YOU LIVE- YOU DIE- THAT’S IT!

YOU LIVE- YOU DIE- THAT’S IT!

     This is the believe of countless millions of people including many who call themselves Christian.  All they care to know is you live and then you die, and that’s it. These people will be judged as all men will be judged and ignorance is no excuse, for conscience is God’s voice to all mankind. There are some who believe that everyone goes to heaven when they die and that’s it.  But this can’t be, for everyone will be rewarded according to their faith and deeds, whether they did good or evil, for good and evil have opposite rewards. Others say, I am a good person;  I never did anything bad to anybody therefore I am a good Christian, and have nothing to be concerned about, but this is completely false, for no one can be his own judge and all of us are sinners and no one can claim to be sinless except our Lord Jesus Christ who alone is without sin. In this present article we will speak only to Orthodox Christians who are in His Church and should, by their strong  faith and sincere love of Christ  be a living example before all mankind.

     The first and most important thing is an exclusive and major difference in the true Church and all other churches is the presence under the form of leavened bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and God. This was made possible through His terrible suffering and passion and crucifixion followed by His death on the Cross. After His death on the Cross, He arose in the third day according to the Scripture. And He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He taught us through the Scriptures, and said: “Search the Scriptures.”  The Scriptures contain divinely inspired words o Christ and the apostles, guiding us on the true path. We will certainly be judged by the Godman Jesus, according to our faith and works we accomplished, whether good or evil. This judgment will deliver us to eternal life or eternal death, to joy and gladness or sorrow and distress. 

     What is faith, which according to Scripture without faith no one can be saved? Faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit begins with acknowledging that He exists, and as this faith develops it arouses hope in the soul, coming from the realization of Him as the Creator of all and will reward each of us when He judges all.  Through faith we learn much about Him, that He is all powerful, that he is holy and all-wise; that he is good, perfect, in need of nothing being the  absolute God and Creator of all.  Initially, faith arouses within us the fervent hope to know Him better as we begin to  communicate with Him directly.  

MORALITY NECESSARY AMONG PEOPLE

MORALITY NECESSARY AMONG PEOPLE

     American politicians and courts have been leading this great country down the slippery and dangerous slopes of increased immorality. Morality is absolutely necessary for the peaceful coexistence of society. Immorality is against the law of God and conscience, and is detrimental to the lives of men, for morality is the root of decent behavior among people. Morality benefits every member of society, and in fact the entire human race. It produces a better and more pleasant climate for marriage and the raising of children who will grow up as moral citizens. Faith in the true God increases the moral behavior of men, for He legislates good moral behavior by means of the  divine law. Moral behavior includes truth and not lying, generosity not stealing, not bearing false witness, honorable marriage and not committing fornication nor adultery, no forbidden sodomy, no killing infants by abortions, no mercy killing, no rape, no kidnapping, sobriety not drunkenness, generosity and not robbery, no burglary, etc. In a positive sense it includes respecting others, giving help where needed, looking for the welfare of others, practicing honesty, justice, mercy and kindness. 

     Once a person neglects a part of the moral law, such violations will gradually increase and spread like a cancer until he will soon be violating a major part of moral law and instead of a blessing he will become a plague upon society. For example stealing is against moral and political criminal laws, but stealing can lead to robbery and even murder. Gross violation of the even the smaller moral law will render a person crude, cruel and disrespectful with much harm to society.

      Moral laws aim to govern and protect the whole of body of society. There are man-made laws which include moral laws. Automotive laws are a good example, for they deal with many relationships with many people. Automobiles run nicely and last longer when automotive laws are obeyed, for accidents are decreased and injuries are diminished. We follow these laws by regulations such as  proceeding on green, stopping on red and at stop signs, allowing cars the right of way, observe speed limits, by being cautious, not driving aggressively but defensibly. When your red light turns green, you can go, but you morally might give way top a cat that jumps his red light. 

     When everyone observes and acts morally with these laws, smooth driving without accidents are the results. But when violations come from even from one driver, disaster can  loom for many. The moral aspect is important in driving, for moral behavior makes drivers more careful and considerate . The moral aspect to driving, is  for respectful and kind hearted drivers to give up right of way and signal other drivers to proceed, thus contributing to safety. It is easy to see that men have established moral laws in order to govern and protect all society and it has shown to be very  effective.

      Immoral authorities have eliminated several important moral laws which govern human behavior. Abortion!  Who would believe that killing infant babies is a good thing?  How did it happen that helpless and innocent infants became subject to the death penalty? This terrible immortality is now  legal and is an typical example of the harmful destruction of moral laws. A woman knows in her heart and soul that killing the baby who came from her womb is a violent and  criminal act before God and man and herself and she never forgets it.. But now that it is “legal” the authorities say, let the woman herself “decide.” Babies are being murdered and we consider ourselves, not barbarians, but a  civilized people!  Doctors who through medical science seeks to save lives are now destroying thousands of lives.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by the Lord with fire and sulpher from heaven due to their terrible sins. Homosexuality which is forbidden in both the old and new testaments of Scripture is a great sin which bears the name of one of the cities, “sodomy,” or unlawful intercourse. Contrary to common opinion the The New Testament speaks strongly against this gross immorality: “For this cause God gave them up to vile affections; for even their women did change their natural use into that which is against nature; and likewise also the men,  leaving the natural use of a woman, burned in their desire one towards another . . .  " (Romans 1:26,27) 

     Legislating by elimination any immoral act in order to make it “legal” changes nothing for it remains an immoral act. Though some men always choose to perform various immoral acts, this  does not change the truth that what is immoral will always remains immoral. Freedom of deciding to commit an immoral act is a dangerous position because, freedom always includes the preservation of moral law and all other laws. Freedom is good when it abides in a moral upright society, otherwise it is not truly freedom, but becomes slavery. 

     The  legalization of an immmoral act does not render it into something legal but can never make it become moral. Morality is necessary in order to remain civilized humans and for the preservation of a moral and ethical society.