John Chrysostom talks about this a little bit in his work “
Three Homilies on the Devil”.
I can try to synthesize what is relevant to your statement from those works.
Adam, though in paradise and without any form of misery, fell into temptation and sin - thus is mankind. But God who would ultimately forsee such an occasion used it to mankind’s advantage. Thus we next view Job, who was just before God.
Job, who had many miseries and suffered much, did not fall to the temptations of the devil where Adam and Eve did. How could it be then that Job who suffered greatly did not fall but Eve who didn’t have any manner of sin before the fall did?
Job was diligent. Chrysostom calls the reason for mankind’s fall to be “sloth” - a lack of diligence.
And how then did God turn man’s failure into his success? Let us look at those terrible sinners of the scripture and lets consider their ways.
Look at Jacob who stole his brother’s blessing, who when God asked him “who are you” he did not lie as he did to his father Isaac, but said “I am Jacob” and he wrestled with God - and God blessed him.
And when Judah sinned by sleeping with Tamar, he suffered great shame. But then he was the one, who, in front of Joseph, took responsibility for Benjamin’s (fake) theft. And of all of Joseph’s brothers, Judah was the only one to do such a thing - that was enough for Joseph to reveal himself to his brothers and to reunite his family. But a greater blessing was achieved! For it is out of Judah that the kings of Israel came - and it is none other than Jesus Christ who comes from the tribe of Judah.
Surely there is more, for look at the two disciples of Christ - Peter and Judas. Both sinned terribly, yet both had vastly different endings. Judas gave up Christ, but Peter denied him. Judas sold his brother Jesus just as Judah sold his brother Joseph, but Judas failed to grow. Peter cursed the name of Jesus in front of a crowd and Jesus made him a great apostle [EDIT: because Peter had clung to Christ and repented of his evil and told Jesus "You know I love
(phileo) you].
What of Paul whose original name was Saul? He hunted the brethren. Such a list would only need this name because as he himself stated “among sinners, I am the chief” (but I give many examples so that you have hope). But Jesus, in his amazing grace, called him and so Saul of Tarsus, became Paul (meaning: “The littlest one”). And Paul, the chief of sinners, went on to give us 2/3rds of our New Testament.
And so by all of these examples, God shows us not to fear or worry, but to diligently hope and work out our salvation because his love is endless and desires that we grow.
