We cannot receive salvation from Christ and His Spirit unless we discipline ourselves by an inner attention over the elements within us that tend to hold us in bondage and disintegration. Or, more simply said, we can only receive salvation from Christ and His Spirit if we develop inner control and discipline over our attitudes, thoughts, emotions and, of course, our behaviors. We must come to realize that our behaviors are totally controlled and dictated by our attitudes and, thoughts and emotions.

We need, by God’s grace, to come into that critical awareness which the Greek Fathers called nepsis. This means a sober vigilance, an inner attentiveness to God’s presence and a passionate indifference so as to seek always only what is pleasing to God. It is a mental balance, an internal vigilance and awareness of the movement of God’s Spirit, leading us to true discernment of how we should react to any given situation or temptation according to our true dignity as God’s loving children. This means, therefore, that if we wish to be true Christians we must be reflective people, that is people who reflect upon their behaviors and attitudes and make them conform to the Way of Jesus.