God Works... And We Must Work

How has it come about that Christians can be so full of themselves that God can't fill them and use them? The great Fathers of the Church have struggled for centuries with the question of the relationship between faith and works. The Church Fathers Augustine of Hippo versus John Cassian and Vincent of Lerins in the fifth century led the debate on this issue, which, during the Protestant Reformation a thousand years later, was joined by John Calvin versus Jacobus Arminius.

I've written before on the topic of The Fullness, so I won't go into great depths on it here. Suffice it to say that St. Paul writes in Col. 1:19 & 27 - "For it pleased the Father that in Him [Christ] all fullness should dwell. ...For to them [the saints] God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." And in ch. 2:9-10 he writes - "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you have this fullness in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power." These are wonderful promises!

But there's a catch here: these great and precious promises are conditional upon Col. 1:23 - "If indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." The "If" condition clearly means that it is possible for us to not continue in the faith, and thus lose out on acquiring the fullness of Christ. The reason I bring this up is because the Augustinian doctrines of predestination of the elect, irresistible grace, and the assurance of eternal salvation have won over the majority of Western Christians, and have even spilled over into our political ideology of the predestined inevitability of freedom and democracy for all humanity, especially the "enlightened."

This has resulted in our thinking that because we are God's chosen, the elect, the enlightened ones, therefore we have "free grace," we have it made in the shade, we don't have to do anything, we can just relax in our eternal security because we have a guaranteed ticket to heaven. We don't have to do good works in order to obtain this salvation, and we have these wonderful promises of the fullness of Christ's glory in us. In the political sphere it translates into - "everything should be free: free education, free health care, free love, free birth control, free abortions." After all, didn't St. Paul write - "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:9)? Thus we've arrived, we're full of ourselves, as the above photo says, so God can't fill us with Himself.

However we need to consider the whole counsel of God, not just cherry-pick a few favorite verses that support our self-centered viewpoints. Let's consider the very next verse - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10)

Before God can fill us with Himself, we need to empty us of ourselves, as Christ did - "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, existing in the form [nature] of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." (Phil. 2:5-7)

Like St. Paul, we must realize that we don't have it made, we haven't yet arrived - "So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12-13) This is called "Synergy - being co-workers together with God."

After listing his extensive pedigree and education, St. Paul goes on to say -

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you." (Phil. 3:7-15)

If St. Paul considered that he hadn't made it, how much more should we think that we don't have it made? We can't kick back and rest -

"To whom did He [God] swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not combined with faith in those who listened. ...So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." (Heb. 3:18-19; 4:1-2 & 9-11)

Here we see something of a paradox: "Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest." Labor to rest? Yes! Work must come before rest. We must strive and struggle, like St. Paul did, to race toward the finish line before we can rest. Faith is not the opposite of works; rather, genuine faith results in good works. We can't do good works in order to earn righteousness and salvation, but instead, we do good works because we have been saved and received Christ's righteousness. God works in us, and therefore we can and must work for Him!

St. Paul wrote - "For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." (1 Thes. 2:9) And love for one another doesn't exclude hard work - "Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thes. 4:9-12) And later, St. Paul wrote another letter to that same church in Thessalonica -

"For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but are busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good." (2 Thes. 3:7-13)

St. Paul wrote to Titus, whom he had appointed to be bishop in Crete -

"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity.... For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works." (Titus 2:7 & 12-14)

God's grace is for all people, all mankind, not just "the elect" - "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by His grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men." (Titus 3:4-8)

Thus we see the necessary relationship between God's grace and our good works. God loves the whole world, He wills for all mankind to be saved, His grace reaches out toward all people. But not all people choose to accept His love, His will, and His grace. Those who do, however, respond in gratitude by repenting, turning from their self-centered, self-gratifying lifestyle, and toward pleasing and serving the living God.

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 28 May 2017.)

"Love One Another" - But Peter Missed The Point!

Some people just don't get it, and the Apostle Peter was one of them. After Jesus indicated to John that Judas would betray Him, then Jesus dipped a piece of bread in the wine and gave it to Judas, who went out to betray Jesus. Now then, Peter wasn't a betrayer like Judas, he was just plain dumb... you know, thick-headed. Here's the story:

Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in Him. If God has been glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and He will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you can't come,' so now I tell you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" (John 13:31b-36a)

Did you catch that? Jesus is saying that His betrayal and crucifixion will bring glory to God the Father, so He must leave them for a little while, but here's the main thing: "Love one another just like I have loved you, because that's how the whole world will know that you are My disciples!" He repeated it three times so they would get the point.

But what did Peter say? Did he say - "Lord, that's a wonderful idea! If we as Your followers would just love each other, the whole world will know that we are Your disciples!" NOT! He totally missed the point! Instead, he grabbed onto what Jesus said about going away, and Peter's mind turned to eschatology - the doctrines about the End Times, Jesus might be going to fetch an army and overthrow the Romans. Let's be nice to Peter, because he wasn't alone in his thick-headedness. After Christ was crucified and rose again, He met with His disciples one last time to give them some final instructions, and all of them switched their minds over to the End Times:

Being assembled together with them, He charged them, "Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from Me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are You now restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:4-8)

Once again, Jesus is telling them about the Holy Spirit coming and filling them with power to proclaim the Good News, but they interrupt - "Lord, is this going to be the Big Finale, when Israel rules over the whole world?" His reply, though, is way too polite in the English translation: in Russian He says - "It's none of your business to know about the End Times! Your job is to be My witnesses to the whole world, that's what the Holy Spirit is for!"

When I was in the software consulting business, the speaker at one of the project management seminars I attended kept repeating - "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!" Let's apply this to what Jesus was trying to pound into His followers' heads: "The main thing is to love one another, not to be forever arguing over the End Times or some other obscure doctrinal point. If you're ever going to preach the Good News to the whole world so that everyone will know that you're following My teachings, you've got to love one another. So get ready to receive the Holy Spirit!"

Jesus repeated His teaching on loving each other: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12) Love is more than warm-fuzzy feelings, it's self-sacrifice. And a couple chapters later, John records these words of Jesus -

"I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them through Your name which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are. ...that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that you sent Me. The glory which you have given Me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as We are one." (John 17:11 & 21-22)

Do you see the same idea here as in John ch. 13? Jesus is saying that He's going away to the Father, but He prays that we all will be one just like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are of one essence. What is oneness or unity? It's when we stop arguing and fighting with each other, trying to prove who's the greatest or smartest, and start loving each other!

It seems that Peter finally "got it" -- the lesson finally began to sink in when, after he had denied Christ three times and broke down in tears for his cowardice, Jesus asked him three times after His resurrection if Peter really loved Him.

Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus sincerely loved, [John,] the one who had also leaned on Jesus' breast at the supper and asked, "Lord, who is going to betray You?" Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." (John 21:20-22)

Once again Christ put off the discussion about End Times and who's going to make it there. Peter's job - and our job - is to follow Christ. The main thing is to keep this the main thing: follow Christ by doing what He commanded us to do: Love One Another! We don't follow Christ by simply studying the Bible or theology or "doing church" - holding beautiful and inspiring worship services. Those things are good, but they're secondary. The first thing - the main thing - is to love one another, love our neighbor as ourselves, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves, our self-interests and self-centeredness.

Of course, true faith and worship ("ortho-doxy") are important, but if it's done without love for our neighbors and even for our enemies, it counts for nothing: "In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother. ...This is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as He commanded." (1 John 3:10 & 23)

Together with The Apostle Peter, the former persecutor Saul who became the Apostle Paul finally "got it" -

If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will. The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. (Phil. 1:15-17)

Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; Who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself. (Phil. 3:17-21)

We should Love One Another and share the Gospel "out of love" in word and in deed. That's the main thing. And the result is to share in Christ's glory.

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 14 May 2017.)

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

This Bible text, "Mercy triumphs over judgment," comes from James 2:13. My wife Cheryl and I have both recently come across several items on the Internet supporting the ideas of God's wrath, justice, judgment, and predestination - the salvation of the elect and damnation of the unelect. Prooftexts for these ideas can all be found in the Bible, but we can also find many Bible texts that speak about God's mercy, His loving kindness (hesed = mercy or loving kindness) that endures forever. God is love. This is expressed in both the Old and New Testaments, but especially in Christ's and the Apostles' teaching.

All of these ideas are true: the question is how to strike a balance between them. In Psalm 85:10 we read - "Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." This clearly illustrates the balance between mercy and truth, between righteousness (justice) and peace. In the final analysis, "mercy triumphs over judgment." God so loved the whole world that He gave His one and only Son. God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Old Testament tends to emphasize God's wrath and judgment when the Israelites repeatedly messed up and reverted to idolatry, temple prostitution and human sacrifice like the surrounding nations practiced. But things changed in the New Testament: Christ summed up the Law and the Prophets in His dual commandments to love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. These words, of course, are quoted from the Old Testament, but they seemed to have gotten covered up and forgotten by all the bad stuff that happened with Israel and God's response to their misdeeds.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Picture a schoolmaster being strict with students, passing out punishments for infractions of the rules. That's how the Old Testament Law worked. But how does faith work? St. Paul continues: "faith works through love" (Gal. 5:6).

Then Paul goes on to explain -

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, gluttony, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16-25).

For many people today, the ideas of freedom and democracy mean that we're free to do whatever we want, we can vote to choose the laws and rules of society to match our desires and wants. This leads to the immediate gratification of our passions. The Apostle Paul writes about this as follows -

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19). That's immediate gratification.

St. Paul continues - "But you did not learn Christ that way; if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members one of another" (Eph. 4:20-24). This is delayed gratification, being transformed into God's likeness!

What does it mean to be transformed into the likeness of God? Paul gives the answer - "Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance" (Eph. 5:1-2). Imitating God is giving up oneself just as Christ gave up Himself for us.

And here's the "how-to" of imitating God and becoming like Christ - "But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5:3-5).

This all comes back to the idea that God is love: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). God loves us and wants the best for us. His commands - His rules for life - are not mean and harsh, they're for our long-term good. We are destined for an eternity of joy in God's presence - let's not lose out on this wonderful opportunity!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 30 Apr. 2017.)

Christian = Disciple; Body = Good

For much of my life, I was trained to believe that salvation, becoming a Christian, is by God's grace alone, it's a free gift; but becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ takes discipline and self-denial. NO! This is totally false! There should be no difference between a Christian and a disciple of Christ. In conventional thinking, the average, middle-class way of life in the United States has been considered "Christian," meaning fairly moral, church-going, polite and neighborly; but a disciple is someone who's gone overboard and become a religious fanatic.

Now, however, things are changing: the definition of morality has been stretched to include what God of the Bible calls lying, adultery, witchcraft and sodomy. Fewer and fewer people are church-going, polite and neighborly; more and more are openly secular and agnostic, rude and self-centered. According to the 7th circuit court, the term "Christian" is now equivalent to "bigot" - see "Did the 7th Circuit Just Rule That Christians Are Bigots?" Unelected Leftist judges are unilaterally legislating from the bench to push the U.S. further and further to the left.

But this is nothing to be surprised about, it's to be expected. When Christ said just before ascending to heaven, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of 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 which I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mat. 28:18-20), He didn't say, "make people into nice, moral and neighborly good citizens." Becoming a disciple is much more than that. It's about denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus Christ.

Now, here's the clincher: after the new faith had spread to the gentiles in Antioch, Luke records this fact: "Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:25-26). What were they called before they were called Christians? Disciples! Up to this point in time, all followers of Jesus Christ were just called disciples. Then sometime after the Gospel was preached in Antioch (church tradition tells us that Evodius, the second bishop of Antioch, invented the term "Christian"), the disciples began to be called Christians. In other words, a disciple equals a Christian, and a Christian equals a disciple. They're one and the same thing. It's not "Christian vs. Disciple" but rather "Christian = Disciple."

But with the recognition of Christianity first as a tolerated religion and then as the official religion of the Greco-Roman Empire, many people became Christians because it was the acceptable thing to do. It didn't cost anything, in fact it was advantageous Thus we began to see the notion emerging of "two-tier" Christianity: a "laity" of ordinary citizens of the Empire, and a higher level of Christian commitment that included monks and clergy who were supposed to practice self-denial and really live according to the Gospel. Someone has jokingly said, "The clergy are paid to be good, but we laypeople are good for nothing!" (Should someone practice self-denial and "discipleship" only if he is collecting a salary for it?)

All Christians (disciples) are "laity" because the Greek for "laity" is "laos theou" - the people of God. Clergy are also part of the "laity." And all Christians (disciples) are called to be saints. Sainthood or holiness (they're the same word in Greek), just like discipleship, isn't an optional add-on, it comes with the basic model. Either you're a disciple who's striving to be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, or you're not a Christian at all. There's no such thing as being "just a Christian" and not being a disciple.

We need to cleanse our minds of the false dualism or false dichotomy of "two-tier" Christianity, because the time is already upon us when we must identify either as fully-committed Christians that the world may call "bigots" and "haters," or not as Christians at all.

How does this relate to the second half of this essay's title, "Body = Good"? For centuries we in the "Christian world" have been taught the notion that the body is sinful, matter is inherently evil, but spirit is good. This is another false dualism or false dichotomy, because if we are called to be saints, to be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, then we should ask ourselves, "What kind of body did Jesus have?" He was subject to the same sort of hunger, weakness, tiredness and temptation as we are, yet without sin. He fully partook of our human nature so that we can be full partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). This is our "theosis" - becoming united with God.

When God created humans out of the dust of the earth and breathed into them the breath of life, He said, "It is very good!" In other words, our body-soul-spirit nature is inherently good, even in spite of the Fall. Adam's sin did not totally corrupt and pervert human nature. The Augustinian doctrine of inherited guilt and total depravity due to Adam's sin is incorrect, and it's a little-known fact that Augustine himself recanted of it in his last great work, The Kingdom of God. In the end, he agreed with his contemporary St. John Cassian and earlier theologians that Adam and Eve's sinning caused death, not guilt, to be passed on to all mankind. All Christians (disciples) are called to become purified and sanctified, restored into humanity's original state of goodness, into the likeness of Christ.

This false dualism or dichotomy of "the body is evil" has led directly to the notion that sex is sinful, and that to be really holy requires being celibate. This false notion is especially prevalent in Western Christianity, where the Catholic clergy is supposed to practice celibacy. But actually, sex in the proper context is "very good" - remember what God said when he created humans as male and female. Just as fire is a good thing when kept in the fireplace or on the stove but when it gets out of its place it can cause great harm, sex is a beautiful thing in the right context of a male-female permanent marriage but sex outside of this setting burns like fire and can be very destructive of families and society in general. Rod Dreher, in his new book The Benedict Option writes the following:

"To reduce Christian teaching about sex and sexuality to bare, boring, thou-shalt-not moralism is a travesty and a failure of imagination. While one may credit the courage of certain conservative pastors who don't shirk their duty to tell the truth about sex, those who jackhammer away at sexual immorality as if it were the only serious sin, or were somehow disconnected from a host of other sins of passion, distort the Gospel and undermine its credibility. This lamentable reductionism constitutes a failure to draw on the inexhaustible well of resources within the theological and artistic tradition. In the end, it comes down to a matter of Christians having lost our own grand story about eros, cosmos and theosis, the Greek word for 'union with God,' the ultimate end of the Christian pilgrimage."

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, St. Paul wrote that the marriage relationship is an icon or image of theosis, of us as the Church becoming united with Christ and being transformed into His glorious likeness -

"Subject yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ. Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself" (Eph. 5:21-28).

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 17 Apr. 2017.)

The "You Will Not Die" Lie, Part 2

How many people have you known who, when disaster was imminent, simply stuck their heads in the sand and ignored the impending catastrophe? Hurricanes and floods can have days of warning ahead of the events, and yet some people will decide to "stick it out" because they're convinced it won't be so bad. It's just like when the old serpent whispered in Eve's ear - "You will not surely die!"

This is called "linear thinking" or "the normalcy bias" - the frame of mind that people enter when facing a disaster. People with a normalcy bias have difficulty reacting to something they haven't experienced before. Perhaps they've lived through a category 2 hurricane, so they convince themselves that a category 5 hurricane won't be much worse. They also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

You might have heard the joke about the man who jumped off the top of the Empire State Building: as he was passing the 34th floor, another man stuck his head out the window and said, "How's it going?" And the first guy replied, "So far, so good!" You can't outsmart gravity. That's "linear thinking" or "the normalcy bias" - the idea that the way things have been is the way they will continue to be. If I'm not dead yet, this means that whatever I do, I'll just continue on living.

The Psalmist wrote, "A senseless man doesn't know, neither does a fool understand this: Though the wicked spring up as the grass, and all the evil-doers flourish, they will be destroyed forever" (Psalm 92:6-7). The senseless or foolish person thinks, "I can keep on overeating, or smoking, or stealing, or lying, etc. because I'm not dead yet or haven't been caught yet." But then the laws of God, nature or society catch up with them.

As Christians, we can become discouraged when we see the rich and powerful of this world getting away with cheating or committing crimes and not being caught and punished. This has been going on for centuries:

"O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs, o God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth. Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve. O Lord, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph? They pour out arrogant words. All the evil-doers boast. They break your people in pieces, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless. They say, 'The Lord will not see, neither will Jacob's God consider'" (Psalm 94:1-7).

And then the Psalmist answers this dilemma: "Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise? He who implanted the ear, won't He hear? He who formed the eye, won't He see? He who disciplines the nations, won't He punish? He who teaches man knows. The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile" (Psalm 94:8-11).

Social pressure has a huge influence on us adults as well, not just on teenagers feeling their hormones. When you're driving along at the 55 m.p.h. speed limit, literally all the other cars are passing you and there's a big SUV tailgating you, flashing its headlights, don't you feel pressured to speed up and just "go with the flow"? One little car against a whole stream of bigger cars doesn't stand a chance.

But let's say you're in the Army Reserves, and you're driving an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) with 12 reservists in it, along with a convoy of other APCs and Army trucks along the same highway, going the 55 m.p.h. speed limit. Nobody - but NOBODY - honks their horns at you! This is why we need to form "thick" bonds in genuine Christian communities, as described in The Benedict Option, Rod Dreher's new bestseller book.

The motives of our heart are not hidden from God. He knows when we're not even trying to appear righteous, and especially when we're trying to appear righteous but actually, we're deceiving people. We can't deceive God. Sooner or later He catches us in our self-deceit. It's time to "face the music," to sincerely repent and change our ways.

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 03 Apr. 2017.)

The "You Will Not Die" Lie

Ever since the serpent tempted Eve by saying - "You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5), Satan has been subtly planting in the human subconscious the tempting idea that we can get away with sneakily flouting the commands of God, the laws of nature, or the rules of civilized society.

In Deuteronomy 29:18-20, Moses warned the Israelites - "lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the Lord our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that produces bitter poison; and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,' so that the drunken and the sober are destroyed together. The Lord will not pardon him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie on him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under the sky." This is a clear warning against an individual's harboring an idea that he can calmly and peacefully violate the laws of God, nature, or society, and nobody will know the difference. Instead, Moses said this notion is unforgivable and will bring calamity both on that person or persons and on those around them. Even our most private actions have repercussions on society!

Moses concluded his admonition to the Israelites thusly - "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants; to love the Lord your God, to obey His voice, and to cling to him; for He is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them" {Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Don't fool yourself by thinking that you can outsmart God: the results can be fatal, both for you and for those around you!

Even just a casual, careless action such as leaving a door open can invite bees, mosquitos or other bugs inside that might sting or bite you or others. Yielding to the urge to fill our stomachs every mealtime very easily leads to obesity ("He who indulges... bulges!"), which in turn can lead to diabetes and amputation, cancer, heart attack or stroke, hip or knee failure, etc. This is why the Church encourages fasting - especially during Lent - to tame the stomach's passions. The sensation of a full stomach reaches the brain only after the stomach is full, so the secret is to stop eating while you're still hungry: you won't die: our society has such a great surplus of food that we have to throw away even some of what's donated to charity. So don't worry about dying of starvation! And close the doors!

In chapters 6 and 7 of the book of Joshua, we read about the Israelites marching around Jericho for seven days and capturing the city when its walls collapsed. They were warned not to take any plunder for themselves, but to destroy everything except to consecrate any gold or silver they found to the Sanctuary. Achan, however, cleverly decided he could hide some plunder from God and the Israelites: "when I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it" (Joshua 7:21). This caused the tribes of Israel to suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of an inferior military force. It should be a warning for us not to think that our superior military will protect us even while we violate the laws of God, nature, and civilized society.

The Lord doesn't issue His commandments and laws because He's some kind of spoilsport that doesn't want us to have any fun: the psalmist David wrote about Him - "Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:5). He knows what's best for us, and He will satisfy our desire with things that are good for us.

But people persist in yielding to the serpent's temptation of Eve: "You will not die! Go ahead and indulge in illicit sex! Have another drink... and another! You can steal that item while nobody's looking! You can get away with speeding 50 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone! You can park next to that fire hydrant, or in some other no-parking zone... just this once, you won't get caught!" And then the results "just happen" - AIDS, a conviction or loss of a job for theft, a car accident, a speeding or parking ticket. Those old laws of God, nature, and society just seem to be so persistent, don't they?

The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is another example of people trying to fool God. It didn't work: they dropped dead in front of Saint Peter. Sometimes we have to say hard things to people who are faking their Christianity: Saint Paul had to confront the Christians in Corinth because of incest taking place among them: "For though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you sorry, though just for a while. I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death" (2 Corinthians 7:8-10).

Note in the above Scripture that St. Paul differentiates between two kinds of "I'm sorry." A person can feel sorry for being caught: it's a form of shame for one's bad deeds being made public. But the good kind of feeling sorry is being "made sorry to repentance." This kind is "godly sorrow [that] works repentance to salvation" - and that's a good thing! We can't fool God by just saying, "I'm sorry," and expect to be forgiven, even when we fully intend to keep on doing the same old thing. Real, godly sorrow is repentance, which means turning away from sinnong and toward doing what is good and right.

Lent is a time not only for contolling the passions of the stomach, but all of the passions of the flesh and the spirit, especially the temptation that "You will not die! - you can get away with it just this one time (and maybe the next... and the next). Let us really and truly repent of yielding to those urges, and turn away from them, not just feel sorry about being caught!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 18 Mar. 2017.)

Koinonia: Communion, Community and Fellowship

"The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). This verse aptly describes passing along the Gospel from one generation of faithful and capable believers to the next generation. What is it that we pass along?

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16). This is the most important meaning of koinonia in the New Testament because it is when we commune in the Body and Blood of Christ that we become the Church, the Body of Christ on earth:

"For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, He broke it, and said, 'Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of Me.' In the same way, he also took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of Me'" (1 Cor 11:23-25).

It should be very clear that "This is My body... This cup is the new covenant in My blood." When we partake of communion, we take His very Body and Blood, and thereby we are united with Christ. Thus communion is the very real, physical foundation for Christian community and fellowship. Second, by repeating this, it keeps in our memory the saving act of Christ on the Cross.

There's another important element in this context that we have in common: in verse 23 we read - "that which also I delivered to you..." and in verse 2 - "hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you." The Greek verb for "deliver" is "paradidomi" - literally to "transmit" or "pass along"; and the noun "tradition" is "paradosis" in Greek, or "that which is transmitted or passed along." St. Paul teaches us here that we must hold firm to what binds us together in the fellowship or communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. It was "passed along" at first orally, then in writing: "So then, brothers, stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word, or by letter" (2 Thes. 2:15). Tradition is both oral and written. In a semi-literate culture such as in the first-century church, much of what holds it together is oral songs and stories that are memorized and repeated over and over, shared and passed along from one generation to the next.

So the next aspect of koinonia is "community" or "common, shared life." In Romans 15:26-27 we read, "For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution (koinonia) for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings."

Also, "By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution (koinonia) for them and for all others" (2 Cor. 9:13). The context here is that St. Paul is encouraging the Corinthian believers to voluntary give aid for the church in Macedonia - "So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:5-7). Again, this assumes private ownership of property, not communal ownership or forced communism.

Writing to the Hebrew Christians, St. Paul says, "Do not neglect to do good and to share (koinonia) what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God" (Heb. 13:6).

But living in community requires responsibility for oneself - "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor. For each man must bear his own burden" (Gal. 6:2,4-5). While we ought to care for someone who is unable to care for himself, it is each person's own primary responsibility for himself and his family. Also: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim, 5:8). Just as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, there may be some who "fake it," pretending to share while they only want to "take it," not give. St. Paul warned against this: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, neither shall he eat.' We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies" (2 Thes. 3:10-11).

Thirdly, koinonia is "fellowship" - 1 Cor. 1:9 tells us, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship (koinonia) of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." Jesus Christ is the foundation of our fellowship. The Early Church experienced real fellowship: "They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship (koinonia), in the breaking of bread, and prayer" (Acts 2:42). How did they do this? "All who believed were together, and had all things in common. They were selling their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need" (Acts 2:44-45). The word for "common" is "koinos" in Greek, from the same root as koinonia. It is important to note here that the verb tense "were selling" indicates a continuing, incomplete or unperfected action: the first disciples didn't immediately give up all of their possessions: the story of Ananias and Sapphira tells us their right to continue owning private property was kept intact, their fatal problem was lying about giving to the Church the full price of the property they sold.

Act 4:32 repeats this practice: "And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things common." Again, this was a gradual, unperfected action: "Nor was there anyone needy among them; for all who were owners of lands or houses were selling them, and were bringing the proceeds of the things which had been sold, and were placing them beside the feet of the apostles; and they were distributing to each, to the degree that anyone had need" (Act 4:34-35, EMTV).

Writing to the church in Ephesus, St. Paul tells of the ministry God gave him "...to bring to light what is the fellowship (koinonia) of the mystery which from eternity has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9). The Apostle Paul thanked God for the Philippian believers - "for your fellowship (koinonia) in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now" (Phil. 1:5). And finally, looking forward to his martyrdom, St. Paul writes, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship (koinonia) of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:10-11).

Thus we see the scarlet thread of koinonia woven throughout the New Testament, in the lives of the Apostles and the Early Church. May we become sharers of this Good News!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 04 Mar. 2017.)