faith – The Tao of Holy Orthodoxy

peach tree

As an Orthodox Christian, your inner faith must be expressed in outer action. How you live your life daily reveals the true condition of your heart. A good, healthy fruit tree produces good, healthful fruit in its branches. A fruit tree that does not produce good fruit is neither healthy nor fulfilling its purpose. Purify your heart through prayer and repentance in order to produce good fruit.

Love God first, above all else, and love Him entirely, with your whole being. This is the greatest commandment of the Way. The next greatest commandment is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Who is your neighbor? Whoever needs your love, compassion and kind help.)

Our Lord and Master said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Therefore, if we love Christ, we must follow His teachings, which keep us on the Way of salvation and in the stream of Life. As an Orthodox Christian, dedicate yourself to behaving the Way that Christ and His Apostles have taught us to behave daily.

Many people in Western society treat the inner life and outer action as though they are two completely separate parts of life. This is especially true with regard to the use of the body. In reality, how you use your body affects your soul. You cannot, for example, live the Way in your soul while using your body for immoral purposes. Learn the virtuous path and be obedient to Christ. Do not, rather, give obedience to the demons or allow the ravenous passion of lust, which is connected to the pleasure of the body, to control your thoughts and actions.

Following the commandments of Christ require humility and obedience. The necessity of these two, humility and obedience, cannot be underestimated. Without them you cannot walk the Way to healing and transformation nor reach your potential and purpose. Humility and obedience, which Christ Himself taught us though both His words and His example, are essential for your progress. Keep these virtues in your heart, in your mind, and in your daily work in the world.

Read: Luke 6.43-49; John 14.15, 23-24; James 2.14-26; Philippians 2.1-16

Vasnetsov_Bapt_Vladimir

When the Apostle Peter spoke to the crowds on the day of Pentecost following the Holy Spirit’s descent, many of those who heard his words and witnessed the Spirit’s power asked, What shall we do? The Apostle told them all to repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. About three thousand people believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized on that day alone. After this, the Church continued to grow daily.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step toward the fullness of Life. Listen to Christ’s own words:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3.16, NKJV)

Believing in Christ is a response to Divine Love. It is a desire to be enlightened by the Light and shaped by the Truth rather than remaining enslaved to darkness and ignorance. Authentic faith is more than an intellectual acceptance of ideas. Real faith means trusting in Christ with your heart, believing in Christ Himself as your Lord, your God, and your Savior. He alone is the Physician Who can heal you from sin and death and bestow upon you the fullness of Life.

Faith in Christ requires authentic repentance. Repentance means turning completely toward God, which requires you to turn away from everything opposed to God. To repent means to change your mind, to change your heart, and to change how you live your daily life. The gates of Paradise have always been near, but you cannot see them until you turn around in repentance.

Christ calls you into His Church through the Mystery of Holy Baptism. Before His Ascension, Christ commissioned His Apostles saying,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.18-20)

If you submit to Holy Baptism, which involves immersion into the water sanctified by God’s Grace, you will personally participate in Christ’s death and Resurrection. You will be buried with Christ under the water as in a tomb and you will be raised with Him to new life, emerging from the water as a purified member of God’s family. Your baptism will be your admission into His Holy Orthodox Church, wherein the whole comprehensive therapy for your soul shall be open to you. Baptism is the end of the journey toward the Church, but only the very beginning of your life within the Church.

Read: John 3.13-21; Acts 2.38-47

Tag: faith

35. Be Like a Healthy Fruit Tree

23. What will you do?