LIFE WITH CHRIST. Articles of Comfort and Blessings Offered to the Reader

Transcription

1 Father Matta El-Meskeen LIFE WITH CHRIST Articles of Comfort and Blessings Offered to the Reader To continue the previous chapters, Father Matta here talks about the crucifixion and how we are partners of Christ s death and resurrection. Also he talks about the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day. All are topics worth to take heed of. Volume One Part Two Chapter 8 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Romans 6:6 E MUST REALIZE that Christ died with our old body, because He died as a W sinner and blasphemer. We too are deemed to have had our old body crucified with Christ because of the sins in it, but our old body also died on the cross and sin died along within it, which means that sin was annulled through death, i.e. died. When Christ rose He resurrected in the new body cleansed from sin and we rose through His resurrection, because His resurrected body is our new body free of sin and alien to it. Thus and only thus our new body became incapable to be a slave to sin because it is considered a justified body in the body of Christ. This way God saved us through the death and resurrection of His Son with us in Him. He saved us from sin as a whole, and in detail, with Christ s righteousness and grace abiding in us instead of sin. If a sinner dies after having confessed his sins and has been cleansed from sin through the Holy Spirit, he is no more deemed a sinner because he is reckoned to be living in Christ in whom he believed, nay it is Christ who inevitably lives in him 1. 1 Cf Gal 2:20. 1

2 Thus Christ has given the old body, dead due to sin in it, that had been sentenced to death, and made it a new living body through the Spirit that cannot sin 2 because Christ Himself is reckoned to live in it. All this explanation is linked to the Christian faith with which we live in the everlasting light of God that is never extinguished, for it lights the secrets of consciences and hearts. This in short is the meaning of us being fellows in the death and resurrection of Christ. Partners of Christ s death we were given to have the old body sentenced to death and were offered a new living body of a new creation deemed not able to sin 3, because this new creation is actually the body of Christ in His full divinity, and it was offered us to become partners in it. Its heritage is the heritage of the glory of the Son and we also are partners in His heritage. It is thus clear to us that the Christian faith in its furthest limits, has at the bottom an old body dead to sin which we inherited from the top of the cross and the burial of the tomb, and over it a new spiritual body as a new spiritual creation whose homeland is heaven and its heritage is the glorious heritage of Christ. As for the revelation of Christian faith to the world, it will appear when Christ will appear in glory and we will also appear with Him 4, as the whole world will see Him in the fullness of His glory with us in Him, because we will be like Him 5. Hidden matters from us now, but will be present through revelation, which God s chosen children see because it is their life, glory and pride. Christ freed us from Adam and his offspring s past offering us to acquire the citizenship of Christ and share in His glory. Prayer We thank God who qualified us to become members of His household through Christ who is His beloved Son, As He also freed us from our dark past and gave us the light of life and eternity, Though our old man has died, we have our new living creation through God, with Him. Here, we come to You O Lord Jesus Christ, To note in us the truth of the death of the old man with his sins lest the serpent revive it through its enchantment rising to mar our life. 2 1John 3:9. 3 Ibid. 4 Cf Col 3:4. 5 1John 3:2. 2

3 Here we present to Your love our new life in You, So as to enjoy the favor of Your presence, and You cover us with Your righteousness and grace that presents us to God Your Father. 7 July, 2005 Chapter 9 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1 A VERSE OF JOY, acclamations and acknowledgment for Christ and God s favor. Those who believe firmly in Christ are considered to have died with Christ on the cross and been buried with Him then resurrected with Him. This means that their old body died, as sin had died in it, while not considered humanly responsible man having been a slave to sin but Christ freed him by dying for him on the cross. Consequently the old body died with its deeds and all its carnal passions. This inevitably imposed the annulment of judgment meant to be for unbelievers. The Apostle Paul cries out this victory acknowledging God and Christ s favor that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Those who are fellows in the death of Christ and are qualified for redemption at the present, prepared to sacrifice the body the day Christ is revealed so as to appear with Him in glory. 1 Those who believe in Christ at the present are fellows in the death and resurrection of Christ, i.e. they have attained complete redemption and their sins are forgiven. For that reason Paul cries out the cheer of victory and glory that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ for whom Christ atoned for their sins by the sacrifice of His cross resurrecting them with Him as a new creation, God pouring on it His eternal righteousness and grace. This makes it impossible for them to undergo condemnation because they have fulfilled it in the body of Christ who was condemned instead of all sinners. The last part of this joyful and elating verse of redemption from condemnation to those who believe in Christ and have become in Him by faith, is weakened in its meaning by: who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit mentioned in the Holy Bible s old Arabic edition of Beirut been added to this verse, an addition that does not exist in the original Greek Bible. It could be interpreted as referring to the works of the Law with the old body. This addition is out of place. 1 Cf Col 3:4. The New Bible translation in which all the Churches participated (1993) mentions this verse correctly without the last part that existed in the old Arabic edition of Beirut (1865) which upsets the meaning of the 3

4 Once more we must understand that when Christ was crucified, He was crucified in the old body that is ours, bearing the burden of sin and the curse. When He was buried in the earth He buried sin and the curse completely destroying them. Thus we are reckoned to have died from sin, and the body that was responsible for it died. We hence became a new spiritual creation that does not sin 2 and bears no sin but is considered to carry the righteousness of Christ and His eternal grace. The new man adhered to God and became reckoned to be members of the household of God 3 waiting for the revelation of Christ to appear with Him in glory 4. This new man was given to be covered in eternal holiness in the heavenly holies with Christ 5 in a very exceptional way no other creation sharing it with him. In short there exists no condemnation in any way for those who believe in Christ because the cross was the greatest condemnation for man, and He who died on it an eternal sacrificial death for mankind was Jesus Christ. He was judged an unjust death for all man s sins, bearing them in His body on the cross, accepting also the curse the Law had placed on the crucified sinners that says: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree 6. Christ accepted it in His body on the cross to fulfill the redemption of man, a complete and total redemption that is inclusive and eternal. Prayer O Crucified for my sake, You accepted Your cross and consequently my condemnation was removed. Thus, when You accepted death, I was saved from the death awaiting me, Death and shame, and the curse are Adam s inheritance. You annulled it all with Your heritage, After the death and darkness that were awaiting me, Your light shone upon me and enveloped me. You exchanged death with life, darkness with light, sadness with joy. In this way the first heaven and the first earth vanished for the new ones You had prepared to reveal. 8 July, 2005 first part. The second part was not mentioned in the original authorized Greek edition nor in the old Coptic translation. 2 Cf 1John 3:6. 3 Eph 2:19. 4 Cf Col 3:4. 5 Cf Heb 10:19. 6 Gal 3:13. Chapter 10 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you 4

5 received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:14-16 W HEN CHRIST following His resurrection from among the dead spoke to His disciples about the parting that would occur, due to His imminent ascension, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem till they had received the power from above, that Jesus Christ would send them the Holy Spirit from the Father. 1 The disciples therefore immediately gathered together with Mary, Jesus mother, in the attic in Jerusalem and stayed to pray together waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend. All of a sudden the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven in the form of tongues of fire, and immediately the disciples began serving in the name of Christ. 2 It was the beginning of Christian service in the world. Christ s insistence with the disciples that they should not depart from Jerusalem to serve except after they became filled with the Holy Spirit, and the power had descended on them from heaven is the mystery of service throughout the ages. The work of the Holy Spirit is to take from Christ the power, counsel, knowledge, and wisdom teaching it to those it descends upon. This means that Christ Himself through His disciples was the organizer of serving 3. The Bible had previously avowed that Jesus Christ is a treasure of wisdom and knowledge 4. Anyhow He is the Word in all its scope that is heavenly divine in greatest wisdom and knowledge. The disciples were consequently transported from being mere followers of Christ to being ministers of the Divine Word through the grace of the Holy Spirit in complete fullness. Thus as the Apostle Paul says the disciples were lead by the Holy Spirit in everything they said and did. Christ therefore supervised service and those serving from above. The Spirit that had descended on the disciples is not the spirit of old times that chided and punished and was frightening, especially to those who antagonized God. But the Spirit that descended on the disciples was adherent to Christ, taking from Christ, giving them understanding, knowledge, information and wisdom from God 5. For that reason the Spirit that descended on the disciples was considered the spirit of adoption. It was always ready to witness for the disciples that they were the sons of God, not only so but cry out in their hearts when they went forwards to God saying Abba, Father. In 1 Lk 24:49; Acts 1:6, 8. 2 Acts 2 3 Cf John 16:13, Cf Col 2:3. 5 Cf John 16:14. 5

6 this way they entered the company of God as members of His household enjoying the fatherhood of God. The phrase Abba of the Father is an Aramaic expression mentioned in the language of children when they called their father by saying: Abba in a kind of familiarity and joyful childhood with God. The Holy Spirit thus entered service with Christ, and the Father; the rebirth of a new era for the Church so as to live in the fullness of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ministering through the cross of redemption and the righteousness of God that Jesus Christ received and gave as a holy trust to the disciples, for the righteousness of God to spread throughout the whole Church as a supply of Divine power to stimulate piety and virtue in the Church of God, considered in the early ages the pillar and ground of the truth 6. Prayer To You, Spirit of God, is my life, my faith, my hope, and my love. For I am a person who moved from bondage to the world, to the freedom of the children of God. I need guidance in accordance to Christ s advice to His disciples, so that I may walk with You. I do not know where I am going in this world that has become narrow. You will lead me to Christ, my life; He who redeemed me to own my life, And will make me know the affection of the Father and His patience, that He may endure my ignorance. If You teach me I will learn, and if You don t where will I go? You are a light to my way. Your hand leads me. So make me know my final aim. 8 July, Tim 3:15. ************************************************************************************** Prayer of St Macarius the Great O Lord, Who in Thine abundant goodness and Thy great compassion hast granted me, Thy servant, to go through the time of the night that is past without attack from any opposing evil: Do Thou Thyself, O Master, Creator of all things, vouchsafe me by Thy true light and with an enlightened heart to do Thy will, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Prayer Book of the Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. ************************************************************************************** 6

7 The Monastery of St Macarius With the Lord s Grace Archangel Michael Coptic Care has been registered in the USA to serve and help the poor of Egypt in a significant way. Our Tax ID # Your contribution to the Archangel Michael is all TAX DEDUCTIBLE. You will receive a yearly report of your contribution for your tax record. Please write the check to: Archangel Michael Coptic Care. Mail your check to: P.O. Box # 1574, Centreville, VA 20122, USA ************************************************************************************** 7