UNITED IN ONE FAITH

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.

UNITED IN ONE FAITH

"Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I
thank God that I baptized none of you except
Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that
I had baptized in my own name" [1 Corinthians 1:13].

Orthodox Christian theology views the unity of faith as the only possible unity for Christians and the Christian Church. Orthodox theology also holds that the Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. "Is Christ divided" Or is the Church? The answer to all questions in this passage 1 Corinthians 1:13, is NO! One can leave the Church, but NOT DIVIDE IT! Factionalism, however, brings great harm to the Church, for it seeks to give the Apostle a place which only Christ should occupy. Many looked upon the Apostles as teachers of philosophy rather than preachers of the Cross. The factions do not accept true wisdom, which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit, and they misrepresent the Apostles as rivals to each other rather than fellow workers with Christ. Our Holy Orthodox Church views divisions or schisms in the Church’s history as a denial of its nature, separation from Christ’s body and a departure from the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

The UNITY OF THE CHURCH follows of necessity from the unity of God; for the Church is NOT a multitude of persons in their separate individuality (Protestantism), but A UNITY OF THE GRACE OF GOD; living in a multitude of rational creatures, submitting themselves willingly to grace. Grace, indeed, is also given to those who resist it, and to those who do not make use of it (who hide their talent in the earth), but these are not in the Church. In fact, the unity of the Church is not imaginary or allegorical, but A TRUE AND SUBSTANTIAL UNITY, SUCH AS IS THE UNITY OF MANY MEMBERS IN A LIVING BODY.

The CHURCH IS ONE, notwithstanding her division as it appears to a man who is still alive on earth. It is only in relation to man that it is possible to recognize a division of the Church into visible and invisible; her unity is, in reality, true and absolute. Those who are alive on earth, those who have finished their course, those who, like the Angels, were not created for a life on earth, those in future generations who have not yet begun their earthly course, are all united together in one Church, in one and the same grace of God; for the creation of God which has not yet been manifested is manifest in Him; and God hears the prayers and knows the faith of those whom He has not yet called out of non-existence into existence. Indeed the Church, the Body of Christ, is manifesting forth and fulfilling herself in time, without changing her essential unity or inward life of grace. And therefore, when we speak of "the Church visible and invisible," we speak only in relation to man.

"The Church was not simply another organization in Roman society. The Lord Jesus Christ had given the promise of the Holy Spirit to "GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH" [John 16:13]. With the fulfillment of that promise beginning with Pentecost, the Church bore more than mere institutional status. She IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION WITH MYSTERY, but A MYSTERY WITH ORGANIZATION. Saint Paul called the Church "A DWELLING PLACE OF GOD IN THE SPIRIT" [Ephesians 2:22]. The Church IS A DYNAMIC ORGANISM, THE LIVING BODY OF JESUS CHRIST. She makes an indelible impact in the world, and those who live in her life and faith are PERSONALLY TRANSFORMED.
But the New Testament also reveals that the Church had her share of problems. Everything was NOT perfect. Some individuals within the Church even sought to lead her off the path the Holy Apostles established, and they had to be dealt with along with the errors they invented. Even whole local communities lapsed on occasion and were called to repentance, Discipline was administered for the sake of purity in the Church. But there was growth and maturation, even as the Church WAS ATTACKED FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT."

SCHISM, from the Greek word σχίζω, schizo, meaning, tearing, splitting, dividihg, separating. A schismatic is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group. It is therefore a dreadful and painful experience for all concerned. The Church was never meant to be either torn or split and every effort was to be made to avoid schism within the Church. However, in 1054 a schism took place between the Eastern and Western Church. A cardinal sent by the Pope, slapped a document on the altar of the Cathedral Church of Agia Sophia in Constantinople during the Sunday Divine Liturgy, excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople from the Church. The ultimate consequence of the Pope’s action was that the whole Roman Catholic Church ended up divided from the New Testament faith of Orthodox Christianity. The schism has never been healed although efforts have been made in recent times to reconcile by the two Churches lifting the anathema as they did in 1965. Also, by improving open communication through dialogue. Although it was reported by the late Metropolitan Maximus Agiorgousis, who was one of the Orthodox theologians participating in the dialogues with the Roman Catholics, that it was decided by both the Orthodox as well as the Roman Catholic theologians, after 50 years of dialogue that there were no longer any heresies to address or rectify. But how can this be when the Roman Catholic Church has not admitted to its heresies and, therefore, has not made any changes in their theology or dogma? What happened with the Orthodox theologians and their fidelity to the Orthodox Church and to the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the dogmas and holy canons?

Heresies are also the culprit for schism and division among Christians. Currently there are so many heresies among the heterodox that make it practically impossible to reconcile and strive for unity, unless there is genuine repentance, that they would be willing to denounce their heretical beliefs and practices, and to embrace the Eternal Truth of Christ and His Holy Church. Furthermore in the First Canon of Saint Basil the Great he defines it this way: "Schisms is the name applied to those who on account of ecclesiastical causes and remediable questions have developed a quarrel amongst themselves." And, "all those who not only fell away from the Church but also STUCK TO CERTAIN HERETICAL OPINIONS." The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer as early as the beginning of the second century states: "Do not err, my brethren! If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Hieromartyr Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, the disciples of the Apostles’ disciple, says: "Christ will judge those who create a schism, who have no love of God and look after their own interests more than the unity of the Church, and either for reasons of little importance or random causes, SPLIT AND TEAR THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS BODY OF CHRIST." Schism must not ever be trivialized or treated lightly by anyone who truly understands the ramifications that it produces. Schism not only tears up the Church from within but it hurts, divides, and confuses the Orthodox faithful who have no voice in the matter but are innocent and caught in the crossfire. A schism is brought about also by Church power struggles, rivalry among the hierarchy, bizarre intrigues, and politics. There is also interference from militant and antichristian elements from without, whose aim is to divide and destroy the Christian Church from within.

To look at the various schisms within the Church over the centuries is horrific and painful. There are the Monophysites ("Oriental Orthodox Churches i.e., Coptics, Armenians, Indians, Ethiopians), the great schism of 1054 with the Western Church, Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and the fragmentation of its adherents to an astonishing number of 45,000 denominations worldwide. Does no one see what is happening to the Christian Church and be alarmed by this tragedy? Have our Church leaders forgotten the words of Saint Paul to the Corinthians? "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT YOU ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING, AND THAT THERE IS NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU,BUT THAT OU BE PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SAME MIND AND IN THE SAME JUDGMENT…NOW I SAY THIS, THAT EACH OF YOU SAYS, ‘i AM OF PAUL,’ OR ‘I AM OF APOLLOS,’ OR ‘I AM OF CEPHAS,’ OR ‘I AM OF CHRIST.’ IS CHRIST DIVIDED? [1 Corinthians 1:10-13]. NO! CHRIST IS NOT DIVIDED AND NEITHER IS THE CHURCH.

LET US ALL PRAY TOGETHER FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH, AND FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO BE UNITED IN CHRIST WHO IS THE ONLY HEAD OF THE CHURCH, OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

___________
"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