“First tell your transgressions so you may be justified.” O the philanthropy of the Master! He did not say, “so you may not be punished,” rather, “so you may be justified.”
It was not enough for him that You do not punish him, for You even made him righteous? Certainly. But pay great attention to the discourse. I make him just. In what circumstance did He do this? To the Thief, so that he might only say to his companion: “Do you not fear God? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds.” The Savior tells him: Today you shall be with me in paradise. He did not say: “I deliver you from damnation and from punishment”; rather He puts him into paradise as a righteous man.
Did you see that he became righteous through confession? God is a great lover of man. He did not hesitate to surrender His Son as prey in order to spare His servant. He surrended His only-begotten to purchase hard-hearted servants. He paid the blood of His Son as the price. O the philanthropy of the Master! And do not tell me again, “I sinned a lot; how can I be saved?” You cannot save yourself, but your Master can, and to such a great degree as to obliterate your sins. Pay attention very carefully to the discourse. He wipes out the sins so completely that not a single trace of them remains.
– St. John Chrysostom, Homily 8 On Repentance and the Church FOTC: vol 96, p, pp. 116,117
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