One thing to recognize is that
early Christians were extremely attentive to post-baptismal sin. Chrysostom and
his contemporaries spoke often about the danger of sinning after baptism.
Christ has saved, and Christ has washed clean in baptism, but it is the
Christian’s duty to remain worthy of that salvation. They were all worried
about what might wipe out sins committed after baptism. It is possible that Chrysostom
is talking about that here. Almsgiving would counterbalance all post-baptismal
sins. Almsgiving pays the debts incurred in sin—not the initial cosmic debt
incurred for all of humanity when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, for that was forgiven
in baptism, but the debt racking up with further sins. There are places Chrysostom
speaks of Christ’s ongoing help in the struggle for post-baptismal virtue, so
he does not think humans do this on their own, but he also thinks, along with
his contemporaries, that almsgiving is a powerful enough virtue to pay that
bill. (Samantha L. Miller, John Chrysostom: An Introduction to His Life and
Thought [Cascade Companions; Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2026], 99-100)
Further Reading:
David J. Downs, Alms:
Charity, Reward, and Atonement in Early Christianity (Baylor University
Press, 2016)
