“I am the Lord your God, .... you shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image, ... You shall not worship them or serve them” (Deut. 5:6-9)
We are so accustomed to the words “God’s commandments”; we are taught them by our grandmothers or mothers in childhood; at school, God’s Commandments are studied as part of the study of various subjects. And since the commandments tell us about the relationship between us, God and other people, each commandment has, accordingly, three vectors of direction. For example, the commandment “thou shalt not kill” obliges us not only to take care of the life and health of other people (vector in relation to the world), but also to thank God for the priceless gift of life (vector in relation to God), and forbids us from exposing our life and health danger without compelling need (vector in relation to oneself).
And if you analyze all 10 commandments in a similar vein, you can discover a lot of new things for yourself. In this sense, the first two commandments I mentioned in the title seem interesting to me. Firstly, they tell us that we must immensely love and honor God as our Creator, Heavenly Father and giver of all good things and life itself. Secondly (vector in relation to the world), no one and nothing in the world should become a deity for a person, an object of divine worship, an idol and an idol. And if we Christians understand and realize these two directions of the action of the Divine Law, then there is a third direction that we rarely think about.
If we apply the third vector of these commandments to ourselves, then they will sound like this: “I myself am not the Lord God, I should not become a god for others. I should not make an idol out of myself and demand worship and service for myself.” And we very often forget about this when we try to build our relationships with other people. Be it professional activities, friendships and friendly relationships, family life, spiritual life - everywhere we find a reason to present ourselves as a beloved god and idol, and in this case a person is able to turn the lives of those around him into a living hell, because he unreasonably demands his own recognition, respect, worship him and his ideas, demands to be adored. How is this expressed? Very simply, we can see for ourselves such claims of the god in the people around us and in ourselves. And the worst thing is that they are surrounded by people who consider themselves churchly and Christian.
Even in the example of the relationship between a priest and parishioners, we can see how a priest can quickly turn into a spiritual guru, an elder, a seer and a seer who desires human adoration and glory with every fiber. Such a priest brings people not to God, not to the Church, but to himself. You can even hear from such shepherds that “I am telling you the will of God,” “if you violate my blessing, you will violate the command of God Himself,” etc. And there are sure to be crowds of admirers who idolize the priest...
Such phenomena are expressed very harshly in the family. When parents raise their children not just in severity, but in cruelty, humiliating them, not respecting their children’s individuality and God-given freedom. Such parents believe that they are right in everything, and God has given them the right to dispose of their children at their discretion. In this case, children become intimidated, receive a lot of childhood mental trauma, experience fear of their parents, and a constant feeling of guilt, because “what kind of child are you, you’re doing everything wrong!” “We are your parents, and you must listen to us in everything, honor and love us, and do everything as we tell you!” A kind of parental tyranny that gives rise to generations of weak-willed, infantile men who are afraid to make decisions and are accustomed to having someone lead them. Such men are afraid of making mistakes, and therefore prefer to simply remain inactive, lest something happen. Girls often grow up unsure of themselves, with many mental traumas and fears that they will have to fight, perhaps throughout their entire lives. And when they grow up and create families, they treat their children the same way they were treated, and often, at the expense of their spouses and their children, they realize their painful complexes, causing even greater pain and torment to their loved ones.
The same “pious” tyranny can be observed between the spouses themselves. When a husband demands that his wife be unconditionally obedient to him, accept his decisions as the will of God, sit at home and cook pies. Such men sometimes like to talk about the principles of “Domostroy”, that a woman must be a housewife, give birth to children, wash her husband’s socks and look into his mouth, and certainly consider him the most ideal man in the world. And if a woman begins to realize herself in some other way, shows any talents that God has placed in her, and God forbid there are still people who admire these talents and the activities of such a woman, this hits the husband’s male pride with a heavy blow. He may perceive this as a personal insult, insult and even humiliation of his own manhood.
We can talk about all this a lot and for a long time. The worst thing is that most often these idols and idols really love us. They love in their own way, they love with a very strong, but cruel love, affected by a sense of ownership. And cruelty and wounded pride, coupled with an inferiority complex, always require sacrifices from the object of love... Gods, unlike God, always precisely demand service to themselves, require sacrifices, and often human ones. Thus, a spiritual guru may demand that an adept sacrifice his family and send him to a monastery “for obedience.” A husband may demand that his wife sacrifice her job, her friends, and even her parents or children for himself. And the key phrase here is the manipulation of love: “If you love me, then do this! If you love me, then be this! You see, I did this for you, and now you must do this too.” !"
What to do in this whole situation? How not to cross the line of what is permitted? After all, in fact, in any category of relationship, love, dignity, respect, humility, attention are very important, and sacrifice is also needed. I dare to suspect that in a person we need to see, first of all, not our servant, not our property, but a free personality, a soul, the image of God, independent of us and not owing us anything. One can expect from another only universal human complacency, Christian love, which presupposes not causing harm to one’s neighbor. The other person can offer us everything else exclusively himself, voluntarily, and only if he considers it necessary, if we are worthy of it in his eyes. Showing honor, respect, reverence, opening the soul, love of the heart - all this cannot be obtained by force, referring to any rules, social roles, legal norms. And sacrifice - it can also be exclusively voluntary, out of love, when internally a person himself wants to change, to give up something in himself, seeing a real need for this, experiencing a desire for these changes.
I am the Lord thy God: let there be no gods for thee other than Me.
I am the Lord your God; and you shall not have other gods besides Me
With the first commandment, the Lord God points man to Himself and inspires him to honor Him - the One True God. Apart from Him, no one should be given Divine veneration. Name: “Lord” - from the word “to dominate”; The name “God” comes from the word “rich in mercy”, good! As omnipotent, God commands; as merciful, He reveals Himself and His holy will. In order to properly honor the Lord God, we must know Him, that is, learn the knowledge of God.
Knowledge of God is the most important of all knowledge. It constitutes the first and most important duty. All scientific human knowledge, if it is not illuminated by the light of knowledge of God, loses its true meaning, its meaning and its purpose. Instead of good, such knowledge can bring a lot of evil into life.
To acquire the knowledge of God, that is, in order to learn to know the true God, one should read and study the Holy Scripture (the Word of God), which imparts to us the true and most perfect knowledge of God; read the works of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church, which is necessary for the correct understanding of Holy Scripture and to preserve oneself from a perverted, false understanding; try to visit the temple of God more often, because all church services performed in it represent a visual teaching about God and His works; listen to sermons of pastors and read books of religious and moral content, written in the Orthodox spirit. A careful consideration of nature as God’s creation, as well as the history of the human race, also reveals the wondrous actions of God’s Providence.
The first commandment also imposes certain duties of worship:
1. Believe in God, that is, have living confidence in His existence, properties and actions. The Holy Apostle Paul writes about this: “Without faith it is impossible to please God; For he who comes to God must believe that He exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
2. Walk before God, that is, always remember God and do and think everything as we would do and think in His immediate, that is, visible to us, presence, remembering that God sees not only our deeds, but also our thoughts themselves .
3. Trust in God, love God and obey God, that is, always be ready to fulfill His holy commandments, and not grumble when events that correspond to our desires do not happen to us. After all, only God knows what and when to give, what is useful and what is harmful. Therefore, one should always seek the will of God, His holy providence, and not seek the inevitable fulfillment of one’s desires.
The highest degree of love for God is reverence, or the fear of God, that is, the fear of moving away, falling away from God, through sinful acts.
1. Worship God, glorify and thank the Lord God as our Creator, Provider and Savior, remembering all His gifts and mercies to us.
2. Fearlessly confess God, that is, acknowledge before everyone that the God-man Jesus Christ is the true God, that the Orthodox worship of the Holy Trinity is the only true one; and not to renounce your faith, even if you have to suffer or even die for this confession.
The commandment of God does not contradict our duty to honor and pray to the holy angels and holy saints of God. We honor them as faithful servants of God who pleased Him with their lives. The holy angels and saints of God are close to God, so we ask them for help and intercession in the firm hope that the Lord, glorifying His saints, will sooner hear our sinful prayers. This is how the Word of God speaks about this: “Pray for one another, that you may be healed: the fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16), “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive” (Luke .20, 38).
When preparing for confession, carefully read the questions below. Answer them directly, honestly, and thoughtfully. Try not to engage in self-justification. What you find yourself guilty of, write it down and bring it to confession.
DEFINITION OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
Do you believe in God correctly and does your faith agree with the teachings of the Orthodox Church as set out in the Creed?
Do you study the Holy Scripture (the Word of God), which conveys the true and most perfect knowledge of God?
Do you study the works of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church, which is necessary for a correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures and to preserve yourself from a perverted, incorrect understanding?
Have you doubted the holy dogmas of the Orthodox faith?
Do you have a constant memory of God and the fear of God in your heart?
Is your faith in God shaken by lack of faith and doubt? If so, do you pray to God to strengthen your faith?
Have you ever despaired of God's mercy?
Do you rely in everything on the almighty Providence of God and don’t you rely on people more than on God?
Do you always attend church services when possible? Are you leaving them out without important reasons?
Aren't you too lazy to do your morning and evening duties? prayer rule, pray before eating and give thanks after eating food, do you call on the Holy Spirit for help before starting and at the end of every good deed?
How fervent and undistracted is your prayer? Do you constantly try to have the memory of God?
How attentively and thoughtfully do you listen to the sermons of pastors?
Do you constantly read the Holy Scriptures, patristic and spiritual-moral literature?
Have you, out of sinful curiosity, read godless and heretical, occult, mystical books: about magic, astrology, healing and extrasensory perception?
Don't you love the creature more than the Creator? Have you become addicted to anything earthly to the point of forgetting God?
Do you love God more than anything in the world, more than your father, mother, children, and even your own life?
Do you thank God for His countless visible and invisible blessings towards you?
Do you always surrender yourself to the will of God?
Wasn’t he a participant in sacrilege and wasn’t ashamed to speak out in defense of God and Christian truths when it was required?
Have you fallen into people-pleasing, that is, have you flattered anyone or approved of bad deeds?
Didn't you rely more on human help (on your connections and acquaintances) than on God?
Wasn’t he too arrogant, that is, wasn’t he too confident in his own strength in the matter of salvation?
Have you been involved in martial arts that are alien in spirit to Orthodoxy?
Have you been interested in the teachings of yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, theosophy, anthroposophy, meditation, hypnosis and other occult psychotechniques?
Have you, out of frivolity or cowardice, resorted to fortune-telling, astrological forecasts, or been carried away by faith in omens, omens and unlucky days, thus showing disbelief in the greatness of the Lord and God’s providence for every person?
Did you resort to the help of magicians, healers, psychics, wizards, theosophists and other enemies of the Orthodox faith?
Didn’t you go to your grandmothers to plot diseases ( umbilical hernia, hair, etc.) or removing “damage”? Did you bring your children to them?
Have you been carried away by heretical teachings?
Have you doubted the completeness of Divine truth in the Orthodox Church?
Didn’t he praise another faith, which is blasphemy against the Orthodox faith?
Have you attended ecumenical gatherings and prayed with heretics?
Didn’t you, out of idle curiosity, go to meetings with sectarians, various Eastern gurus, and followers of Dianetics?
Was he not once a schismatic or did he not approve of schismatic unauthorized meetings outside of unity with Orthodox Church?
Have you ever given yourself over to despair in your salvation due to some grave sins you have committed?
Are you suffering from a spirit of despondency?
Do you not experience a false fear of the enemy that is harmful to the salvation of your soul? Are you, out of weakness, indulging in this undue feeling?
Sins against the first commandment
Irreligion (atheism)- disbelief in the existence of God, complete reliance on purely material, carnal principles. The prophet David wrote about this difficult mental state: “The fool said in his heart: “There is no God” (Ps. 13:1).
Evidence for the existence of God. Arguments of science in favor of the creation of the world (.pdf 19Mb)
Polytheism- faith and veneration instead of the one and true God, many imaginary deities (for example, pagan idolatry).
Deification of nature (pantheism)- the false belief that everything around us is a direct manifestation of the divine essence, that every thing around us contains a particle of God. A typical example of such a false faith is Buddhism. In fact, the world did not come from the being of God, but from nothing, according to the almighty word of God. So, the special is the world and the special, distinct from the world and personal being is God.
Belief in the equivalence of good and evil (dualism)- a false belief in the existence of two equivalent deities: good and evil. The fate of people and even the whole world supposedly depend on the struggle and interaction of which. In fact, God is absolute good, while evil arises as a result of the sinful choice of the will of a rational creature. This choice continues with every human person throughout his life to this day.
Unbelief in the Word of God- unbelief and rejection of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Disrespect for the writings of the holy fathers of the church and the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils.
Denial of God's Providence. There are people who recognize the existence of God, but do not recognize God’s providence for all creation and especially for man. In their opinion, the world and all creatures continue to exist by themselves, according to the forces and laws that were originally given by God. This view contradicts the teachings of the Orthodox Church. The Gospel clearly says: “My Father is working and I am working” (John 5:17). And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ definitely tells his disciples about God’s providence for each of them: “Your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this” (Matthew 6:32). Also in the New Testament we read that the Lord desires for every person to “be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Decline of faith in God's providence at the sight of triumphant evil. In this life, we often see evil seemingly triumphant, and truth defeated. So the prophet David exclaims: “How long, O Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?” (Ps. 93:3). And already in a prophetic spirit he answers himself and his descendants: “(The Lord) will turn back their iniquity on them, and by their wickedness he will destroy them; the Lord our God will destroy them” (Ps. 94:23). So here on earth, we can often see that not only “the Lord is patient,” but also punishes severely. A person receives full reward for the life he has lived after death, where he gains eternal life or eternal torment. Sorrows and sufferings of the righteous are often allowed by the Lord for their complete purification and perfection, for the salvation of their priceless soul.
Reasoning and excessive inquisitiveness about things beyond the understanding of our mind.“What is beyond your strength, do not try it. What is commanded to you, meditate on it; for you have no need of what is hidden” (Sir. 3:21-22), says the Holy Scripture. And indeed, often a person begins to talk about things and divine objects that cannot be comprehended by the fallen human mind. For example, about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the laws of Divine Providence, and so on. Often this leads a person to arrogance, pride, charm or unbelief. “I cannot believe in what I cannot understand,” people often say, forgetting that the area of Divine life lies beyond the boundaries of human life experience. To understand God, you must, having purified your soul, live by God, be the receptacle of the Holy Spirit, then this same Spirit will reveal to you the secrets of God. Until such a state of holiness is achieved, one should simply accept on faith what God has revealed to us about Himself through the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers.
Disbelief in the infinite Love of God and His impartiality is a doubt that God loves us all constantly and equally. Regardless of gender, nationality, age. God wants every person to be saved and come to an understanding of the truth. But, having free will, a person can either accept this love or reject it. For which he gives an answer on the day of his private and general Last Judgment.
Disbelief in God's miracles (naturalism)- disbelief or doubt that God, of his own will, can perform actions that violate the laws of nature and exceed the understanding of the human mind. For example: resurrection of the dead, healing of those born blind, etc. We must always remember that God is omnipotent. He established the laws of nature, and, naturally, by His will, can overcome them.
Disbelief in the existence of the spiritual world- denial of the existence of angels and demons, their real impact on the life of every person. Meanwhile, the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers clearly speak of the importance for every person of communication with holy angels and the fight against fallen spirits. In addition, in the Gospel we constantly read about the casting out of demons by the power of Jesus Christ from possessed people (Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 4:40-41) and even about the request of demons to inhabit pigs ( Luke 8:31).
Seeking in faith only the mysterious and miraculous (false mysticism). The false mystic loves mysterious interpretations of the Holy Scriptures; tries to see in every circumstance a special miracle, a special sign from above, and expects miraculous help in everything. At the same time, he forgets the words of God: “...If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.” (Matt. 19:17). This means that to save the soul it is better to work for the Lord with good deeds, cleansing the heart with repentance and prayer, than to seek only the mysterious and miraculous in faith. Since the latter often leads to delusion and spiritual death.
Belief in the inevitability of fate (fatalism). We often hear such words as “what happens, must happen”, “who is destined for it” and others. Here we encounter the false belief in the inevitability of fate. Meanwhile, the Holy Scriptures clearly speak about the free will of man and his responsibility for this freedom. Our Lord Jesus Christ usually taught: “...if anyone wants to come after Me...” (Matthew 16:24), “...if you want to be perfect...” (Matthew 19:21). That is, a person is given complete freedom of action, for which he is responsible, especially on the day of the Last Judgment.
False idea of the Holy Trinity. The false belief that the Holy Trinity consists of many gods. Meanwhile, the message of the Apostle John the Theologian clearly states: “For three bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). In God there are three faces and one being, or one life, so that His faces are not separated from one another at any point, existing together from eternity. Apart from the Most Holy Trinity there is no God. This mystery is great and must be taken on faith, since the knowledge given by God cannot be verified by human experience.
Failure to recognize Jesus Christ as the true God. Many heretics and sectarians deny the Divine essence of our Lord Jesus Christ, falsely claiming that He was just a man powerfully illuminated by the Holy Spirit. This statement undermines the very essence of Christianity and contradicts the words of Christ “... I am in the Father, and the Father in Me...” (John 14:11) “...he who has seen Me has seen the Father...” (John 14, 9). The words of the Apostle John are quite applicable to a person who holds this opinion: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). Anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ as God cannot be saved, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: “...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved...” (Rom. 10, 9).
The opinion that it is enough to worship God with one spirit and going to church is not necessary. There are many people who claim that it is enough to have God in your heart, to remember Him, and that going to church and fasting is not necessary. Great misconception. It was for our salvation that the Lord established the Church, the spiritual hierarchy, and gave the Sacraments. “To whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a Father,” said the 3rd century ascetic Tertullian. Anyone who does not fulfill all the decrees of the Church, established in Her by the Holy Spirit Himself and therefore necessary for the work of salvation, cannot please God. There is no salvation outside the Church. Without observing fasts and not participating in church sacraments, a person finds himself completely defenseless against the world of fallen spirits, falls under the influence and plunges into the kingdom of darkness. “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), said our Lord Jesus Christ, casting out the unclean spirit from the youth. The main reason for the above error is laziness to serve God, unwillingness to limit one’s passions and make efforts to achieve one’s salvation.
Lack of faith- lack of complete deep conviction in any Christian truth or acceptance of this truth only with the mind, but not with the heart. And hence laziness and relaxation in the matter of saving your soul.
Doubt- a thought that violates (explicitly or vaguely) the conviction of the truth of the teachings of Christ and the Orthodox Church. For example, doubt in the gospel commandments, church dogmas, and so on.
Passivity (little jealousy, lack of effort) in spiritual life- passivity in learning Christian truths, the teachings of Christ and the Church. Reluctance to read the Gospel, the Holy Fathers and other spiritual literature. Laziness in studying worship and dogmas of faith.
Fanaticism- cruel and rude attitude towards others based on misunderstood and internalized religious teachings. We must always remember that God is love. And those who imitate Him must also love their neighbor. Love does not command, does not shout, does not threaten, but forgives, is patient and helps. Therefore, any manifestation of arrogance and rigidity indicates that a person is still very far from true knowledge of God.
Disbelief in hellish torments prepared for sinners. Sometimes you come across the false opinion that the Lord, in His great mercy, will have mercy on all sinners and even the devil. The greatest misconception. Living here on earth and having free will, a person, in the process of his life’s journey, chooses who he wants to be with. And if a free person establishes himself in evil, acquires sinful skills and habits, then no one will force him (that is, contrary to the established essence) into the Kingdom of Heaven. No wonder the holy fathers said: “God is good because he created hell.” And indeed, if a sinner went to heaven, he would experience terrible torment there, being in a completely alien and unusual environment. In addition, the words of the Savior are clear and decisive: “...depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels...” (Matt. 25:41) “And these shall go away into eternal torment” (Matt. 25, 46).
Denial of the existence of an afterlife. There is also a false opinion that after death there is no conscious life, that consciousness, the personality of a person, disappears along with the death of the body. The Gospel states exactly the opposite: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul...” (Matthew 10:28). The soul cannot die and rot, because it is not a body. It also cannot dissipate, because it is not air, but a subtle, simple and invisible force. Nothing prevents her from continuing her life after the death of her body, because angels live without possessing any material body. But the human body, according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, will one day come to life: “Your dead will live, your dead bodies will rise!” (Isa. 26:19).
Future afterlife. Orthodox teaching (.pdf)
Belief that all religions are good and salutary- this disastrous wisdom has become especially widespread among supporters of the heresy of ecumenism. The latter adhere to the false opinion that all religions are supposedly branches of one big tree faith and necessarily lead to God and salvation, but in different ways. This intricately woven lie was exposed by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who clearly said: “All of them, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers...” (John 10:8), “I am the door: whoever enters by Me he will be saved...” (John 10:9). And indeed, if it were possible for a person to be saved without Christ, then there was no need for the Son of God to come, become incarnate, endure humiliation, suffering and death on the cross for the human race. But there was no other way. Only by Christ, only by His gracious help, only through the Holy Orthodox Church, does a believer go to his salvation.
Disbelief in the teachings, rules and hierarchy of the Orthodox Church. Currently, many of the converts, coming to faith, try to bring their worldly concepts, judgments, and scale of moral values into the church. Pride and conceit living in a person do not allow him to humbly accept the spiritual treasure of church teaching, reject his false views and begin to build his spiritual house on the rock of the Gospel confession. Often, new converts do not understand that all their previous worldly concepts are extremely far from the truth, and when they come to the Church, they should not judge it and try to reshape it according to their own model, but having reverently accepted the apostolic teaching, remake themselves in accordance with it. “...if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a publican” (Matthew 18:17), says our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Church, as the Apostle Paul points out, is “... the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). And everything that is established in Her is established as in the body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit Himself, for our perfection and salvation.
Infection with doubts about the truth of the Orthodox faith of other people.“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6), says our Lord Jesus Christ, about those who sow temptation in the souls of believers. A great sin is unbelief and doubt in Christian truths, but an even greater sin is infecting others with this devilish poison. Not only does a person perish himself, he also drags his neighbors into the abyss of destruction. For this he will suffer the heaviest punishment.
Renunciation of the Christian faith or apostasy- occurs when people renounce the true faith, fearing persecution and ridicule; for the sake of some earthly calculations or out of passion for false teachings. Whoever turns to harmful heresy or other false beliefs is, according to the word of the Gospel, like “a washed pig that goes back to wallow in the mud” or “a dog that returns to its vomit.” As the Apostle Paul writes: “For if we sin willfully, having received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fury of fire ready to devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27). The Holy Church betrays the apostate to eternal damnation if he does not hasten to convert and bring due repentance.
The introduction of chips and the renunciation of Christ.
Heresy- this is a false teaching related to the spiritual world and communication with it, rejected by the Church and in clear contradiction with the Holy Scriptures and Tradition (this includes: especially popular recently, the doctrine of reincarnation, karma, the presence of excess merit and others). Personal pride and excessive trust in one’s own mind and spiritual experience often lead to heresy. As Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote, “heresy is human wisdom introduced into Divine teaching.” The reason for heretical opinions and judgments may also be insufficient knowledge of the teachings of the Church, and corresponding spiritual and theological ignorance.
Split- this is a willful deviation from unity with the Orthodox Church, the willful creation of groups and prayer meetings that do not have communion with the Russian Orthodox Church and do not obey the church hierarchy. Often people fall into schism because of pride, personal ambitions, political and other reasons. But whatever these motives, we must remember that he who tears apart the robe of Christ (the unity of the Church) and seduces “these little ones” will be subject to the strictest condemnation of Christ, even if by his personal qualities he is a righteous man. Seeing the shortcomings of internal church governance, one must try to eradicate and correct them, and not go into schism. Where there are people, there is always sin, even if these people occupy high positions in the church hierarchy. Among the twelve apostles there was also one Judas Iscariot, but it is not by him that we judge the Christian religion. In the visible earthly part of the Church, there were always people bearing sin, but this did not interfere with the salvation of Christians who wanted to live righteously.
Ritualism- adherence only to the letter of Scripture and Tradition, without following their spirit. What is evident here is a kind of deification of the external, ritual side of church life, while forgetting its deep meaning and high purpose. In this case, there is necessarily a belief in the saving (in itself) meaning of the exact execution of ritual actions, without taking into account their internal spiritual meaning. This testifies to the inferiority of such beliefs, the lack of genuine reverence for God, the oblivion that a Christian must serve God “... in the renewal of the spirit, and not according to the old letter” (Rom. 7: 6).
Mistrust of God- this sin is expressed in the lack of trust in God, as the root cause of all internal and external circumstances, as the Creator who desires our true good. From distrust of God, sins such as despondency, despair, cowardice, and fear of the future arise. Christians suffering from such sin need to remember more often that God is love, that He “was exhausted” (humiliated) to the point of taking on human flesh, endured insults, shame, suffering and death on the cross itself, for the sake of the salvation of each of us. How can you not trust God after this?
Murmuring against God. Often, dissatisfaction with current life circumstances, sorrows and illnesses, cause some people to become dissatisfied with God Himself, which is characterized by murmuring against Him, accusing Him of being unmerciful towards the grieving person. People often forget that the causes of their sorrows and illnesses, first of all, are sins and violation of the Lord’s commandments. At the same time, earthly sorrows are often simply necessary for us to heal from passions and mental illnesses. Murmuring against God is a consequence of distrust of God and can lead to complete falling away from the Church, loss of faith, apostasy and opposition to God. The opposite virtue to this sin is humility before God’s Providence for oneself and complete surrender of oneself to the will of the Lord.
Ingratitude to God. A person often turns to God in times of misfortune, sorrow and illness, asking to soften or even rid himself of them, but when relative calm sets in, a Christian often forgets about God and does not thank him for the help received. The opposite virtue to this sin is constant gratitude to the Lord for the trials, consolations, spiritual joys and earthly happiness He sends. In other words, thank God for everything!
Lukewarmness in Faith- little zeal (or its complete absence) for communion with God and spiritual life in all its manifestations. About such people in the Revelation of the holy Apostle John the Theologian it is said: “... I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot; Oh, that you were cold or hot! But because you are warm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). And, indeed, a person indifferent to faith or even an atheist, under the influence of life circumstances and the grace of God, can repent and radically change. A lukewarm person will smolder spiritually all his life and is unlikely to ever turn to God with all his heart. If a person has no love for prayer, for church, for participation in church sacraments, then this is a clear sign of a lack of zeal for communion with God. In relation to prayer, this manifests itself in the fact that it occurs only under duress, irregular, inattentive, relaxed, with a careless body position, limited only to prayers learned by heart or mechanically read out. Also, there is no constant memory of God, reverence and love for Him, as a constant background of all life. In relation to temple worship, this sin is manifested in rare, irregular participation in public worship, absent-mindedness or talking during services, walking around the temple, distracting others from prayer with your requests or comments. And also, in being late for the start of the service, in leaving before dismissal and blessing. In relation to the sacrament of Repentance, the sin of lukewarmness manifests itself in rare confessions that take place without proper preparation, in the preference for general confession over personal confession, in the lack of desire to recognize one’s deepest sinfulness, in an uncontrite and unhumble spiritual disposition.
Lack of fear of God and reverence for Him.“Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11), says the Holy Scripture. And, indeed, when standing before the Lord at home prayer or in church, we must remember before Whom we stand. We are the creature, He is the Creator; Our present and future depend on Him; We live by Him and exist by Him, we sin by Him. How can you stand before God without fear and trembling? Signs of the presence of this sin are careless, absent-minded prayer, irreverent behavior in church, before the Shrine, and disrespect for the priestly rank. Lack of memory of death and the day of the Last Judgment.
Disobedience to the will of God- clear disagreement with the will of God, expressed in His holy commandments, Holy Scripture, instructions of the spiritual father, the voice of conscience, as well as reinterpretation of God’s will in one’s own way, in a sense beneficial to oneself. This also includes placing one’s own will above the will of Christ, failure to fulfill promises and vows given in confession.
Forgetting about the omnipresence of God. Whatever we do in our lives, we must do as before the face of God, for His glory. He who has constant memory of God will be able to avoid many serious sins. For if we know that the Lord is looking at us, will we at this moment commit an act contrary to His will? Some Christians, upon leaving church or finishing prayer at home, immediately forget about God and begin to live a purely worldly life. Such people are likened to “foolish” people who try to apply water with a sieve. For the grace of God received through prayer is instantly dissipated when we forget about God, in the stream of worldly vanity.
Forgetting about your Guardian Angel. A guardian angel is God's gift to a Christian from the baptismal font to the grave. But even after death, he accompanies the soul until the Judgment of God. It depends on the person himself whether the Guardian Angel will be with him constantly, or will not withstand the stench of sins and will leave. The faith and fear of God of a Christian attract his heavenly guardian, and vice versa, unbelief, lack of faith, and unrepentant sinful life are removed. It is a sin not to pray to your Guardian Angel, not to recognize his beneficial influence on your destiny, for example, when obvious dangers to health and life pass by.
Spiritual egoism, spiritual voluptuousness. Prayer, participation in church Sacraments only for the sake of receiving spiritual pleasures, consolations, and aesthetic experiences. Here, for the sake of pleasant external feelings and emotions, the most important thing is lost, the essence of prayer - a person’s conversation with God. This communion with God requires not only extreme attentiveness and composure, but also a repentant awareness of one’s sinfulness and inability to do anything good without God’s help. The feeling of the living God, striving towards Him with all our being, makes our prayer effective and efficient. At the same time, it is not at all necessary for a person to experience any kind of spiritual consolation or elevated states. If the Lord sent them down to us, thank God, if not, also, thank God! The Holy Fathers strictly warn about the danger of seeking pleasant spiritual sensations during prayer, as this can lead to fatal delusion. Instead of God, an unclean spirit may begin to talk to the seduced person, which will send him sweet (voluptuous) sensations, and the unfortunate person will perceive them as the grace of God, which will lead him to severe mental damage.
Laziness, relaxation in prayer and other spiritual activities. This includes failure to follow and shorten the prayer rule, absent-mindedness in prayer, breaking fasts, eating at the wrong time, leaving church early and not visiting it on holidays and Sundays without particularly good reason. This state is extremely disastrous for the salvation of the soul. With such a relaxed and inattentive life, a person will never be able to get rid of bad passions and habits, or acquire the virtues necessary for eternal life. Formally and somehow fulfilling Christian duties, he thinks that he is giving “to God what is divine” and leads an almost righteous life. In fact, this is complete self-deception. Serving God requires the concentration of all a person’s vital forces, striving towards Him with all one’s being: serve God “with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling”; only with such an arrangement is a correct spiritual life leading to the salvation of the soul possible.
Anger during prayer or immediately upon returning from church.“Therefore I desire that men say prayers in every place, lifting up clean hands without anger or doubting...” (1 Tim. 2:8), says the Apostle Paul. In addition to internal distraction, pure prayer is also hampered by irritants from the outside world. This is anger, annoyance at someone or something, which manifests itself especially often during prayer performed together with others (for example, at a prayer service or memorial service). Why does the disposition to anger manifest itself here? It may be from unaccustomment to prayer or from a hidden burden of the prayer feat, and also, perhaps, from fatigue or enemy action. The devil cannot bear the pure prayer of a Christian, so he uses every possible effort to disrupt or frustrate the prayer. If the evil one does not succeed in this, then he tries to lead a person into anger and irritation immediately after prayer in order to deprive the Christian of her grace-filled gifts. So, each person should carefully watch himself after home or church prayer, so as not to lose the grace received and not make his work useless.
Failure to perform morning or evening prayers due to laziness or neglect. Meanwhile, the Lord Jesus Christ showed us the need for these prayers through the example of His personal earthly life. The Gospel says: “And in the morning, getting up very early, he went out; and he retired to a deserted place and prayed there...” (Mark 1:35), “And having sent them away, he went up the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46). Everything that was done by the Lord was done for our teaching, edification and salvation. Therefore, morning and evening prayers absolutely necessary for a Christian. But there are people who, although they do not reject this rule, nevertheless limit its implementation in the morning and evening only by crossing themselves several times, saying “Lord, have mercy,” or reading one or two prayers and then running about their business, with a feeling of accomplishment debt. Such an action is only an imitation of prayer, for it is impossible to ascend to God in spirit and warm the heart with repentance in a matter of seconds. Our heart, hardened by sin, requires long prayers and spiritual works in order to be at least somewhat warmed by love for God. Therefore, every Christian must strictly, daily follow the complete prayer rule, avoiding shortcuts and nervous haste.
Occupying the mind before morning prayers with conversations and thoughts about everyday things. A person’s first thoughts or reflections after morning sleep, as if after emerging from non-existence into existence, should be turned to God. And the best way to do this is through morning prayers and reading a chapter from the Bible. Our first words after a night's sleep should be a short prayer addressed to God. Such a dispensation, from early morning, sets the necessary mood for the flow of correct spiritual life. On the contrary, thoughts and conversations about everyday things before morning prayers often lead us into anger, quarrels with our neighbors, and upset our spiritual structure for the entire current day. The Holy Fathers speak of the presence of a special evil spirit, which invisibly confronts a person at the moment of his awakening from sleep; The demon's goal is to take over the thoughts of the awakened person and subjugate him to his evil will.
Neglecting prayer before and after meals. The commandment about the need for such prayer is clearly expressed in the word of God: “And when you eat and are satisfied, then bless the Lord your God...” (Deut. 8:10). This ancient covenant of faith is also sanctified by the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, together with his disciples, before and after meals, always offered prayer and thanksgiving to God the Father. Anyone who eats without praying is like animals who, when they see food, immediately pounce on it, not thinking about anything else but food. It is appropriate to recall that prayer and sign of the cross By sanctifying food, they destroy all magic and diabolical action, if there was any in the food.
Neglecting prayer before starting and finishing any work. It is appropriate to begin and end any serious work with prayer, even if it is brief. “...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31) and, of course, it is appropriate to ask for the Lord’s blessing for every good deed . If prayer attracts the favor of the Lord for a planned event, then not to pray during labor means not to value God’s blessing. And without God we cannot do anything truly good and useful. Therefore, every Christian should begin his work with a prayerful appeal to God, asking for the blessing of his planned work.
Ignorance of basic prayers, the Creed, commandments, as well as the lack of desire to know them.“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3), says the Gospel of John. As we see from these words, not only the future fate of a person, but also his earthly happiness depends on true knowledge of God. Consequently, the study of the Holy Scriptures, prayers and the basic truths of Christianity is a necessary duty of every reasonable person. “... to your shame I say, some of you do not know God” (1 Cor. 15, 34), says the Apostle Paul through the centuries to many Christians. Without knowing the basic truths of the Orthodox faith, an ignorant Christian can easily be caught in the network of heretics and sectarians, can easily become entangled in the nets of the evil one and perish spiritually.
Blasphemous thoughts, especially in prayer, accepting and considering them. This includes bad and blasphemous thoughts about God, saints, and church shrines, especially when a person focuses his attention on them and begins to examine them. These blasphemous thoughts are introduced into human consciousness by a fallen spirit, to darken the mind and lead away from faith. Therefore, knowing their nature, a Christian should not only not focus his attention on them and talk with them, but, on the contrary, immediately drive away blasphemous thoughts without any consideration or reasoning. If thoughts continue to appear, then it is necessary to open this temptation in confession and then, as a rule, it loses its power.
Cowardice when prayer requests are not fulfilled. Our Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, by the example of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, teaches us not to grieve when we pray and are not heard (Matthew 26:42). For only the Lord knows what is useful for us and what is not, what can be given immediately, and what after a certain time or not given at all. At the end of the prayer, the holy fathers always teach us to add the following petition: “but not my will, but Your will be done.” It is necessary to completely rely on the will of God according to the word of the Holy Scripture: “Cast your sorrow on the Lord and He will nourish you.”
Fear of enemy insurance. When praying to the Lord and especially when reading the psalter at night, a person may experience demonic attacks, which are expressed in the appearance of a feeling of fear and even fright in the person praying. Some, fearing such insurance, stop praying and reading the psalter altogether. This comes from cowardice and lack of faith. A person must remember that he is a soldier of Christ and demons, without God’s permission, cannot do anything to him. Unclean spirits could not even enter pigs without the will of the Lord (Matthew 8:28-32). Through the Holy Spirit and prayer, a Christian can overcome demons. As the Monk Ambrose of Optina points out: “When you feel such fear and enemy attack, it is useful for you, following the example of the ancient fathers, to pronounce with your lips the psalm words appropriate to this, for example: The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom I will fear; and the entire twenty-sixth psalm. Also: God, come to my help, Lord, strive for my help; and the like. From your own experience you will see how great the power of the inspired psalm words is, which scorch and drive away mental enemies like fire.”
Lack of desire to acquire a Bible, Gospel, and prayer book; careless attitude towards these holy books. The above books are absolutely necessary for a Christian to know God and save the soul. By constantly reading the word of God, we become imbued with the spirit of the gospel and begin to think and think in a Christian way. The very presence of these holy books in the house is as edifying as their absence is harmful. One glance at them calms a person down and awakens good thoughts and desires in his soul. Therefore, it is a sin not to have them, or, having these books, not to keep them in a place of honor or to handle them carelessly, for example, dropping them on the floor, tearing out the sheets, putting cups on them, and the like.
Lack of interest in spiritual reading, as well as in reading the Chetiy-Menaion; disbelief in their content. Spiritual reading internally enriches the reader, reveals to him the experience of an active ascetic life, and provides the necessary role models. Reading the lives of saints and comprehending their exploits in the name of salvation of the soul, a Christian is also inflamed by jealousy and desire for a strict life. In the lives of the saints we see the virtues that the Gospel commands us, clearly realized in the lives of the saints. Therefore, those who want to be saved are always interested to know how others were saved. There are no false legends in the Chetiya-Minea, because they are compiled on the basis of historical legends and with incomparably greater legibility than could be the case when describing civil events. The miraculous stories contained in the lives of saints cannot be a reason to call them false, for what is incomprehensible and impossible for us is possible for people who have become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Ignorance and lack of interest in the life and virtues of the saint whose name you bear. The Church entrusts a Christian with the special protection of the saint whose name she names him at baptism. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian should know the life of his saint, not only out of respect for him, but also to imitate, if possible, the life of the saint of God.
Reading books or manuscripts with anti-Orthodox content, as well as close, friendly relations with atheists. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked...” (Ps. 1:1), says the word of God, pointing out the enormous harm that communication with the wicked (atheists, heretics, sectarians) can cause to a Christian. As St. Seraphim of Sarov pointed out, “a ten-minute conversation with a person whose views are somewhat alien to you is enough to greatly upset your spiritual dispensation.” Reading heretical books also leads a person to internal communication with the authors of these works. The consequence of this is spiritual darkness, doubt in faith, and increased demonic influence on the soul of a Christian. To justify the above sin, people often put forward the opinion that “one must study and know everything in order to hold on to what is good.” But is this what we do in everyday life? When we see excrement and all kinds of uncleanness, do we not bypass them, but “carefully examine” them? It is impossible to dig through sewage without getting dirty. This applies equally to both material and spiritual life. Let those who are entrusted to do so by God by virtue of their ministry study spiritual errors. It’s enough for us to know for sure Orthodox faith and avoid any deviation from it.
Hearing or reading God's Word with ridicule or condemnation- this is how many Jews reacted to the preaching of Jesus Christ. So what? They cut themselves off from salvation “by seeking after Him and trying to catch something from His mouth in order to accuse Him” (Luke 11:54). Mock the sermon; to listen or read it only to criticize the poor word of the preacher is a sin. A Christian must listen carefully to any spiritual word, benefiting from what he hears.
Leaving the temple during sermons or talking during this time. Church preaching is the continuation and development of the teachings of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12). He who leaves the church during it sins against a high and holy cause, against his own spiritual benefit, and shows his pride and conceit in relation to the preacher. One who walks away and talks during a sermon is also a temptation for others; he prevents people from listening to the word of God, and shows his disdain for others.
Consumer attitude towards God and the Church- when there is no desire to help the Church, to sacrifice anything in its name, to work in any way for it. This also includes prayer with requests for worldly success, honors, money - everything that serves to satisfy carnal, selfish desires.
Lack of concern for seeking and doing the will of God in all circumstances of our lives. The Lord alone knows what is good and what is bad for our soul under certain life circumstances. Therefore, knowing that God is Love, Omniscient and Provident, one must always seek His good will in everything. The sin mentioned above occurs when we commit serious actions without thinking about the will of God, without praying and without asking for the blessing of the Creator, without consulting and without asking for the blessing of our confessor.
Love and affection for a creature more than for the Creator, addiction to anything earthly to the point of forgetting God.“Woe to you if, having loved creatures, you forget the Creator,” teaches Blessed Augustine. “Friendship towards this world is enmity against God” (James 4:4), writes the Apostle James. We must always remember that in this world we are only strangers, that this “earth and all the deeds on it will burn.” And therefore, attachment to the temporary, transitory world should not be excessive.
Spiritual individualism- separation of oneself from the community of believers, a tendency to isolation in prayer (even during church services), forgetting that we are members of the Catholic Church, members of one mystical Body of Christ, members of each other. Let us remember the words of Christ: “...where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). A person is not saved by himself, but in the Church, as a member of the Body of Christ, through grace and the Church Sacraments.
Magic, sorcery, fortune telling- are options for communicating with the world of fallen spirits and attempts, with their help, to influence the world around us or predict the future. In the Old Testament, such acts were punishable by death: “... do not cast spells and do not tell fortunes...” (Lev. 19, 26), “Do not turn to those who call the dead, and do not go to wizards, and do not bring yourself to the point of desecration from them . I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:31), “And if any soul turns to those who call the dead and to magicians, to walk after them as a harlot, then I will turn My face against that soul and will destroy it from among its people” (Lev. .20, 6). For sorcery, divination or witchcraft, which includes village corruption (breaks), the sinner faces execution with “fire and brimstone” (Apoc. 21:8). Because here human malice is trying to betray its neighbor directly to demonic influence, with the goal of harming his health and life itself. It is necessary to immediately make a reservation that no sorcery or magic has any effect on a Christian who lives according to the commandments of the Lord. For various fortune-telling, the rules of church councils prescribed six years of excommunication from the Church. And this is certainly true. Who can know the future besides God? An attempt to guess it, bypassing the Creator, is always made with the help of the forces of evil.
Divination from the Bible or psalms, as well as the use of superstitious prayers and spells- is not only a sin of superstition, but also a clear sacrilege. Everything that a person needs to know about the future, the Lord reveals to him through the Holy Scriptures, and, if necessary, through His saints. An attempt to look into the future by demonic methods, and even using Christian shrines, is sacrilege, causing the wrath of God. The use of non-church prayers with ambiguous or generally meaningless expressions in order to expel illness or avoid damage is also a sin. For how can you ask God for something with words whose content you do not understand? Here we are no longer dealing with prayer, but with elements of magic. The occupation of which is an absolute crime before God.
Conspiracies, slander, going to grandmothers to heal from illnesses and change life circumstances. Conspiracies, slander (now they are also called “neurolinguistic programming”) refer to a clearly demonic way of influencing the world around us. Here, with the help of energy, vibration and rhythm of the word and other magical manipulations, an attempt is made to influence the invisible world of fallen spirits in order to receive its help to influence the material world. Often grandmothers who use these magical manipulations cover up their demonic activity with the appearance of church prayers and the use of icons. People who trust them with their lives and the health of their children voluntarily surrender themselves into the hands of demons. This affects the entire earthly fate of such sinners and, in the absence of repentance, deprives them of eternal life.
Involvement or hobby in spiritualism- this is one of the types of magic in which people, supposedly summoning the souls of the dead and communicating with them, come into ordinary contact with fallen spirits. Even in the Old Testament, under threat of death, it was forbidden to question the dead (Deut. 18:9-11). When practicing spiritualism, a person certainly falls under the influence of dark forces, which has an extremely negative impact on his fate and often leads to suicide.
Passion for astrology. Astrology is a type of occultism. In ancient times, astrology, alchemy and magic were closely related to each other. IN ancient world a magician, priest, and sorcerer usually combined the duties of an astrologer, sorcerer, and dream fortuneteller. People received their first knowledge of occultism directly from fallen spirits, for the purpose of direct contact and communication with them. Therefore, although modern astrology dresses up in pseudoscientific clothes, its essence is ancient - magical communication with fallen spirits. It is not for nothing that the best compiler of horoscopes is considered to be the astrologer who has established contact with the demonic world, to which horoscopes “dictate”. Therefore, any passion for astrology, faith in its predictions, opens the human soul to demonic influence.
Extrasensory reading or treatment with psychics. Extrasensory influence is an action of a magical order. It is not for nothing that “advanced” sorcerers call extrasensory perception only the first level of magic. And indeed, if a sinful, passionate person suddenly has the gifts of healing, insight, and the like, they can only be of a demonic nature. People treated by psychics voluntarily surrender their souls to the power of fallen spirits, with all the ensuing consequences. Naturally, for an Orthodox Christian it is not only unacceptable to receive treatment from psychics, but also to communicate with them (attending lectures, watching television programs with their participation).
Orthodox sorcerers. Who are they? (.pdf)
Fascination or contact with a UFO. The UFO phenomenon is a phenomenon of a purely demonic nature. People who believe in aliens and become contactees are usually possessed by unclean spirits. Demons, applied to the psyche of modern man, appear to him in the form of “aliens”, “shining” with high “scientific” achievements. As the holy fathers point out, any voluntary contact with the world of fallen spirits leads the contactee to inevitable death.
Belief in talismans and their practical use- blind faith in mysterious protection from diseases and other unfortunate circumstances is based on lack of faith and superstition. And indeed, if we think rationally, how can some pebble or piece of paper with incomprehensible words, which we constantly carry with us, miraculously help. An Orthodox Christian has a pectoral cross, faith and prayer to Almighty God, Who alone is able to deliver a person from any misfortune.
Passion for demonology- belief in brownies, water creatures, goblins, witches and other evil spirits. Of course, evil spirits exist, they can appear to people in different guises, and a Christian has to fight them, but brownies, as special spiritual entities, and others do not exist. This is fiction and various personifications of the former ancient pagan consciousness. To believe in brownies and be afraid of them means to be in a state of “Christian paganism.”
Excessive faith in premonitions. Although in our life premonitions are sometimes justified, for the most part they are false. Since they are often caused by demonic influence, heated blood, and a neurotic state of the individual. So, naturally, you shouldn’t decide your own or someone else’s future on the basis of premonitions. To believe in a premonition would mean forgetting about the providence of God, which governs our lives, and which, according to its wise and good intentions, can avert the most obvious misfortune from us.
Belief in omens. “Man’s steps are directed from the Lord; How can a man know his way” (Proverbs 20:24). Belief in omens is a type of superstition and has no spiritual basis. It arises from lack of faith and lack of trust in God’s providence for every Christian. Instead of having Orthodox faith and being guided in his life by common sense, a superstitious person makes his successes or failures dependent on various signs.
Guidance in spiritual life by religious prejudices.“Be careful, brethren, that no one leads you away through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ...” (Col. 2:8), the Apostle Paul warns all Christians. And indeed, both before and now there are many false superstitious traditions accompanying church sacraments and rituals. These false beliefs insult the grace of God, which is taught in the sacraments; deprive the power of prayer, for the greater stimulation of which there are rituals and church holidays. Religious prejudices often completely distract a person from concentrating on prayer, on the importance of the sacraments taking place and come down to, for example, not coughing, not spitting, not kissing icons on the day of communion, collecting and burning bones after meals, and so on. The carriers of these prejudices are often regulars of the temple, old women, whose “piety” is manifested precisely in the strict implementation of these arbitrary rules and teaching the same to others.
Faith in all dreams.“Like one who embraces a shadow or one who chases the wind, so one who believes in dreams” (Sirach 34:2), says the Holy Scripture about those who believe in dreams. And indeed, extremely rare dreams are of Divine origin; most of them are the result of the nocturnal mental and physical activity of the body, as well as the result of demonic influence on the brain of a sleeping person. Therefore, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, someone who believes all kinds of dreams is in an extremely dangerous spiritual state. Dreams from God are indelible, separate, clear, can be repeated often, and do not raise the slightest doubt about their Divine origin. And it goes without saying that God, who sends such dreams, also provides the means for realizing their truth. The same dream books that are in circulation among the people and are used to interpret dreams are based on superstitions and remnants of pagan mythology in the popular consciousness.
I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.
This means:
God is one and there are no other gods besides Him. All creation comes from Him, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. In God resides all power and might, and there is no power outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then it is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, of grass to breathe, of a person to live - the essence of the ability of God. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creation receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as much as he sees fit, and takes back when he sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do anything, look only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:
“Merciful God, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, weak, and give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power I have received from You for evil, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors for the magnification of Your glory. Amen".
In God is all wisdom, and outside of God there is neither wisdom nor a drop of knowledge. The Lord has endowed every creature with a piece of His wisdom. Therefore, my brother, if you think that God gave wisdom only to man, you will be mistaken. The bee and the fly, the swallow and the stork, the tree and the stone, the water and the air, the fire and the wind have wisdom.
The Wisdom of God abides in everything, and nothing could exist without a grain of wisdom. According to the wisdom of God, the animal senses danger in advance; and the bee builds a honeycomb; and the fly anticipates the rain; and the swallow makes a nest; and the stork nurses the chicks; and the tree knows how to grow; and the stone knows how to remain silent and keep its shape; and water can flow down from the mountain and soar in a cloud; and the fire, dormant in every thing, can warm and shine; and the wind knows where to blow, and brings purity to uncleanness and health to the sick. Indeed, no one and nothing has its own wisdom, which it itself created or gave birth to, but all wisdom flows from one single source of all kinds of wisdom. And this source is in God. Therefore, when you seek wisdom, seek it only in God, for the Lord is the Source of life-giving and great Wisdom. Apart from this Source there are no others. So pray to God like this:
“God, Almighty and All-Seeing, grant me, the foolish one, Your life-giving wisdom, so that I can better serve You. And guide me, Lord, so that I do not use the knowledge given to me for evil, like Satan, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors, to Your great glory. Amen".
All goodness is in God. Christ said about this: No one is good but God alone(Matt. 19:17). His goodness includes His mercy, patience, and forgiveness of sinners. The Lord has endowed all His creation with His goodness. Therefore, in every creature of God there is Divine goodness. Even the devil has God’s goodness, because of which he desires good for himself and not evil, but out of his stupidity he thinks to achieve good with evil, that is, he thinks that by causing evil to all of God’s creatures, he is doing good for himself. Oh, how much goodness of God is in every creation of God: in stone, in plant, in beast, in fire, in water, in air! All this goodness is borrowed from God - the inexhaustible, bottomless and great Source of all virtue. Therefore, when you seek goodness, do not look for it anywhere except in God. Only He has goodness in abundance. So, pray like this:
“All-merciful, all-merciful and long-suffering God, grant me, the wicked, your goodness, so that from your goodness I may rejoice and shine and be able to serve you even more and better. Guide me and support me, Lord, so that I do not turn Your kindness into evil, like Satan, but direct me only to joy and happiness for myself, so that I can glow with kindness and illuminate with it myself and all of Your creatures surrounding me.”
Let there be no other gods besides Me,- the Lord commanded. Why do you need other gods if there is the Lord God of Hosts? As soon as you have two gods, know: one of them is the devil. But you cannot serve both God and the devil at once, just as one ox cannot plow two fields at the same time, just as one candle cannot illuminate two houses at the same time. The ox does not need two masters, for they will tear it to pieces; and the forests do not need two suns, for they will burn; and the child does not need two mothers, for there will be a “child without an eye.” And you don’t need two gods, for you will become not richer, but poorer. So remain alone with your only Lord of hosts, in Whom is all power, all wisdom and all kindness, inseparable, inexhaustible, endless. Honor Him, the One, worship Him, only fear Him. And when you begin to pray to Him, pray like this:
“Lord, my God, countless creations belong to You, but Your creations cannot have more than one God - You, the Consubstantial One. Dispel, Lord, my bad thoughts and dreams about other gods, like a strong wind disperses an annoying swarm of flies. God, cleanse my soul, illuminate it, expand and settle in it, You, the Only One, like a King in Your palace. This will lift my spirit, strengthen me, educate me, correct me and renew me. Glory and praise to You, the One True God, standing above all false deities, like the top of a mountain above a reflection in a puddle. Amen".
General information about the commandments of the Old and New Testaments
A truly good Christian life can only be had by someone who has the faith of Christ in himself and tries to live according to this faith, that is, fulfills the will of God through good deeds. So that people knew how to live and what to do, God gave them His commandments - the Law of God. The Prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from God approximately 1500 years before the birth of Christ. This happened when the Jews emerged from slavery in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai in the desert.
God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (slabs). The first four commandments outlined man's duties towards God. The remaining six commandments outlined man's duties towards his fellowmen. People at that time were not yet accustomed to living according to the will of God and easily committed serious crimes. Therefore, for violating many commandments, such as: for idolatry, bad words against God, for bad words against parents, for murder and for violation of marital fidelity, the death penalty was imposed. The Old Testament was dominated by a spirit of severity and punishment. But this severity was useful for people, as it restrained their bad habits, and people little by little began to improve.
The other Nine Commandments (the Beatitudes) are also known, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave to people at the very beginning of His preaching. The Lord ascended a low mountain near Lake Galilee. The apostles and many people gathered around Him. The Beatitudes are dominated by love and humility. They set out how a person can gradually achieve perfection. The basis of virtue is humility (spiritual poverty). Repentance cleanses the soul, then meekness and love for God’s truth appear in the soul. After this, a person becomes compassionate and merciful and his heart is so purified that he becomes able to see God (feel His presence in his soul).
But the Lord saw that most people choose evil and that evil people will hate and persecute true Christians. Therefore, in the last two beatitudes, the Lord teaches us to patiently endure all injustices and persecution from bad people.
We should focus our attention not on the fleeting trials that are inevitable in this temporary life, but on the eternal bliss that God has prepared for people who love Him.
Most of the commandments of the Old Testament tell us what we should not do, but the commandments of the New Testament teach us how to act and what to strive for.
The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments of love given by Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is similar to it—thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. " And the Lord also gave us the right guidance on how to act: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them.”
Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
Explaining the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
First Commandment of the Old Testament
“I am the Lord your God; let you have no other Gods besides Me.”
With the first commandment, the Lord God points man to Himself and inspires us to honor Him as the only true God, and besides Him, we should not give Divine veneration to anyone. With the first commandment, God teaches us correct knowledge of God and correct worship of God.
Knowing God means knowing God correctly. Knowledge of God is the most important of all knowledge. It is our first and most important duty.
To acquire the knowledge of God we must:
1. Read and study the Holy Scriptures (and children: the book of God’s Law).
2. Regularly visit God’s temple, delve into the content of church services and listen to the priest’s sermon.
3. Think about God and the purpose of our earthly life.
Worship of God means that in all our actions we must express our faith in God, hope for His help and love for Him as our Creator and Savior.
When we go to church, pray at home, observe fasts and honor church holidays, obey our parents, help them in any way we can, study hard and do homework, when we are quiet, do not quarrel, when we help our neighbors, when we constantly think about God and recognize His presence with us - then we truly honor God, that is, we express our worship of God.
Thus, the first commandment to a certain extent contains the remaining commandments. Or the remaining commandments explain how to fulfill the first commandment.
Sins against the first commandment are:
Atheism (atheism) - when a person denies the existence of God (for example: communists).
Polytheism: worship of many gods or idols (wild tribes of Africa, South America etc.).
Unbelief: doubt about Divine help.
Heresy: a distortion of the faith that God gave us. There are many sects in the world whose teachings were invented by people.
Apostasy: renunciation of faith in God or Christianity due to fear or hopes of receiving a reward.
Despair is when people, forgetting that God arranges everything for the better, begin to grumble dissatisfiedly or even attempt to commit suicide.
Superstition: belief in various signs, stars, fortune telling.
Second Commandment of the Old Testament
“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down or serve them.”
Jews revere the golden calf, which they themselves made.
This commandment was written when people were very inclined to revere various idols and deify the forces of nature: the sun, stars, fire, etc. Idol worshipers built idols for themselves representing their false gods and worshiped these idols.
These days such gross idolatry is almost non-existent in developed countries.
However, if people give all their time and energy, all their worries to something earthly, forgetting family and even God, such behavior is also a kind of idolatry, which is prohibited by this commandment.
Idolatry is excessive attachment to money and wealth. Idolatry is constant gluttony, i.e. when a person only thinks about that, and does only that, to eat a lot and tasty. Drug addiction and drunkenness also fall under this sin of idolatry. Proud people who always want to be the center of attention, want everyone to honor them and obey them unquestioningly also violate the second commandment.
At the same time, the second commandment does not prohibit the correct veneration of the Holy Cross and holy icons. It does not prohibit it because, by honoring a cross or an icon where the true God is depicted, a person gives honor not to the wood or paint from which these objects are made, but to Jesus Christ or the saints who are depicted on them.
Icons remind us of God, icons help us pray, because our soul is structured in such a way that what we look at is what we think about.
When we honor the saints depicted on icons, we do not give them equal veneration as equals to God, but we pray to them as our patrons and prayer books before God. Saints are our older brothers. They see our difficulties, see our weakness and inexperience and help us.
God Himself shows us that He does not prohibit the correct veneration of holy icons; on the contrary, God shows help to people through holy icons. There are many miraculous icons, for example: the Kursk Mother of God, weeping icons in different parts of the world, many renewed icons in Russia, China and other countries.
In the Old Testament, God Himself commanded Moses to make golden images of cherubim (Angels) and place these images on the lid of the Ark, where the tablets with the commandments written on them were kept.
Images of the Savior have been revered in the Christian Church since ancient times. One of these images is the image of the Savior, called “Not Made by Hands.” Jesus Christ put a towel to his face, and the image of the Savior’s face miraculously remained on this towel. The sick king Abgar, as soon as he touched this towel, was healed of leprosy.
Third Commandment of the Old Testament
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
The third commandment is forbidden to pronounce the name of God in vain, without due reverence. The name of God is pronounced in vain when it is used in empty conversations, jokes, and games.
This commandment generally prohibits a frivolous and irreverent attitude towards the name of God.
Sins against this commandment are:
Bozhba: frivolous use of an oath with the mention of the name of God in ordinary conversations.
Blasphemy: bold words against God.
Blasphemy: disrespectful treatment of sacred objects.
It is also prohibited here to break vows - promises made to God.
The Name of God should be pronounced with fear and reverence only in prayer or when studying the Holy Scriptures.
We must avoid distraction in prayer in every possible way. To do this, it is necessary to understand the meaning of the prayers that we say at home or in church. Before saying a prayer, we must calm down even a little, think that we are going to talk with the eternal and omnipotent Lord God, before Whom even the angels stand in awe; and finally, say our prayers slowly, trying to ensure that our prayer is sincere - coming straight from our mind and heart. Such reverent prayer pleases God, and the Lord, according to our faith, will give us the benefits that we ask.
Fourth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall work and do all your work in them, and the seventh day, a day of rest, will be dedicated to the Lord your God.”
The word "Sabbath" in Hebrew means rest. This day of the week was called this because on this day it was forbidden to work or engage in everyday affairs.
With the fourth commandment, the Lord God commands us to work and attend to our duties for six days, and to devote the seventh day to God, i.e. on the seventh day to perform holy and pleasing deeds to Him.
Holy and pleasing to God deeds are: caring for the salvation of one’s soul, prayer in the temple of God and at home, studying the Holy Scriptures and the Law of God, thinking about God and the purpose of one’s life, pious conversations about the objects of the Christian faith, helping the poor, visiting the sick and others good works.
In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was celebrated in memory of the end of God's creation of the world. In the New Testament from the time of St. The apostles began to celebrate the first day after Saturday, Sunday - in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.
On Sunday, Christians gathered for prayer. They read the Holy Scriptures, sang psalms and received communion at the liturgy. Unfortunately, now many Christians are not as zealous as in the first centuries of Christianity, and many have become less likely to receive communion. However, we must never forget that Sunday should belong to God.
Those who are lazy and do not work or do not fulfill their duties on weekdays violate the fourth commandment. Those who continue to work on Sundays and do not go to church violate this commandment. This commandment is also violated by those who, although they do not work, spend Sunday in nothing but fun and games, without thinking about God, good deeds and the salvation of their souls.
In addition to Sundays, Christians dedicate to God some other days of the year, on which the Church celebrates great events. These are the so-called church holidays.
Our greatest holiday is Easter - the day of the Resurrection of Christ. It is "the celebration of celebrations and the celebration of celebrations."
There are 12 great holidays, called the twelve. Some of them are dedicated to God and are called the Lord's feasts, others of them are dedicated to the Mother of God and are called the Theotokos feasts.
The Lord's holidays: (1) Nativity of Christ, (2) Baptism of the Lord, (3) Presentation of the Lord, (4) Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, (5) Resurrection of Christ, (6) Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (Trinity), (7) Transfiguration of the Lord and (8) Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Feasts of the Mother of God: (1) Nativity of the Mother of God, (2) Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God, (3) Annunciation and (4) Dormition of the Mother of God.
Fifth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and may you live long on earth.”
With the fifth commandment, the Lord God commands us to honor our parents and for this he promises a prosperous and long life.
To honor parents means: to love them, to be respectful to them, not to insult them either by words or deeds, to obey them, to help them in daily labors, to take care of them when they are in need, and especially during their illness and old age, also pray to God for them both during their life and after death.
The sin of disrespect for parents is a great sin. In the Old Testament, anyone who spoke bad words to their father or mother was punished by death.
Along with our parents, we must honor those who in some respect replace our parents. Such persons include: bishops and priests who care about our salvation; civil authorities: the president of the country, the governor of the state, the police and everyone in general from those who have the responsibility to maintain order and normal life in the country. Therefore, we also need to honor teachers and all people older than us who have experience in life and can give us good advice.
Those who sin against this commandment are those who do not respect elders, especially old people, who are distrustful of their comments and instructions, considering them “backward” people and their concepts “outdated.” God said: “Rise up before the face of the gray-haired man and honor the face of the old man” (Lev. 19:32).
When a younger person meets an older one, the younger one should say hello first. When the teacher enters the classroom, students must stand up. If an elderly person or a woman with a child enters a bus or train, the young person must stand up and give up his seat. When a blind person wants to cross the street, you need to help him.
Only when elders or superiors require us to do something against our faith and law should we not obey them. God's law and obedience to God are the supreme law for all people.
In totalitarian countries, leaders sometimes make laws and give orders that are contrary to God's Law. Sometimes they demand that a Christian renounce his faith or do something against his faith. In this case, a Christian must be ready to suffer for his faith and for the name of Christ. God promises eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for these sufferings. “He who endures to the end will be saved...Whoever gives his life for Me and for the Gospel will find it again” (Matt. 10th chapter).
The Sixth Commandment of the Old Testament
"Don't kill."
The sixth commandment of the Lord God prohibits murder, i.e. taking life from other people, as well as from oneself (suicide) in any way.
Life is the greatest gift of God, therefore no one has the right to take this gift away.
Suicide is the most terrible sin because this sin consists of despair and murmuring against God. And besides, after death there is no opportunity to repent and make amends for your sin. A suicide condemns his soul to eternal torment in hell. In order not to despair, we must always remember that God loves us. He is our Father, He sees our difficulties and has enough strength to help us even in the most difficult situation. God, according to His wise plans, sometimes allows us to suffer from illness or some kind of trouble. But we must firmly know that God arranges everything for the better, and He turns the sorrows that befall us to our benefit and salvation.
Unjust judges violate the sixth commandment if they condemn a defendant whose innocence they know. Anyone who helps others commit murder or helps a murderer escape punishment also violates this commandment. This commandment is also violated by the one who did nothing to save his neighbor from death, when he could well have done so. Also the one who exhausts his workers with hard work and cruel punishments and thereby hastens their death.
The one who wishes the death of another person also sins against the sixth commandment, hates his neighbors and causes them grief with his anger and words.
Besides physical murder, there is another terrible murder: spiritual murder. When a person tempts another to sin, he spiritually kills his neighbor, because sin is death for the eternal soul. Therefore, all those who distribute drugs, seductive magazines and films, who teach others how to do evil or give bad example. Those who spread atheism, unbelief, witchcraft and superstition among people also violate this commandment; Those who sin are those who preach various exotic beliefs that contradict Christian teaching.
Unfortunately, in some exceptional cases it is necessary to allow murder to stop an inevitable evil. For example, if the enemy attacked a peaceful country, warriors must defend their homeland and their families. In this case, the warrior not only kills out of necessity to save his loved ones, but also puts his life in danger and sacrifices himself to save his loved ones.
Also, judges sometimes have to sentence incorrigible criminals to death in order to save society from their further crimes against people.
Seventh Commandment of the Old Testament
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
By the seventh commandment, the Lord God prohibits adultery and all illegal and unclean relationships.
The married husband and wife made a promise to live together all their lives and share both joys and sorrows together. Therefore, with this commandment God forbids divorce. If a husband and wife have different characters and tastes, they should make every effort to smooth out their differences and put family unity above personal gain. Divorce is not only a violation of the seventh commandment, but also a crime against children, who are left without a family and after a divorce are often forced to live in conditions alien to them.
God commands unmarried people to maintain purity of thoughts and desires. We must avoid everything that can arouse unclean feelings in the heart: bad words, immodest jokes, shameless jokes and songs, violent and exciting music and dances. Seductive magazines and films should be avoided, as well as reading immoral books.
The Word of God commands us to keep our bodies clean, because our bodies “are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit.”
The most terrible sin against this commandment is unnatural relations with persons of the same sex. Nowadays, they even register a kind of “families” between men or between women. Such people often die from incurable and terrible diseases. For this terrible sin, God completely destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as the Bible tells us about (chapter 19).
Eighth Commandment of the Old Testament
"Don't steal."
By the eighth commandment, God prohibits theft, that is, the appropriation in any way of what belongs to others.
Sins against this commandment can be:
Deception (i.e. appropriation of someone else's thing by cunning), for example: when they evade paying a debt, hide what they found without looking for the owner of the found thing; when they weigh you down during a sale or give the wrong change; when they do not give the worker the required wages.
Theft is the theft of someone else's property.
Robbery is the taking of someone else's property by force or with a weapon.
This commandment is also violated by those who take bribes, that is, take money for what they should have done as part of their duties. Those who violate this commandment are those who pretend to be sick in order to receive money without working. Also, those who work dishonestly do things for show in front of their superiors, and when they are not there, they do nothing.
With this commandment, God teaches us to work honestly, to be satisfied with what we have, and not to strive for great wealth.
A Christian should be merciful: donate part of his money to the church and poor people. Everything that a person has in this life does not belong to him forever, but is given to him by God for temporary use. Therefore, we need to share with others what we have.
Ninth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against another.”
By the ninth commandment, the Lord God forbids telling lies about another person and forbids all lies in general.
The ninth commandment is broken by those who:
Gossiping - retelling to others the shortcomings of his acquaintances.
Slanders - deliberately tells lies about other people with the aim of harming them.
Condemns - makes a strict assessment of a person, classifying him as a bad person. The Gospel does not forbid us to evaluate actions themselves in terms of how good or bad they are. We must distinguish evil from good, we must distance ourselves from all sin and injustice. But we should not take on the role of a judge and say that such and such our acquaintance is a drunkard, or a thief, or a dissolute person, and so on. By this we condemn not so much evil as the person himself. This right to judge belongs only to God. Very often we see only external actions, but do not know about a person’s mood. Often sinners themselves are then burdened by their shortcomings, ask God for forgiveness of sins, and with God’s help overcome their shortcomings.
The ninth commandment teaches us to bridle our tongue and watch what we say. Most of our sins come from unnecessary words, from idle talk. The Savior said that man would have to give an answer to God for every word he spoke.
Tenth Commandment of the Old Testament
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his field... nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
With the tenth commandment, the Lord God forbids not only doing anything bad to others, our neighbors, but also forbids bad desires and even bad thoughts towards them.
The sin against this commandment is called envy.
Anyone who envyes, who in his thoughts desires what belongs to others, can easily lead from bad thoughts and desires to bad deeds.
But envy itself defiles the soul, making it unclean before God. The Holy Scripture says: “Evil thoughts are an abomination to God” (Prov. 15:26).
One of the main tasks of a true Christian is to cleanse his soul from all internal impurity.
To avoid sin against the tenth commandment, it is necessary to keep the heart pure from any excessive attachment to earthly objects. We must be content with what we have and thank God.
Students in school should not be jealous of other students when others are doing very well and doing well. Everyone should try to study as best as possible and attribute their success not only to themselves, but to the Lord, who gave us reason, the opportunity to learn and everything necessary for the development of abilities. A true Christian rejoices when he sees others succeed.
If we sincerely ask God, He will help us become true Christians.
My blessed son, I salute you. Last time, I cut off my letter to you at the most interesting point. At least I am convinced of this. After all, the usual set of topics with which we amuse ourselves is very small, filled with nonsense and playful jokes. In such a familiar game, let’s talk about God. It's like entering the light from darkness. My eyes can't stand it. The legs stop moving. The hearing is intense. It takes time to get comfortable. Fear God!
The word of the great Bible. “Let us hear the essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man; For God will bring every work into judgment, even every secret thing, whether it is good or evil” Eccl. 12:13,14.
The first commandment of God's law says:
“I am the Lord your God; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Ex. 20:2-3.
Unexpectedly, really. You'll probably say. So, I don’t have any gods at all. I live for myself, no worse than others. You know, my son, even though we are children of Christian civilization, reflecting on this revelation, I see how far we are from fulfilling this simple requirement of God.
I am very glad that for now you can only be with your mind, but I agreed with the idea that God really exists. This is no longer enough. That's a lot. You hear the voice of God addressed to you.
"I am the Lord your God." The first reaction, which is quite natural, is who GOD is.
A little earlier, in the text of the book of Exodus, God had already answered a similar question from Moses. Jehovah! Existing. This is a translation. Literal meaning the named name of God is expressed in a few words. " I am what was, what is and what will be" God showed His omnipotence during the exodus of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. He gives His Law to lead man out of the moral, spiritual and physical slavery in which man has been since the fall of Adam.
I believed in God, and His revelation enters my heart as a greeting, as evidence that God has noticed me. God offers Himself to help me. You are a slave. You are a slave to all fears, idols, traditions. I am ready to free you, says God.
How do you, my son, accept such an appeal from God to yourself? Does it inspire a feeling of awe in you? Or do you have questions like: how will you prove that you are God? It is impossible for a proud person whose heart is stricken by sin to accept such a word from God as evidence of God’s special attention. My son. This is where I ask you. Accept this personal appeal to you as God’s special touch to you, as a sign of attention, as evidence of God’s love.
The Lord God, revealing Himself to you, declares His exclusivity. About your unknowable essence. I am God! I am the Lord. I am the Existent! The supreme power, the absolute power belongs to Me. I am the Lord, I am not accountable to anyone, I am not obligated to anyone, I am your God.
My beautiful son, when you say that you believe in God, do you believe in His absolute power? Don't rush to answer. More often than not, we easily say what is required of us, but do exactly the opposite. After all, the essence of our recognition of the absolute power of God is that we recognize our absolute dependence on Him. Do you believe in your complete dependence on Him? If you believe in Him, you are completely independent of idols, anyone’s opinions, attitudes. If you believe, how do you live?
I am trying to put my thoughts into words, I feel that it is in this awareness of God by God that our liberation from false ideals, idols and gods begins.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
The first condition for the possibility of knowing God. Clear the space in your mind. Free your senses from all idols. Show yourself as an independent, free, upright person. “Who are these idols”? - you ask. “I don’t have any idols. I’m not an idolater.” Calm down son, calm down. This statement means that we have discovered the first idol. This is your own “I”. Consciously or unconsciously, in our nature, the “I” dominates. As they say "Ego". Now God says my Lord is God. Your Lord God. Without God you are nothing and no one. Without God everything is nothing. By rejecting the law of God, you reject God, you become His opponent. My son, although this is an axiom, it nevertheless requires heartfelt reflection and acceptance. First with the mind. Then with the heart. Then by will. And this will be the fulfillment of the first commandment. That's what Jesus Christ said. “Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment”; Matthew 22:37,38.
God is all in all. And the world, the visible and the invisible world, the physical world and the spiritual world - this is all insofar as God commanded it to be. Without Him, nothing began to be that began to be! Our approach to God can be measured by our distance from false idols. I will tell you, my son, that this commandment, the first commandment, is the most difficult. The most important one. It cannot be fulfilled by consent. It cannot be fulfilled by a promise. This is a commandment that, if you accept it, becomes the content of life. The essence of life. God from a religious God becomes the God of your life. God, becoming your God, fills your life with Himself. When you remove the "I" from its pedestal, fulfilling the command of God, He gives you the ability to discover the gods you worship. Worship is certainly not literal, not necessarily religious, but worship as an addiction. For example, we all know the tragic effect of alcohol on a person. Civilized people say alcoholism is a disease. But why does a person fall into dependence, literally into slavery? Does he understand the danger? From childhood he is taught that drinking is forbidden, harmful, dangerous. Because “I” is on a pedestal. "I" myself. "I know. "I can. "I want". As a result, when it is too late, it is discovered that the “I” in such a powerful manifestation is just a slave’s hysteria. When God is on the pedestal, then "I" is at the feet of God. Then, in my life, a revision of my values takes place. It is not you who determine whether an idol is or is not an idol, good or bad, possible or impossible, pure or unclean. God determines all this. This is what faith in God means. This is complete trust. This is complete obedience to Him. This is the fulfillment of His commands. Our faith, our obedience begins with the removal of all gods. This may be the most difficult thing for us. We solve all the issues ourselves; we, after all, are pragmatists, all the threads of life are in our hands, we have not fallen on our faces before various prejudices for a long time. However, my son, what about astrological forecasts? What about amulets, amulets? Family heirlooms. Icons from grandma. Relics from my great-grandfather. A talisman as a guardian of fate. Add signs here. Grandmother's conspiracies. Damage. Witchcraft. And you find that your life is filled with deities, superstitions that control you.
May you have no other gods.
This is the story of Abraham. Read it, it is written in the Bible, the book of Genesis, chapters 12 to 25. Abraham is called the father of all who believe. God called him to follow Him. Get out of your father's house. Leave your kinship. I'll show you where to go. This is a very significant process of liberation that God performs in the fate of Abraham. While omitting many experiences, I want to recall the great testimony of Abraham's faith. God promises him a son. When Abram turns one hundred years old, his son, Isaac, is born. Clearly a miracle. Gift of God. Evidence of God's faithfulness. Then, several years later, God speaks to Abraham. “God said: Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac; and go to the land of Moriah and there offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you about.” Gen. 22:2. The matter can be stated as follows. I want to check, do you love Abraham, Me, or yourself, your son? Abraham did everything as God told him. When Isaac was already lying on the altar, Abraham heard. “Do not raise your hand against the boy and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God and have not withheld your son, your only son, for Me.” Gen. 22:12. This extremely complex story shows us the faithfulness of God, and His Omnipotence. It is clear that God does not need the sacrifice of Abraham's son. But Abram needs such a line where the reality of his faith, the reality of trust in God, is tested. For in this act of faith, first of all, is the victory of Abraham. Freedom of Abraham. Then, the Apostle Paul, speaking about the effectiveness of faith, writes: “By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, sacrificed Isaac, and, having a promise, offered his only begotten, of whom it was said: In Isaac shall your seed be called. For he thought that God was able to resurrect from the dead, which is why he received it as a sign.” Hebrews 11:17-19. This is the moment when a person’s faith manifested itself so much that it overcame the power of death. The essence of everything is that God leads our life through death, into eternity. " And the world passes away, and so does its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:17.
For people, parents can be God. There may be children. Maybe fame. Maybe a career. There may be public opinion. Maybe a house. There may be money. For us, laziness is our god. Lie. Carelessness. Indifference. This is love for the world. The world is passing by. The world is temporary. All passions are temporary. But God is eternal!
Notice my son. Whom, or even what, you serve, worship, that is who you are. If you worship alcohol, you are an alcoholic. If you worship your career, you are a careerist. If you worship someone else’s opinion, social principles, you simply disappear as a person. They talk about such things as weather vanes. You seem to be free. But your decisions depend on some external factors. Even clothes appearance, the manner of speaking is all the influence of fashion. You are a piece of furniture, a temporary temple built by someone. You are part of someone's plans. A cog in a mechanism started by someone unknown. A set of elements, dust that turns to dust. No spirit. There's no point. And the will is enslaved. For if you serve matter, soulless, spiritless, even if you are seven spans in the forehead, then even then you are meaningless dust in a meaningless universe.
Of course you will object to me. You will say, no, I am free to behave this way, I voluntarily choose this style of clothing for myself, I myself determine with whom I communicate and what beliefs I profess. Fine! I agree. Now come on, imagine your style. Your ideology. Justify, confess and implement. From the gray faceless mass, show yourself with dignity and persuasiveness. As an individual. As a person. As a free PERSON. Is there something in you that you can rely on?
God is speaking to you personally. I am Jehovah. I Am Being. I am what was, what is and what will be!
“Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:3.
God says, I am the Lord your God! God expresses his recognition to you. He recognizes you as his partner. He reveals Himself to you. It makes you a person. He brings you into his plans. You recognize God as God, you enter into a close, trusting relationship with Him. We can say that when you trust God, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, you are not afraid of anyone or anything! You are with God. You are free.
Until next time, my son.
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