Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
15-29
Category: Theology
the one of them
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:1-7
Jesus will leave the church for the one person?
atonement?
For example, when asked, “What did Jesus do to save you?” many Christians will immediately answer something like, “He died on the Cross to pay the price for my sins.” Yet the idea that God the Father required repayment from Jesus to satisfy humanity’s debt to God has not always been a Christian teaching. It is also not the only way to think about salvation in Jesus Christ. This atonement model developed in the West on a trajectory from the teachings of Anselm, an eleventh-century Roman Catholic bishop. The so-called satisfaction model of Anselm has not held sway in the Orthodox Church for several reasons, including that Orthodox theology is not transactional in nature (e.g., there are not even “vows” or promises in the Orthodox Sacrament of Holy Matrimony). The main reason, however, is that a sharp and narrow focus on the Cross obscures all that the Son of God has accomplished for His fallen creation. In an Orthodox worldview, the full scope of what Jesus Christ has done must also include His Incarnation, His Resurrection, and even Pentecost.
A Basic Guide to Eastern Orthodox Theology, 29
theologoumenon
A term with lower status in the Orthodox world is theologoumenon. The word shares the same root as “theology” but has a different technical meaning. A theologoumenon is a pious belief or individual opinion that may or may not be true and cannot be substantiated.
A Basic Guide to Eastern Orthodox Theology, 17
a question
So here is a question I was wondering about the other day:
What makes your “church”
different from a cult?
Would the answer be something like, “we are right, they are wrong”? Well, that means ever single individual is someone else’s “cult” or heretic. Maybe, as a general thought, we can dump the concept of “right and wrong”?
Also, as an aside, why do we assume so much about cults? The leaders are manipulative and evl. They know they are wrong and are doing it for some self-serving end. I think most people are honest about their beliefs – members and leaders of cult are no different. Let’s start from this point!!!! While some may have nefaris aims, I believe most cult leaders believe what they preach. And, some clergy do not.
I do not expect answers.
sharing with you
In the past there were people in my life with whom I would have shared the following.But they are no longer in my life so I am sharing it with the blogosphere:
I think I knew the individual honoured. I am sure I personally know the struggle within that community. So I am sharing it with you.
de-churched
The unchurched refers to individuals who have not attended a religious service within the past six months or more, while the de-churched refers to individuals who were previously active in religious services but have discontinued attending regularly. Some may argue that the unchurched population is merely uninformed and that they need to come to know about God. In contrast, they claim that those who have disconnected from the church are simply going through wounds caused by past church experiences, better known as “church hurt.” Although some of this may hold true, the important issue is how we can connect the difference between perception and reality in order to grasp the needs and questions of those who are unchurched and “de-churched.”
Reaching the Unchurched and the De-churched
incarnation
Trinity or heresy Sunday?
Today is Trinity Sunday. The BCP sets John 3 as the Gospel while the Western Roman Rite has Matthew 28:18–20. Interesting?! I am not much of a theologian (hubris much?!) so the following needs to be read with some salt.
I have heard many sermons trying to explain the Trinity. Some end in modalism – oh, so modern – others in a different heresy. The worst are “children’s sermons” that use physical examples. I sometimes wonder if Trinity Sunday should not be renamed to “Heresy Sunday”?!
So, simply, a reworked quasi-quote from Kierkegaard:
[The Trinity] is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced
always …
