Who constitutes the true Church of Christ?
All who truly believe, confess, and rightly glorify Christ the Savior: both those living on earth and those abiding in heaven.
Is it said in the Word of God that earthly and heavenly confessors of Christ are united in one community, in one Church?
Yes, it is said: God and Father of the Lord... "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him" (Eph. 1:10).
Who constitutes the heavenly, triumphant Church?
The Angels of God and the souls of the righteous. The Apostle Paul spoke of these Christians thus: "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Heb. 12:22-24).
In what relationship are we, Christians living on earth, with the heavenly Church?
We, as the Apostle explains, are "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19).
The whole Kingdom of God is represented as a city. The Head of the city is Christ the God-Man, and the holy Angels, the righteous, the saints of God, and all Orthodox Christians are the citizens.
How is our, living Christians on earth, relationship to the heavenly Church expressed?
We: a) remember the Angels and the righteous, b) learn from their lives, c) imitate them, d) praise them, e) worship them, f) ask for their prayers and intercession before God.
a) Where in Holy Scripture is there a command to remember the saints of God?
The Apostle Paul says: "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct" (Heb. 13:7).
The Apostle himself remembers all the Old Testament righteous ones (Heb. 11); also the wise Jesus, son of Sirach, recalls in detail their lives and their high virtues (Sir. 44-49).
b) and c) Is it said in the Word of God that we should imitate the righteous, learn from them the true life?
The Apostle Paul says: "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct" (Heb. 13:7).
The Apostle James says: "My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience" (James 5:10).
d) Is there an indication in Holy Scripture that we need to glorify the saints of God?
Yes. In the Old Testament, the Lord said: "for those who honor Me I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). The Psalmist exclaimed: "Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds" (Ps. 149:5).
And the wise Jesus, son of Sirach, in his book from chapter 44 to 49, magnifies glorious men: "Let us now praise famous men" (Sir. 44:1).
Is this glorification of God-pleasing men permissible in the New Testament? Christ the Savior Himself, in prayer to God the Father, said of the Apostles: "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them" (John 17:22). Therefore, to give glory to the saints of God is in no way contrary to the will of God.
In another place, the Lord says: "If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" (John 12:26). If the Heavenly Father honors the saints, how can we not honor them!
Did Christians, indeed, honor the saints of God?
In the Church of Christ, the saints of God have been honored from the days of the Apostles. The Apostle James says: "Indeed we count them blessed who endure" (James 5:11).
The holy Apostles, while still living on earth, were honored with glorification by Christians: "And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people... Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly" (Acts 5:12-13).
And the Apostle Paul himself testifies to the Galatians how they treated him: "you know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." And the Apostle does not blame the Galatians for such glorification of him, but praises them, saying: "What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me" (Gal. 4:13-15).
If the holy Apostles were thus honored during their lives, then should they be glorified any less after they suffered a martyr's death for Christ?!
What proofs do we have from history that the saints were always honored?
This is evident from the fact that in the catacombs in Rome, images of the holy Apostles and righteous ones have been preserved. If they were not honored, Christians would not have depicted them in their temples and places of prayer.
d) How is the veneration of the holy Angels, the righteous, and the saints of God visibly expressed?
It is expressed in worshiping them.
Are there examples in Holy Scripture of worshiping the holy Angels?
Yes. When "the Commander of the army of the Lord appeared to Joshua, Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped" (Josh. 5:14). And of Balaam it is said that when "he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face" (Num. 22:31).
Was there ever worship of righteous people?
The sons of the prophets worshiped the prophet Elisha. "Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him" (2 Kings 2:15). And the jailer, seeing that the Lord miraculously delivered the Apostles from prison, "came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas" (Acts 16:29).
The Savior said to the Heavenly Father: "the glory which You gave Me I have given them" (John 17:22), that is, to the Apostles and the saints of God. We worship God; we must, therefore, worship those to whom the Savior has given His glory (i.e., the glory of God).
Did people worship righteous ones who had passed away to God?
Yes, they did. When the prophet Samuel appeared to Saul, "then Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down" (1 Sam. 28:14).
e) In what else is our relationship to the heavenly Church expressed?
In that we ask the saints of God to pray for us.
Why do we turn to them with such a request?
Because it is impossible to imagine Christians without their mutual prayer for one another. "Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thess. 5:25), writes the Apostle Paul; in another place he says to Christians: "we do not cease to pray for you" (Col. 1:9; see also the following places about mutual prayer of Christians: Acts 12:5; Eph. 6:18-19; 1:16; Philem. 1:4; Col. 4:3; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1; 1 John 5:16).
But why do we specifically ask the saints of God to pray for us?
Because the prayer of the righteous is more effective than the prayer of the greatly sinful.
The Apostle James says: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit" (James 5:16-18). So effective is the prayer of the righteous!
Thus also the Apostle Peter says in agreement with the Psalmist David: "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers" (1 Pet. 3:12; cf. Ps. 34:15). The Lord Himself repeatedly acknowledged the power of the prayer of the righteous. When the Lord was angry with Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife, He said to Abimelech: "Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live... So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech" (Gen. 20:7, 17).
Again: when the friends of the long-suffering Job offended the Lord with their speeches, God said to them: "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has" (Job 42:8).
It is clear that the Lord hears the righteous, therefore we must ask for their prayers.
Can the righteous after their death intercede for sinful people living on earth?
They can, because for God there are no dead: "For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him" (Luke 20:38).
And the love of people who prayed for their neighbors cannot cease, because it is said in Holy Scripture: "love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8).
Can it be shown from Holy Scripture that, indeed, the saints of God intercede for us before God in heaven?
It can. The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, said to the Jewish people: "Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me" (Is. 43:27). Therefore, there can be mediators before God, and the Lord Himself explains when intercession before Him is already powerless. When the Lord was angry with the Israelite people under King Manasseh (around 690 BC), He said to the prophet Jeremiah: "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth" (Jer. 15:1). Here is another proof that the intercession of the righteous is possible! And in the book of Maccabees, it is described that Judas Maccabeus saw such a vision: "He saw Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence. He was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. And Onias spoke, saying, 'This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city—Jeremiah, the prophet of God'" (2 Macc. 15:12-14).
And the souls of those slain for the word of God, according to the teaching of Revelation, ask the Lord for vengeance (Rev. 6:9). In the same Revelation we read: "Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). And again: "Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand" (Rev. 8:3-4).
Can it be proven from Holy Scripture that people turned to the Angels with prayer?
It can. The patriarch Jacob, blessing Joseph and his sons, prayed thus: "The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads" (Gen. 48:16).
Do the Angels hear our prayers and can they see our needs?
The Angels cannot but know our needs, because the Savior said of those who believe in Him: "in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10).
Do the Angels help people?
"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Ps. 34:7).
The Angel says to the righteous Tobit: "And now, when you prayed, and Sarah your daughter-in-law prayed, I brought the remembrance of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was with you likewise" (Tob. 12:12). And in the book of the prophet Zechariah, we read such a prayer of an Angel: "O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?" And the Lord answered the angel who talked with me, with good and comforting words" (Zech. 1:12-13).
Such is the intercession of the Angels of God for us. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says of them: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb. 1:14).
Can the Lord grant His mercy to a person for the sake of someone else or through the intercession of someone else?
He can. And in Holy Scripture, it is often related that people in their prayers asked the Lord for mercy for the sake of other persons. Moses prayed to God for the Jewish people thus: "Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants... So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Ex. 32:12-14). Also to Solomon, the Lord said that He would not punish him "for the sake of your father David" (1 Kings 11:12-13). Finally, as related in the book of the prophet Daniel, through the prayer and intercession of an Angel who interceded for the Jews, they were granted mercy from the Lord (Dan. 10:8-14).
Can the righteous know our needs?
Of course, they can and do know. Even during their life on earth, the righteous, by the grace of God, know many hidden things that are inaccessible to sinful people.
When Gehazi, the servant of the prophet Elisha, sinned by overtaking Naaman the Syrian, who had been healed of leprosy, and asking him for two talents of silver and two changes of garments, Elisha immediately knew of his servant's sin, and upon the latter's return, said: "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? ...Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever" (2 Kings 5:26-27).
Of the same prophet Elisha, it is said that during the war of the king of Syria with the Israelites, he revealed to the Israelites the secret plans of the enemy. "Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, 'Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?' And one of his servants said, 'None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom'" (2 Kings 6:11-12).
Also, the Lord revealed to the blind prophet Ahijah that the wife of King Jeroboam had come to him (1 Kings 14:4-6).
And the Apostle Peter knew that Ananias and Sapphira had sinned against the Holy Spirit by keeping back part of the money received from the sale of their property (Acts 5:3-4).
Can the saints of God, after their death, know the earthly life of people?
The life of people is better known to the saints of God, who have passed away to heaven, than when they lived on earth.
Of Abraham, the Savior said: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). Likewise, the deceased prophet Samuel knew all that was happening in the kingdom of Israel after his death, and predicted to Saul what would happen the next day (1 Sam. 28:14-19).
What proof do we have from history that we should ask the saints for their prayers?
On the graves of the first Christian martyrs, buried in Rome in the catacombs in the first centuries, inscriptions have been made that have been preserved to this day. On the monuments, such appeals to the departed are made: "Pray for us, that we may be saved; pray for the only child left by you; Atticus, your soul is in blessedness, pray for your relatives; in your prayers, pray for us, because we know that you are in Christ!"
It is clear that the first Christians, like the present ones, firmly believed that the prayers of the departed saints are powerful and effective, and therefore asked them, unlike our sectarians, who are as proud as demons!
How should we question sectarians about the veneration of the holy saints?
What kind of Christians are you, sectarians, if you have renounced the holy Angels and the saints of God and the entire Heavenly Church?! Where in Holy Scripture did you find a prohibition against honoring the Angels, the saints of God, and turning to them with prayer?
What do the sectarians say in their justification?
They refer to two examples from Holy Scripture: to Acts 10:26, where it is said that the Apostle Peter did not allow Cornelius to worship him; and to Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9, where the Angel did not allow the Apostle John to worship him.
What should be said concerning the example of the Apostle Peter?
Cornelius was a pagan, and when the Apostle Peter came to him, he received him as God and worshiped him, taking him for God; therefore, Peter declared to Cornelius: "I myself am also a man," and not God, as Cornelius had evidently thought. In paganism, some people were taken for gods. The Lycaonians, for example, cried out: "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men! And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker," and wanted to offer sacrifices of oxen and garlands to them (i.e., Paul and Barnabas). But the Apostles declared: "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you" and did not allow themselves to be deified (Acts 14:11-15).
But when the Apostles were given honor not as gods, but honor appropriate to them, they did not hinder this (see Acts 16 and Gal. 4:14-15).
No comments:
Post a Comment