c. Against The Calmness of The Soul
Sin disturbs the person's spiritual calmness. As the Divine
Inspiration said: "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the
wicked." (Is. 48:22) and, " But the wicked are like the troubled
sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
"There is no peace," Says my God, "for the wicked." (Is.
57:20-21).
The sinner lives in an internal struggle which gives him no
peace. He loses his peace of mind before the sin, when
planning it and thinking it through, and after the sin he loses it
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because of fear: fear that the sin may be discovered, fear of
punishment and fear of getting a bad reputation.
Cain lost his peace after he killed his brother Abel, and said:
"My punishment is greater than I can bear!...anyone who finds
me will kill me." (Gen. 4:13-14).
The factors which disturb calmness from within are mostly
connected to sins or faults like lust, fear and lack of faith . The
spiritual person is always characterised by his tranquillity. In
the forefront of the fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace.."(Gal. 5:22) and with joy and peace there is calmness.
Something else which makes the sinner lose his calmness is fear
of judgement. Striving to live the best life of all gives the
children of God hope in a happy eternity and makes them
"rejoicing in hope," (Rom. 12:12) as they listen to the words of
Saint John the Apostle: "abide in Him, that when He appears,
we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming." (1 John 2:28) But sinners live in fear whenever they
think of their eternity. As Saint Paul the Apostle said, "It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb.
10:31)
The spiritual person has a good relationship with God, but the
sinner is always caught up in a fight or struggle with God,
which makes him lose his calmness. Talking about death,
eternity or judgement disturbs him a great deal; these are words
which he cannot bear to hear. Sometimes he runs away from
them, but when they catch up with him and press upon him, his
heart grows dispirited.
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There is another spiritual fault which disturbs calmness:
this is the suspicious restless conscience. Whoever has this
conscience can never live in calmness.
This conscience "strain out a gnat" (Matt. 23), and imagines
evil where it is not, or enlarges the weight of sin beyond what it
actually is.
This conscience lives always in suffering, in doubt and remorse.
It is not calm from within.
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