| According to St.Paul “two can be made one flesh” even in fornication. But this purely carnal union only defiles those who commit such fornication. What within marriage is a mystery, like Christ’s union with the Church, is outside marriage defiled. Again we see that marriage is not a casual physical relationship, but the all-embracing union of husband and wife ( 1Cor.6:15–20 ; cf. Eph.5:22–33 ). Immediately after this passage in Corinthians, St.Paul advises married couples not to avoid physical intercourse with each other, and to remember that they belong to one another in the flesh. In general, it is better to be able to enjoy the conjugal rights than to be tempted and “inflamed” ( 1Cor.7:1–9 ). The Apostle continues by saying that husband and wife can sanctify and save one another through marriage, even when one of them is an unbeliever. Also, the children of such mixed marriages are holy ( 1Cor.7:10–17 ). If husband and wife surrender to each other not only their bodies but also their souls and entire beings, it is only natural that the spiritual power and strength of one should be transmitted to the other... Elsewhere St.Paul speaks mainly about the influence that a husband may have on his wife, and advises wives to be, above all things, obedient. 44 St.Peter, too, counsels wives to be obedient, and at the same time testifies to the great positive influence a wife may have upon her husband, urging husbands to deal kindly and honorably with their wives ( 1Pet.3:1–2 ). A woman’s heart can be so filled with the “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” that her “chaste and reverent behavior” may without a word win her husband for God. In his Epistles to Timothy and Titus, St.Paul sketches the figure of a wife closely resembling the model wife of Proverbs. This is the ideal of a wise, chaste and submissive wife who cares for the master’s household, who loves her children, and ministers to their needs ( 1Tim.5:1–16 . Tit.2:1–5 ). The New Testament does not dwell as much as the Old on the question of multiplication of the human race. |
| Greg. Nyssen. (c. Eunom. I. ed. 1615, p. 12), by whom they are called Hypsistians. He was converted by the prayers, influence and example of his wife, S. Nonna, and, soon after his baptism, consecrated Bishop of Nazianzus. He was eminent as an able administrator, a devout Christian, an orthodox teacher, a steadfast Confessor of the faith, a sympathetic Pastor, an affectionate father. In his life and work he was seconded by his wife, and followed by his three children, Gregory, Gorgonia, and Cæsarius, whose names are all to be found upon the roll of the Saints. Funeral Oration on His Father, in the Presence of S. Basil. 1. O man of God, Joshua 14:6 and faithful servant, Numbers 12:7 and steward of the mysteries of God, 1Corinthians 4:1 and man of desires of the Spirit: for thus Scripture speaks of men advanced and lofty, superior to visible things. I will call you also a God to Pharaoh Exodus 7:1 and all the Egyptian and hostile power, and pillar and ground of the Church 1 Timothy 7:15 and will of God Isaiah 62:4 and light in the world, holding forth the word of life, Philippians 2:16 and prop of the faith and resting place of the Spirit. But why should I enumerate all the titles which your virtue, in its varied forms, has won for and applied to you as your own? 2. Tell me, however, whence do you come, what is your business, and what favour do you bring us? Since I know that you are entirely moved with and by God, and for the benefit of those who receive you. Have you come to inspect us, or to seek for the pastor, or to take the oversight of the flock? You find us no longer in existence, but for the most part having passed away with him, unable to bear with the place of our affliction, especially now that we have lost our skilful steersman, our light of life, to whom we looked to direct our course as the blazing beacon of salvation above us: he has departed with all his excellence, and all the power of pastoral organization, which he had gathered in a long time, full of days and wisdom, and crowned, to use the words of Solomon, with the hoary head of glory. |
| However, methodologically speaking it may represent a kind of lack in Justin’s approach of Western Christianity, as Bishop Maxim (Vasiljevic) noted. Justin’s methodology was based on the communion with the incarnated historical God-man as he noted: 33 “‘Gospel not according to man ’ (Galatians 1:11). There is nothing ‘ according to man ’: neither content, nor method; since nothing can be measured by man nor ‘according to man’. Everything (should be) in accordance with the God-man: therefore—(it is) irreducible to humanism or its methods, but everything (should be measured) according to the God-man and man through the God-man.” 34 This does not mean that Fr. Justin was against a thorough work on contemporary theological or any other scholarship, on the contrary, but for this it was essential first to be formed at the school of the Church of Christ in order to obtain the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). 35 But to “obtain the mind of Christ” and to come to the Truth the first thing that has to be done is repentance, “Repentance leading to knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25) . 36 Only then will the Truth, which is Christ God-man Himself, be given for the faith, as Saint Paul stated: first faith, then truth, and at the end love, which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14). From this it becomes apparent that ecumenical dialogue cannot be only a dialogue of love. 37 “Faith is the bearer of truth and Love loves because of the Truth; what was delivered from a lie—deception, love? ‘Love speaking the truth’ (Ephesians 6:15) ‘new’ love: Christ—the God-man: delivers from sins, death, from every evil, from every devil: And it is capable of being eternal because it loves what is eternal in man, above all: The Eternal Truth.” 38 After this first important remark, we may proceed by saying that Justin Popovic in his Notes elaborates his concept of ecumenism on a central difference between any humanistic ecumenism on the one side, and the “Orthodox ecumenism” on the other. |
| On the other hand, we also know it to be true that God is good and loves mankind. We know for certain that God eternally desires “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). We know that “God is love,” and indeed the most powerful love that exists (1 John 4:8). How could Love himself bear to leave even one human soul in eternal hell? Indeed, Christ is the one who descended into hell and rose from the dead to rescue those captive to sin and death, both the righteous and the unrighteous. Given God’s overwhelming love, how could he not save all people? Given these two truths- that God is love, and that God eternally respects the free will of each human person, I suggest a mediating position.1 While we cannot know for certain that every human person will be saved due to human free will, we do have reason to hope that every human person will be saved because we know God as love. While we cannot be certain, we can certainly pray for the salvation of every person we meet, and indeed for the salvation of the whole world. May God save the world through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints. 1: This line is based off of Metropolitan Kallistos Ware’s article “Dare We Hope for the Salvation of All?” which can be found here. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Will Everyone Be Saved? Jacob Sparks In Christ shall all be made alive.— 1 Corinthians 15:22 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…— Matthew 7:21 It is a popular topic in Christian theology to discuss who will be saved when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| Statement of the Holy Synod of the OCA on Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs Regarding Marriage Source: OCA The following statement was approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America during a session of the Holy Synod on June 16, 2016 at Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery in Rives Junction, MI. It is approved for posting and use by all dioceses, parishes, institutions and monasteries of the Orthodox Church in America. General Standard The Orthodox Church in America teaches and maintains as a sincerely held religious belief that God has established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman, and that all intimate sexual activity outside the marriage relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is immoral, and therefore sin (Genesis 2:24-25; Exodus 20:14, 17, 22:19; Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13, 15-16; Matthew 19:4-6, 9; Romans 1:18-31; I Corinthians 6:9-10, 15-20; I Timothy 1:8-11; Jude 7). This principle undergirds the teaching of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America that Marriage is the most perfect realization of love between a man and a woman in which two become one and in which love unites in such a way that two lives become one life in perfect harmony. We believe that God created the human race male and female and that all conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and therefore sin (Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5). Marriage can only be between two people whose birth sex is male and female. The Orthodox Church’s marriage service specifically states, “Establish them in the holy union which is from Thee. For in the beginning Thou didst make them male and female, and by Thee the woman is joined unto the man as a helper and for the procreation of the human race.” Again the service states explicitly, “For by Thee is the husband joined unto the wife. Unite them in one mind; wed them into one flesh, granting to them of the fruit of the body, and the procreation of fair children.” |
| Respect for the Clergy Protopresbyter George Konstantopoulos The Orthodox Christian respects and loves the clergy. Knowing that the clergy are servants of God and man, devoting their life for the salvation of Christ’s flock. The Orthodox Christian expresses his gratitude and respect to them on every occasion. First, the Priest is addressed as “Father” by all, for he is the spiritual father of his flock; he is their teacher, confessor, sanctifier, protector, intercessorand healer. There are people that belong to Christian confessions that do not call their clergy, “Father”. But let us consider the words of Saint Paul, “For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). When we also read the gospel according to Saint Luke, we find the rich man calling up to Abraham in heaven with Lazarus in his bosom and addressing him as “Father Abraham” (See St. Luke 16:20-31). Abraham’s response was not, “Do you not realize that only God the Father is to be called Father?” Rather, he replied, “Son, remember”. In the Gospel of St. Matthew 23:8-10 Jesus says, “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi " ; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ”. Jesus warns against calling hypocrites “father” and “teacher”. Far from being a prohibition against using these terms under any circumstances, it is a warning not to use them undeservedly. Both terms are applied to men in the New Testament. “Father” is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Cor. 4:15; and Col. 3:21. In the earliest Christian communities, this term was applied to Bishops and Presbyters (Priests), because they represent the Father in the Church. “Teacher” is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; and 2 Timothy 1:11. (Orthodox Study Bible). Second, when the Orthodox Christians greet their Priest they kiss his hand as an expression of respect, as recognition of his Priesthood i.e., the grace of God that was bestowed upon him on the day of his ordination and as a veneration to the holiness of his Sacred Office and duties. |
| Take, for example, St. Paul. His understanding of his relationship with his spiritual children is that of father and child. He calls St. Timothy his son (2 Tim. 1:2) and argues to the Corinthians that because he “begot” them in the faith, he is their “father” and thus they should listen to him (1 Cor. 4 :15). Furthermore, St. Paul is continually asking for the prayers of those to whom he writes, and he is continually assuring them that he is praying for them. In the pre-modern Christian world, this made sense. It made sense that one’s spiritual parent (father or mother as the case may be) would pray for you and that without those prayers, you would not be able to grow or be protected from spiritual enemies. And so, with that mental mindset, to call someone father was to say that in some way this person is an icon or representative of the Father. Or we might say that the one we call father is someone who brings the Heavenly Father to us and/or us to the Heavenly Father. The same principle applies to “teacher,” “master,” or “doctor” (which is Latin for teacher). There is only one Teacher, God (Who is also the One Father and the one Master). But God has so set up His Body, the Church, that God teaches through human teachers. And so to call a human being a teacher is to say that this human teacher brings us something from, or brings us in some way to, the heavenly Teacher. Now, since the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (that is, they never go away), and since no one in Christ—even if he has died—is dead, for all live in Christ, it has been the practice of the Church since the very beginning for spiritual sons and daughters to continue to look to their fathers, mothers and teachers in Christ for guidance, help and prayers. Of course we all can and do go to God ourselves, but why wouldn’t we also want the prayers of holy men and women who have demonstrated through the holiness of their lives and many manifestations of Grace that they are gifted and called by God to teach, heal, guide and in various ways help those who are still beginners in the spiritual life? |
| Take, for example, St. Paul. His understanding of his relationship with his spiritual children is that of father and child. He calls St. Timothy his son (2 Tim. 1:2) and argues to the Corinthians that because he “begot” them in the faith, he is their “father” and thus they should listen to him (1 Cor. 4 :15). Furthermore, St. Paul is continually asking for the prayers of those to whom he writes, and he is continually assuring them that he is praying for them. In the pre-modern Christian world, this made sense. It made sense that one’s spiritual parent (father or mother as the case may be) would pray for you and that without those prayers, you would not be able to grow or be protected from spiritual enemies. And so, with that mental mindset, to call someone father was to say that in some way this person is an icon or representative of the Father. Or we might say that the one we call father is someone who brings the Heavenly Father to us and/or us to the Heavenly Father. The same principle applies to “teacher,” “master,” or “doctor” (which is Latin for teacher). There is only one Teacher, God (Who is also the One Father and the one Master). But God has so set up His Body, the Church, that God teaches through human teachers. And so to call a human being a teacher is to say that this human teacher brings us something from, or brings us in some way to, the heavenly Teacher. Now, since the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (that is, they never go away), and since no one in Christ—even if he has died—is dead, for all live in Christ, it has been the practice of the Church since the very beginning for spiritual sons and daughters to continue to look to their fathers, mothers and teachers in Christ for guidance, help and prayers. Of course we all can and do go to God ourselves, but why wouldn’t we also want the prayers of holy men and women who have demonstrated through the holiness of their lives and many manifestations of Grace that they are gifted and called by God to teach, heal, guide and in various ways help those who are still beginners in the spiritual life? |
| This assumption clearly lies behind our Lord’s words that those in heaven rejoice over the repentance of a single sinner on earth (Luke 15:7), for how else could they know of the sinner’s repentance unless earth somehow lay open to the gaze of those in heaven? The same assumption also undergirds the image found in Hebrews 12:1, which uses an athletic race to portray the Christian struggle. We on earth are running the race of faith, cheered on by a “great cloud of witnesses” observing us from the heavenly stands. And then there is the Book of Revelation. This text must be used carefully, with a full recognition of its special genre. It does not offer a literal behind-the-scenes peak at what is going on in heaven, like a journalist allowed to wander around backstage behind the curtain. But it does reveal the assumptions held by the Church at the time regarding the state of those in heaven. From this we learn that the angels brought the prayers of those on earth to God (Revelation 8:3-4)—exactly as the Book of Enoch said. Regarding the departed Christians, we learn that they are with Christ and are being comforted by Him for their struggles on earth (Revelation 7:13f). We also learn that they seem to know what is happening on earth: in Revelation 6:9-11 they clamour impatiently for judgment to be poured out on their oppressors, and in Revelation 16:4-7 they exult after the judgment has been poured out. It is clear from this that they know what is happening on earth while they are in heaven. We may conclude from this close reading of the texts of the time that it was part of the Church’s faith in the first century that those in heaven interceded for those on earth. This intimate unity of the saints in heaven with the saints still on earth found increased strength through the Resurrection of Christ, for by His Resurrection He abolished death (2 Timothy 1:10). This not only means that death cannot separate us from Christ; it also means that death can no longer separate Christians from one another. If the living and departed are both united to Christ, they are by virtue of this union also united to one another. Even while on earth all Christians are united in a bond of mutual prayer and intercession (Ephesians 6:18)—how much more will our departed brethren pray for us when they are closer to Christ in heaven? Salvation consists of sharing the glory of Christ, and becoming by grace what He is by nature (Romans 8:29). This means that we not only share His sonship, but also His heavenly glory, being continually transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). If we share His glory in this life, how much more in the next, when righteous men are made perfect? (Hebrews 12:23) |
| Among those sections that the gospels of Matthew and Luke-independent of Mark-have in common, almost all are directly didactic. That is to say, those sections almost invariably consist of the explicit teachings of Jesus, with no attention to events in his life. Those shared sections convey, for instance, the sort of material we find in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7) and Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49). When, on the other hand, Matthew and Luke do tell a common story about Jesus’ life, Mark has that story too. The clear exception is Matthew’s and Luke’s narrative of the centurion who sought healing for his cherished servant ( Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). As an account of a person beseeching the Lord on behalf of someone else, this shared narrative resembles other stories in the gospels, such as Jairus and the Syro-Phoenician woman praying for their daughters ( Mark 5:23; 7:24-30), and another man and a centurion pleading for their sons (9:17; John 4:46-53). These are all accounts of intercessory prayer on behalf of loved ones, especially parents praying for their children. Such stories surely had a great influence on the patterns of Christian intercessory prayer. We note, for instance, that the petitions in these accounts are addressed to Jesus. Although in Jesus’ specific teaching about prayer, the normal emphasis was on prayer addressed to the heavenly Father ( Luke 11:2 ) in Jesus’ name ( John 15:16), the emphasis is different in these particular gospel stories. One of their singular values is that they unambiguously answer a practical question that might arise among Christians, namely, “If one of your children gets sick, is there some special Trinitarian protocol to follow, or is it all right just to take the problem right to Jesus?” On the other hand, taking one’s problems “right to Jesus” is surely not to be understood in the sense of foregoing the mediating prayer of others. It is not as though the unique mediation of Jesus our Lord ( 1 Timothy 2:5) excludes certain saints from mediating on behalf of other saints, and these various gospel stories are the proof of it. In fact, it is the entire point and the whole business of the foregoing stories to validate such mediation. This is called intercessory prayer. |
|
|
