The Church

Last time we discussed the concept of baptism as an initiation into the body of believers.

We clearly saw that it was the Holy Spirit that led individuals to a quest for Wisdom … wisdom in a scriptural sense … and to baptism … to become a part of the called out assembly of believers.

Remember also … that once someone is baptized … there is no turning back. You can never be “unbaptised.” One is accepted into the assembly of believers … the Body of Christ … and there are obligations.

Baptism offers a new beginning … a start … not a finish.

One must desire to live a Christian life … to follow The Way … after baptism … otherwise, that baptism will not be a blessing … but will ultimately be a reminder … of a failure of the promise … a failure of the second covenant ... established by Jesus.

⁵Jesus stated,

‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3)

We have seen in the stories of the Ethiopian, Cornelius, and Paul that one must be moved by the Spirit.

Baptism alone is not enough …

A response to water and the Spirit is required.

------------------------------------------------------

Paul warns in 1^st Corinthians that the promise of the new covenant can be taken away from us … just as the promise was transferred to us from the Jews.

John Chrysostum implored his listeners to … use your gift … bring it to light …

⁹We must not put Christ to the test … by accepting … but not using his gift to us in a … transformational … life changing way.

Do All to the Glory of God

In Galations Paul states …

“… you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:27)

We are now keepers of the covenant.

But responding to the Spirit … requires action.

--------------------------------------------------------

But what about our lives after baptism …they are not perfect.

The church is a church of sinners … yes …but repentant … changed sinners.

And the church has established processes … procedures … for our lives in community after baptism … just as we saw in the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.

Confession is one of those processes … rituals … sacraments.

John Chrysostum stated …

Do not despair of whatever sins you may have committed since baptism … but in true repentance await God’s mercy.

The church, through its ministry to the assembly has … as John states …

“the power to bind and loose, to forgive and retain sins, which is not even given to angels. It is a power given by God through the promise of Christ.”

-----------------------------------------------------

In Matthew chapter 18 … Jesus himself teaches specifically about how sinners in the assembly … in the congregation … are to be treated.

“If another member of the assembly sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.

But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the entire assembly; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. (Matt18:15-18)

Someone who is not rependent … who does not realize his sinfulness … cannot be a part of the assembly.

--------------------------------------------------

Paul goes even further in his instructions to the church in his first letter to the Corinthians.

Paul writes that …

“a man is living with his father’s wife …” In other words, a man is living with his stepmother as husband and wife … and the church is doing nothing about it.

Paul says “… this immorality among you … is not found even among pagans …”

When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Cor 5:4-5)

Paul is saying … correct yourselves … correct each other … and if one does not respond … throw that person out of the assembly.

The idea here is that if one is removed from the assembly … removed from participation in the Eucharist … that person will feel so alone … having failed in the faith so miserably … that that person would correct himself and do anything to be received back into the communion of believers.

“ … hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh …”

But … when that person repents … when that person is truly sorrowful … when that person is ready for reentry into the assembly … however …that person should not only be received … but received with love and understanding.

“… so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.”

Because … in 2 Corinthians … Paul says …

“This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. (2 Cor 2:6-8)

Interesting … throw the unrepentant sinner out … but after repentance … receive him back … gladly.

-----------------------------------------------

Would that work today … not a chance …

A rejected member of the assembly would undoubtedly just walk away … and find another assembly … more tolerant of continuous serious sin …

Or just go home and watch a football game …

Why … because few understand the importance of membership in the assembly … in the church …

In following Jesus and his gospel

----------------------------------------------------

In the earliest church … there was no absolute standard for confession as we know it today. There were regional differences in rite and practice and this was accepted.

In certain areas, before a penitent would confess sins to a bishop, that person would confess his sins before the entire assembly …

The idea was that if I sin … even in private … with no one else’s knowledge …

as a member of the assembly … I affect that entire assembly’s relationship with God.

If I sin against God … I also sin against you as members of the assembly … and must ask for your forgiveness.

The clear understanding was that the path of salvation was between us and God … not me and God.

It was only after the Protestant schisms of the 16^th century that this idea of salvation being a private matter between an individual and God emerged.

We are ecclesia … we are called out … to respond to the gospel.

We … as a group.

In the epistle of James … James says … “

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (Jas 5:16)

-------------------------------------------------

Let me give you a historical example of just how serious this process … involving grave sin after baptism was considered …

In 249-250 AD there was a serious empire wide persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius.

Many individuals … including clergy … were offered the opportunity to live if they turned over the church’s sacred books and liturgical implements and vessels ... for destruction.

When the persecution was over, there was a great controversy in the church concerning what should be done with those who apostatized … who turned over the sacred books and vessels … rejected their faith and saved their skins.

Many considered these unforgivable sins … and rejected the idea of reconciliation with the church.

After much discussion … a series of “penances” were instituted. In 251 AD a synod decided that apostates could be readmitted but a seven year penance would be required …

For two years penitents would be “Weepers” …they could not enter the church for the Liturgy but would gather outside and listen through the closed doors …

For two more years penitents would be “Hearers” … they could remain in the rear of the church up to the point where catechumens were forced to leave … and then they too would leave.

For two more years penitents would be “Prostrators” … they could be in the church proper but would prostrate themselves for the service … and be forced to leave with the catechumens.

For a final year penitents would be “Standers” … they could remain in the church proper for the entire Liturgy … but could not receive the Eucharist.

And finally after seven years … the penitent with one of the faithful would come forward and receive the Eucharist … side by side … together … as a sign of reentry and full communion.

Again I ask … who today cares enough about their faith to even consider such a response …

… and if we say … well these were serious sins … this type of penance was required …

Who are we to grade sins … and who among us totally and completely responds to Christ’s call on a daily basis ???

-----------------------------------------------

Today most in the assembly don’t even think of themselves as sinners …

I don’t kill … I don’t steal … I don’t commit adultery …

But remember our discussion last time …

Today individuals are condemned as much for what they don’t do … as for what they do …

Feed the hungry … clothe the naked … visit the sick and those in prison …

----------------------------------------------------

In the 1^st letter of John … John states …

“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;

but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:6-10)

If we say we are not sinners … then why did Jesus have to be rejected … suffer … be tortured … and die ???

For others only … but not for us ???

------------------------------------------------------

Quotes from early sources …

Shepherd of Hermas … God mercifully provided that sinners who turned from their evil ways should be received back into the community.

…but if someone sins and repents repeatedly it will do him no good, for such a person is not likely to live.

Didache … Confess your sins in the assembly and do not come to your prayers with a guilty conscience.

Tertullian (~200AD) … Is it better to be damned in secret than to be absolved in public?

Origen (d251-54) … They who have sinned, if they hide and retain their sin within their breast, are grievously tormented; but if the sinner becomes his own accuser, he discharges the cause of his malady.

Cyril of Alexandria (d447AD) … Sins are forgiven in two ways, by admitting to baptism or by pardoning the penitent children of the Church.

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Diary of a Russian Priest.”

Fr. Alexander El-chan-i-nov

A rural Russian priest before the revolution …

Confession … he says …

Must be free not forced. The repulsion of one’s own sins must be genuine.

People inexperienced in the spiritual life usually see neither the number of their sins or their hideousness. “I have never stolen nor killed.” (…they say).

You should bring to your confessor not a list of sins but a feeling of repentance, not a dissertation but a contrite heart.

“I can’t remember”… ( sins I committed one says) … sins, one should always remember … are we not revolted by our own sins?

Our repentance will not be complete unless we resolve at the same time in our innermost heart not to return to the sin we have confessed.

And finally …

Give each confession as if it were your last…