Sayings on True Freedom
Orthodox quotes on what it means to be truly free
“The only person who is free is the one who lives for Christ.”
☩ St. John Chrysostom
“In truth there is only one freedom – the holy freedom of Christ, whereby He freed us from sin, from evil, from the devil. It binds us to God. All other freedoms are illusory, false, that is to say, they are all, in fact, slavery.”
☩ St. Justin Popovich
“To the extent that man does not use his freedom, he is not himself. In order to emerge from that indeterminate state, he must utilize his freedom in order to know and be known as himself.”
☩ Fr. Dimitri Staniloae
“The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbor. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be in greater glory in His Kingdom.”
☩ St. Silouan the Athonite
“Freedom doesn't mean that I do what I want, because many times by doing what we want, we do the will of the devil. Freedom is seen in man's discernment, in his ability to choose between good and evil. Man ought to be mindful of the fact that he can live freely only in truth, and that there is much delusion in this world — against which he needs to guard himself.”
☩ Elder Justin Pârvu
“The goal of human freedom is not in freedom itself, nor it is in man, but in God. By giving man freedom, God has yielded to mam a piece of His Divine authority, but with the intention that man himself would voluntarily bring it as a sacrifice to God, a most perfect offering.”
☩ St. Theophan the Recluse
“Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants … People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear as zealots of external freedom, wanting to broaden the laws as much as possible. But such a man uses external freedom only to more severely burden himself with inner slavery. True freedom is the active ability of a man who is not enslaved to sin, who is not pricked by a condemning conscience, to choose the better in the light of God’s truth, and to bring it into actuality with the help of the gracious power of God. This is the freedom of which neither heaven nor earth are restrict.”
☩ St. Philaret of Moscow
“Christian perfection consists of holiness—that is, freedom of the soul from enslavement to sin. It stands to reason that all people without exception, not only priests or monastics, are called to this perfection or holiness that consists of freedom from sin.”
☩ Archbishop Averky (Taushev)
“If, therefore, we desire to be set free and to enjoy perfect freedom, let us learn to cut off our desires.”
☩ St. Dorotheos of Gaza
“Go and have pity on all, for through pity, one finds freedom of speech before God.”
☩ Abba Pambo
“To the extent that man does not use his freedom, he is not himself. In order to emerge from that indeterminate state, he must utilize his freedom in order to know and be known as himself.”
☩ Fr. Dimitri Staniloae
Great quotes, I would like to learn more about what this quote means.
“Go and have pity on all, for through pity, one finds freedom of speech before God.”
☩ Abba Pambo