Re: [asa] Orthodox Theologian Speaks on Modern Deserts

On 7/19/06, Janice Matchett <janmatch@earthlink.net> wrote:

> At 07:44 AM 7/19/2006, RFaussette@aol.com wrote:
>
> The following brief article is from the Vatican news agency Zenit. I
> received it this morning. I post it because of the thread we've been having
> over the words wisdom and then the words submission/surrender. Here is the
> relevant snip. The whole article follows.
>
> [snip] "Reading the texts of the early ascetics, I have come to realize
> that perhaps the most essential lesson learned in life is the lesson of
> ***surrender, of letting go.***
>

Contrast with Jesus:

36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied:
" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Speaking of Jesus he wasn't mentioned once in this interview. How strange.
Maybe the good doctor is missing something. I would like to make a
clarifying comment as I have nothing against surrender and submission. I do
believe it comes up way short of the Biblical ideal, however. There are
words for surrender and submission in Greek and they are used in the NT but
the word for love is used in many of the verses of the Bible and is used by
our Lord in describing the essence of the OT rather than submission or
surrender. All the good things we do including surrender and submission fall
short without love as Paul said:

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but
have not love, I gain nothing.

Love produces submission and surrender but you can have surrender and
submission without love. You see this example in Islam. Paul warns against
an improper submission motivated by fear in Romans 13:5

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of
possible punishment but also because of conscience.

So, yes we should submit and surrender to God but is it the core of
Chrisitianity? No as it doesn't even show up in the list of the fruit of the
Spirit in Galations but there's that pesky word love again.

I believe that John has it backwards. If we know how to love, we know how to
lose and not if we know how to lose we know how to love. That's why Jesus
commands us to love because everything else in the Christian life follows.

I believe you are misunderstanding me. I am not saying that we shouldn't
surrender or submit or that there is no relationship between such things and
love. I am saying it is not good enough and like the concept of romantic
love falls short of the Biblical ideal.

> It is a hard lesson, and one that is only reluctantly embraced by most of
> us. But I am convinced that this life is given to us in order to learn how
> to lose. .."
>
> *[Janice]*
> *@ * The bottom line (key insight): *"Putting up with ourselves is the
> first and necessary step of learning to put up with others"
>
> *It is easy to determine who is and who isn't *emotionally mature*.
> People who are comfortable in their own skin (those who like themselves),
> aren't easily "offended" by what others say and do.
>

> Self-loathing, guilt-ridden, omnipotent busybodies - steeped in political
> correctness - are the most *in*tolerant people on the face of the earth.
>
> No degree of spiritual maturity can never be achieved by such emotionally
> immature mentalities - regardless of IQ.
>

While my critique of John Chriyssavgis is that while he is going in the
right direction but just doesn't go far enough, this is just going the wrong
way and mischaracterizes what he says. He is not saying we should like
ourselves but rather we need to be transparent with God and not try to hide
our faults from Him (as if it would do any good :-) ) This is the context of
the often misunderstood quote from Luther, "Sin boldly yet more boldly still
believe." It doesn't mean we shouldn't avoid sin but rather that being
confident that our sins are forgiven we do not hide from God when we fail.
This also allows us to not need to be in the comparing game where we get our
value by being more righteous than the person next to us.

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Received on Wed Jul 19 12:02:45 2006