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Saint Anthony the Great: God's unchanging goodness and our separation through sin
The post presents Saint Anthony the Great's teaching on the nature of God. The saint explains that God is good, dispassionate, and immutable; He does not change, rejoice, or grow angry, since these are human passions. God only bestows blessings and never does harm, remaining always the same.
Saint Anthony uses the analogy that to say God turns away from sinners is like saying the sun hides itself from the blind. The teaching continues that we are united to God through goodness but separated from Him through wickedness. Our own sins prevent God from shining within us, leaving us exposed to demons who punish us.
This is a concise presentation of classic Desert Father theology on divine impassibility and the human condition.
Key moments
- To say God turns away from sinners is like saying the sun hides itself from the blind.
- God is good, dispassionate, and immutable; he does not change.
- God neither rejoices nor grows angry, for these are human passions.
- He is always good and only bestows blessings, never doing harm, remaining always the same.
- We are united to God through goodness but separated from him through wickedness.
- Our own sins prevent God from shining within us, leaving us exposed to demons who punish us.
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