He said, “I command you to keep purity, and do not let a thought rise in your heart about another man’s wife, about sexual immorality, or about other similar evil things. For by doing this you commit a great sin. But if you always remember your own wife, you will never go astray. For if this thought rises in your heart, you will go astray; and if other similarly evil thoughts rise, you commit sin. Such a thought is a great sin for a servant of God. If anyone carries out this evil deed, he brings death upon himself. So take care. Keep away from this thought, for where Reverence dwells, lawlessness ought not to rise in the heart of a righteous man.” I said to him, “Sir, allow me to ask you a few questions.” “Speak,” he said. “Sir,” I said, “if a man has a wife who is faithful in the Lord and finds her committing adultery, does the husband sin by continuing to live with her?” “As long as he does not know,” he said, “he does not sin. But if the husband learns of her sin and the woman does not repent, but continues in her sexual immorality, and the husband continues living with her, he becomes guilty of her sin and a partner in her adultery.” “What then, Sir,” I said, “should the husband do if the woman persists in this condition?” “Let him send her away,” he said, “and let the husband remain by himself. But if after sending his wife away he marries another woman, he too commits adultery.” “If then, Sir,” I said, “after the woman has been sent away she repents and wants to return to her own husband, should she not be received back?” “Certainly,” he said. “If the husband does not receive her, he sins and brings a great sin upon himself. The one who has sinned and repents must be received back—but not repeatedly, for there is one repentance for the servants of God. For the sake of her repentance, therefore, the husband ought not to marry. This course applies to both woman and man. Adultery,” he said, “does not consist only in someone defiling his flesh. Whoever does things like the Gentiles also commits adultery. So if someone persists in such deeds and does not repent, keep away from him and do not live with him. Otherwise you too are a participant in his sin. This is why you were commanded to remain by yourselves, whether husband or wife, for repentance can take place in such cases. I am not,” he said, “giving an occasion for this situation to be brought about, but so that the one who has sinned may sin no more. As for his former sin, there is One who is able to give healing, for He is the One who has authority over all things.”
I questioned him again, saying, “Since the Lord considered me worthy for you always to dwell with me, bear with a few more words from me, because I understand nothing and my heart has been hardened by my former deeds. Give me understanding, because I am very foolish and understand absolutely nothing.” He answered me, “I,” he said, “have charge over repentance, and I give understanding to everyone who repents. Or do you not think,” he said, “that repentance itself is understanding? Repentance,” he said, “is great understanding. For the one who has sinned understands that he has done evil before the Lord. The deed he committed rises into his heart, and he repents and no longer does evil. Instead, he does good abundantly, humbles his own soul, and disciplines it because he sinned. You see, then, that repentance is great understanding.” “This is why, Sir,” I said, “I ask you about everything so precisely: because I am a sinner and want to know what works I must do in order to live, since my sins are many and varied.” “You will live,” he said, “if you keep my commandments and walk in them. And whoever hears these commandments and keeps them will live to God.”
“I will continue, Sir,” I said, “and ask one more question.” “Speak,” he said. “Sir,” I said, “I have heard from certain teachers that there is no other repentance except the one that took place when we went down into the water and received forgiveness of our former sins.” He said to me, “You heard correctly, for that is so. The one who has received forgiveness of sins ought no longer to sin, but to dwell in purity. But since you inquire into everything so precisely, I will explain this to you also, without giving an excuse to those who are going to believe or to those who have now believed in the Lord. For those who have now believed, or are going to believe, do not have repentance for sins, but they have forgiveness of their former sins. To those who were called before these days, therefore, the Lord appointed repentance. For the Lord, who knows the heart and foreknows all things, knew the weakness of human beings and the many-sided craftiness of the devil—that he would do some evil to the servants of God and act wickedly against them. Therefore, because the Lord is very compassionate, He had compassion on His creation and appointed this repentance, and authority over this repentance was given to me. But I tell you,” he said, “that after that great and venerable calling, if someone is thoroughly tempted by the devil and sins, he has one repentance. But if he keeps sinning and repenting, it is not beneficial for such a person, for he will live only with difficulty.” I said to him, “I came to life again when I heard these things from you so precisely, for I know that if I no longer add to my sins, I will be saved.” “You will be saved,” he said, “and so will all who do these things.”
I questioned him again, saying, “Sir, since you have once been patient with me, explain this to me as well.” “Speak,” he said. “Sir,” I said, “if a wife, or again a husband, falls asleep and the surviving spouse marries, does the one who marries sin?” “He does not sin,” he said. “But if someone remains alone, he gains for himself greater honor and great glory before the Lord. Yet even if he marries, he does not sin. Therefore keep purity and Reverence, and you will live to God. Keep everything I am telling you and will tell you from now on, from the day you were entrusted to me, and I will dwell in your house. There will be forgiveness for your former transgressions if you keep my commandments. And there will be forgiveness for everyone if they keep these commandments of mine and walk in this purity.”