Serving God through virtue

We have received the teaching that God does not need material offerings from human beings, since we see that he himself provides everything. We have been taught, persuaded, and believe that he receives only those who imitate the good qualities that belong to him—self-control, justice, love for humanity, and all that is proper to God, who is called by no name imposed upon him. We have also been taught that, being good, he created all things in the beginning out of unformed matter for the sake of human beings. And we have received that those who show themselves by their deeds to be worthy of his purpose are considered worthy to live with him and reign with him, having become incorruptible and free from suffering. For just as he created us in the beginning when we did not exist, so we believe that those who choose what is pleasing to him are, because of that choice, considered worthy of incorruption and fellowship with him. Our first coming into existence was not within our power; but through the rational faculties that he himself gave us, he persuades us and leads us to faith so that we may choose to follow what pleases him. We believe it is for the benefit of all people not to be prevented from learning these things, but rather to be urged toward them. For what human laws were unable to accomplish, the Logos, being divine, has accomplished—except that the evil demons have scattered many false and godless accusations, taking as their ally the evil and many-sided desire that exists by nature in each person toward all sorts of things. None of these accusations applies to us.