‘We, with our first parents, wanted to be “like gods.” (Gen. 3:5), and to steal God’s honour, like thieves and robbers, and therefore were worthy, as blasphemers, to be condemned to eternal death, to eternal shame, to be given over to the mockery and scourging of the devil and his evil angels. We must, covering our faces, stand before the righteous God with shame, and, acknowledging our guilt, confess: “With You, Lord, is righteousness, but we have shame on our faces”(Dan. 9:7). But the Son of God endures here the punishment that must be inflicted on our sins. He is mocked for us, suffers mockery, the covering of His Face, and beatings, so that He may grant us “power to become children of God”(Jhn. 1:12), to approach His Father in Heaven with boldness (cf. Jhn. 14:6; Eph. 2:18), and to look upon His most holy Face with an open and unashamed face (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12; Jhn. 3:2).’ –St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, On True Christianity, Bk. 2, §297, Art. 2

‘..if there is no sin, then everything is possible. Thus, the foundation of crimes and the associated cruelty, heartlessness, and malice among people is unbelief, the denial and trampling of every divine law, lawlessness. And there will never be love and compassion for a country where divine law is denied. Christ the Saviour indicated love as the norm of human life. A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another... By this will all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (Jhn. 13:34-35)”.’ –St. Onuphry (Gagaluk), In Defence of the Christian Faith