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 FIRE WILL TEST EACH ONE’S WORK…" [1 Corinthians 3:13].
"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which
is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST. Now if anyone builds on
this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day
will declare it, because it will be revealed by FIRE; AND
THE FIRE WILL TEST EACH ONE’S WORK, OF WHAT SORT
IT IS. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he
will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will
suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through
fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the
temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God
is holy, WHICH TEMPLE YOU ARE" [1 Corinthians 3:11-17].
Saint John Chrysostomos in his commentary writes: "I say, no man can lay it so long as He is a Master-Builder; but if He lay it. The holy Apostle Pau proves the whole of his proposition. His meaning is this: "I have preached Christ, I have delivered unto you the foundation. Take heed how you build thereon, lest haply it be in vainglory, lest haply so as to draw away the disciples unto men." Let us not give heed unto the heresies. "Fo other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid." Upon this then let us build, and as a foundation let us cleave to it, as a branch to a vine; and let there be no interval between us and Christ. For if there be any interval, immediately we perish. For the branch by its adherence draw the fatness, and teh building stands because it is cemented together. Since, if it stands apart it perishes, having nothing whereon to support itself. Let us not then merely keep hold of Christ, but let us be cemented to Him, for if we stand apart, we perish. "For they who withdraw themselves far from Thee, shall perish;" [Psalm 27, Septuagint] so it is said. Let us cleave then unto Him, and let us cleave then unto Him, and let us cleave by our works. "For he that keepeth My commandments, the same abideth in Me" [John 14:21].
If any man, build upon this foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shll be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.
THIS is no small subject of inquiry which we propose, but rather about things which are of the first necessity and which all men enquire about; namely, whether hell fire have any end. For that it hath no end Christ indeed declared when He said: "Their fire shall not be quenched, and their worm shall not die" [Mark 9:44,46, 48]. Well, I know that a chill comes over you on hearing these things, but what am I to do? For this is God’s own command, continually to sound these things in your ears, where He says, "Charge this people..
As I said then; that it hath no end. Christ has declared. Paul also saith, in pointing out the eternity of the punishment. that the sinners "shall pay the penalty of destruction, and that for for ever" [2 Thessalonians 1:9]. And again, {1 Corinthians 6:9) "Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, shall inherit the Kingdom of God." And also unto the Hebrews he said, (Hebrews 12:14) "Follow peace with all men,and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord." And Christ also, to those who said, "In Thy Name we have done many wonderful works," saith, "Depart from Me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity" (St. Matthew 7:22). And the virgins too who were shut out, entered in no more. And also about those who gave Him no food, He saith, (St. Matthew 25:46) "They shall go away into everlasting punishment."
But since Saint Paul’s saying appears to some to tell the other way, come let us bring it forward also and search it out thoroughly. For having said, "If any man’s work abide which he has built thereon, he shall receive a reward; and if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer no loss" he adds, "but himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire." What shall we say then to this? Let us consider first what is "the Foundation," and what "the gold," and what "the precious stones," and what "the hay," and what the "stubble." "The FOUNDATION," then, he has himself plainly signified to be Christ, saying, "For other foundation CAN NO MAN LAY THAN THAT WHICH IS LAID, WHICH "he said, "IS JESUS CHRIST."
Next, THE BUILDING seems to me to be actions. Although some maintain that this also is spoken concerning teachers (bishops) and disciples (people) and concerning CORRUPT HERESIES: but the reasoning does not admit it. For if this be it, in what sense, while "the work is destroyed," is the "builder" to be "saved," though it be "through fire?" Of right, the author ought rather of the two to perish; but now it will be found that the severer penalty is assigned to him who has been built into the work. For if the teacher was the cause of the wickedness, he is worthy to suffer severer punishment: how then shall he be saved?" If, on the contrary, he was not the cause but the disciples became such through their own perverseness, he is no whit deserving of punishment, no, nor yet of sustaining loss: he, I say, who builded so well, in what sense then does he say, "he shall suffer loss?"
From this it is plain that the discourse is about ACTIONS. For since he means next in course to ut out his strength against the man who had committed fornication, he begins high up and long beforehand to laydown the preliminaries. For he knew how while discussing one subject, in the very discourse about that thing to prepare the grounds of another to which he intends to pass on. For so in his rebuke for not awaiting one another at their meals, he laid the grounds of his discourse concerning the mysteries. And also because now he is hastening on towards the fornicator, while speaking about the "Foundation," he adds, "Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God? and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man destroy." (or "defile") the Temple of God, him will God destroy." Now these things, he said, as beginning now to agitate with fears the soul of him that had been UNCHASTE.
The Church is an ORGANIC WHOLE (it is "planted", (2) a "building", (3) a "Temple". In vv. 16, 17 "you" is plural and refers TO THE WHOLE CHURCH. One who would break THIS UNITY WOULD DESECRATE A HOLY PLACE. "Fellow workers" (Greek SYNERGOI) IS THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF SYNERGISM, SHOWN HERE BY HOW THE HOLY APOSTLES WORK TOGETHER WITH GOD IN CARRYING OUT THE MINISTRY (DIAKONIA), So too, we as God’s fellow workers COOPERATE WITH Him to do His will. By this cooperation or synergy with God, we DO NOT mean a working together of equals, or a so-called fifty-fifty arrangement. Rather we mean that He is Lord and WE HIS SERVANTS (DOULOI KYRIOU) or {Servants of the Lord) are called TO PARTICIPATE OBEDIENTLY IN HIS WORK.
"Yours" and "You" here are plural. They refer not to the Individual but to the corporate Church. The Church possess THE WHOLE, "ALL THINGS", BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST–HIS PERFECT AND GLORIFIED HUMANITY–AND CHRIST IS GOD. Individual opinion in Doctrine and private interpretation of Holy Scripture (Protestantism) which STANDS APART FROM THAT OF THE CHURCH, OR OUTSIDE, HOLY APOSTOLIC TRADITION, ARE HERETICAL AND CREATE DIVISION AND BLASPHEME. We are witnesses of that very fact today when we see what is taught by the heterodox and their constant fragmentation to the point of claiming 45,000 Protestant sects throughout the world. Every sect and every member of the sect has the ability and the "right" to interpret the Christian Gospel according to his/her personal or individual interpretation. Christianity founded and established by our Lord. God, and Savior Jesus Christ was NEVER MEANT TO BE FRAGMENTED. WE ARE UNITED IN CHRIST, WE ARE HIS BODY, HE FOUNDED ONLY ONE CHURCH. In his Epistle to the Ephesians 5:25-32, Saint Paul explains: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER, THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE HER WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD, THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT HER TO HIMSELF A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT OR WRINKLE OR ANY SUCH THING, BUT THAT SHE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH…THIS IS A GREAT MYSTERY, BUT I SPEAK CHRIST AND THE CHURCH." "CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER…". By their actions, heresies, distortions, revisions, and divisions the people who are part of these sects have committed a grave sin against our Lord and Savior Jesus Chiist and instead have become His enemies.
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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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 