Swimming with clothes on?

Fr. George Dorbarakis | February 25, 2025

"It is dangerous for one to swim with their clothes on; likewise, to engage with theology while having passions."

 (Saint John Climacus, Step 27, 9)

We all immediately understand: swimming with clothes on is extremely dangerous because, beyond the lack of freedom of movement, the clothes, as they become saturated with water, drag one toward the depths. The same, however, is what the saint says happens to the one who engages with theology—that is, who deals with and speaks about theological matters—while still being influenced by the passions. Why is this so? Because, as he explains, "the depth of the dogmas is profound" (9). Dogmas—these, above all, constitute theology—refer to the very Triune God and to our Lord Jesus Christ: His dual nature, though not His hypostasis. And how do we know these things? From the very revelation of the Lord Himself: He came, revealed them to us, and explained them. "He has declared Him." Without the revelation of the Son and Word of God concerning God Himself—and the first seeds of this in the Old Testament—by what power could we humans, especially while in the state of the fall into sin, comprehend divinity? In such a state, the only thing man is capable of is creating idols—that is, products of his deluded imagination! And this is what human history has demonstrated up to now.

Dogmas, then, are revealed truths that lead us out of ignorance and orient us toward the truth. These constitute the wealth and treasure of our Church. Based on them, we can have a correct spiritual life: spiritual life is a consequence of the correct faith in God so that Orthodoxy also becomes right practice. This is why all the Fathers of our Church emphasize that without the connection of both, each one suffers. In different words, "life must be rational, and speech must be put into action."

So, as long as one remains under the influence of the passions, they cannot and should not engage with theological matters. They believe in them, accept them, but focus their attention on practical matters—that is, on keeping the holy commandments of Christ—so that they may purify their soul. And in proportion to this purification, they begin to understand the dogmas of the faith somewhat more deeply. Remember what the modern father and teacher, Saint Kosmas the Aetolian, also said. Striving to explain the Triune nature of God to the simple, enslaved Christians of the Turkish occupation, he saw the impasse and concluded: “Confess sincerely to the Lord, and you will be enlightened by Him to understand the revelation of our Christ!” Otherwise, a passionate engagement with dogmas will inevitably lead to heresy, because passions directly affect human reasoning, and thus one’s judgment operates under a state of delusion. All heretics of the Church, unfortunately, became heretics in this way: without first purifying the vision of their soul, they sought, with demonic pride, to “investigate” the mysteries of divinity! And, of course, they were led into error!

Greek source: https://metemorfothis.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-post_25.html