|
IS IT
SUFFICIENT ONLY TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST
IN ORDER TO BE SAVED?
Compiled from
the works of St. Theophan the Recluse
According
to Protestant teaching, if one has believed in
Christ, one is saved, that is, one's sins are
forgiven. According to this belief one does not have
to fear falls, and virtues will proceed from the
heart by themselves. Christ is within the believer
and will not abandon him for any reason, paradise
and the kingdom of heaven are his, etc.
All that is left to do is to rejoice: there will be
no more labors, no fears, no struggles with the
passions - the road will be smooth and full of
gladness. And it is no wonder that many cling to
this teaching. It is very attractive. However, there
is no truth in it, but only deception. In order to
refute this false teaching, Theophan the Recluse
begins by directing our attention to the way into
the kingdom of heaven as described in the word of
God.
The Savior said: "Enter ye in at the narrow
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in therein..." [Matt. 7:13]. And He further
taught: "If any man will come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
Me." [Matt. 16:24]. "The kingdom of heaven
is taken by force (i.e., by forcing oneself and by
the earnest labor in searching), and the forceful
(i.e., those who force themselves to labor without
feeling sorry for themselves), take it by
force" [Matt. 11:12].
The holy Apostle Paul writes: "...work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling"
[Philippians 2:12]. "Let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God" [2 Cor.
7:1]. By all means strive that "...your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" [1 Thess.
5:23]. If you want to be a true Christian, imitate
those who are of Christ, for they
have"...crucified the flesh with the
affectations and lusts" [Gal. 5:24].
After that, St. Theophan with special force points
out how strict the commandments of the Savior are
concerning passionless and purity of heart, and how
much attention and labor are needed to fulfill them.
Do not dare to allow the slightest impulse of
displeasure or anger against your brother: sin the
slightest in this and you are already judged and in
Gehenna [Matt. 5:22]. Meanwhile, we have another
serious conflict. With regard to the opposite sex,
how severe! One has only to glance in an improper
way and already there is lust, and again Gehenna
[Matt. 5:28-29]. And for judging others, how strict
is the sentence! He who judges, in that very moment
when he judges, and for that act alone, even if
there are no others, is already judged, and not just
some empty judgement like one's own, but judged by
God, immovable and eternal [Matt. 7:1]. Even for
every idle word one must answer [Matt. 12:36], and
concerning a loose tongue, who can tame it [James
3:8]? Therefore, what strict attention one must pay
to oneself and how vigilantly one must labor over
oneself!
If the trifles which we do not now consider to be
sins are dealt such strict sentences and judgements,
then what can be said about serious sins and
passions? They are so abhorrent to the Holy Spirit
and Christ that they should not even be brought to
mind by Christians. If they are in the heart of one
who desires to enter the kingdom of heaven,
undoubtedly it is necessary to drive them out of
there. What labors it requires and what battles with
oneself.
Take the passion of lust, or take pride or
vainglory, take stinginess, envy, lewdness,
self-will and disobedience, or whatever passion you
take, the eradication of it requires bloody sweat
and tears. Therefore, see how those are forced to
torment themselves who are entangled with some kind
of passion and have undertaken to uproot it. One
cannot reassure oneself that all of one's sins are
forgiven simply by the Cross of Christ and simply by
approaching the Lord with faith. Whoever reassures
himself with this hope and neglects the cleansing of
his heart is deceiving himself. In the Mysteries of
Baptism and Repentance indeed all former sins are
completely blotted out and already forgotten. But
then having once received from God such mercy, one
must thereafter guard oneself from all sin, from all
passionate impulses, attractions and thoughts. With
the forgiveness of former sins one is given the
grace of the Holy Spirit in order to help eradicate
from the heart those harmful habits and passions
which remain in it and give birth to further sin. If
one begins to sin again, this deprives him of the
gift and again he enters the ranks of the unforgiven
and graceless. That is why those who are zealous for
the salvation of their souls, following their
conversion to the Lord, immediately begin, with the
help of the grace of God, a battle with their
passions and lusts, an unyielding battle.
So then, this - and not rejoicing - is what greets
those who come to the Lord in faith. While being
preoccupied with rejoicing one cannot fight with
passions. Such a struggle does not even begin in
these cases. Passions will remain in such a person,
turning him into a whitened sepulchre, the outside
beautiful, but the inside filled with dead men's
bones. Such people call themselves blessed, with
such words as: "How fortunate I am! How glad I
am! Christ has saved me, Christ has taken away my
sins, Christ has granted me paradise!" Whereas
Christ, looking at them, judges them righteously and
condemns them to Gehenna.
The necessity of cleansing ourselves from all things
sinful and passionate in order to inherit the
kingdom of heaven, St. Theophan supports by example
of God's Saints. In the lives of the Saints, those
who pleased and glorified God, we are told that they
conducted their entire lives in struggles of
self-modification and in labors by occupying
themselves in virtues with unceasing recourse to God
and to the source of grace - the Sacraments of the
Church. This brought them at last into a state where
evil inclinations and passions were completely
removed from their souls and bodies; and instead of
them there were installed good inclinations. When by
this means all sins and passions are cast out, human
nature again takes on its pure, original appearance;
their spirit, soul, and body, permeated with grace,
shine with divine light, which serves as an obvious
sign that they finally became temples of the Triune
God, as the Lord Jesus Christ promised.
Here
are the most important of these points and the
basis for the refutation of each of them:
ALL WHO
BELIEVE IN CHRIST ARE ALREADY SAVED.
One
cannot agree with this. All those who have believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ have only stepped onto the
path which truly and undoubtedly will lead to
salvation, but they are saved when they finish this
path without fail and without falling away.
Therefore, according to the Evangelist Mark the Lord
says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved..." [Mark 16:16], but is not saved
yet.
HAVING
BELIEVED IN CHRIST, THROUGH THIS ALONE
ONE APPROPRIATES TO HIMSELF THE GRACE OF REDEMPTION.
This
is not enough. The Lord redeemed us by His Blood, or
by His death upon the Cross. We acquire the
redeeming power of the Lord's death in the Mystery
of Holy Baptism, as the Apostle Paul explains
[Romans 6:4]. Here man is crucified with Christ,
washed in His Blood, and cleansed from sin. This
power is renewed in the Mystery of Repentance, which
is a second baptism in the font of tears. Faith
precedes and accompanies both of these Mysteries,
but faith alone, without these Mysteries, does not
attract and does not renew the redeeming power of
the Lord's death on the Cross. Even with these
Mysteries, faith alone does not attract such power,
but is accomplished together with contrition of
heart for sins, firm resolve to live a holy life,
and confession of sins to a spiritual father.
ALL
WHO HAVE BELIEVED IN CHRIST AND ARE CONVINCED
OF FORGIVENESS OF THEIR SINS THROUGH THIS,
RECEIVE CHRIST INTO THEMSELVES.
From
where have they taken this? asks St. Theophan, and
then he points out how the Lord and the holy
Apostles taught how one receives Christ in oneself.
St. Paul writes: "As many as have been baptized
in Christ have put on Christ" [Gal. 3:27].
Having put on Christ, one, of course, has received
Him into oneself. Therefore, whoever has been
baptized has become a receiver of Christ in himself.
The Lord said: "He that eateth My Flesh and
drinketh My Blood abideth in Me and I in him"
[John 5:56]. If the Lord abides in one who has
received Communion, then it is because, certainly,
in Holy Communion he receives Him. Therefore,
whoever has received the Holy Mysteries of the Body
and Blood of Christ, has become through this a
receiver of Him. Faith only opens the way to the
Lord, for receiving Him in the sacraments of Baptism
and Holy Communion.
In another place in the same Evangelist, John the
Theologian, the Lord shows still another way to
receive Him, namely, by fulfilling His commandments.
"He that hath My commandments," says the
Lord, "and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
Myself to him" [John 14:21]. And further:
"If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and
My father will love him, and We will come unto him,
and make Our abode with him" [John 14:23]
Do not think that this fulfilling of the
commandments will open the way for the dwelling of
the Lord in us in a special or separate way apart
from Holy Baptism or Holy Communion. The grace of
Baptism and Holy Communion gives the power to
faithfully fulfill the commandments. Having
fulfilled all the commandments, one adorns his soul
with all virtues and makes his heart a temple worthy
to be a habitation of the Lord. Only then will He
dwell in him. He abides in him from the moment of
Holy Baptism and even more completely communes with
him in Holy Communion. Though helping him in a holy
life, still the Lord does not completely rest
content in him, because there does not dwell in the
soul all the virtues acquired through the
fulfillment of the commandments. In him are left
still traces of passions and he falls into sins
offensive to the Lord. He will not dwell in him, not
trusting him and as yet only preparing in him a
dwelling for Himself. But when the soul is
sanctified by virtues, then He enters in good faith,
as into a house, and dwells peacefully, undisturbed
by the movement of offensive sins and passions in
him...Here are all the means for accepting the Lord
which He Himself has established. Without the
Mysteries, neither faith nor virtues will attract
the Lord.
IF
WE HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST, HE WILL NEVER ABANDON US,
NO MATTER WHAT.
St.
Theophan asks: "Is it possible that Christ will
abide where a person, by his sins committed after
receiving Him, tramples on His Blood and crucifies
Him again?" [See Heb. 6:6; 10:26-29]. It is
known that sins make the soul and body foul. How can
those who are deluded have the audacity to claim Him
while in such foulness? God Himself testifies that
our sins separate Him from us. Consequently, Christ
the Lord forsakes him who sins, in whom He was
formerly, and the good will of the Father withdraws
from him, and the grace of the Holy Spirit is driven
away. There other spirits begin to rule - the
unclean.
THOSE WHO HAVE
RECEIVED CHRIST ARE INCAPABLE OF MORTAL SIN.
In
this statement there is no truth. The first among
angels fell; one formerly among the Apostles fell;
how many examples there are of falls of holy men of
high life and wonderworkers! Freedom always remains
with man. And he can fall, no matter how high he
stood or close to God he was.
ONE WHO HAS
RECEIVED CHRIST AND THEN SINNED AGAIN
NEED ONLY TO REPENT, AND HE INSTANTLY RECEIVES
IMMEDIATE FORGIVENESS, SINCE CHRIST IS AN
INEXHAUSTIBLE
SOURCE OF COMPASSION.
This
statement is made in order to suggest that when a
Christian sins, confession of sins and absolution
from a spiritual father in the Mystery of Repentance
as prescribed by God is not necessary, but that it
is enough to sigh in the heart over a sin and one is
immediately forgiven, as a sigh flies from the
breast. Even a firm intention to refrain from
sinning in the future is not required.
Indeed this is too simplistic, notes St. Theophan.
The sin of every man is a great offense to God Who
has written His law in our hearts. The sin of a
Christian offends God incomparably more, since the
Christian has received a clearer and fuller
knowledge of commandments, and has received grace to
strengthen him in the fulfillment of those
commandments. And a Christian, who has received in
himself Christ the Lord - which is the highest
degree of Christian perfection - in sinning offends
God immeasurably. The Apostle thus concludes that he
tramples on the Blood of Christ, even crucifies
Christ Himself, Whom he has received in himself, and
offended the Holy Spirit.
(Source: Orthodox Life)
|
