Posts Tagged ‘1st Timothy’
Everyone’s Savior
Are you saved? Orthodox Christians have been struggling over this question for years. We struggle not because we fear judgment. We struggle because confuse judgment with salvation. We are all saved and yet we are all judged. Before you get upset that I am teaching ‘universal salvation’ take a moment and read what Saint Paul…
Read MoreNo Guarantees
Our consumer society has a way of convincing us to purchase products we don’t even desire. Retailers and manufacturers proudly assert a money back guarantee if we are not satisfied. All we need to do is change our mind. Salvation does not come with a money back guarantee. The Lord said, “Not every one who…
Read MoreHow Dare You Reach Out
There is an expectation of Christians in general, but especially clergy, that we associate only with believers. If we are seen talking, let alone eating, with nonbelievers our faith is called into question. How could we let ourselves be dragged so low, and hang out with ‘those’ people? In those days, while Peter was still…
Read MoreAccept Suffering
It goes against our nature, it seems, to accept the reality that we are called to suffer. From an early age we fight against our parents when they use the unwanted ‘no’ in response to our requests. Even as adults we have tantrums when we do not get our way, at work and among our…
Read MoreThe Best Resolution
Today and tomorrow are traditionally the days during which we make our annual New Year Resolutions. We want to be better than we are, despite how good we may think we are already. This tradition gives us the opportunity to, privately at least, admit that we could, and need to be, better. Timothy, my son,…
Read MoreGuard and Protect Your Soul
We spend a great deal of time making sure our investments and financial security are protected. We have locks on our doors and passwords on our devices. We will stop at almost nothing to protect our money. We do the same for our families and friends. It seems the only thing we do not protect…
Read MorePredestination
What if I were to tell you I believed in predestination? Would you call me a heretic? Would you say I have abandoned the ancient faith? Maybe you would say I finally fell over the sola scriptura cliff. Of course, none of these accusations would be true. The truth would be that we are required…
Read MoreCelebrate Properly
The entire Orthodox World (those on the New Calendar) celebrated yesterday. If you went to celebrate the end of the fast, you celebrated the wrong thing. We say we celebrated the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which we did. Today is a fast day since it is Wednesday. If you awoke this morning…
Read MoreIs Your Faith an Inspiration to Others?
Christmas is drawing near and ‘all attention’ is on Christians. People want to see how we behave. They don’t care so much what we say if it doesn’t match how we behave. Do we go through each day preoccupied with pleasure rather than focusing on divine discipline? We say we are Christians. When people see…
Read MoreAll About Christ
During a conversation recently, I was asked to explain how we determine the truth among all the different teachings in the world. How do we know the Church is teaching the truth? I believe this question haunts many today in the Church who are seeking to know the truth. With the availability of the internet…
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