THINKING, FEELING AND ACTING AS A CHRISTIAN

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.

THINKING, FEELING AND ACTING AS A CHRISTIAN

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we
keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know
Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever
keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected
in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He
Who says he abides in Him ought himself also to
walk as He walked" [1 John 2:3-6].

Our personal commitment to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ must be a total commitment which means thinking, feeling and acting as a Christian at all times. The true Christian avoids hypocrisy and selectiveness in how he or she thinks, feels and acts. To know God is to obey Him. "His commandment" is Christ’s that we love as Christ loved us. "The Lord commanded…You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, from your whole soul, and from your whole power. So these words I command you today shall be in your heart and in your soul. You shall teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). Our Creator expects His children to obey Him and to adore and to always honor Him.

Christians are living in the world but must not be of the world. Attachment to this world and worldly things often lead them to forget the One True God and go after other idols such as material possessions of wealth, pleasure, power, and vice. Christians need to guard their mines, hearts and souls, lest they fall into sin. Our Lord God "brought" "the children of Israel" out of Egypt that He might "bring" them "in" to the land of promise. Similarly, He brings us out of our attachments to this world and into attachment to the Kingdom of God.

Christians have a New Testament or New Covenant with God Almighty. There is no greater agreement than the one we have made with Him to live in faith, agape, and obedience to His commandments. By keeping His Covenant faithfully we secure our salvation and our entrance to His heavenly Kingdom. "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God chose you to be a people for Himself, special above all the nations on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6). God’s grace does not cancel out free will. Everything which leads to a greater relationship with Him is offered out of agape and nbe pot because we are compelled to do so.

"So Jesus said, ‘Are you alls still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the ;mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those thing which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are THE THINGS WHICH DEFILE A MAN, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man" (Matthew 15:16-20). True defilement comes from the heart, not external rituals. This means that internal "evil thoughts" like murder, adulteries, and blasphemies are the actual sources of a person’s sin, not the acting of eating with unwashed hands, as the Pharisees mistakenly believed. The Orthodox Church stresses purity of heat through an inner transformation of the mind, will, and desires.

We, as Orthodox Christians, must combat evil thoughts, evil feelings and actions which defile us. Jesus is very clear when He teaches that the things that "defile a man" are those that originate from the heart, which includes evil thoughts, intentions, and actions. The concept of the purity of the heart is central to Orthodoxy theology and is often interpreted through the lens of a continuous, lifelong process of inner purification. The "heart" is seen as the seat of both thoughts and emotions, and it is the condition of the heart that determines one’s spiritual state.

The believer who is vigilant always is able to be prepared to fight against evil thoughts, emotions and actions. No Christian can ever allow himself/herself to believe that there is no spiritual warfare taking place not only daily but every minute of the day. The idea of "evil thoughts" (Gk. logismoi) is understood in a broader sense, reflecting a corrupt imagination or disposition than can lead to all kinds of sin, not just a single thought.

"Surprising, the Holy Bible treats the heart as the place where we do our THINKING–we think in our hearts, NOT our heads. And, as Saint Matthew 15:19 shows, those thoughts are not always noble or good. In our culture we regard our ability to reason as of the highest aspects of human personhood, but forget how often we employ that faculty in less-than-noble pursuits. The biblical Greek word for thinking actively, like when you’re thinking something through, is DIANOIA, and it includes selfish fantasies, plotting, and scheming."

"He has scattered the proud in the imagination (dianoia) of their hearts" (Luke1:51). So if the heart is where humans do their thinking, where do they feel emotions? The strongest emotions, as well as the deepest thoughts, are said to arise from "the inward parts," the bowels and kidneys, as we might refer to "gut feelings." That sounds coarse in our culture, though; so modern English translations usually substitute something more polite, located higher up the body."

The principal action of the believer is to seek communion with God and Creator. This communion is achieved through Jesus Christ, and our purpose is to live in a relationship with God through prayer and action. The NOUS is considered the organ for directly knowing God and the deeper essences of things, not just through rational thought. It is what allows for the "knowledge of God" through immediate experience. Orthodox theology frequently equates the NOUS with the spiritual "heart" or "eye" of the soul, and the terms are often used interchangeably. The holy Fathers of the Church taught that evil thoughts (logismoi) originate from demonic assaults, external sensory input, and internal passions. To combat them, one should not engage with them bur rather ignore them, pray the Jesus Prayeras a shield, guard the senses, and fill the mind with holy words, and hymns. The key is to consistently reject the thoughts without giving them power, leading to a struggle that strengthens faith.

There is an antidote for Orthodox Christians for injuries incurred by sinful passions and that is the Church’s Mysteries or Sacraments, especially through the Sacrament of Confession/repentance through which the faithful are cleansed, forgiven, healed, restored, and reconciled with our Loving and All-compassionate God. This involves openly confessing sins to God in the presence of a priest, who acts as a spiritual guide and witness. Repentance is a change of mind and heart, turning away from sin and orienting one’s life back toward God. It is both a turning point and a lifelong journey of seeking to live according to God’s will. After the confession the Orthodox priest offers a prayer of absolution and God’s forgiveness is granted through the priest’s blessing. "He said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any they are retained" (John 20:22-23). These words of Christ are among the Scriptural foundations of the Sacraments of Holy Orders and repentance. Christ’s own Holy Priesthood is communicated. to the Bishops and Priests of the Church. (Resources: Orthodox Study Bible)

PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, AGAINST SHAMEFUL THOUGHTS:

O All-Holy Lady Theotokos, drive away from me, thy sinful and unworthy servant, listlessness,
forgetfulness, ignorance, negligence, and all evil thoughts, both shameful and blasphemous;
expel them from my miserable and beleaguered heart, from my defiled soul, and from m darkened
mind. Quench the flame of my passions, and have mercy on me and help me, for I am weak and
distressed. Deliver me from the evil notions and preoccupations that beset me; and free me from
all wicked deeds, both y night and by day. For most Blessed art thou and glorified is thy Holy
Name unto ages of ages. Amen.

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things1"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George