tempted Christians many times, urging them to plunge into various iniquities and to add thousands of other sins to their first transgressions, including the careless reliance that someday they will confess them, and the spiritual fathers will forgive everything. It is astonishing that Christians fail to notice such an obvious and palpable lie, and as a result, they become utterly indifferent to God. The confession of sins and repentance, the mercy and goodness of God—these means of salvation they turn into means of their downfall. Just as one poisonous herb, called napelon, becomes toxic when dew descends upon it from heaven, so these unfortunate ones turn the saving Blood of Jesus Christ into a deadly poison. For this Blood, which after confession should cleanse and extinguish our sins, they use to inflame them even more. Could there be anything more lawless than this? What other remedy could be more misused than this, to the greater triumph and victory of the devil? This is what Saint Ambrose of Milan lamented: "From our misuse of this remedy, the devil sometimes simply triumphs."

I am convinced that the majority of Christians suffer and are tormented by this evil and deceptive hope, which nearly casts them into hell. Despite the eternal torments prepared for sinners, they sin calmly, believing that all of it is mere fiction. This is because they think that it is easy and simple to rid themselves of sins—all they need to do is tell them to a priest and fulfill some penance. As soon as they think about this, they again feel at ease and do not concern themselves with their sins in the slightest, believing that it is too early for them to repent.

The harm caused to themselves by those who sin with the hope of subsequent repentance lies in the fact that their sins become ever more vile and are committed ever more frequently. This is because they, having the opportunity to confess, consider that this alone is entirely sufficient for repentance to make them righteous. These unfortunate ones begin to immerse themselves in their passions, cease restraining themselves in words and curiosity, and rush, like irrational animals, onto the path of destruction. Who can measure the depth of their fall? Every time an evil desire arises in them and a convenient opportunity presents itself, they immediately fall into sin. Every time a cunning thought comes to them, they plunge into lawless deeds.

Many such sinners, believing that all their sins will easily be forgiven in confession, daily multiply them—not only through their evil deeds but also through lusts, shameless conversations, sinful pleasures, and especially by causing others to stumble, thereby destroying their souls. Thus, those who continually think this way can, without noticing it, commit thousands of sins, and anyone can understand why the righteousness of God opens the gates of hell for such sinners. It is terrifying to hear the words of the Lord addressed to you, proclaimed through the prophet Jeremiah: From your treatment, you have become even more troubled; it has brought you no benefit. You are being treated, but it does not help. You have confessed many times, forgiveness of sins has been granted to you so that you might mortify them, but instead, due to your wickedness, all this has only served to increase them. 'If I can sin, I can also repent. I am free to sin again and again—I will confess afterward anyway.' You are being treated, but you gain no benefit from it. You turn confession into a pretext for countless sins, not realizing that this multitude of sins plunges you into hell and makes you deserving of punishment, as it is written: The enemy has struck you because your sins have multiplied.

Concerning the soul that confesses and is cleansed from sins but then sins again, becoming incurable and worthy of being rejected by God, the prophet speaks in another place: "We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; forsake her... for her judgment has reached unto heaven" (Jer. 51:9).

Great is the harm that those who sin with the hope of repenting in the future bring upon themselves, for they sin without shame or fear and thus sink deeper and deeper into the filthy and unclean mire of sin, in which even swine would refuse to wallow. The harm they bring upon themselves lies in their becoming indifferent to their salvation and beginning to despise the commandments of God, as Solomon said: "When the wicked comes, contempt also comes" (Prov. 18:3).

When they reach the final degree of wickedness, their mind becomes darkened, their heart hardened, and they no longer think about their sins at all. Some of them not only treat their sins with indifference but even boast of them as great achievements, as Solomon says: "They rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of the wicked" (Prov. 2:14).

And those who said, "If I sin, I will repent and confess," reach the point where they no longer wish to either confess or repent. And even if they ever do wish to, they will not be able to, because the frequent repetition of sin has turned into a habit, and the habit has become like a second nature. Their heart has hardened like a rock, they have become insensible, and they have extinguished within themselves any hope of repentance and correction. Thus, these unfortunate ones die—without having repented or corrected themselves.

- St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Russian source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Nikodim_Svjatogorets/pouchenija/#0_19