The Lord tells us where holiness begins:

The Lord tells us where holiness begins: “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will confess him before My Father in Heaven;  but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.”  “Confess” means to tell from myself that I am a Christian.  But it is clear that if we write with an indelible pencil on our forehead or on a T-shirt: “I am an Orthodox Christian” and walk along the street, then nothing but laughter will cause people.  Because everyone has heard enough words, it is necessary to show deeds.  We must, while living in this world, live like a Christian.  Despite the fact that everyone fornicates, everyone steals, everyone swears, everyone envy, everyone hates, no one prays, we should do the opposite.

 Confession does not mean that we have to persuade everyone to be baptized, become an Orthodox Christian, quit smoking.  Let him do whatever he likes, but we must show another life with our lives.  If we mix with the crowd, if we live like everyone else, then we are not Christians.  Our life should be fundamentally different, fundamentally.  We must even dress differently from what modern man dresses.  Everything must be different for us, life is different.  So monasticism arose - as opposed to worldly custom.  This is what it means to confess oneself before people.  And then the Lord will confess us before His Heavenly Father.  He will say: these people - this one, this one, this one - did not live according to the elements of this world, but as I taught them.  That is, the Lord Himself will intercede for us.

 

 Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov