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.
"… A GOOD ACCOUNTING BEFORE THE FEARFUL
JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST." (Divine Liturgy)
"And He shall come again with glory TO JUDGE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD; WHOSE KINGDOM
SHALL HAVE NO END…" (Creed)
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the
holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His
glory. And all the nations will be gathered before Him,
and He WILL SEPARATE THEM ONE FROM ANOTHER,
AS A SHEPHERD DIVIDES HIS SHEEP FROM THE GOATS.
AND HE WILL SET THE SHEEP ON HIS RIGHT HAND, BUT
THE GOATS ON THE LEFT. Then the King will say to
those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world…" (Matthew 25:31-34).
"And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
and books were opened. And another book was opened,
WHICH IS THE BOOK OF LIFE. And the dead WERE JUDGED
ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS, BY THE THINGS WHICH
WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS" (Revelation 20:12).
"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith
but does NOT have works? Can faith save him? …thus also
faith BY ITSELF, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, IS DEAD.
But if someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’
Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith
by works" (James 2:14-18).
Since the Cross is now near for Him, Jesus raises up the hearer to the sight of the Glory of the Son of Man, His Judgment Seat, and the whole world before Him. He shows the heavens opened and "all the holy angels" present to witness His judgment. For if the First Coming of the Son of Man was in humility, to serve and to die, the Second Coming will be in "GLORY," as King to Judge "all the nations." The works produced by faith are emphasized, FOR A SAVING FAITH PRODUCES RIGHTEOUS WORKS. It is possible to fool ourselves about whether we truly believe, but what we do so reflects our true inner state that we will need no other evidence before God’s Court.
"Standing before God" at His Throne at the FINAL JUDGMENT, "THE DEAD" ARE CONFRONTED WITH "THEIR WORKS." "THE BOOKS" OF JUDGMENT (Daniel 7:10) CONTAIN A RECORD OF MEN’S OWN DEEDS; THEIR WORKS WILL JUDGE THEM (Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 17:10). This judging of believers’ works is a common New Testament theme (Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:6; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Peter 1:17); see also the anaphora of the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, and the hymns for the Sunday of the Last Judgment). In contrast, "the Book of Life" contains the names of all who are saved by grace (see Exodus 32:32; Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1, 2): God’s mercy is far greater than human works, good or bad. The Orthodox Divine Liturgy thus petitions God for a "A GOOD ACCOUNT BEFORE THE DREAD JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST."
The Lord Jesus Christ says, "And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, YOU DID IT TO ME.’ Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘DEPART FROM ME, YOU CURSED, INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS: ‘FOR I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU GAVE ME NO FOOD; I WAS THIRSTY AND YOU GAVE ME NO DRINK; I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU DID NOT TAKE ME IN, NAKED AND YOU DID NOT CLOTHE ME, SICK AND IN PRISON AND YOU DID NOT VISIT ME… ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, INASMUCH AS YOU DID NOT DO IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU DID NOT DO IT TO ME. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:40-46).
The standard of Judgment IS UNCALCULATED MERCY TOWARD THE NEEDY AND POOR. As one can see Jesus identifies Himself with the poor and the outcast and invites to brotherhood all who are kindled with agape for others (1 John 4:20. These are crowned with grace. The faith that saves IS A COMPLETE FAITH: not just the mind believing and the tongue confessin, but the whole man trusting in the Living God. This means our faith and our relationship with God–our justification–are dynamic and living. Our faith grows and affects our actions, or it dies. "Faith alone" (by itself", v. James 2:17), static faith, DOES NOT SAVE. We must nurture our faith in God and love for Him THROUGH OUR WORKS OF LOVE.
Our Holy Orthodox Church rejects the Protestant doctrine of SOLA FIDE (SALVATION OR JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE), viewing it as legalistic framework that separates ffaith from a living, cooperative relationship with God. There is definitely a synergy of faith and works. Faith and works CANNOT BE SEVERED. True, LIVING FAITH naturally and necessarily expresses itself through agape (love), repentance, and obedience to Christ’s commandments. Works do NOT "earn" or purchase salvation as a commercial transaction, but are the active realization of faith. Rather than viewing salvation as a single, static legal even tin the past (i.e., "I was saved at this moment"), Orthodox Christianity teaches SALVATION AS A CONTINUOUS REALITY: ONE WAS SAVED (AT BAPTISM), IS BEING SAVED (THROUGH THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH AND KEEPING COMMANDMENTS), AND WILL BE SAVED (AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT).
It is common for Orthodox theologians frequently to cite the Epistle of James ("You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone") to show that a faith devoid of works of love is dead. Also, passages such as Matthew 25 (the sheep and the goats) and Matthew 7:21 emphasize that humans are evaluated and judged based on how their faith manifested in concrete acts of agape and mercy. The Synod (Council) of Jerusalem in 1672 formally addressed and rejected Protestant doctrines, explicitly condemning the idea of justification by faith alone and affirming that sLIVING FAITH WORKS THROUGH LOVE AND THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH. [Resources: The Orthodox Study Bible)
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in Christ’s Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
