St. John of the Ladder on freedom from impurity

All things are possible for them that  believeth,[1] said the Lord.  I have seen impure souls raving madly about physical love; but making their experience of such love a reason for repentance, they transferred the same love to the Lord; and, overcoming all fear, they spurred themselves insatiably on to the love of God.  That is why the Lord does not say of that chaste harlot; “Because she feared,” but:  “because she loved much,[2] and could easily expel love by love.”

All things are possible for them that believeth.  Believing is the condition for all things being possible.  When asked what is the work that we should do, Jesus replied that our work is to “believe on Him who sent me.”  We need to believe that God will set us from these unhealthy feelings, desires and behaviors.  That is part of our work.

“I have seen impure souls raving madly about physical love;”

It is comforting knowing that St. John Climacus actually knew and had seen people who had impure souls and then after repenting, loved God much.  John is not just saying they had a mild form of sexual addiction, but “impure souls raving madly about physical love.”   There is hope.  The compulsion, the madness, or in 12-step talk, “the insanity.”  The impurity and unnaturalness of it all.

“but making their experience of such love a reason for repentance,”

In spite of all this madness, they took what satan meant for evil and turned their experience for turning to God.  Having their minds renewed and transformed.

“they transferred the same love to the Lord”

They transferred their love to the Lord.  Can this even be done?  Maybe God knows what is behind their raving madly about physical love and truly knows what the heart of these souls need.  In the ancient morning prayers of the Christian Church there is a phrase, “help me to love you as I once loved sin and help me labor for you as I once labored for satan the deceiver and destroyer.”  There appears to be a transferring of affection.  Lord help us to truly love you as we once did sin.

“overcoming all fear, they spurred themselves insatiably on to the love of God.”

Overcoming all fear is so important.  When we are afraid, we are not believing and trusting in Him who is able to keep us from falling.  Not partial fear, but all fear.  They spurred themselves insatiable on to the love of God.  Just as a sexual addiction is insatiable, never returns on its promises, so we can take the ever-wanting more and more toward God our Father who gives us great things.  We can never want enough of Him, because He love is everlasting-will never run out. 

What does it mean to spur?  To use whatever resources they could muster up to pray, fast, worship, read spiritual literature, and to fix their minds on God's goodness.  

Let those who have been humbled by their passions take courage.  For even if they fall into every pit and are trapped in all the snares and suffer all maladies, yet after their restoration to health they become physicians, beacons, lamps, and pilots for all, teaching us the habits of every disease and from their own personal experience able to rescue those who are about to fall. (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 26.13, page 163)