The Catalog of Good Deeds: Christian Virtues

Showing posts with label Christian Virtues. Show all posts

About those who have never known the teachings of Christ and His Church

I am not commenting on the deeds of those who have never been blessed with the fullness of the teachings of Christ and His Orthodox Church. There are many born into Christian communities who have no other knowledge of Christ and His Church except that which has been taught to them by their mankind-founded communities. It should be noted that many adherents of these communities do, in fact, seek to follow Christ with deep fervor and commitment. Furthermore, we are not even to judge the founders of these man-created communities. Only God can know the hearts of these founders, and their followers' as well. As St. John (1Jn 3:20) tells us: "For if our heart reprehend us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."

The admonition of Christ on not judging others is explicit and can be considered a cornerstone, making up the foundation of His teachings. It stems from the fact that we are all sinners and must never condemn anyone. Recall our Lord's admonition to those about to stone the woman caught in adultery: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (Jn 8: 7)

Judge not, that you may not be judged, For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. (Mt 7: 1-2)

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. (Lk 6: 37)

Or how canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote from thy brother's eye. (Lk 6: 42)

Refusing to judge others can be considered an act of worship of God. St. Peter of Damaskos explains it thus: ". . .confess God's grace continually by not judging anyone." (Philokalia III, p. 160-161)

While we cannot judge others, we are required to judge their acts

Jesus revealed to the beloved Apostle St. John the Evangelist, through the mouth of His angel, His condemnation of the nefarious works of an early sect, the Nicolaitians, that departed from the teaching of the Apostolic Church: ". . . you hate the deeds. . .which I also hate". (Rev. 2: 6). The lesson for us is that with careful, sensible and sound judgment, and with great charity and kindness, but with prudent firmness as well, we can point out the position of the Apostolic Churches on ecclesial, moral, theological and other related issues and pray and work toward healing ourselves and all around us. In this regard, it is well to keep in mind a phrase from the year 2000 Synodal statement of the Moscow Patriarchate entitled Basic Principles of Attitude to the Non-Orthodox. In it was noted that throughout history.

The Church struggled on principled terms with the heresies that were infecting her children and that there were cases where those who had gone astray were healed of heresy, experienced repentance and returned to the bosom of the Church. This tragic experience of misunderstanding emerging from within the Church herself and of the struggle with it during the period of the ecumenical councils has taught the children of the Orthodox Church to be vigilant.

There are several other passages from the Synodal statement that are very relevant to this issue and worth serious reflection and study, and which can be found in the Endnote below. The Orthodox Church considers it is the one true Church. The Apostolic Churches are close to one another in many ways and we pray will be most likely to be first in full communion with each other. Unfortunately, some reform groups depart very far.

About those who left the plough they were holding onto and look back

Now, and here I am speaking about, and to, all of us Orthodox Christians, let us consider our Lord's admonition that : "No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Lk 9: 62) Now the "plough" can be seen as our baptism and our commitment to the Orthodox Church. The "looking back," then, is reverting to any attitude that draws us away from that, most particularly the subtle and insidious attitude of condoning relativism or, God forbid, the entertaining ideas like: 'I don't need the Church;' 'I can talk to God alone, by myself;' 'I can pray in any church.' The admonition not to look back in this way applies most especially to those originally baptized, but who are later tempted to look back toward the non-Apostolic communities and what they may seem to offer. To them Christ's rebuke speaks: "And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required." (Lk 12: 48) We need to remember that what is required of us is fidelity and commitment to His Orthodox Church —not to some man-made group. no matter what they call themselves or how many books they carry around or quote from, even a book they call "The Bible."

In this regard, we remember the Evil One tempting Jesus in the desert by quoting Sacred Scripture: "And the tempter coming said to Him '. . .: It is written, [c.f. Dt 8: 3] Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.'" (Mt 34: 34) Now, and here I am speaking about, and to, all of us Orthodox Christians, let us consider our Lord's admonition that : "No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Lk 9: 62) Now the "plough" can be seen as our baptism and our commitment to the Orthodox Church. The "looking back," then, is reverting to any attitude that draws us away from that, most particularly the subtle and insidious attitude of condoning relativism or, God forbid, the entertaining ideas like: 'I don't need the Church;' 'I can talk to God alone, by myself;' 'I can pray in any church.' The admonition not to look back in this way applies most especially to those originally baptized, but who are later tempted to look back toward the non-Apostolic communities and what they may seem to offer. To them Christ's rebuke speaks: "And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required." (Lk 12: 48)

We need to remember that what is required of us is fidelity and commitment to His Orthodox Church —not to some man-made group. no matter what they call themselves or how many books they carry around or quote from, even a book they call "The Bible." In this regard, we remember the Evil One tempting Jesus in the desert by quoting Sacred Scripture: "And the tempter coming said to Him '. . .: It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.'" (Mt 34: 34)

St. Silouan of Mt. Athos: Exemplar of having prayerful love for all

We are required by our commitment to Christ and His Church to go way beyond merely not judging others. We must actively seek reconciliation, and at the very least pray for all, ourselves, as we are all sinners, and extend that reconciiliation to all those who have committed the most egregious offenses. St. Silouan of Mt. Athos tells us ". . . you must love those who offend against you and pray for them until your soul is reconciled to them." (Sophrony, 1999)

A good example is an encounter the saint had with an anonymous hermit as recorded by St. Silouan's cell attendant and spiritual disciple, Archimandrite Sophrony. The hermit, with "evident satisfaction," told the saint," God will punish all atheists." In terms of the theme of this essay, we can add to the word 'atheists:: homophiles, moral relativists, secularists, members of non-Apostolic Christian groups, etc. Of course, the saintly elder was disturbed by the hermit's judgment. St. Silouan responded: "Tell me, supposing you went to paradise, and there looked down and saw somebody burning in hell-fire – would you feel happy" The hermit responded: "It can't be helped, It would be their own fault." With "sorrowful countenance" the saint responded: "Love could not bear that. . . .We must pray for all." This should be what spiritually animates our hearts, minds and interactions toward all those who do not uphold the fullness of orthodox Christianity.

The Ethos of Raising Children and Ourselves as Orthodox Christians

There is a spiritx that should enliven and permeate the 'domestic church' and its anointed leaders: the Godly blessed (by the Holy Mystery) marriage of husband and wife, parents who are to "educate [their children] in faith and fear."xi This ethos should, however, not be limited to those who are married, but extended to all those who have "put on Christ"xii through their baptism, single individuals as well. This would include all laity and monastics.

We know that Christ's visible Church was sealed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and has passed down to the Church to the present day. Originally, the visible Church started with the Apostles and Disciples. In the Church today, each of the Apostles of the twelve and of the seventy has their own day of commemoration, but on the Sunday after Pentecost is celebrated the synaxis, or gathering, of not only the Apostles but, in fact, all the saints of the Church who shone forth throughout the whole world from all time. This includes the powers of heaven (the angelic hosts) and the holy prophets of the Old Covenant as well. There is a great prayer of the Church that calls all this to mind - the Synodikon of Orthodoxy - which can also serve as the ethos of the spiritual life of all true Christians.

The Synodikon of Orthodoxy

The Synodikon was originally proclaimed by the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 843 AD that reinstated the veneration of icons against the heretics who had persecuted Christ's Holy Church and destroyed its icons. Traditionally, throughout the Orthodox World today, it is prayed at Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy (the First Sunday of Lent). It is relevant to be both a daily prayer, and also the ethos of the Christian Life for all those who are true, that is to say, 'non-homogenized,' Christians.

One relevant phrase from the Synodikon is: "As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church received, as the Teachers laid down as doctrine, as the World has agreed, as grace has shone". We see from this that the avowals of all the saints are considered as God-inspired. Divine inspiration is linked with Revelation. The saints experienced God; they attained a spiritual perception of the Divine. They knew a personal God experientially. They received a personal Pentecost. Because of their experiences of a Divine Revelation they are regarded as unerring teachers of the Church. This grace was given them because they embraced Christ's cross by flight from sin, thus attaining theosis ("partakers of the Divine Nature," 2Pt 1:4).

The lives and teachings of the saints echo the mind of the Church. It is unthinkable, therefore, not only for the saints, but for anyone, to be considered an Orthodox Christian if they are separated from the mind of the Church by holding on to erroneous heretical personal conceptions and opinions and, even worse, teach these self-created interpretations to others, either directly or by example (psychological modeling).

Another consideration: The Church as hospital

Let us also recall that another patristic icon of the Church is that it is a hospital (Morelli 2006 b,c) for our spiritual and physical curing. The chief laborers are the physicians with the authority given to them by Christ to heal our infirmities and diseases. Departing from the mind of Christ and His Church by holding on to our personal opinions is a disease to be made healthy by Christ's apostolic Orthodox Church. This healing work of the Church is, and must be, carried out today by the bishops and priests of the Church of apostolic succession by adherence to the apostolic tradition and teaching given by Christ. This calling to service was given to the Church by Christ Himself when He ". . . saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few." (Mt 9:37).

But the laborers in the hospital vineyard are not limited merely to the clergy. As St. Paul reminded the Galatians, we have each received individual gifts and can offer different service to the 'Body of Christ:" "For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.. Now you are the body of Christ, and members of member. And God indeed hath set some in the church; first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly doctors; after that miracles; then the graces of healing, helps, governments, kinds of tongues, interpretations of speeches. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all doctors? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the grace of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" (Gal 3: 27-30)

Let us all put our hands to the plough that is Christ and His Church and never take them off or look back. Let us hold fast to the Mind of the Church, to be informed and formed by it so as to courageously model it in our lives. This way we will be faithful laborers in Christ's hospital vineyard (the Church) according to the gifts we have been given. As St. Paul tells the Corinthians:

But be zealous for the better gifts. And I shew unto you yet a more excellent way. (1 Cor 12: 31)

An article by Fr. George Morelli

Source: http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/view/living-as-an-orthodox-christian-in-a-non-orthodox-world

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved:

but he that believeth not shall be condemned. (Mark, 16: 16)

One of the teaching challenges of those committed to the Mind of Christ and His One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Orthodox Church is the homogenization of Christianity by those who have been ensnared by the spiritual cancer of religious relativism that has permeated the Western world. Political, religious and social correctness is the mantra of the 3rd Millennium. It is also the great scourge of our modern world. It is the duty of all true and committed Christians, especially those charged with the guiding others in Orthodoxy, to be steadfast to the mind of Christ and His Church (Morelli, 2010). It must begin in the little church in the home the 'domestic church,' then be connected to the local parish and its clergy and then on to the Church universal.

An example of this spiritual virus occurred in a recent conversation I had with an Orthodox Christian who told me they had been told by another 'Orthodox' Christian that one should be happy that anyone would go or pray at any 'Christian' community. It doesn't matter that the community calling themselves 'Christian' was not one of the Apostolic Churchesi. Unfortunately, this view overlooks the fairly obvious fact that some of these 'Christian' fellowships teach what is "man-made," or omit from their teaching what a man or woman wants omitted and still call it 'Christian.'ii The dogmatic teaching of Christ and His Church, as witnessed by the Apostolic Churches, has been relegated to the realm of bias, discrimination and as proclaiming a radical violation of human rights. However, consider this question: Is one Church really as good as another?

The teaching of an Orthodox Metropolitan on the criticality of Dogma

The critical necessity of dogma for the Orthodox commitment to Christ and His Church was recently strongly proclaimed by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev (2002, p. xiii), Chairman of the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate:

In our own day there is a widely held view that belief in religious dogma is not obligatory; even if they still have a certain historical value, they are no longer vital for Christians. Moral and social agendas have become the main preoccupation of many Christian communities, while theological issues are often neglected. This dissociation between dogma and way of life, however, contradicts the very nature of the religious life, which presupposes that faith should always be confirmed by deeds, and visa versa.

Underlying Processes in Observational Learning

Why is this important? Because our beliefs inform what we say and do, and consequently when and where they are heard and/or seen, they thus serve as models for others to observe, learn and perform. (Morelli, 2006a)

Modeling and Behavior

The essential role of such modeling in influencing behavior is a well supported by behavioral research (Bandura, 1986, Morelli, 2005a, 2005b, 2006a,b,c, 2007). In fact, it is also known that in children's early life parents are the main models. As individuals develop in age, the role of other adults, peers and surrounding society become increasingly efficacious as models. (Grusec, 1992) In as much as so many individuals in modern society are actively hostile to the Orthodox teaching of Christ, the implications are grave. As I emphasize in a previous article (Morelli, 2007): "If a parent capitulates to the culture, then the culture will assume the teaching authority of the parent." In fact, secular culture, with its undisguised enmity to Christ and His orthodox Church, will take over the teaching authority not just of children, but of those of all ages. The first step in attempting to tear down the authentic teaching of Christ and His Church is the homogenization of Christianity, as witnessed by the inference in the example stated earlier in this article that being actively attached and committed to the Orthodox Church 'doesn't matter.'

The Forcing of compliance to immorality by the legal system

Another egregious attempt to attack orthodox morality is to force legalization of immoral behavior. A recent online guest columnist described this trend by saying that some "seek to "rehabilitate" Christians to their way of thinking under penalty of law. ... of old [they] just threw us to the lions. I guess that's what they mean by "progress."iii Another currently well-reported example is the government mandating of abidance by religious institutions to healthcare programs that are clearly not in accord with orthodox Christian teaching.iv

The signs of Christ's orthodox Church

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (Jn 20: 21-23).

This passage is, of course, the scriptural basis of the Holy Mystery of Confession. It has implications, however, that can be applied to all that makes up the Church. Christ gave Holy Spirit to His Apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests of His Orthodox Church, to safeguard and transmit His truth from age to age. And it is important to remember Christ's warning in St. Matthew's Gospel (7: 15): "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." St. Paul tells us: "For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." (2Cor 11:13)

Continuing with the Holy Mystery of Confession as a springboard toward understanding Christ's true Church. Who has retained this Holy Mystery? Only the Apostolic Churches-The Orthodox Church-the preeminent focus of this article. Who has thrown Holy Confession and most of the other Holy Mysteries out? The non-Apostolic Christian communities. The other Holy Mysteries of the Church are not exempt from either elimination or fundamental re-definition. For example, to align themselves with political correctness, some communities calling themselves Christian perform baptism in the name of the 'Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier,' thus countermanding Christ's explicit teaching as recorded by St. Matthew (28: 19-20): "Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."

The Holy Mystery of the Eucharist can also be considered in this regard. The Apostolic Churches retain Christ's very own words when He instituted the Holy Eucharist:

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. (Mt 26: 26-28)

Christ does not say the bread and wine is a figure, memorial or symbol of "my body" or "my blood", but "this is my body ...this is my blood."

Furthermore, those infected with homogenized Christianity fail to understand the reason the Apostolic Churches only give the Eucharist to those who are baptized and who hold the fullness of the teaching of Christ and His Church. Others are excluded until they have fully "put on Christ." The ancient testimony of St. Justin Martyr (c 147-161 AD) bears this out: The Apostolic orthodox Churches of Christ, therefore, maintain that the Holy Eucharist is the true body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

And this food is called among us the Thanksgiving [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.

A personal example of 'church relativism'

I would like to give a very personal example, edited, of course, for purposes of anonymity and charity. Some years ago I was invited, as a friend of the bride's family, to attend the wedding of a Roman Catholic male and a Protestant female at a Catholic Church. The Protestant denomination of the bride considers itself "a branch of the Catholic Church," but this pretentious claim is completely unrecognized by the Eastern and Roman Catholic Churches, and the Orthodox Churches as well. I did not know beforehand who the officiating priest would be, so I was greatly surprised when I saw that he, a member of a Roman Catholic religious order, was someone I knew very well. Many times he and I had had serious discussions and diverged on the issue of 'open communion.' During the Nuptial Mass, I was seated about six rows back , dressed in my clerical street garb. Several pews ahead of me were several girlfriends of the bride, well known to the other guests for their 'party' lifestyle.

At Communion time, the officiating priest turned and invited all to receive the Eucharist. I and others saw the girls joking among themselves, asking if they should go up to receive. They did go and received communion in the hand, and on the way back to the pew were flipping the host up and down, laughing joking, and finally consuming. After the service, I told this incident to the celebrant, and this time even he was in dismay. I said in charity: "Fr. X, this is one of the reasons that in Orthodoxy we reserve communion only to those who are fully united to the Church." I think he got the message.

The Christ-way Church is not a my-way church

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain [Mt. Athos] (2011, p. 37) comments: "People are in such a state today that they do whatever comes to their mind. . . . Every so often, a few people will get together and start a new religion."

Actually, this state of mind goes back many years. All one has to do is review the founders of non-Apostolic Christian communities. To name a few: Anglican-Protestant Episcopal communities: Henry VIII; Lutheranism: Martin Luther; Presbyterian: John Calvin; Methodist: John Wesley; Ana-Baptists: Balthasar Hubmaier, et. al. These communities, along with too numerous to mention community congregations and mega communities (with members numbering in thousands), thrive in the United States and other countries. On the other hand, the Apostolic Churches are traced back with unbroken succession to the Apostles of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ and sanctified by the descent of Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

As previously noted, many of these groups have changed the meaning of the Holy Mysteries, completely eliminated them or retain only Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and communion merely as a 'memorial,' not as the true Body Blood and Divinity of Christ. Some other worship practices and teachings are equally egregious: seducing people by bright lights, sounds & pop music; equating holiness with feelings, instead of as taught by Orthodoxy: having a mind and heart filled with Godliness.

Worship in the Apostolic Church

For God's presence in the heart is a sense of God's absence: silence (as in the desert). St. Peter of Damaskos tells us ". . .for since God is undetermined and indeterminate without form or color, the intellect that is with God alone should itself be without form or color, free from all figuration and undistracted." (Philokalia III, p. 236). St. Peter, in the 12th Century, is expanding on the teaching of an early spiritual father of the 4th Century, St. Evagrius the Solitary, who said "Never try to see a form or shape during prayer . . . do not long for a sensory image." (Philokalia I, p. 68). St. John of the Ladder (1991) goes on to explain: "silence is the mother of prayer . . . creator of divine vision . . .the friend of silence draws us near to God and, by secretly conversing with Him is enlightened by God." (p. 92). It should be noted that in the public worship of the Apostolic Churches, the Divine Liturgy, the music is reverential and meant to raise one hearts and minds to God. That is to say, to cultivate an 'interior silence.'

Some non-Apostolic communities have also departed far afield from Christ and His Church on moral-social and theological issues, including espousing abortion, pre-marital sex, same-sex marriage, and female ordination. Another comment by Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain is particularly apt in this regard: "they have turned sin into a fashion."

The importance of being in union with the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Orthodox Church

Critical to understanding the importance of unity with the Orthodox Church of Christ are the words of Fr. Georges Florovsky as quoted by Alfeyev: "Personal convictions and even one's way of life do not yet make one a Christian. Christian existence assumes inclusion and implies membership in the community" (from Florovsky, My Father's Home, 10-11) This supports Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev's statement that: "The Church is synonymous with Christianity: one cannot be a Christian without being a member of the Church." In a later work (2012) he specifies exactly what "Church" membership means: . . . the oldest and most indispensable [ministry in the ancient Church] has turned out to be that of leadership. In the first years of the Church's existence, the apostles began to ordain presbyters and bishops to lead the local churches, creating an apostolic preaching as a result. Thus was the implementation of apostolic succession in the Church. The apostolic succession of hierarchy is a key concept of Orthodox ecclesiology: only that Church in which an unbroken succession of the hierarchy exists, coming from the apostles, is the true Church of Christ. If such a succession is absent or somehow broken [as in the Reformed communions including the Anglican and Protestant-Episcopal communities], the Church cannot be considered true, the hierarchy cannot be considered legitimate, and the sacraments cannot be considered efficacious.

An article by Fr. George Morelli

Source: http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/view/living-as-an-orthodox-christian-in-a-non-orthodox-world

“Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mat. 23:13).

Not so long ago, the actress Shirley MacLaine delighted a large television audience when, by standing with open arms on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, she began to sing, “I am God, I am God, I am God." This was shown in the television mini-series “Out On a Limb” in 1987. Believers could have ignored that eccentric actress’ silly performance if it weren’t for the fact that it was a planned act for the popularization of the New Age movement. This now-fashionable teaching preaches that everything is God and God is all; i.e., that God and nature are one. Consequently every person is God. From this comes the conclusion that the task of human life is to reveal one's latent divinity, to recognize oneself as “god.” “When you finally understand your divine nature,” say the ‘apostles’ of the new doctrine, “a remarkable sensation will overcome you that you are above space and time, above all that is material.”

Similar proud statements are not new; Hinduism has preached them for a long time. One of the modern popularizers of Hinduism, Sai Baba, writes, “You are the God of the universe… You truly are God … You are not man, you are God”. During transcendental meditation, one is advised to convince oneself, “I am the sun; I am the true, true sun… The whole universe moves by me and receives its existence from me… I was before the beginning of the world… I penetrate every atom and bring it into movement… Oh, how marvelous I am… I am the entire universe... Everything is in me… I am God!”

There is no need to say how ludicrous such claims are to the Christian point of view. Recognizing the high purpose of man, Christianity teaches to clearly distinguish between the infinite omnipotent Creator and everything else. “God dwells in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16). In essence, God is everything and we are nothing. If a person humbly bows down to his Creator and submits to His will, he is able, with God’s help, to grow and improve — within the limits of his nature.

Therefore, it is very strange to listen when preachers, posing as Christians, echo the Indian guru and call for their followers to find their deity. Listen, for example, to what the Mormons preach: “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become”. Also, “Remember that God our heavenly Father was perhaps a child, and mortal like we are, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome until He has arrived at the point where He is now. Joseph Smith, the founder of the sect of Mormons, preached, “I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see .… It is first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of all us, dwelt on an earth. Similar statements can be heard from other Mormon “prophets." For them, the Lord Jesus Christ is not the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, consubstantial with the Father, but rather one of the gods, equal with the angel Lucifer and with other spirits! The subject of things doesn’t change the fact that the Mormons consider one of the gods as the main one, but the fact that their god is limited and is not the unique.

We, however, believe that the true God is not only the main one among those allegedly similar to Him, but that He is unique and the only God, to Whom there are none similar. There exists only one God — the almighty and eternal Creator; all other creatures are like small numbers in comparison with the infinite.

What is tragic for the modern society is the fact that with all its scientific and technological progress, on the spiritual level mankind is becoming primitive and all the more yields to the sin of pride, under which crazy ideas about the unveiling of one’s divinity are met with greater sympathy. In accordance with apostle Paul, the distinctive characteristic of Antichrist, the last enemy of Christianity, will be his boundless pride. This will be “that man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or holiness, so that he will sit in the temple of God as God, portraying himself that he is God” (2 Thes. 2:4). Will not his absurd claim of deity be approvingly met by his contemporary society, because it itself will be completely poisoned by the ideas of deification of man?

It is necessary to note that all doctrines exalting man at the expense of the Creator, although they may differ on some minor issues, are either of occult origin or at least have developed under the influence of some occult teachings. For example, the ancient pagan polytheism with its magic and mysteries, as well as the modern Mormonism — dictated by “spirits” — introduce a great number of deities. Theosophical teachings, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and the modern New Age movement also preach pantheism. Rejecting the personal God-Creator, they teach that nature itself is Divine. Of course, the pantheistic god is not in any way God, but nature to which is attributed some god-like properties: eternity, ubiquitousness, rationality, and distinctive fairness. Strictly speaking, pantheism is an ennobled atheism.

The ancient Pythagorists, Gnostics, Neoplatonists, and a number of subsequent philosophical schools belong to the third group of doctrines, as, for example, Jacomba Beme, Shopenhauer, Swedenborg, Parasels, Shelling, and others. It is known that Gnostic sects were especially active during the first three centuries of Christianity and were a great hindrance for the Church. The doctrines of this group introduce different intermediary beings between the Absolute-God and the lower world. Some call one of these as Demiurg; others, Logos or Sophia; still others the “universal soul” or the “feminine principle in God," and so forth. These doctrines are extremely confusing and contradictory in many details, but some form of emanation from the Absolute is common to all of them. Lower deities, or “eons" of ancient Gnostics, flow as graded waterfalls from one to another, beginning with the transcendental Absolute, the Highest Beginning, or Primary Source, and ending with our physical world. For some Gnostics, the number of intermediaries between the Great Unknowable and the material world reached thirty-two, for others it was limited to just a few.

Again, the Absolute of these doctrines is not the true God we Christians believe in, because by emitting from himself lower beings he himself becomes subject to the laws of change and compulsion. Besides granting his eons with divine characteristics, such as creativity or the power for world management, the Gnostics limit their Absolute. In this way they erase the distinction between the Creator and the creature.

By the way, the temptation to make a bridge between the Creator and the creature has touched Russian theology as well, thanks to the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov. A great number of religious thinkers, enthusiastic about his ideas, as for example Rev. Sergei Bulkakov, Rev. Pavel Florenski, Prof. Nikolai Berdyaev, and some theologians of Saint Segius Theological Institute in Paris, developed further his ideas about Sofia, the global soul and “the feminine principle” in God along the Gnostic ideas.

Professor A.V. Kartashov, concerning the influence of V. Solovyov on Russian religious thought, writes, “The mystical horse on which Solovyov flies over the formidable abyss that exists between God and the world is the long-deserted and forgotten Sophia. Repeating thousand-year-old ancient attempts of the Hellenic philosophy, the biblical hokism, the rabbinical Cabala, and the wild Gnostic science-fiction writings, to fill by illusion the abyss between the Creator and His creatures, Solovyov chooses for this purpose… Sofia, and thus infects our religious-philosophical thinkers and poets for a long time... No gradualness, no bridges of eons can possibly cross the ontological breach between two polarities [God and world]. No crescendo-diminuendo from the creature to the Creator et vice versa can create the solid continuity; and through any of the microscopic cracks, as if into the bottomless pit, falls everything that was constructed".

Professor Rev. Georgi Florovskii commented about the Sense of Love by V. Solovyov, “This is some ghastly occult project of reunification of humanity with God through multi-sexual love”.

Disassociating oneself from all attempts to make a bridge between the infinite and the finite, the Orthodox Church does not recognize any independent deities, nor emanations from the Primary source, nor intermediaries between God and creature.

The church teaches that originally nothing existed — neither a spiritual nor a material world. Even time and space are not eternal but are qualities of this temporary world. There existed always the Singular, unchangeable and all-perfect God: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as Trinity, one in essence and undivided.

When it was pleasing to God, He first created a great spiritual world which He populated with rational spirits called angels; after that — our visible, material world. For creation of one and the other He did not use any substance, because there was none, but created everything from nothing by the distinct action of His omnipotent will. Nothing forced Him to create: He created when and how it was pleasing to His will. So, God is the single source of existence for all things visible and invisible. The angels and human souls are not eternal, but only immortal, and are so not by nature, but by the will of their Creator. Only God is eternal and immortal by His essence.

“God always was, is and will be, or better to say, always is,” explains St. Gregory the Theologian, “because the words 'was' and 'will be' indicate divisions of time and are characteristic to transient nature. But ‘being’ is always. And by this name (Jehovah) He calls Himself… because He concentrates within Himself the most complete being, which does not begin and will not end. He is like a sea of essence, indescribable and infinite, extending beyond the limits of any comprehension of time and nature.”

Between infinite and perfect being of God and everything else there exists a qualitative abyss, which does not allow for any intermediary. Between God and the world there cannot be anything in the middle, just as there is nothing between the logical one and the logical zero.

But being infinite and all perfect, God is not far from the world, as some think, as if he dwells somewhere far beyond the limits of the universe. On the contrary, He embraces everything and penetrates everything with Himself; He is simultaneously everywhere, but at the same time He, as the purest Spirit, does not mix with anything and nothing touches Him.

One must speak of God always with the greatest reverence and self-restraint because "He dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see" (1 Tim 6:16). Only with weak hints can we attempt to describe Him, Whom we call this mysterious name. “Wishing to theologize,” edifies Saint Maxim the Confessor, “do not attempt to comprehend God in His essence, because that is not attainable to human or any other kind of intellect. Reflect if possible on His qualities: eternity, infiniteness, incomprehensibility, bliss, wisdom and omnipotent power, which directs everything and which righteously judges everyone. After all, one becomes a great theologian among people, when he learns at least some of the Divine attributes.”

Sometimes a person, forgetting the greatness of God, compares himself with people similar to him, and begins to dream of how important and wise he is. In such a situation it would be useful to gaze at the starry sky and to mentally envision himself from the depths of space: somewhere in the boundless sea of space there is a small dot of light which is our galaxy called the Milky Way. On the edge of it, among billions of other stars, hides our solar system which is so small that it cannot be discerned with the most powerful telescope. And still further somewhere within the solar system lies buried our microscopic planet Earth. And there, on its surface some virus-like one-day creatures bustle about — who are you and I! If we are so insignificant in comparison to the universe, then what are we in comparison to Him, Who has created everything with the power of His word?

And one does not know at which to marvel more: the greatness of God or that with all His boundlessness He remembers and cares for each of us! He not only sees each of us, but completely knows everything that is within us: our deepest thoughts, forgotten feelings, and future intentions; and all of this he knows better than we do ourselves. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13). Knowing our needs and our frailties, He cares for us, as the most caring and loving of mothers; and all while He manages the limitless universe, everything visible and invisible. He directs towards goodness and the existence of every creature — regardless of how insignificant it may be. If we all have followed His Divine will then what a paradise and bliss we all would have enjoyed!

But instead of that we see something completely different. What is the reason for the disasters for humanity? In accordance with the Bible, it is our ancestors’ proud desires to become gods. That ancient snake-devil, himself having fallen from the Heavens due to his own pride, had instilled the knowledge in them that by eating the forbidden fruit, they would not die, but “will be as gods” (Gen. 3:5). But why did our ancestors believe such an insolent proposal? Probably because it sounded credible. A lie is most effective if it holds a grain of truth in it.

Primordial man understood that he was given something great, something that raises him above other unreasoning creatures. That something great was the mark of the image and likeness of God, which the Creator placed on his immortal soul. It was the mark of resembling God which opened to man the way to uncovering the mystery of being and creativity; it attracted him to the ideal and the infinite; it made him capable of unselfish love, it attracted him to communion with God, it made him king over nature. By God’s plan, man, working on himself and developing his spiritual abilities, should have been perfecting himself. God set for man the high goal of following His perfection, to which he was to have ascended under His direction and with His help.

The devil’s lie was that man — by just desiring it, with one daring leap, apart from and even contrary to God’s plans — could attain the state of deity and could attain all knowledge and perfection. Instead, however, the deceived man by his own insolent "salto mortale” not only missed the state promised to him by the tempter, but rather fell into a terrible abyss of sin and thus lost even that which he had already. From being the ruler over nature he became a pathetic toy of his own passions. Adam and Eve transmitted their nature damaged by sin to their descendants. Apostle Paul thus presents the moral poverty of sinful humanity, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death: the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Rom. 7:19-24).

God should have destroyed man for his insolence or simply should have turned away from him and left him at the mercy of the blind and destructive forces of nature. But God is as great in mercy as He is omnipotent in creation! Instead of rejecting man, He Himself, in the Divine person of the only-begotten Son, descended from the throne of His unapproachable glory to our valley of sorrows and darkness.

By coming to us He not only taught us to believe correctly and to live righteously, but He adopted our human nature. Through this wonderful and incomprehensible unification of His Divinity and His humanity, God injected invigorating spiritual energies into our decrepit nature. Thanks to them the ascent to God became for us a real possibility. Without the miracle of incarnation the Gospel doctrine would have remained an inaccessible ideal.

One must say that in the days of the Old Testament people also had many sensible ideas about good and evil; many people had very elevated ideas about God, but they were morally powerless to perfect themselves. God’s help was necessary to all, and the Lord Jesus Christ brought us that help. That impassable chasm between God and creature, which no one could cross, was crossed by the Lord Jesus Christ by His becoming man. He became like a bridge between the transcendental and the finite, between the Creator and the creature. He took us in communion with Himself. Not with our own efforts, but because of Christ we “might be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4).

Thus, the deification of man, from one side, is an unattainable dream and a terrible temptation, when man himself tries to reach it. Any attempt to self-servingly jump across the abyss between earth and Heaven inevitably plunges one to the depths of hell, where Lucifer the proud angel fell. If man with humility and repentance turns to Christ, then, as holding His hand, he can begin to ascend to God spiritually.

Unity with Christ, partaking of His Divine nature, is not an abstract theory, but reality, which happens during the Sacrament of Communion. Tragically, the world of other beliefs, which speaks so much about the spiritual revival, does not understand the purpose of the incarnation of Christ. It was precisely for this reason that Christ became man — i.e., to join us to Himself. Of course, an angel or one of the prophets could have taught us or could have given us a good example. Christ incarnated specifically because only through unity with Him true rebirth and communion with God becomes possible, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Therefore God taught, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day… He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him”(John 6:53-56). In the sermon about the grape vine Christ explains how important is to unite with Him: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

Thus, the purpose of incarnation of the Son of God is the spiritual and physical rebirth of man. Spiritual renewal begun in this life will be finished by physical restoration of man on the day of all resurrection of the dead. Then shall “the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mat. 13:43). Apostle John the Theologian wrote about this a little bit mysteriously: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

So, we are still not yet capable of completely comprehending the entire grandeur of the calling to which the merciful Creator is drawing us. It is important to remember, however, that perfection is possible only under the direction and with the aid of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only He can renew our damaged state, only He can pour into us the so needed spiritual strength; only He, by uniting us with Himself, can deify us. Without Him we are nothing, just dust and ashes, as other lower creatures.

Therefore, remembering our sinfulness, let us hasten to our Doctor, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us humbly and obediently follow the path shown by Him remembering that “whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mat. 23:13).

Source: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/bog_bogi_e.htm