3D"St.
Canberra, Australia

For There Must Be Also Heresies Among You

Archbishop Averky

(I COR. 11:19)

How does one properly understand these words of the Holy Apostle = Paul? Does=20 he really approve of dissensions among Christians or recognize them as = necessary=20 or desirable? Is he making them the rule? If so, then how can this be = compatible=20 with the numerous places in his epistles where he so forcefully and = persistently=20 calls Christians to full agreement and unanimity? Be of the same mind = one toward=20 another (Rom. 12:16), or Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, = having the=20 same love, being of one accord of mind (Phil. 2:2). Furthermore, not = only the=20 Apostle Paul, but also other apostles exhorted Christians to be of one = mind.=20 Thus the Apostle Peter directly writes to Christians in his first = epistle, Be ye=20 all of one mind! (I Peter 3:8). Not only does the Apostle Paul call = Christians=20 to oneness of mind, he even warns them of such people who cause = divisions and=20 offenses contrary to the doctrine which they have learned (Rom. 16:17) = and urges=20 them to avoid them. saying that they that are such serve not our Lord = Jesus=20 Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive = the=20 hearts of the simple (Rom. 16:18). What kinds of "heresies" can there be = among=20 true Christians when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself prayed for them to = God the=20 Father in His prayer as the high priest: That they all may be one; as = thou=20 Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us (John = 17:21).=20 See what unity must exist among true Christians: unity according to the = image of=20 the oneness of Persons of the Most Holy Trinity! Can you imagine that = among the=20 Persons of the Most Holy Trinity there would be dissension? This is why, = before=20 beginning the most important moment of the Divine Liturgy?the great = Mystery of=20 the Eucharist, followed by the partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ = by the=20 faithful?the priest exclaims: "Let us love one another that with one = mind we may=20 confess!" the choir then explains whom we are confessing: "The Father, = the Son,=20 and the Holy Spirit, The Trinity One in essence and indivisible." Thus, = oneness=20 of mind is made the chief condition for the communion of Christians in = the=20 Mystery of the Eucharist. If there is no oneness of mind, what kind of = communion=20 can there be in this great Mystery, in which the believer is = mysteriously united=20 with Christ and becomes one with Him? But why do we say before all else, = "Let us=20 love"? Because, of course, without true Christian love oneness of mind = is=20 impossible, and also because true Christian love entails oneness of mind = among=20 Christians. True Christian love is expressed above all by oneness of = mind. Where=20 there exists such love, there also exists oneness of mind, and where = there is no=20 oneness of mind, there consequently is no true Christian love, but only = an=20 appearance of it?only Pharisaism! All this should be considered and = seriously=20 taken into account by all those steadfast in "Christian love," and at = the same=20 time persistently and forcefully defending, for some reason, their right = "to=20 disagree." To this group belong all contemporary modernist theologians = who=20 preach ecumenism, or the imaginary "union of all," and not only the = union of all=20 "Christians," but also Jews, Moslems, and pagans. In short, it is the = union of=20 all heretics, who retain their full right to "disagree," seemingly = confirming=20 the teaching of our Holy Orthodox Church, in the person of the Apostle = Paul. To=20 such clearly heretical teaching there is now suddenly added = "inter-communion,"=20 when people not belonging to the Holy Orthodox Church are allowed to = approach=20 the Holy Chalice, directly opposing the order of the Divine Liturgy = established=20 by our Holy Church. According to this established practice may only the = faithful=20 receive Communion, but even be present in the church during the Mystery = of the=20 Eucharist. Everyone else must leave the church when the priest says, "As = many as=20 are catechumens depart." See how these people who so blatantly violate = one of=20 the most important rules of our Holy Church even dare to call themselves = "Orthodox" and try, by way of all kinds of false interpretations of the = Word of=20 God, to justify their "dissension" with the age-old teaching of the = Universal=20 Church of Christ. And what is especially horrible?they take shelter = behind their=20 imaginary "Christian love" for the "dissenters." O how great is the evil = of=20 these contemporary evil-doers, how unlawfully do they misappropriate for = themselves the patent on 'Christian love," and all those who disagree = with them=20 they accuse of a lack of "Christian love," and even fanaticism! The = remarkable=20 success which these "much loving evil-doers" enjoying our time can be = explained=20 only by the fact that contemporary people, among whom are many Orthodox=20 Christians, have departed too far from true faith in God, in Christ, and = in the=20 Church. They do not know the Word of God and are unfamiliar with the = teaching of=20 the Holy Fathers and the Church's decrees and it is easy to lead them = into error=20 by smooth words and flattery as the Apostle Paul emphasized even in his = time=20 (Rom. 16:18). There are also some among them who have a great weakness = for gifts=20 and presents and readily follow after anyone who will give them, not = troubling=20 themselves to investigate their teaching, whether it be of God (Acts = 5:39).=20 These words of the Holy Apostle Paul, For there must be also heresies = among you=20 (I Cor. 11:19), contemporary modernist theologians and ecumenists = interpret=20 totally arbitrarily, for their own advantage, not bothering to think = that they=20 are adulterating the Word of God and thereby they sin mortally. This = saying of=20 the Apostle Paul is beautifully explained by our truly eminent Orthodox=20 theologian, Bishop Theophan the Recluse, who in his time was the rector = of a=20 Theological Academy and wrote a complete and remarkably profound = commentary on=20 the epistles of the Apostle Paul. Here is how he explains these words = [quoting=20 Saint John Chrysostom]: "By the word 'heresies' he [Saint Paul] = understands here=20 not errors concerning dogmas, but actual (and similar) quarrels. If he = were=20 speaking of errors concerning dogmas, however, he would not have given = occasion=20 for offense (with the words, for there must be). For Christ said, It = must needs=20 be that offenses come (Mat. 18:7), but at the same time He did not = violate our=20 free will and establish this as a necessity and inevitability for us. He = foretold the future which happens from the evil will of mankind, not as = a result=20 of His prediction but from the arbritariness of depraved people. = Offenses=20 occurred not because He foretold them, but rather He foretold them = because they=20 were going to occur. For if offenses occurred out of necessity and not = according=20 to the will of those who caused them, then in vain would He have said, = Woe to=20 that man by whom the offense cometh. "That the Apostle actually called = these=20 disturbances and divisions during meals 'heresies' we see clearly = expressed by=20 him in the previous sentence. For he said, I hear that there be = divisions among=20 you. He did not stop here however. Desiring to explain what divisions he = is=20 referring to, he then says, For in eating every one taketh before other = his own=20 supper (11:21). It is evident that he is speaking of these disturbances; = but do=20 not be surprised that he calls them divisions (schisms). As I said, he = desired=20 to have a greater effect on them by using such an expression. If he had = meant=20 dogmatical heresies he would not have spoken to them so briefly." (Saint = John=20 Chrysostom, Commentary on the first epistle to the Corinthians). As we = see,=20 Bishop Theophan explains the words of the Apostle Paul with the words of = the=20 great universal teacher and hierarch, Saint John Chrysostom, and = therefore the=20 explanation is especially authoritative for us. From this it is clear = that it is=20 in vain that the modernist ecumenists use these words of the Apostle = Paul for=20 their own ecumenical purposes. These words of the Apostle Paul refer to=20 particular incidents and disturbances during the agape meals, about = which he=20 speaks in the eleventh chapter of this epistle. Therefore there is = decidedly no=20 basis for using this saying of the Apostle Paul to justify disagreement=20 concerning dogmas, and especially for justifying union of all Orthodox = and=20 non-Orthodox in the Mystery of the Eucharist in the presence of obvious=20 differences of opinion, precluding, according to the clear teaching of = the Holy=20 Church, the allowance and possibility of such a union. This is one of = the most=20 characteristic examples of how deceitfully just like sectarians, the=20 contemporary modernist theologians use the texts of the Holy Scriptures, = attributing to them meaning which is not there. And the Apostle Paul = could not=20 contradict himself, saying one thing in one c~rcumstance and something = else in=20 another. As we saw above, he clearly and unequivocally condemns = differences of=20 opinion among Christians and calls all to absolute oneness of mind and = soul.=20 Fulfill ye my joy he writes to the Philippians, that ye be like-minded, = having=20 the same love, being of one accord, of one mind (Philip. 2:2). Such = should be=20 the case among all true Christians, for: There is one body, and one = Spirit, even=20 as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one = baptism,=20 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you = all=20 (Ephes. 4: 4-6). Archbishop Averky * In the Russian translation, this = phrase=20 literally reads: "For there must be also dissensions among you...". = Originally=20 appeared in Orthodox Life, vol. 44, no. 4, July-August 1994, pp. = 42-45.

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