THE INNER MAN

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE INNER MAN

The holy Apostle Paul writes: "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal,
sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I
do not practice; but what I hate, that I do…For the good that I will to do, I do not do;
but the evil I will not to do, that I practice…I find then a law, that evil is present with me,
the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward
man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" [Romans 7:14-23].

Man believes himself to be all knowing and, therefore, filled with conceit and pride; yet, knows very little, if anything, about his inner nature, his inner-self. Man’s inclination and concern is only for the outer man and his immediate gratification, while inwardly, his inner-self, is neglected and his needs are ignored. Outwardly, man may seem happy and content while his inner-self is famished, grieved, and in great need of God’s grace and healing.

Whether men or women, the spiritual challenges are the same and so are the goals. In order for either to attain their spiritual goals there must be a greater understanding of who they truly are. For that to be achieved we must come to know ourselves both from within as well as without. No one should be satisfied by his or her outward appearance, personality and intelect. If that is the case, a person remains unfulfilled, shallow and superficial. There is no substance or depth in his/her character.

Man is not sinful by nature. The Orthodox Church rejects any teaching that man has a "sinful nature’ or that man’s nature is depraved to the core. In Roman 7:17 clearly shows that it is something distinct from our nature. Because we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), there is an indelible goodness in our human nature that can never be undone. While we can become immersed in sin, we believe that it is still not part of our nature, but a foreign force "that dwells in ” us. Thus, sin is what we do, NOT what we are. Saint Paul clarifies the distinction between the will of the soul and the will of the flesh because the soul is reborn in baptism, it can strive to follow "the law of God." Yet we understand that our flesh remains corrupt in this world, and it often fights against our will to do good.

Christians, on the other hand, live in a new mode of existence by the power of the Holy Spirit our God. As we have been liberated from the way of the flesh, in our marriage to Christ we bear fruit to God. Our Almighty God and Creator deems necessary that we seek Him not only with our intellect but completely, in other words, both body and soul. God does not want part of me. He wants all of me. Commitment to God requires us to completely rely on Him. It also means our complete trust and surrender to Him. Our commitment to Him must always be whole and unreserved. This is expressed by the litanies of our Holy Church which call upon us to "commit ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our God." And, prior to receiving Holy Communion, we pray: "O Master Who loves mankind, unto You we commit our whole life and our hope."

Just as we constantly feed the body we must also constantly feed our soul. The soul needs the grace of the Holy Spirit Who is the "Comforter, the Spirit of Truth… Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life..". There is no life and salvation without Him. Our soul hungers for the blessings of the Holy Spirit Who fulfills all our spiritual needs. He is the One Who satisfies all the needs and nourishment and cleansing of our souls and bodies. He is the only True Guide to a life in Christ. Believers "do not know" how to pray effectively. The guidance of "the Spirit" in prayer aids in overcoming our "weakness" by teaching us how to pray and by interceding directly for us when our own prayers are inadequate.

Strive with all your might to discover your true Christian identity and when you accomplish it to protect it. There is the evil one and his evil forces that we must contend with daily but we need to always seek God’s wisdom, protection and illumination to discern good from evil. Prayer must alway be in our mind, lips and heart throughout day and night. and say: "Enlighten the eyes of my understanding O God. Open my heart to receive Your words; teach me Your Commandments; help me to do Your will, confessing Your from my heart, singing and praising Your All-Holy Name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George