Sin is the violation of the laws given by God. God did not give us these laws aimlessly or because He wanted us to suffer, but He gave them to us because these laws are the laws of existence of His being. In this way, if we fulfill His commandments, our being will become similar to His, and thus we will fulfill the purpose of our existence—to become God-like, to the extent that humans can resemble God.

God is love (1 John 4:16). Therefore, we cannot offend, anger, or harm Him in any way by committing sin. God is always here and constantly waits for us to open the doors of our hearts to Him. By committing sin, He does not move away from us; rather, we move away from Him. Thus, sin harms only us, because we choose darkness and, by doing the deeds inspired by the devil, we become like him. If we perform the deeds commanded by God, we become similar to Him. Therefore, when we sin, we must first realize that we have harmed ourselves and not God. As mentioned above, God is Love, and He awaits our repentance. When we turn to Him like a small, helpless child turns to its mother, He will forgive our sins and help us in the difficult struggle against them.

The first step in beginning this struggle is recognizing our sins and repenting. The second step is confession, and the crown of this process is the Holy Eucharist, through which we become part of Christ and receive God’s grace, which is essential for overcoming sins, living according to His commandments, and becoming united with God, thereby achieving eternal salvation—the ultimate purpose of our lives.

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