2. Dwelling in the light

Adam was created for incorruption, aphtharsia. Meaning he shared in the unchanging life of God. What does that incorruption ultimately consist of?  

“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1,5). This light is His love, for the same evangelist said “God is love”. 

So if someone loves is he a Christian and abiding in Him?

I mean this is what the world pretends.  Christianity is just a moralistic deism.  God is love, so we tolerate any preference of the person receiving our affection.

No.  It goes deeper.  The love here, the light here, which is referred to in the scriptures is the light of His glory. And grace.  It is not my own love, merely what I receive and reflect back. This is how we are ultimately images of God.  We receive the light and we reflect the light. To phrase it like the Lord, we “let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5,16.

This is what Paul means when he said, “for the love of God is shed abroad,  ekxeitai, poured forth, in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us”. Romans 5,5.

We are created for incorruption, the unchangeable glory of God, the light of His grace. This is the glory we rightly see depicted on all icons.

1. Created for incorruption

 

“For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity.” 
Wisdom of Solomon 2:23

At the start, Jewish and Christian theology asserts that man is created, therefore mortal with a contingent existence.  Being contingent our life hangs upon, literally de pends on, God.  Philosophically only the monotheistic faiths acknowledge this logical truth.

The word used in the Septuagint is αφθαρσια, aphtharsia.  No  corruptible  or perishing.  God, as the Source of all, alone is immortal, and so the Apostle blesses God,

15 He is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Life then is union with Him. His Life is immortality. Incorruption. Death then is the separation from Him.

“For with You is the fountain of light and in Your light we shall see light” 
Separate from the fountain of life and we experience death.  This is how we thus explain the Fall of man:  Adam separated from life and the decay inevitably set into the human nature and. The grace which infused it was departed and we are thus rightly said to be “deprived of the grace of God.”

Immortality then does not completely convey the idea.  Not changing would be a more round sense of the word.  Thus, in saying we are created to be immortal, it is saying we are meant to be like Jesus, as Paul said “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13,8.

We are created to be like Him- incorruptible, not changing.  The next part of the verse explains for us how we are to be incorruptible, what this consists of.  Note that Solomon said we are made to be an image of His own eternity.

ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπʼ ἀφθαρσίᾳ

Because God made man for incorruption

καὶ εἰκόνα τῆς ἰδίας ἀϊδιότητος ἐποίησεν αὐτόν·

And an image, icon, of His own eternity, aidiotis.

We reflect His own life and eternity.  What does this life consist of?

“In Him was life and the life was the light of men.”

“God dwells in light Unapproachable”

“He was the true light which lightens every man who comes into the world”

“For God who commanded the light to shine in darkness has shined in our hearts the light of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.”

The light is the ray of the Sun of righteousness, Who dwelt in Adam’s heart.  Adam then reflected that light back,  hence he was an image of that glory.

Adam was created to not change; to be the same as God is, that is,  to dwell in His eternal light, which is His love. That is incorruption, as we will see it developed more fully in Saint John’s gospel.

Providence: He knows your down sitting and uprising

 I literally was eating my lunch prior to boarding the plane for my desert exercise and my crown came off my tooth and I could not go.  I spent this morning in a dentist chair. Unfortunately my soldiers spent it int the mojave enjoying 125 degree weather.  My desire then is to redeem the time. There are no accidents, just opportunities to redeem, eksagoraswmen, but back, the time.

The Blessing of the Desert; What to expect after baptism

 

I apologize for writing infrequently;  life has demanded it.  I also needed  to FINISH one thing before investing fully in another.  We just completed a  translation of the Procession of the Holy Spirit by St Gregory Palamas.  I need ed to finish it tonight (2 SEP). As I leave 3 SEP,  in 8 hours for the desert.

I will be training with my soldiers for a month. I will have my true Lent. Thanks you for your prayers.

As we read the Gospel account:

“Immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the Wilderness.”  Mark 1,12.  Notice The Spirit drives Jesus.  Literally,  the Spirit cast  Him out from where He was (ekballei, same word for exorcism).  

The Lord does the same to us.  We are baptized and then eutheos,  immediately the SPirit drives us, compels us, into a desert.

This corrects the  notion that becoming a Christian is a bed of roses. Nope. We are baptized into His life, which is a death to self.  We are then  anointed.  This anointing  is for the stadium before us.  We are stripped down and rubbed up for the wrestling match.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principlalities and powers” Ephesians 6,12.

I will not sugar coat this.  When you are baptized into the Faith you are anointed, “you have an unction from the Holy One and know all things” 1 John 2,20. And this anointing this chrismation  runs over and enables you  to fight in this desert.

Do we find ourselves alone  in a barren place in life?  This is God’s perfect design.  How long will it last? Who knows.  The testing for Jesus was only 40 days.  But He is God .  Paul  was thrown into the desert.  He was baptized by Ananias and then  for THREE years he was in the desert.

His desert was more revelatory than  a trial.  God taught him truth he needed to pass on to others.  Much like God taught Moses  in the back side of the desert.  Moses was a slow learner, though. It took him 40 years to learn what he needed then  he did not want to do the mission God called him to because he felt to sinful and unworthy.

So let’s not despise the planning of God to drive us into the wilderness.  After all He makes the desert to bloom.  See you  in 30 days (closer to 40)

The Blessing of the sin of despondency

Psalm 60 :“Hear O God, my supplication , give ear to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I cried to you, in my heart’s despondency, εν τω ακηδιασαι την καρδιαν μου, by a rock you lifted me up.

Lead me, because You became my help, strong tower from the face of my enemy.

I will dwell as a pilgrim in your Tabernacle for ever. I will be sheltered under the shelter of your wings”

Note the progression.  David begs God to hear him.  He is despondent, literally does not care.  He then sees God’s help. And shifts his trust to God.  More over,  he shifts his perspective.  Instead of being despondent he realizes his true home is heaven.  He realizes he is but a pilgrim.  This was the experience of Abraham, as well, of whom it was said “he confessed that he was a stranger and pilgrim...for he looked for a city which has foundations...” He dwells by the side, thus he is a paroikos. He dwells by the side, par. Thus he feels like an outsider, and recognizes he will ALWAYS feel that.

The blessing of his despondency is he stopped caring about trivial things and focused on the eternal.

Thus despondency is in some ways a step in our cure:  He allows us to be disgusted with things so we can be content in Him.

I am thankful for my moments of despondency.  May they always be transformative.

Soul destroyers

Ἐκ τῶν Πατέρων. -- Διά τεσσάρων πραγμάτων ἡ ψυχή μιαίνεται·  τῷ περιπατεῖν ἐν πόλει καί μή φυλάσσειν τούς ὀφθαλμούς, καί τῷ ὅλως ἔχειν γνῶσιν μετά γυναικῶν, καί τῷ ἔχειν φιλίαν μετά τῶν ἐνδόξων τοῦ κόσμου, καί τῷ ἀγαπῆσαι τάς σαρκικάς ὁμιλίας καί ματαιολογίας

From the Fathers,”The soul is defiled by four things: by walking in the city and not guarding your eyes, by having intimate knowledge with women, by having affection  for the celebrities of the world, and to love sensual speech  and empty talk.” 

Maximus the Confessor on Vice and Virtue

Περί βίου ἀρετῆς καί κακίας.

Concerning a life of virtue and Vice

Σολομῶντος-- Ἀρετῆς μέν σημεῖον οὐδέν ἔχομεν δεῖξαι· ἐν δέ τῇ κακίᾳ ἡμῶν κατεδαπανήθημεν.

By Solomon, “ we possess nothing to proffer a proof of virtue, but in our vice we are consumed.”

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.- Μή σε πλανήσωσιν ἄνδρες ἀσεβεῖς, μηδέ πορευθῇς ἐν ὁδῷ μετ᾿ αὐτῶν· ἔκκλινον δέ τόν πόδα σου ἀπό τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν· οἱ γάρ πόδες αὐτῶν εἰς κακίαν τρέχουσιν.

From the same “Do not let irreverent men deceive you, neither go in the way with them. Turn your feet from their paths, for their feet run to vice (mischief)”

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ- Ὅς καταφρονεῖ πράγματος, καταφρονηθήσεται ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ.

From the same (Prov.13:13),”He that despises the word shall be despised”

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.-- Ὥσπερ ὄμφαξ ὁδοῦσι βλαβερόν καί καπνός ὄμμασιν, οὕτω παρανομία τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτῇ. 

From the same (Prov.10:26),”As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.”

Σιράχ. -- Ὁ ποιῶν πανηρά, εἰς αὐτόν κυλισθήσεται, καί οὐ μή ἐπιγνῷ πόθεν ἤκει αὐτῷ.

Sirach (27:30),” A mischievous counsel shall be rolled back upon the author, and he shall not know from whence it comes to him.”

Βασιλείου.- Μόνη κτημάτων ἡ ἀρετή ἀναφαίρετον.

Ἀρετῆς ἄσκησις, τίμιον μέν κτῆμα τῷ ἔχοντι· ἤδιστον δέ θέαμα τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν.

Ὥσπερ γάρ τῷ πυρί αὐτομάτως ἕπεται τό φωτίζειν, καί τῷ μύρῳ τό εὐωδεῖν·  οὕτω καί ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ τό ὠφέλιμον.

Basil the Great, “Virtue is the only inalienable possession. The labor of virtue, indeed for one not having precious possessions, is a pleasant sight for those who happen to see it.

For just like fire automatically follows starting a light, and the smell from  perfuming,  even so of necessity profit  follows good works.”

Ἀρχή πρός τήν ἀνάληψιν τῶν καλῶν ἡ ἀναχώρησις τῶν κακῶν. Ἔκκλινον γάρ, φησίν, ἀπό κακοῦ, καί ποίησον ἀγαθόν.

“withdrawing from vices  is the beginning toward the ascent toward the good. For incline, they  say, from  evil and do good.”

Θεολόγου. -- Φύσει πρόχειρον ἡ κακία, καί πολύς ἐπί τό χεῖρον ὁ δρόμος, ἤ ῥοῦς κατά πρανοῦς ῥέων, ἤ καλάμη (≡15Ε_014≡> τις πρός σπινθῆρα καί ἄνεμον ῥαδίως ἐξαπτομένη καί γινομένη φλόξ, καί συνδαπανωμένη τῷ οἰκείῳ γεννήματι. Οὐ πάνυ τι ῥάδιόν ἐστι τῶν ἀρετῶν τήν νικῶσαν εὑρεῖν, καί ταύτῃ δοῦναι τά πρεσβεῖα καί τά νικητήρια·  ὥσπερ οὐδέν ἐν λειμῶνι πολυανθεῖ καί εὐώδει τῶν ἀνθέων τό κάλλιστον καί εὐωδέστατον, ἄλλοτε ἄλλου τήν ὄσφρησιν καί τήν ὄψιν πρός ἑαυτό μεθέλκοντος, καί πρῶτον δρέπεσθαι πείθοντος.

 Gregory the Theologian,” Vice is naturally easy, and the road very easily trod, running against the flow it runs, or as a reed with a spark and wind easily ignited  becomes a flame, and are consumed together in the common nature.” 

For it is not something very easy, to have found victory  in the virtues, and so also to give the honor and victory trophies.  It is just like not one of the most beautiful and aromatic flowers in a well flowered and pleasantly smelling meadow at anytime, except at this time, draws us to itself to it’s pleasant smell and appearance, except it first is plucked up.”

Χρυσοστ.-- Σπάνιον ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κτῆσις καί πρόσαντες, κἄν εἰ πολύ τό μεθέλκον εἴη καί προκαλούμενον. 

Chrysostom, “The acquisition of the good is rare even for those who  progress although  it may be very enticing and provocative.”