First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

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First Christian Voices

God’s Gift of Life F irst C lement 35: How blessed and wonderful, dear ones, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality, splendor in righteousness, truth in perfect confidence, faith in assurance, self-control in holiness! And all these things fall under the mindfulness of our understanding. What then will those things be which are prepared for those who wait for Him? The Creator and Father of all worlds, the Most Holy, He alone knows their number and their beauty. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number of those who wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised gifts. But how, dear ones, will this be done? By faith, if our mind is fixed on God who rewards. If we earnestly seek the things which are pleasing and acceptable to Him. If we do the things which are in harmony with His blameless will. And if we follow the way of truth, throwing off unrighteousness and iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit, whispering, evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and arrogance, vanity and ambition. For they that do such things are hateful to God and not only those who do them, but also those who take pleasure in those who do them. For the Scripture says, But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These