Pure heart and clean hands; lesser sins too

Origen went on: Some will not be punished for both, but for the one. Some for the faith, as having stumbled, but not for the life, as not having been set right; and others, conversely, will not be punished for the faith, but will be punished for the life, as having lived contrary to the right word.

I think that in Solomon's Proverbs these two generic things — I mean the matter of how we believe and know, and the matter of how we live — are spoken by Solomon in this way: Who will boast of having a pure heart? Or who will stand forth saying he is clean from sins? For we take the difference of these thus: the heart concerning the mind, and the sins concerning the deeds. Who will boast of having a pure heart, not defiled by falsely named knowledge, not defiled by a lie? Or who will stand forth saying he is clean from sins, having sinned nothing in the practical life?

If then we want to be saved, let us not, while occupied with the faith, neglect the life in practice, nor again put our trust in the life. From both let us know, grasp, believe that we shall have either the blameless or even the blessed — or the opposite of these.

Of the things for which people are punished, it is not only the frightful and terrible — which ought not even to be named among both — but also the things supposed to be lesser. For this reason the apostle seems to have listed, with the (if one must so name them) unlawful and abominable and defiling things, the things despised by the many.