4:1 My child, remember day and night him who speaks the word of God to you, and honor him as the Lord. For wherever his lordship is spoken of, there he is.]
4:2 Seek each day the faces of
the saints,
in order that you may be refreshed by their words.
4:3 Do not initiate divisions, but rather bring peace to those who contend against one another. Judge righteously, and do not take social status intoaccount
when reproving for transgressions.
4:4 Do not waver in your decisions.
4:5 Do not be one who opens his hands to receive, or closes them when it is time to give.
4:6 If you have anything, by your hands you should give ransom for your sins.
4:7 Do not hesitate to give, and do not complain about it. You will know in time who is the good Rewarder.
4:8 Do not turn away from one who is in want; rather, share all things with your brother, and do not say that they are your own. For if you are sharers in what is imperishable, how much more in things which perish!
4:9 Do notremove
your hand from your son or daughter; teach them the fear of God from their
youth.
4:10 Do not give orders to your servants when you are angry, for they hope in the same God, and they may lose the fear of God, who is over both of you. God is surely not coming to call on us according to our outward appearance or station in life, but to them whom the Spirit has prepared.
4:11 And you, servants, be subject to your masters as to God's image, in modesty and fear.
4:12 You should hate all hypocrisy and everything which is not pleasing to the Lord.
4:13 Do not in any way neglect thecommandments
of the Lord, but keep what you have received, neither adding nor taking away
anything.
4:14 In your gatherings, confess your transgressions, and do not come for prayer with a guilty conscience. This is the way of life!
4:3 Do not initiate divisions, but rather bring peace to those who contend against one another. Judge righteously, and do not take social status into
4:4 Do not waver in your decisions.
4:5 Do not be one who opens his hands to receive, or closes them when it is time to give.
4:6 If you have anything, by your hands you should give ransom for your sins.
4:7 Do not hesitate to give, and do not complain about it. You will know in time who is the good Rewarder.
4:8 Do not turn away from one who is in want; rather, share all things with your brother, and do not say that they are your own. For if you are sharers in what is imperishable, how much more in things which perish!
4:9 Do not
4:10 Do not give orders to your servants when you are angry, for they hope in the same God, and they may lose the fear of God, who is over both of you. God is surely not coming to call on us according to our outward appearance or station in life, but to them whom the Spirit has prepared.
4:11 And you, servants, be subject to your masters as to God's image, in modesty and fear.
4:12 You should hate all hypocrisy and everything which is not pleasing to the Lord.
4:13 Do not in any way neglect the
4:14 In your gatherings, confess your transgressions, and do not come for prayer with a guilty conscience. This is the way of life!
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I apologize ahead of
time for the longer than usual blog this week.
The fourth chapter of
the text briefly focuses on particular Christian behavior and virtues, such as
the gathering together of believers, the respect of the church’s teachers,
giving, raising children in the fear of God, treating slaves right, apostolic
teaching, etc.
There
is quite a bit jam packed into this small chapter; so I will attempt to make
quick mention on each of these. The chapter opens with urging believers to
respect and “remember” those who teach God’s word to us; this is generally
believed to be referring to the Bishops, but can apply to Priests and Deacons as
well. Sts. Paul and Jude tell us to hold fast to the teachings handed down by
them (2 Tim. 2:23, 2 Thess. 2:15, Jude 1:3). The teaching that was given by
Christ to the Apostles - and then to their disciples - is the foundation of the Apostoloic teaching; and it is something to hold onto dearly. Bishops/Priests have been ordained
by God and the Church not only to teach believers, but to hand down what was
taught to them by their predecessors, the Apostles themselves (this is the inherent
meaning of the Greek word for Tradition, parádosis: Close beside, or
to Give Over).
Bishops are not free to develop their own teachings or ideas, but must be those teachings given them by the Apostles themselves (unless it is something developed that is in very close concord with what the Apostles taught). Many do not like the idea of Apostolic succession because it seemingly puts authority in the hands of mere men; however, even the scriptures put the teaching of the apostles and these “men” on equal paring with Christ when it comes to authority; In fact Christ indeed gave them his authority over all men, spirits, and even to forgive sins on behalf of their Master. (Mat 10:40, 28:18-20, John 20:23). He gave them charge to teach the world and bring men to Himself. This is their mission. They are shepherds over God’s flock.
Bishops are not free to develop their own teachings or ideas, but must be those teachings given them by the Apostles themselves (unless it is something developed that is in very close concord with what the Apostles taught). Many do not like the idea of Apostolic succession because it seemingly puts authority in the hands of mere men; however, even the scriptures put the teaching of the apostles and these “men” on equal paring with Christ when it comes to authority; In fact Christ indeed gave them his authority over all men, spirits, and even to forgive sins on behalf of their Master. (Mat 10:40, 28:18-20, John 20:23). He gave them charge to teach the world and bring men to Himself. This is their mission. They are shepherds over God’s flock.
When the Bishop teaches, it is our job to sit and listen.
Fr. Josiah Trenham teaching on Godly Marriage and Virginity.
The same is true in St.
Paul’s mind, as we will see further down, when he states that the husband
should treat his wife as the church, and the wife is to submit to her husband
as unto Christ. God deals in relationships, and in relationships there is Loving
hierarchy and authority: husband wife and children, teacher and student, the
young and the elderly, the Pastor and the flock, God and his people. According to
the teaching of the Apostles in the first century, the Christian is to respect
those who teach the Gospel to them, which according to St. Paul is the power to
save among those who hear and believe (Rom 1:16).
In
vs. 2, it is interesting to note that Christians are instructed to seek each
other out daily for encouragement (Heb 10:25). I have found it refreshing in
the older traditions (Roman Catholic & Orthodox) that the Church is usually
open every day of the week for this very purpose. The majority of modern groups
gather on Sundays and sometimes midweek for a bible study, but this is the
extent of the participation. It is unfortunate to see many modern Christians
viewing the Church as a Sunday spiritual gas-station, instead of a daily
filling up for the purpose of pouring out the spirit on those surrounding them.
In the ancient church they had to meet daily to survive persecution, hunger,
homelessness, sickness, depression; this was their reality. The Church and the
gathering of believers was a daily necessity for survival. Let us seek each
other every day.
A youth conference gathering
The Faithful gathered in front of St. Andrew Orthodox Church, Riverside, CA
In
vs. 5-8, the topic of Giving is discussed. The man who is quick to accept alms
but slow to give it is harshly condemned here. Giving has been a Major part of
Christian practice since the beginning. Along with Prayer & Fasting, Giving
is one of the three chords of righteous living (The Orthodox put a heavy focus
on these three, especially during Lent). Vs. 8 puts forward an apologetic
argument as to why a Christian MUST give. We give because we have already
received from Christ, whom we must imitate. The dichotomy of spiritual and physical
is mentioned here as well. When believers are together giving thanks to God, we
are mutually sharing in the imperishable things (the grace and love of God),
and thus we should have no issue receiving and giving away the less important
material things. I know, easier said than done!
Vs.
9-11 briefly touch upon the raising of children and the treatment of slaves.
Only one verse is given for the raising of children; this chapter is not meant
to be a discourse on child rearing; interesting that this verse is quickly put
in. There are two things taught here: (1) be sure to not withhold discipline.
It is important to make sure the child does not let their own passions and
desires run rampant, but instead learn obedience. Scripture is full of
reminding children that this is for their protection, just as God the Father
may discipline us for our betterment. Once the child learns obedience to their
parents, they will have the discipline to obey Christ also. It is much harder
to bend the knee to Christ when one has not learned to do so to their parents
and those appointed over them. Just as St. Paul describes the husband under
Christ, and the wife under the husband, children are under the authority of
mother, father, and God. (2) Teach them the fear of the Lord. Raising them to
read the scriptures, pray, give, and fast – at an appropriate age and maturity –
is the most important thing a parent can do. Without the guidance of these
disciplines, no fear of God can be instilled. Although, for a short time, the early church began to view the married life as secondary to the monastic way of living, it did not last long; many volumes have been written on its importance by
the church fathers, and family life has been a staple of Orthodox Christianity ever since.
The
final versus of the chapter points us back to the first section of the chapter:
the teaching of the Apostles. A warning is given to those who would add or
subtract to the Apostles teachings. The verse urges the believer to hold fast
to those commandments received via the Apostles. It also warns the believer to
not add or subtract from this teaching (please reference John 16:13, Gal. 1:18,
1 Tim. 6:20, 1 John 2:24). This is a major contention between the Orthodox and
the Latins/Protestants; the Orthodox state that according to what we have
received from the Apostles, the Latins added to it, and the Protestants – in an
overcorrection – took away from it. Immediately is mentioned the Sacrament of
Confession. There is left no room for question; the Christian MUST confess
their sins and transgressions “In Church.” We will leave that for another time.
The Holy Branches of Christ, the Apostles
With
so much jam packed into this chapter, we were only able to skin the surface.
One of the most interesting things about our Text is that some chapters spend a
lot of time on one topic, while others only dedicate one verse – or even half a
verse – to its topic; chapter 4 is of the later. Bellow is chapter 5, which I
will skip. It is very straight forward. Gives a list of those behaviors that
lead to destruction and is called the Way of Death. The prayer is that the
believer be delivered from these actions and behaviors. “May you be delivered,
children, from all these things.”
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5 The Way of Death
5:1 The way of death, on the other hand, is this: It is evil and accursed—murders, adulteries, lust, illicit sex, thefts, idolatries, magical arts, sorceries, robberies, false testimonies, hypocrisy,double-heartedness,deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness—those who do not fear God.
5:2 The way of death is the way of those who persecute the good, hate the truth, love lies, and do not understand the reward for righteousness. They do not cleave to good or righteous judgment; they do not watch for what is good, but for what is evil. They are strangers to meekness and patience, loving vanities, pursuing revenge, without pity for the needy and oppressed. They do not know their Creator; they are murderers of children, destroyers of God's image. They turn away from those who are in need, making matters worse for those who are distressed. They are advocates for the rich, unjust judges of the poor. In a word, the way of death is full of those who are steeped in sin. Be delivered, children, from all of this!
5:1 The way of death, on the other hand, is this: It is evil and accursed—murders, adulteries, lust, illicit sex, thefts, idolatries, magical arts, sorceries, robberies, false testimonies, hypocrisy,double-heartedness,deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness—those who do not fear God.
5:2 The way of death is the way of those who persecute the good, hate the truth, love lies, and do not understand the reward for righteousness. They do not cleave to good or righteous judgment; they do not watch for what is good, but for what is evil. They are strangers to meekness and patience, loving vanities, pursuing revenge, without pity for the needy and oppressed. They do not know their Creator; they are murderers of children, destroyers of God's image. They turn away from those who are in need, making matters worse for those who are distressed. They are advocates for the rich, unjust judges of the poor. In a word, the way of death is full of those who are steeped in sin. Be delivered, children, from all of this!
With Love,
Athanasios (Devin) Green
"It also warns the believer to not add or subtract from this teaching (please reference John 16:13, Gal. 1:18, 1 Tim. 6:20, 1 John 2:24). This is a major contention between the Orthodox and the Latins/Protestants; the Orthodox state that according to what we have received from the Apostles, the Latins added to it, and the Protestants – in an over-correction – took away from it." This is a great point, Athan. I come from the Protestants and my wife from the Latin church. I think in some ways it's easier for both of us to see how the Protestants took away from it. The challenge for her is to see how the Latins added to it and to leave those 'additions' and come to Orthodoxy. Thanks for your thoughts.
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