GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
The Apostle Paul’s ministry was defined by his opposition to circumcision. (Galatians) The disciples of Christ were of course Jews and for them believing in Christ did not constitute a new faith. It was for them a continuation of the Jewish way but now with Christ as the Messiah. The development of theology and the rise of the church as a solid visible structure would only emerge later, even if the Church began on the day of Pentecost. Therefore, the Mosaic Law was to be followed as it was before. The dietary restrictions and circumcision of the foreskin of a man were still deemed necessary, to mention a few. None of this was an issue, until such observances and laws became a question of mandatory adherence for the Gentiles who were entering into the newly formed faith of believers. The consensus of the Apostles and the Jews of the early Church, as read in the Acts of the Apostles, was that Gentiles should first become Jews and then become Christian. St. Paul vehemently opposed this. He believed, wholeheartedly, that Gentiles should not have to endure such a heavy burden, one for the physical pain that it would cause, second for the reason that it was not consistent with the teachings of Christ. It was not consistent because the circumcision was not necessary for eternal life, that is, salvation. It was, however, an outward sign that God had initiated as a covenant between Himself and man--the Jewish people. But, in itself, circumcision had no power to save. In fact, by itself, it had no power to do anything other than cause pain. Further, Christ was the final circumcision. That is, His pain and suffering brought to an end the need for circumcision. The covenant that God had with his people was fulfilled in Christ. So, circumcision was no longer necessary.
St. Paul often referred to this circumcision as the “flesh.” He made a distinct correlation between the circumcision and flesh. In other words, based on the context, he was not speaking of sin but rather an act of circumcision. “The flesh” and “circumcision” were synonymous. On the other hand, St. Paul, when he writes about the “flesh” he is speaking about sin. It all depends on the context. For the sake of what we are trying to express in this sermon, we can say that flesh refers to both -- circumcision and sin.
If therefore we are not saved by the flesh, then we are neither condemned through the flesh. That is why the Apostle Paul says, “Now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ.” Although this is the reality, it is often forgotten by the Orthodox Christian. Here are a few ways that we do that:
I sinned therefore God doesn’t like me: We might have sinned and done so deeply and grossly. But no matter what we have done or what we are doing, it doesn’t make God like us or hate us. In fact, God loves us the same, because he created us in His own image. When we sin we should repent and move on. Of course, God cannot prevent the consequences of our sins. We will have to face them. But we are not condemned. His mercy is greater than our sin.
I sinned therefore this sickness is my punishment: Sickness does not come from God. He allows it to happen but he is not the originator of it. We are sick because we are human. We can’t expect to be human and not get sick. If we are sick, then it is for us to receive it. Then, ask Jesus for healing. But to also accept whatever the outcome may be. This is extremely difficult. But with God’s grace we can handle it and go through whatever we are facing in our bodies for the glory of God.
I sinned so I can lose my salvation: I don’t agree with the term “lose my salvation” because we never “gained it” to begin with. This is an idea that is unbiblical and promoted by the evangelical brand of Christianity. If you sin what happens is that we become distant from God, not because of God, but because of us. It’s our fault! For Orthodox Christians, we never gain or lose anything. It is rather that salvation is a state of being and becoming, not gaining or winning. So, no! We can’t lose our salvation through our sin but we can make ourselves so distant from God that we reject him. Of course, the matter of salvation for a person is ultimately up to God and not us.