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St. Diadochos reveals the immense grace and power of baptism: satan is expelled from the heart and Christ is planted therein. "As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ," (Gal 3:27) as the Apostle Paul proclaims. With Christ now dwelling in the depth of the heart, the battle against sin and the flesh is both similar and different than before baptism. St. Diadochos expresses with divine clarity the nature of the heart's activity and how the nous is purified and illumined as it battles against sin, no longer filled with demonic energy but now with grace and truth dwelling within.

Sections 76-85 of "On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: 100 Texts" by St. Diadochos of Photiki

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St. Diadochos writes:

"Before holy baptism, grace encourages the soul towards good from the outside, while Satan lurks in its depths, trying to block all the nous's ways of approach to the divine. But from the moment that we are reborn through baptism, the demon is outside, grace is within. Thus, whereas before baptism error ruled the soul, after baptism truth rules it. Nevertheless, even after baptism Satan still acts on the soul, often, indeed, to a greater degree than before."

"For when through holy baptism divine grace in its infinite love permeates the lineaments of God's image - thereby renewing in the soul the capacity for attaining the divine likeness - what place is there for the devil? For light has nothing in common with darkness (cf. 2 Cor 6:14). We who are pursuing the spiritual way believe that the protean serpent is expelled from the shrine of the intellect through the waters of baptism; but we must not be surprised if after baptism we still have wicked as well as good thoughts. For although baptism removes from us the stain resulting from sin, it does not thereby heal the duality of our will immediately, neither does it prevent the demons from attacking us or speaking deceitful words to us. In this way we are led to take up the weapons of righteousness, and to preserve through the power of God what we could not keep safe through the efforts of our soul alone."

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