The Journey towards Love

[Sola_Fide]

What is not really good news? That God expects us to earn our wages and serve Him? Seems like the doctrine of sola fide has caused you tunnel vision and limited your understanding of the rest of the gospel.

He expects us to work, and by our acts, such as how we forgive, He will judge us and forgive us.

What He doesn't want is us complaining when He gives mercy to those whom He gives mercy. He doesn't like it when we act as if He owes us anything, sinners and disobedient children that we are. Just because we might think in our minds and in our faith that He is God, and then go on to proudly convince ourselves we are saved as some special elect and think that is all that we need to do, does not make it so and misses a great part of the rest of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The friends of the paralytic climbed a ladder so that they might bring him closer to Christ, and lowered him from the roof so that Jesus might heal him.

It was their faith which healed the man, just as Christ had said.

But their faith was not mere mental ascent, or an acknowledgment that there is hope and power in Christ, but it was a faith coupled with carrying their friend, climbing a ladder, balancing on a roof, so that they might bring him to his Savior.

Jesus saw them, what they had done, and knew their faith by their works, as St. James, the Brother of the Lord, explained, namely, show me your faith by your works.

Sola, if you limit your religion to certain doctrines (which incidentally are novel interpretations and historically rejected), while at the same time ignoring the rest of the teachings of Christ, you will fail to understand that while God's grace does not work on a ladder, for everything He gives us is free and according to His great love and mercy, our lives in this world certainly is a ladder, through which we demonstrate our complete faith, not merely by our words, our thoughts, or our confessions, but in our works of charity and love, in the image of those who carried their suffering brother upon a roof.

This Sunday, coincidently, the Orthodox Church celebrates as the Sunday of the Paralytic, commemorating that wonderful miracle by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Yes. The false gospel that says men are saved by what we do is not good news at all....because men can't do it.

Galatians 2:21

I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

 

[TER]

Yes. The false gospel that says men are saved by what we do is not good news at all....because men can't do it.

The false gospel which says that what we do doesn't affect our salvation is from the devil.

 

[Sola_Fide]

The false gospel which says that what we do doesn't affect our salvation is from the devil.

No it isn't. Men are saved completely irregardless of what they do:

Titus 3:4-5

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

 

[TER]

No it isn't. Men are saved completely irregardless of what they do:

When Christ appeared, that is, when He became incarnate, it was not because of the righteousness of men that He condescended Himself and in humility took upon Himself our created nature, but rather He became incarnate and came to save us because of His great love and mercy.

This doesn't mean that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, and Christ explained in parable after parable that what we do and don't do DOES matter and that we will be judged by what we do and don't do.

If you wish to discuss this further with someone who is interested in debating with you, please start another thread.

 

[Sola_Fide]

When Christ appeared, that is, when He became incarnate, it was not because of the righteousness of men that He condescended Himself and in humility took upon Himself our created nature, but rather He became incarnate and came to save us because of His great love and mercy.

This doesn't mean that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, and Christ explained in parable after parable that what we do and don't do DOES matter and that we will be judged by what we do and don't do.

If you wish to discuss this further with someone who is interested in debating with you, please start another thread.

The verse isn't talking about the Incarnation, it's talking about the salvation of the elect.

 

[TER]

"The Holy Spirit is love and sweetness to the soul, the mind and the body; but when the soul loses grace, or grace is diminished once again the soul will seek the Holy Spirit in tears, and yearn for God and and cry:

My Soul yearns of the Lord, and I seek Him in tears. How could I not seek Thee, O Lord: For Thou Thyself hast sought me out forehand, and gavest me to delight in thy Holy Spirit; and now my soul yearns for Thee. My heart fell to loving Thee, and I pray Thee: give me to the end to abide in thy love. For the sake of thy love empower me to endure all sickness and affliction. My soul is seized with fear and trembling when I would write of the love of God. My soul is poor and without strength to describe the Lord's love. My spirit fails, but love constrains me to write. The Lord ascended into heaven and awaits our coming; but to be with the Lord we must be like Him, or like little children lowly and meek- and we must serve him.

Where I am, there shall also my servant be, we too shall be with Him in the Kingdom of heaven. But now my soul is overspread with melancholy and I am unable to lift an undistracted mind to God, and I have no tears wherewith to bewail my evil deeds: my soul is withered away and spent with the night of this life...

...No man of himself can know what is God's love, unless he be taught of the Holy Spirit; but God's love is known in our Church through the Holy Spirit, and so we speak of this love...

...The Lord bestows such grace on His chosen that they embrace the whole earth, the whole world, with their love, and their souls burn with longing that all men should be saved and behold the glory of the Lord.

If you would know the Lord, humble yourself to the utmost. Be obedient and sober in all things. Love truth. And the Lord of a surety will give you to know him through the Holy Spirit; and then you will by experience know what love towards God is, and what love towards man is. And the more perfect the love, the more perfect your knowledge. There is love in small measure; there is a means of love, and there is a great love.

The man who fears sin loves God. The man with a tender heart loves Him more. Still greater is the love of the man in whose soul dwells light and joy. But the man with grace in soul and body has perfect love. This is the grace the Holy Spirt gave to the Martyrs, the grace that helped them to bear every suffering with fortitude.

Where a man fears to distress God by sinning in any way-that is the first degree of love.The man whose mind is undistracted has love in the second degree, which is greater than the first. A third and still greater degree of love is when a man is aware of grace in his soul. And, finally, the man who as the grace of the Holy Spirit both in soul and body is in a state of perfect love; and if he preserves this grace the bone of his body will turn into sacred relics, as did the bones of the holy Martyrs, the Prophets, the blessed Fathers, and the other great Saints.

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit, she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lord's commandment, and our neighbor as oneself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury , and does not realise that he himself is at fault- he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.

Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love is grace preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls.

If people kept Christ's commandments there would be paradise on earth, and with little labour every man would suffice his needs, and the Spirit of God would live in the souls of men for he Himself seeks us and would dwell in us, and if He does not take up His abode in us it is only because of the proudness of our minds."

- St. Silouan the Athonite

 

[libertygrl]

From the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian:


We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you don’t love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?

"For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

That was quite moving. And a great reminder for us all. I would also add love of "self" because there's a lot of self loathing in this world too. I think, the first step in loving GOD is loving yourself because he dwells in us all. And if you're not happy with yourself first, you can't attract happiness and love and be a light to others. That's a beautiful image as well.

 

[TER]

The first step in loving ourself is in loving God Who created us and gives us life. We must respect the image of God within us and love the freedom and uniqueness He has given us, for these are great gifts He has given us. We must in turn worship and praise Him to the best of our abilities.

We must also adore the Lord Who dwells within us, and embrace Him as the earth did in the cave where He was born in the flesh, in the beautiful image of the Nativity.

We must accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts, in the beautiful image of the Annunciation, in the humility and obedience of the Virgin and Mother of God, so that He might enter and fill our hearts as He did the Virgin's womb.

We must worship the Spirit of God within us and grow in everlasting love and communion with God, Who is our Father.

If we love ourselves, it is first that we must love God.

We must, indeed, die to our own selfish will and our own pride. And in the beautiful image of the Cross, in self sacrifice out of love for another, crucify ourselves to the world that is passing in order to gain the everlasting Kingdom which awaits those who persevere to the end of time. God calls all to become a servant and steward, but not all use their talents for the glory of God and to gain eternal life and inherent the Heavenly Kingdom.

Our crucified Savior Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of God through Whose sacrifice and blood seals the eternal covenant of God and gives it life and forgiveness, has shown that in order to gain ourselves and indeed the entire world, we must first give ourselves and our own wills over to God. Thereby we will out last time and that which is dying in the world, and instead inherent eternal and divine life.

Our realization as true human beings is in the other, in communion with the other. Then it is with ourselves. Indeed, this is trinitarian communion and mode of being, as one to another and then together to and with the other. This is the beautiful image of the Holy Trinity, the fullness of everything and unity of multiplicity. Through what we give for the other, we abide in God and God abides in us. All the commandments and teachings of the Lord are to this end. So that through and in God and God in us, we might find true personhood and true human existence and being.

In a word, love is the closest thing we created beings can know of the essence of the uncreated God and the reason of our being.

 

[TER]

And you are correct, my dear libertygrl, not is self-loathing, but in thanksgiving and with hope.

 

[libertygrl]

Is the Journey to love, a wheel in the sky that keeps turning?

Yes and - "Someday love will find you. Break those chains that bind you."

 

[TER]

"I love those that love Me; and they that seek Me shall find grace."

- Jesus Christ, Proverbs 8:17

 

[TER]

The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world.

- St. Mark the Ascetic

 

[TER]

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

- St. Augustine of Hippo

 

[TER]

Love never hates anyone, never reproves anyone, never condemns anyone, never grieves anyone, never abhors anyone, neither faithful nor infidel nor stranger nor sinner nor fornicator, nor anyone impure, but instead it is precisely sinners, and weak and negligent souls that it loves more, …, imitating Christ Who called sinners, and ate and drank with them.

- Abba Ammonas

 

[TER]

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbour. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be greater in glory in His Kingdom.

- St Silouan the Athonite

 

[TER]

Of all the afflictions that burden the human race, there is not one, whether spiritual or bodily, that cannot be healed by the Holy Scriptures.”

- St John Chrysostom

 

[TER]

St. Herman of Alaska on Love for God

Once the Elder was invited on board a frigate that had come from St. Petersburg. The captain of the frigate was a man quite learned, highly educated; he had been sent to America by Imperial command to inspect all the colonies. With the captain were some 25 officers, likewise educated men. In this company there sat a desert-dwelling monk of small stature, in an old garment, who by his wise conversation brought all his listeners to such a state that they did not know how to answer him. The captain himself related: "We were speechless fools before him!"

Father Herman gave them all one common question: "What do you, gentlemen, love above all, and what would each of you wish for his happiness?" Diverse answers followed. One desired wealth, one glory, one a beautiful wife, one a fine ship which he should command, and so on in this fashion. "Is it not true," said Father Herman at this, "that all your various desires can be reduced to one - that each of you desires that which, in his understanding, he considers best and most worthy of love?" "Yes, it is so," they all replied. "Well, then, tell me," he continued, "can there be anything better, higher above everything, more surpassing everything and in general more worthy of love, than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who created us, perfectly adorned us, gave life to all, supports all, nourishes and loves all, who Himself is love and more excellent than all men? Should not a person then love God high above all and desire and seek Him more than all else?" All began to say: "Well, yes! That is understood! That speaks for itself!"

"And do you love God?" the Elder then asked. All replied: "Of course, we love God. How can one not love God?" "And I, sinful one, for more than forty years have been striving to love God, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him," answered Father Herman; then he began to show how a person should love God. "If we love someone," he said, "we always think of him, strive to please him, day and night our heart is occupied with this subject. Is it thus that you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always think of Him, do you always pray to Him, and fulfill His holy commandments?" It had to be acknowledged that they did not! "For our good, for our happiness," concluded the Elder, "at least let us make a promise to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this very moment we shall strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will!"

Behold what an intelligent, superb conversation Father Herman conducted in society; without doubt this conversation must have imprinted itself on the hearts of his listeners for their whole life!

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Of all the afflictions that burden the human race, there is not one, whether spiritual or bodily, that cannot be healed by the Holy Scriptures.”

- St John Chrysostom

St. Chrysostom is great! I celebrate his liturgy most weeks. Lots of links to his homilies here (along with other writings of the Church Fathers): http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/index.html

 

[TER]

Imagine a circle with its center and radii or rays going out from this center. The further these radii are from the center the more widely they are dispersed and separated from one another; and conversely, the closer they come to the center, the closer they are to one another.

Suppose now that this circle is the world, the very center of the circle is God, and the lines going from the center to the circumference or from the circumference to the center are the paths of men’s lives. Then here we see the same.

Insofar as the Saints move inward within the circle towards its center, wishing to come near to God, then, in the degree of their penetration, they come closer both to God and to one another; moreover, inasmuch as they come nearer to God, they come nearer to one another, and inasmuch as they come nearer to one another, they come nearer to God. It is the same with drawing away ….

Such is the property of love; inasmuch as we are outside and do not love God, so each is far from his neighbor. But if we love God, inasmuch as we come near to Him by love of Him, so we become united by love with our neighbors, and inasmuch as we become united by love with our neighbors, so we become united with God.

- St. Dorotheos of Gaza

 

[TER]

It seems that we do not understand one thing: it is not good when we return the love of those who love us, yet hate those who hate us. We are not on the right path if we do this. We are the sons of light and love, the sons of God, his children. As such we must have His qualities and His attributes of love, peace, and kindness towards all.

- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica