SALVATION

In the Orthodox Concept

l1Y
1-1. N. POPE SHENQUDA III

Saint-Mary.net
 +
COPTIC ORTHODOX
PATRIARCHATE
ISee of St. Mark I

SALVATION
In the Orthodox Concept

BY
H. H. POPE SHENOUDA III
Title Salvation in the Orthodox Concept.
Author H. H. Pope Shenouda III.
Translated By Dr. Wedad Abbas.
Illustrated By Sister Sawsan.
Edition 3rd . Print.Oct. 2005.
Typesetting J. C. Center.
Press Egyptian Printing Co.
Legal Deposit No. 9410/2005.
I.S.B.N. 977-17-2237-9.
H.H.Pope Shenouda /11, /17th Pope and Patriarch of
A lexandria and the See of St. Mark
 5

THE STORY OF THIS BOOK

Salvation is one of the most important topics of belief
and theology. Suffice that for the salvation of mankind,
the incarnation, redemption and atonement have been
perfected.. For salvation everyone strives in his spiritual
life.. And for salvation also the ministry of evangelizing,
pastorship and preaching is being carried out...
A great theological dispute rose int he sixties regarding
the subject of salvation which gave rise also to various
questions. Thereupon, two conferences were held for the
Sunday Schools of Lower Egypt in Banha in March and
April 1966.. A great number of ministers attended; and
two lectures were delivered on 'Salvation' besides the
answers given to the questions raised by the ministers.
This book is the fruit of these two lectures and the
answers of the said ql;lestions.. It was published in 1967
and entitled "Salvation in the Orthodox Concept". The
first edition was followed by many others.
The book was translated into English by the translator
Mrs. Wedad Abbas and printed in Los Angeles in 1986..
The same translation revised the translation and a second
edition was published.
6

The subject of Salvation is a great one that could not

be included in just one book. Therefore, a second book
entitled "The Heresy of Salvation in a Moment" was
issued and is currently being translated. I hope its
translation would be published soon, God willing.
Both books are among the subjects tought t9 the
seminarians in St. Mark Saminary in Cairo and its
branches under "Comparative Theology".

Pope Shenouda m
 PERFACE
to the first edition of 1967
This research, written by His Grace Anba Shenouda
Bishop of the Institutes of Religion and Church
Education, is distinguished for its clarity, preciseness and
generality.. It deals with one of the most important
subjects that occupy the minds of the believers in all ages;
for it relates to the issue of Salvation. This issue is the
objective of faith and the crown of the Christian hope.
In this research, you will find the upright Orthodox
education supported by the proper reasoning and correct
use of the holy texts, thus revealing any equivocations...
I afflfDl that this valuable book did treat the subject
of salvation - for the fust time - in a perfect way that
is capable of giving a true picture of our Orthodox
teaching regarding the issue of Salvation.

Gregorius
General Bishop
of
High Education, Coptic Culture
and scientific Research
 9

INTRODUCTION

THE DANGER OF USING

"ONE SINGLE VERSE" !
When treating the subject of salvation, as it is the case
with any other subject, you should be fully aware,
brethren, of the danger of using one single verse separate
from the other verses of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible
is not mere verses but a certain spirit involves all its parts.
A foolish person puts before him one verse or part of
a verse only, separating it from the circumstances and
the occasion on which it was said, and even from the
general context. But a wise researcher who seeks truth,
brings together all the texts relating to the topic of his
research to see what they signify..
With respect to the subject of Salvation, let us take
some examples which show the danger of using one single
verse alone:
.* "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you
wiU be saved, you and your household."
(Acts 16:31). *
.Some people take this verse as a proof that salvation
can be attained through faith alone!! that is because St.
10

Paul the Apastle says in this verse to the Philippian jailer,

"Believe ... and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31) Those
who depend on this verse fqrget various things: To whom
it was said?. What is the rest of the verse? what
happened afterwards? ... wnat about the other verses that
relate to the same subject?
1- First, this verse was said to one of the gentiles, an
unbeliever.• Whatever good deeds that person might do,
would not benefit him unless he believed on christ!!
Thus, it was necessary to guide him to the first step
without which he could attain no salvation. If he took
that step, he would be guided to the other following
steps... It was not fit that the two apostles speak to that
jailer about the impartance of good works because this
was of no use for him, being an unbeliever... The proper
thing was to proceed with him step by step towards the
goal.

2- Sometimes, the first step is used in the Holy Bible

to signify the whole matter which begins with this step.
Take for example the words of Simeon the Elder when
he took the Child Jesus up in his arms. He said, "Lord,
now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your
salvation... "(Lk 2:28-31). In Fact, Simeon did not see
the Lord's salvation which was only fulfilled through the
blood of the Lord Christ shed on the cross when He paid.
for our sin by His death on our behalf!! Simeon saw only
the incarnation and birth of the Lord... But the
 11

incarnation of the Lord was the first executive step

leading to Salvation; so Simeon the elder said in
confidence, ..... for my eyes have seen Your
salvation... ".
Almost the same was intended by Paul and Silas when
they talked to the Philipian Jailer. They did not mean
that his own and his household's salvation would be
attained by his faith alone but that his faith was the first
step towards that goal.
Perhaps the words of the Lord to Zacchaeus meant
the same likewise; for when Zacchaeus promised to pay
back four times what he had taken from others, the Lord
said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house"
(Lk 19:9). This means that the repentance of Zacchaeus
was the first step towards the salvation of that house...
3- The most sure evidence that proves that by salvation
here is meant the first step leading to it, is the speech
of the apostle to the jailer, " •.• you will be saved, you
and your household. "
How could his family be saved merely by his faith?!
Does the faith of someone save another one?! The proper
thing is that faith of someone serves just as a first step
towards the salvation of the person himself when he is
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then this
first step may convince his family to enter into faith and
be a good beginning which may lead him and his house
as well to salvation.
12
4- The same is evident in the following verses, for the
Holy Bible says that Paul and Silas, It.. spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house ...
and immediately he and all his family were baptized"
(Acts 16:32,33).
5- So, when we study the verse, "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household" (Acts 16:13), we have to put beside it other
verses to understand the subject in full. And here is a
simple example which has a great significance:
Once, a young man came to the Lord Jesus Christ and
asked Him, It... what good thing shall / do that / may
have eternallije?" (MI. 19:16). The Lord did not say
to him, "Believe and you will be saved", but He said,
"Ifyou want to enter into life, keep the commandments"
(Mt 19:17).
Would we dare say then that keeping the
commandments alone is sufficient to give salvation!
without faith, without baptizm, and without
sacraments?! Nay, we cannot do wrong against ourselves,
against others or against faith itself by using a single verse
alone...
In the same example, we notice that the young man
replied, ItAll these things (commandments) / have kept
from my youth. What do / still back?" Thereupon our
Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "/fyou waht to beperfect,
go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. " (Mt.
19:21).
 13

Here also the Lord Christ did not speak to him about
faith or grace... Would we, therefore, use this example
to belittle the value of faith just because the Lord
metioned nothing about it in His talk concerning eternal
life!
No, God forbid! we cannot do such a mistake by using
one single verse, for every situation requires a suitable
speech... In this example, the Lord used the words that
suited the case of that rich youth and that touched his
inherent weakness ...
Another verse used by the Protestants and their
followers is:
* "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God•• " (Rom 5:1). *
You may be faced with some person who concentrates
on one verse only saying to you, 'See, here is an explicit
verse about justification by faith. You need not argue
or say a word! would you deny the verse or object to
God's words!..'
Say to him, 'No, brother, we neither deny the verse
nor object to God's words but we put beside this verse
another one from the same Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle
to the Romans to see what we can understand. The
apostle says, «For not the hearers of the law are just in
the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be
justified." (Rom 2:13).
Here, the apostle talks about the justification of the
doers of the law•. would we then make such a mistake
14

as to depend on this verse alone to say that works alone

may save a person! Nay, but we put together the two
verses (Rom 2:13 and, Rom 5:1) This will provide us with
the right teaching which conforms with God's words Le.
the role of faith in justication does not ignore the
importance of works.. and likewise, the necessity of
works for justification does not deny the value of faith ...
Beside the verse, .... having been justified by faith .. "
we can put another verse also Le., "You see then that
a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlet also justified by
works when she received the messengers and sent them
out another way?" (las 2:24,25).
Let us take another verse,
* "But to him who does not work but believes
on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
accounted for righteousness" (Rom. 2:5). *
Does this verse mean that God justifies the ungodly
though he continues in his ungodliness without repenting!
God forbids. In order to understand this verse, we should
put beside it other verses that might make it clear... Let
us begin with a verse from the same Epistle to the
Romans which says, "For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men" (Rom. 1:18).
Then add to it another verse from the second Epistle
of St. Peter the Apostle which says, ".•. condemned them
to destruction, making them an example to those who
 15

afterward would live ungodly" (1 Pet 1:6). By this the

apostle reveals to us that the ungodly will have the same
end of Sodom and Gomorrah.
St. Jude also explains the same, saying, HNow Enoch,
the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men
also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands
ofHis saints, to execute judgement on all, to convict all
who are ungodly among them ofall their ungodly deeds
which they have committed in an ungodly way. " (Jude
14:15).
Therefore, we must not understand the verse said by
St. Paul the Apostle as to mean that the ungodly needs
only to believe in order to be saved though he continues
in his ungodliness.. For St. Paul himself warns us
expressly saying, "Do not be deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites••• will inherit the Kingdom
of God." (l Cor. 6:9,10).
As for the words "who does not work", they perhaps
mean the ritual works of the Law such as circumcision
in particular as we can conclude from the verses (Rom.
5:6-12).
My beloved, it is not proper at all to follow this manner
of using one single verse only•• It is wrong and dangerous
besides being unorthodox.
Whenever anyone presents you a certain verse however
explicit and plain it may be, say to him, 'One verse is
of no use to me. Let us bring together all the texts relating
16

to the subject, then we can argue'. Beware being deceived

by a single verse, for it might have been said on a certain
occasion or might have had another part which completes
it and clarifies its meaning. This will be evident from the
following examples:

Verses made clear by other verses following

tbem.

* St. Paul the Apostle says in his Epistle to the

Ephesians "For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9).
This verse may seem quite plain; but wait a little and
read the verse that follows it directly, it says, "For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehhand that we should
walk in them" (Eph 2:10). Then, it is not meet to pick
up one verse rashly and unwisely say that the matter is
over...

* Another example:
St. Paul the Apostle says, "And if by grace, then it
is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace"
(Rom 11:6).
It is preferable to meditate a little and follow up what
the apostle proceeds to say in the same chapter, for he
says, ..... you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but
 17

fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He

may not spare you either. Therefore consider the
goodness and severity ofGod: on those who fell, severity;
but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His
goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. " (Rom.
11:20-22).
What does this mean?. It means that you have
attained salvation through the blood of the Lord Christ,
but you have to hold fast to it, otherwise you will lose
it if you do not do works meet of repentance... A branch
cut off from a tree withers and dies.

* A third example:
St. Paul the Apostle says, "Where is boasting then?.
It is excluded. By what law? Of works? •• No, but by
the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified byfaith apart from the deeds ofthe law. " (Rom.
3:27,28).
When we read such a verse, we should not judge in
haste but we ought to read what follows .. The apostle
proceeds to say, "Do we then make void the law through
faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the
law. " (Rom. 3:31).

* A fourth example:
St. Paul the Apostle says, "But when the kindness and
the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but
18

according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing

ofregeneration and renewing ofthe Holy Spirit••• " (Tit.
3:4-6).
Notice that this verse in particular speaks about
salvation through baptism and the act of the Holy Spirit..
As for works, the apostle proceeds to say directly, "This
is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm
constantly, that those who have believed in God should
be careful to maintain good works. These things are good
and profitable to men. " (Tit. 3:8).
Beloved brethren, I am not discussing the subject of
'faith and works' in this introduction for it is not time
for this yet.. But I want only to draw your attention to
a main rule which is 'the danger of using one single
verse' .
We cannot allow ourselves to follow this harmful
dangerous method.

We do not use one verse only

though it be for our benefit

For example, when we read the words of St. John the

Apostle,
• "If you know that He is righteous, you know
that everyone who practises righteousness is bom
of Him" (l In 2:29).
 19

We should not say that regeneration depends on works

alone. We have to remember faith, baptism and Church
Sacraments which things are not mentioned in the verse.
Another verse also said by St. John the Apostle is,
• "We know that we have passedfrom death to
life, because we love the brethren" (l In. 3:14).
Here we cannot say that this verse proves that love
alone can save a person and convert him from death to
life! !
The same applies to the verse,
• "God is love, and he who abides in love abides
in God, and God in him" (1 In. 4:16).
We cannot also benefit from any verse that speaks
about works and their importance such as the words of
the Lord Christ to the rich youth,
• "If you want to enter into life, keep the
commandments" (Mt. 19:17).
Is it possible that merely keeping the commandments
would be sufficient without faith or baptism?! Certainly
not.. we have to consider the circumstances involving the
verse to be able to understand the real meaning..
Thus, my beloved, to be acquainted with the right
faith, we have to remember always the beautiful verse,
• ".. not of the letter but of the spirit, for the
letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (1 Cor. 3:6).
20

Let us search then into the concept of salvation guided

by the spirit of the Holy Bible not by the letter and try
to bring together the various texts relating to the subject.
Let us approach the subject from all its sides not from
one side only nor regarding certain circumstances alone.
I advise you to avoid reading foreign books that may
lead you astray from the right faith .. I advise you also
to be humble when searching such matters because
self-conceit regarding theological matters has led many
to fall in heresies.
After this short introduction. we shall speak about
"Salvation in the Orthodox Concept and Its Media".
 21

CHAPTER 1
NO SALVATION EXCEPT THROUGH
THE BLOOD, OF CHRIST ALONE

No faith nor works without the blood of Christ can

be of any benefit••. Faith means t,o believe in the blood
of Christ, and works are those based on the deserts of
the blood of Christ, as St. Paul the Apostle says, " ••.
without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb.
9:22).
What then is the role of the blood of Christ in the
process of salvation? and what is the role of faith?. what
also is the role of works?.
• Works without the blood of Christ:
There can be no salvation except through the blood
of Christ. No good works, however excellent, elevated
or perfect they may be, can save man without the blood
of Christ. Therefore the righteous people who pleased
God in old times with their good works, remained also
in H~des until the Lord Christ brought them out after
His crucifixion.
Good works alone cannot save a person without
believing in th blood of Christ. .. Otherwise, the heathen
who do good works would be saved through their
works!! God forbid.
22

As a general rule I tell you:

Any verses included in the Holy Bible attacking works
mean works alone without the blood of Christ or the
works of Law of the Old Testament. Without the blood
of christ works are of no avail.
So, When St. Paul the Apostle Speaks about works
he means works alone without the blood of Christ as in
Tit 3:5 UNot by works of righteousness which we have
done, " and Eph. 2:9 UNot of works, lest anyone should
boasr'.
So, in case an unbeliever does good works, the
righteousness of the Law will avail him nothing, and his
good works alone without faith will not save him.
You have to say to such a person who is not in the
faith, 'Your works are not sufficient. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and you will be saved.'
There is a main difference between words said to a
believer and words said to an unbeliever. Addressing an
unbeliever, you must destroy any works because they
avail nothing without the blood of Christ. You must say
to him, 'Your works will not save you••• What saves you
is the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is the start
point towards salvation?
Then, when such a person believes, you have to tell
him about the good works that suit his faith because,
faith without works is dead. " (Jas 2:20).
U ••
 23

• Why can there be no salvation except through the

blood of Christ? ••
1. Sin is disobedience to God, trangression of His
rights and lack oflove for Him... Since God is Unlimited,
sin is unlimited too because it is committed against God,
the Unlimited.. So, sin cannot be forgiven except by an
unlimited propitiation. But whatever works man can do
are limited. God alone is Unlimited.. The only solution
then for the remission of sin was that God Himself
becomes incarnate and die. Thus His death can be an
unlimited propitiation (atonement) that satisfies God's
unlimited justice wN,111'8'1¥ir~d pURishis8 the unlimited
jUitiee which required punishing the unlimited sin
committed against God the Unlimited.
2. This applies to the sin of Adam as well as to the
sin of anyone else; because sin is sin, God's justice is the
same, and death-the punishment of sin-is the same in the
Old Testament as in the New Testament. It is stated that,
HPor all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God", HThere is none who does good, no, not one"
(Rom. 3:23,12). So, everyone became under the sentence
of death, H ••that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may became guilty before God. " (Rom. 3:19).
There became no other means to attain salvation
except that Gods' grace would seek us.. and it did ..
God's grace sought us, and saved us through the blood
of Christ, the only means for salvation.
24

3. Therefore, St. Paul the Apostle said,

+ "Being justifU!d freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth
to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His
forbearance God had passed over the sins that were
previously committed" (Rom. 3:24,25).
+ And "Who has saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to,our works, but according to His
own purpose which was given to us... " (2 Tim. 1:9).
+ "Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Spirit" (Tit. 3:5).
+ UFor by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not ofyourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast. " (Eph. 2:8,9).
+ "And if by grace, then it is not longer of works;
otherwise grace is no longer grace. " (Rom. 11:6).
We mention such verses used by the Protestants and
and do not conceal them because we do not deny God's
grace which sought us, nor deny the free salvation given
us by God. We cannot deny that all of us were dead in
trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and would have perished
but for His most holy blood.
But the point is that we understand the 'true meaning
of these verses and confess that we attain salvation
through the blood of Christ.
 25

4: However, we say that the blood of Christ is one

thing and the deserts of His blood is another thing. The
blood of Christ is capable of the remission of the sins
of the whole world•• but did the whole world gain the
remission of their sins?! •• HFor God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son... " (In. 3:16). Are
all the world saved because of His giving His only
begotten Son? Or only those who believe in Him are
saved?
So, the blood of Christ is available, ready to save and
capable of that .• but there are certain conditions that
must be fulfilled first so that a sinner might deserve to
be saved by this blood.
St. John the beloved also says about Christ, HAnd He
Himself is the propitiation for our sins. and not for ours
only but also for the whole world" (l In. 2:2).
The propitiation of Christ, then, is unlimited, and is
sufficient for the remission of all sins of all people in
all ages, in the past, present and future ...
I:fowever, is spite of the availability of the blood of
Christ, some people perished, some still perish and others
will perish! That is because the deserts of the blood of
Christ require certain conditions.
CONDITIONS OF SALVATION THROUGH
THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

Pd like to set before you four essential conditions viz:

1. Faith.
2. Baptism.
3. Church sacraments necessary for salvation.
4. Good works.

1- FAITH

1. Faith being a condition:

Faith is a main condition to deserve the blood of
Christ. The Lord Christ asserted this, saying about
Himself, whoever believes in Him should not perish
I I••

but have everlasting life. " (In. 3:16).

The importance of this condition is again asserted in
the same chapter by the Lord Christ when He said, "He
who beUeves in Him is not condemned; but he who does
not beUeve is condemned already because he has not
believed in the name ofthe only begotten Son 0/ God. "
(In. 3:18).
 27

St. John the Apostle says also at the conclusion of the

gospel written by him, "But these are written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son ofGod, and
and that believing you may have life in His name" (In.
20:31). The condition then for your salvation is to
believe..
St. Paul the Apostle preached the same in Antioch,
he said, " ... through this Man is preached to you the
forgiveness oj sins, and by Him everyone who believes
is justified.. " (Acts 13:38,39).
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared to the Jews that
without faith there would be no salvation, He said, " .•
if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your
sins" (In. 8:24).
How dangerous are the words, "you will die in your
sins"! There is the blood of Christ, and it is capable of
saving.. but it cannot save you against your will.
In order to be saved through the blood of Christ, you
must believe.. This is the first condition, not the only
one.. It is a step towards baptism..
Faith is the condition which SS. Paul and Silas
required from the Phillipian Jailer saying to him,
"Believe an the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household" (Acts 16:31).
28

2- What is faith?
The term "faith" is very broad and includes many
things.. When St. Paul said, u •• having been justified
by faith" (Rom. 5:1), what did he mean by that faith
by which we have been justified?
St. Paul also lays before us a very serious question
regarding faith, he says, "~yourselves as to
whdMr you lITe. in the faith. Prove yourselves" (2 Cor.
13:5) We have then to examine ourselves to see whether
we are in the faith or not.. What sort of faith is this? ..

• Living faith:
The faith required for salvation must be a living one.
This is well indicated by our master James the Apostle,
as he says, U ••faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:20)
and also, "For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also" (Jas. 2:26).
Such dead faith, void of works, cannot save anyone
as St. James the Apostle says, HWhat does it profit, my
brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works, Can faith save him?" (Jas. 2:14).
It is true that the apostle said that we have been
justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) but such faith has two main
qualities: it is living and supported by works.. In both
qualities, good works are found.
Dus, we do not think that any Protestant • even
though he denies works - can say that salvation may be
 29

attained through faith void of works. De apostle says

further, "Even the demons believe - and tremble!" (Jas.
2:19).
Do you mean then, brother, by faith that sort of faith
which the devils have, through they are destitute of any
good works? The devils believe and tremble because they
are aware of their horrible evils and corruption.. !
The words 'living faith supported by works' may
extend to involve the whole spiritual life. How can that
be? Listen carefully, beloved brethren, to what the
apostle says:
• Faith working through love:
St. paul the Apostle says, "For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but
faith working through love." (Gal. 5:6). What does the
quality "working through love" mean? What is this love?
and how can it be? ..
Such love is explained by St. Paul the Apostle
demonstrated by various good works. He says, "Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does
not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely,' does not seek its own; is not provoked; thinks
no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things" (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
Therefore if faith is working with love, undoubtedly
it will include all such qualities which are all in
fact-works.
30

Here, the essence of Christianity is clear.. It is not mere

verses, but spirit and life (In. 6:63). This proves true the
words of the Holy Bible that the letter kills t but the spirit
gives life (2Cor. 3:6).
The letter says that there is something called faith, but
the spirit explains to you the nature of faith and how
it includes all good works.
Do our protesting brethren then t mean faith in its
broad meaning which invovles the whole spiritual life?
Do they mean faith in its sublime meaning referred to
by St. Paul in (Heb. 11) when speaking about the heroes
of faith? Or do they mean faith alone void of the
aforementioned qualities?!
If SOt let us discuss to see whether such faith can save
them as St. James the Apostle exclaims...
J- Faith and love:
Those who say that faith alone, apart from works,
justifies a person, find a strong answer in the words of
St. Paul the Apostle. He saYSt " •• and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing" (l Cor. 13:1). Is there more faith
than this?.
As for YOU t brothert far as you can soar in faith t what
is the farthest level you can attain? Would you attain
all faith that removes mountains? .• Believe me, even if
you attain such a level without love, you will be nothing!
Such faith cannot save you... ! If St. Paul the Apostle,
with all his faith is nothing without love t what about you?
 31

Therefore, the apostle set love in a higher level above

faith, saying, HAnd now abide faith, hope, love, these
three; but the greatest of these is love" (l Cor. 13:13).·

4- The believers and the elect:

As we have previously said, faith must be alive and
working through love.. But some people may go far while
defining the word "believers" as to make it synonymous
to the word "elect".
This makes such people declare that a believer never
perishes••• And if they hear or read about some believer
who perished, they say he was not a believer according
to their own view!! Certainly the elect can never perish..
but who said that the believers are the elect?
The Holy Bible gave us various meanings for the word
"faith" .. In one verse it is stated, "Even the demons
~Ueve - and tremblel" (Jas. 1:19).. And in another verse
St. paul the Apostle defines faith saying, HNow faith is
the substance ofthings hopedfor, the evidence ofthings
not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
. The Holy Bible mentions also that there is a kind of
faith which is dead; and though it is dead, the apostle
calls it faith. Another kind is faith void of works and
this kind of faith cannot save anyone, (Jas.2:20,14)••
But though it cannot save anyone, the aposde calls it
faith.
It is stated in the Bible that, HThey have all gone out
of the way, they have together become unprofitable...
32
and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:12,23).
Were all people unbelievers and the earth void of faith?
Or rather God called them believers who sinned while
in faith?
God did not deprive those sinners from tbe name
"believers", as He said once on the mouth of Jeremiah
the Prophet, UPor My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
and hewn themselves cistems - broken cistems that can
hold no water... My people have forgotten Me days
without number" (Jer. 2:13,32). Nevertheless He called
them His people...
God said also through Isaiah the Prophet, UI have
nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against Me" (Isa. 1:2). Yet, in spite of their
rebelling, He called them children.
This reminds us of God's words concerning the lost
son, UPor this my son was dead and is alive again; he
was lost and is found" (Lk. 15:24). In spite of bis loss
and spiritual deatb He caned bim "son".
Again in tbe words of tbe apostle, " .• though I have
all faith, so tlud I could remove mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing" (l Cor. 13:2); in tbese words tbere
is anotber evidence tbat even a person lacking love and
considered as notbing is called a believer.
The Lord even calls them believers, who resemble the
seed that fell on rock and as soon as it sprang up, it
withered away.. He says, UBut the ones on the rock are
 33
those who. when they hear. receive the word with joy;
and these have no root. who beline for a while and in
time of temptation fall away" (Lt. 8:6,13).
Of course those apostates cannot be called "elect"
though the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned that they were
believers for a while... This applies also to those
mentioned by the apostle in (l Tim. 4:1). "Now the Spirit
expressly says that in latter times some wUl depart from
the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines
oj demons". Of course such people cannot be called
"elect" tbougb tbey were in tbe faitb before their
apostasy.
Now, I hope the great difference between the two
words has been made clear.. All tbe elect are believers,
but not all believers are elect•• for some may depart from
tbe faitb giving beed to deceiving spirits and doctrines
of demons•••
We shall return to this point again, my beloved, but
now let us put it aside for a while to talk about the second
condition of salvation and its main enterance.. Le.
Baptism.
 2. BAPTISM
THE IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM FOR
SALVATION

The words of the Lord Christ to Nicondemus show

the importance of baptism for He says, "Most assuredly,
I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
Kingdom ofGod. " (In. 3:3). The meaning of this birth
is explained by the Lord when He answered the question
of Nicodemus saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is bom ofwater and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the Kingdom of God" (In 3:5).
It is an explicit verse which indicates that without
baptism no one can enter the Kingdom of God, nor even
see it.. Thus, salvation is to be attained through baptism
preceded by faith.
Therefore the Lord Christ said expressly and plainly,
"He who believes and is bapti:.ed will be saved" (MIc.
16:16). Also when He sent His disciples to preach His
Kingdom allover the world, He said to them, "Go
therefore and make disciples of aU the nations baptidng
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe aU things that
I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:19,20).
 35

This verse indicates that salvation requires faith, which

comes through discipleship; and baptism, the direct gate
to salvation; besides good works which appear in keeping
the commandments... So, if baptism had not been
necessary for salvation, the Lord would have said to His
disciples just to go and preach faith without referring
to baptism...
St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to his disciple Titus,
bishop of Crete - explains how salvation is attained
through baptism which is a regeneration. He says, "But
when the kindness and the love ofGod our Savior toward
man appeared. not by works ofrighteousness which we
have done. but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Spirit" (Tit. 3:4.5).

BAPTISM IN THE EARLY CHURCH

The early church followed the principle laid down by
the Lord Christ i.e. "He who believes and is baptized
will be saved" (MR 16:16) So, on the day of Pentecost,
St. Peter the Apostle preached the word of faith and
those who listened were cut to the heart and when they
asked what would they do, 81. Peter said to them,
"Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the
name ofJesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:37,38).
The verse says explicitly that the remission of sins
comes through baptism... And how can one have
salvation without having one's sins forgiven!!
36
This means that baptism is necessary for one's
salvation, for through baptism sins are forgiven and one
is made capable of receiving the Holy spirit.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is received in the second
sacrament of the church which is the sacrament of the
Holy Chrism or (myron), and this is evident from the
previous verse...
On the day of the Pentecost, after hearing the words
of St. Peter about baptism they, Hgladly received his
word, were baptized, and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them" (Acts 2:41) If faith alone was
sufficient to give salvation, what was the need to baptize
three thousand souls on one day! How easy it was for
the apostles to say to the people, 'Now, brethren, since
you have believed, go and he blessed by God.. That is
enough. You are already saved and the matter is
over.. .'!!
In the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, after he had
accepted faith through St. Philip, he asked the apostle,
HWhat hinders me from being baptized?" HAnd both
Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and
he baptized him... and he went on his way.. " (Acts
8:36-39).
Likewise, the Phllippian jailer who accepted faith
through Paul and Silas, ••.. immediately. he and all his
family were baptized" (Acts 16:33).
We have also the example of Cornelius to whom the
angel of God appeared in a vision saying to him, HYour
 37

prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial

before God".. After St. Peter had preached to him the
word of life, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard
the word and St. Peter anwered, HCan anyone forbid
water, that these should not be baptized who have
Feceived the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he
commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord" (Acts 10:47,48).
And Lydia, a seller of purple from the City of
Thyatira, when she accepted faith through St. Paul the
Apostle, H •• she and her household were baptized" (Acts
16:15).
Beautiful indeed are the words of St. Paul the Apostle
about baptism which say, "For as many ofyou as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27)..
In baptism then one puts on Christ.. What greater
salvation than this there could be!..
Baptism is the gate through which one attains
salvation, while faith paves the way to it.
We say this because many Protestants think that one's
faith is capable of saving one... ! Or in other words they
think that regeneration is achieved through faith not
through baptism! They do not admit that baptism is the
regeneration•• in spite of the plain verse speaking about
the washing of regeneration (Tit. 3:5)!! and also in spite
of the words of the apostle in the Epistle to the
Ephesians, HHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and gave Himselffor it, that He
38

might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing 0/ water

by the word, that He might present it to Himself a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle.. " (Eph.
5:25-27).
The protestants and their followers take the words,
" .. sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word" to mean that sanctification is done by the
"word"! ignoring the words "the washing of water" as
if they were of no meaning...
The "word" here means preaching•. What do the
words "the washing o/water" mean then?. They mean
baptism which one obtains after hearing the word
preached•• This conforms with the commandment of the
Lord Christ, "make disciples... baptizing them.. ".
Making disciples is effected through preaching the
word .. and baptizing is effected through the washing of
water.

A THEOLOGICAL VIEW OF
THE "IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM"
What is the fundemental teaching of Christianity about
baptism as a means for salvation? Why is baptism
necessary for savlation? Why can no one be saved
without it? The matter is very clear and can be explained
as follows:
The Holy Bible say, "For the wages ofsin is death... "
(Rom. 6:23). Then, there must be death.. and the way
 39

to salvation must begin with death.. continue through

death and the last stage in the process of salvation is to
be attained through death.. It means that salvation begins
with death, is perfected in death and continues through
death because the wages of sin is death... What does all
this mean? ..

1. Salvation began with death:

Salvation began with the death of Christ on the cross
paying for sin and purchasing us with His blood.. But
how does salvation reach you? It reaches you through
death.. How is this effected?. Christ gave salvation
through His death... And in order that you may have
a share in such salvation, you must share Christ His
death.. You must die with Christ and rise with Him in
order to be glorified with Him. Thus, St. Paul the
Apostle says, " .. that I may know Him and the power
ofHis resurrection, and thefe//owship ofHis sufferings,
being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10).
Unless you undergo such deatb, you will be seized by
tbe second death wbich is torment forever in the lake of
fire (Rev. 20:14).
But how can you undergo such death? How can you
share Christ His death? This is effectd through baptism
as St. Paul the Apostle says, "Or do you not know that
as many of us as were batized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? There/ore we were buried with
Him through baptism into death•• " (Rom. 6:3,4).
40

It is our death with Christ and burial with Him that

makes us share the glories of His resurrection. So, St.
Paul the Apostle says, "For if we have been united
together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His resurrection... Now if we
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him. " (Rom. 6:5,8).
Now, we can sum up the issue as follows:
The wages of sin is death •• so man must die and be
buried•• But Christ died for us and we have to share His
death in order not to be apart from the deserts of His
death•••
It is not proper at all to leave Christ die alone for us
without sharing His death or at least being conformed
to His death having the fellowship of His sufferings...
Thus St. Paul the Apostle says, " •• baptized into His
tkath••• buried with Him••• we have been united together
in the likeness ofHis death••• our old man was crucified
with Him••• Now if we died with Christ, we believe that
we shall also live with Him." (Rom. 6:3-8).
The Holy Bible explains to us that such death is
effected through baptism.. in which we must be
immersed completely as if buried in the baptismal font
as St. Paul says, H . . we were buried with Him through
baptism into death" (Rom. 6:4). Then we rise from the
water of baptism to HWaik in newness oflife... knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with.. "(Rom. 6:4,6).
 41

Baptism, then, is necessary for salvation because it is

sharing in the death of Christ, beleiving in death as a
means of life and admitting that the wages of sin is
death... Those who say that salvation is attained through
faith alone, without baptism, have not yet understood
faith properly.. So, let us discuss the matter together to
understand it well:
What is faith? .. It is to believe that the wages of sin
is death; to believe that Christ died for you; and'to believe
that· you must die with Him in order to live with Him
also ... Thus, faith leads you to what we have already
said Le.
Salvation began with death, the death of Christ.. It
U. a paid for salvation •• We began to attain this salvation
through death for we died with Christ and were buried
with Him In Baptism•• That is the salvation which we
attained••
We add now that such salvation continues through
d~th•••

2. Salvation continues through death:

81. Paul the Apostle says, "Likewise you also, reckon
yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in
your mortal body that you should obey it in its lusts"
(Rom. 6:11,12).
These are beautiful words indeed which explain to us
the Orthodox faith thoroughly. "Do not let sin reign in
42

your mortal body"; we entered into salvation through

death.. so, our bodies must be always dead against
worldly lusts. For as long as the body is dead, salvation
lives in it•• But, when the camallusts rise from this death
and begin to move, we become liable to lose salvation
since salvation is only attained through death.
so, we pray God in the ninth hour saying, 'Mortify
our bodily senses, 0 Christ our Lord and deliver us'.
This conforms with the verse, " .. but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. "
(Rom. 8:13). St. Paul the Apostle says also, "So' then
death is working iii us" (2 Cor. 4:12).
He asserts the same saying, "For we who live are
always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life
of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh"
(2 Cor 4:11); and also, "And ifChrist is in you, the body
is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness" (Rom. 8:10). He says also, "For Your
sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter" (Rom. 8:36), "Always carrying about
in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).
So, as long as we are along the way of salvation, the
body must be dead against sin; death must work in us.
If someone says he is already saved, yet he still loves the
world and the things of the world, he is in fact mistaken,
for, " •. friendship with the world is enmity with God"
(Jas. 4:4).
 43

Salvation, then, continues through death: death of the

deeds of the body, death of the lusts of the body, and
death against the world, material and its demands which
fight the spirit.
+ What is the meaning of the words, "We shall be
saved by His life"1
Let us meditate on the verse which says, HFor if when
we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). What do the
words Hwe shall be saved by His life" mean?
These words perhaps mean that we shall be saved by
His life as an Advocate, a Priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek who is, Hable to save to the
uttermost those who come to God through Him, since
He ever lives to make intercession for them" (Heb.
7:25).. We are saved by His life due to His being an
advocate because we always sin, HAnd if anyone sins,
we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous" (l In. 2:1).
We can say here that the continuous intercession of
Christ for us means that we are continually in need for
salvation and for its work in us all the time..
There is another beautiful meaning for the words, " •.
we shall be saved by His life"•• We find this meaning
in the speech of St. Paul the Apostle, where he says, HI
have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20)... Being crucified with
44
Christ.. This is the death required, H ••have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24). Thus we
are saved, when Christ lives in us.. Also, the words, "it
is no longer I who live" show sumbission of one's will
completely to the Lord so that one can always say, 'not
what 1 will, but what You will' One becomes as if dead,
as not existing.. It is no longer the person who lives but
Christ lives in him. He addresses Christ saying, 'I shall
be saved by Your death, 1 shall be saved by Your living
in me'.
This is the right concept of salvation according to
Orthodoxy: We have been saved through the death of
Christ when we died with Him in baptism••• We are now
capable of being saved by Christ living in us and by our
sumbitting our lives whoDy to His wiD saying along with
the apostle, HIt is no longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me".

3. Salvation is perfected in death:

We have said that salvation begins with death in
baptism, continues through death against the wordly
lusts.. But, till when?. The Holy Bible says, HBejaithjul
until death, and I will give you the crown ojlife" (Rev.
2:10).
Thus, death keeps working within you until the body
dies actually.. As long as you do away with the deeds
of the body, then you are still on the way of salvation••
When will you reach the end of the way?. You will reach
it when you die and pass to the other world.
 45

Then, you are still on the way.. would you stop in the
middle and cry out, 'I am already saved'! Be humble,
brother, and listen to the apostle saying, " .. considering
the outcome oftheir conduct" (Heb. 13:7). Do not boast
vainly because many had begun in the Spirit, but were
made perfect by the flesh (Gal. 3:3).
Now let us move to anothe! point and we shall return
to the previous one in detail - God willing - when we
speak about perfection of salvation.
46

3- SACRAMENTS NECESSARY
FOR SALVATION

Some sacraments are not necessary for your salvation.

For example, you may not marry, but you are the
offspring of marriage .. You may not have a disease and
so you may not need the sacrament of the Holy
Unction... You may not be ordained a priest, but you
do need the sacrament of the Holy Orders (Priesthood)
to give you the Holy Spirit that will work in the other
sacraments which you need for your salvation ...
No doubt you are in need of the sacrament of Baptism
which we have already discussed.. ; and also the
sacrament of the Holy Unction (Chrism or myron), the
sacrament of repentance and the sacrament of Eucharist
(Holy communion) ...
Now, we shall talk about the importance of each of
these sacraments seperately.

THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY

UNCTION
When St. Peter called upon the Jews to be baptized,
he said to them, "Repent, and let everyone of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
 47

ofsins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"
(Acts 2:38). What is this gift of the Holy Spirit? And
is it necessary for our salvation? What is its importance?
And can we be saved without it?
We can never be saved without this gift of the Holy
Spirit... That is because our whole spiritual life is just
a response of our will to the work of the Holy Spirit
within us.
Unless we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, all our
life will be futile and subject to perdition. It is a gift which
we receive through the sacrament of the Holy Unction
and for which we cry out in prayers continually saying,
«Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me" otherwise we
shall perish.
Your spiritual life does not at all depend on your
human arm (power).. but it is a fellowship with the Holy
Spirit as we shall explain in the chapter entitled "Striving
and Grace".
You must then receive this sacrament of the Holy
Unction, for St. John the Apostle says about it, "But
you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know
ali things", "But the anointing which you have received
from Him abides in you, and you do not need that
anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you
concerning all things, and is true" (l In. 2:20,27).
iTo know the importance of the Holy Spirit for your
salvation, let me ask you, 'Can you lead a spiritual life
without the work of the Holy Spirit within you? .. Can
48

you proceed along the way of salvation without the work

of the Holy Spirit supporting you?. If it is impossible
.. then you must receive this unction.
Therefore. the apostles were very careful regarding
giving the gift of the Holy Spirit to the believers. At first.
it was given b~' the laying of the hands of the apostles••
that was before using myron (Chrism)•.
We see this evident in the story of the acceptance of
faith in Samaria.. where this sacrament was considered
complementary to faith and baptism .. The Holy Bible
says, "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come
down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit. For as yet He hadfallen upon none of them. They
had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17).. So we see that baptism was not
sufficient - alone - for the people of Samaria.. they had
to receive the Holy Spirit.
The same applies to the faith of the Ephesians•. When
St. Paul came to Ephesus and finding some disciples "he
said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed!' And they said to him, 'We have not so much
as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit" (Acts 19:2). They
were baptized into John's baptism only ... But when St.
Paul talked to them, they were baptized in the name
H ..

of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on

ihem, the Holy Spirit came upon them" (Acts 19:5,6).
 49

In baptism, then, we share Christ His death and we

bKome sons•• while by the Holy Spirit we live in a way
that suits our being sons••• Both matters are necessary
for our salvation.

THE SACRAMENT OF EUCHARIST

(HOLY COMMUNION)

To know the importance of partaking of the flesh and

blood of the Lord, we shortly cite the words of the Lord,
"Most assuredly, I say to you. unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no
life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood
has eternal life. and I will raise him up at the the last
day... He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides
in Me. and I in him... .. (In. 6:53-58).
From this speech, we see that eternal life depends on
partaking of the flesh of the Lord to the extent that
whoever does not partake of it, will have no life.. he will
perish ..
Would you ask after alI this what the necessity of the
holy communion for salvation is!
Being Orthodox, and having the Orthodox faith, we
believe in what is said in the Divine Mass about the flesh
of the Lord, " •. given for us: salvation, and remission
of sins, and eternal life for whoever partakes of it ".
50
So, if anyone aks, 'Is salvation possible without the
holy communion?' I say, 'No, this this is impossible..
because the flesh of the Lord is given for us: salvation
and remission of sins and eternal life for whoever
partakes of it..
How can we explain the importance of Eucharist
theologically? ...
You are saved through baptism from the original sin ..
This is the first salvation you have attained. Through
baptism you have become a son of God, worthy of the
deserts of the blood of Christ.. But you commit new sins
every day, and you need to wash out your sins with the
blood, for, HIf we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (l In. 1:8).
Every day you sin, and you need the flesh of Christ
sacrificed on your behalf. You need the Holy Sacrifice
an atonement for your sins.. In fact, the Holy offering
of Eucharist is a continuation of the sacrifice of Christ.
Therefore, you cannot be saved of your sins without. it
because it is given for us: salvation and remission of sins ..
Through it, we also abide in the Lord as He Himself said.
Someone may say to you, 'If you want to be saved,
just throw yourself at the feet of Christ and say to Him:
accept me, 0 Jesus!!' My brethren, such words need to
be put into action.. do you want Christ to accept you!..
This is the way of salvation: to die with christ, and be
buried with Him in baptism and He will accept you .. ;
to be anointed with the Holy Spirit, and He will accept
 51

YOu.. ; to partake of His flesh and blood in order to abide

in Him, and He will accept you .. , to confess your sins,
and He will accept you .. This is the practical way through
which the Lord may accept you.. It is improper to ask
Him to accept you without going along the way planned
by Him.
The same may be said likewise regarding the words, .
'Submit your life to Jesus' ... How easy it is for a person
to utter such words, but how difficult for him to carry
out..! Do you think that submission of one's life is a
slight matter?! All our spiritual striving is summed up
in these words "submission of one's life" .. They mean
that a person submits his will to the Lord, submits his
heart and his affections, his intentions and his thoughts ...
that is to do works meet for repentance.
Talk about the sacrament of Eurcharist must be
preceded by talk about the sacrament of repentance:

THE SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE

Is repentance necessary for salvation? Yes.. to the

extent that without repentance there would be no
salvation .. You may ask 'how can this be? .. I have
accepted faith, I have been baptized and am already
justified.. '
It is true that you had been bapatized and are delivered
of the original sin.. But what about your actual sins..
52

those which you commit every day? where can you escape
from them? and how?
Do faith and baptism prevent you from sinning
afterwards?! Certainly not.. , for St. John the Apostle
declares, flIf we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (l In. 1:8). It is
because, fiNo one is good but One, that is, God. " (Mt.
19:17), and, flFor we all stumble in many things" (Jas.
3:2) We say also in the "litany of the departed" fiNo
one is free from sin even though his life on earth be one
single day".. What can we say about all these sins? How
can one be saved of them? Can't this be through
repentance? ..
Someone may whisper to you saying, 'Just believe..
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household".. !! (Acts 16:31)' My beloved
brother, this verse is said before, previous to baptism..
but as for your sins after being baptized, you have the
advice of St. John the Apostle. He says, "If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse usfrom all unrighteousness" (l In. 1:9).
The Holy Bible says also, flHe who covers his sins will
not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them
will have mercy" (Prov. 28:13).. So, the holy church set
up for us the sacrament of Repentance.
Since a believer is apt to fall and perish due to his sins
in spite of his being in faith; and since man is in a
continuous battle against sin and every day he stumbles
 53

,and falls•. so, God gave us repentance through which

we may be renewed, and cleansed and our sins washed
out.
No Protestant denies repentance and its importance
and necessity.. Repentance includes regret, mourning,
confessing and deciding to forsake sin, all of which are
works.
However, I do not say that a person can be saved
through repentance alone for repentance without tbe
blood of Christ is of no avail. But, I say tbat repentance
makes one wortby of being washed off and cleansed by
the blood of Christ and thus be saved.
The blood of Christ is like a great treasure which we
can only approach through repentance.. Then we take
it and get enriched. On the other hand if we do not
repent, the treasure retains its value but we remain far
from it, in poverty, perishing of hunger. The compassion
of the Father is there, the best robe and the fatted calf
are prepared.. but the lost son has to come to the Fahter
in repentance in order to have all this.. Let us admit then
that «God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance
to life" (Acts H:L8).
The importance of repentance is further indicated in
the words of the Lord Cbrist • glory be to Him - for He
says, " .• unless you repent you will all likewise perish"
(Lk. 13:3).
This verse shows that repentance is a means for
salvation that saves from perdition.. It shows also that
54

without repentance, a sinner perishes and "These times

of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all
men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Not only does
God command people to repent, but also to "do works
befitting repentance" (Acts 26:20).
This repentance is preached by the holy apostles as a
means for salvation from the perdition set for sinners.
St. Peter the Apostle· for example· says that God, His
longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance. " (2 Pet.
3:9). Here is a contrast between repentance and
perdition.. which means that whoever repents will be
saved and escapes perdition and vice versa...
St. Paul the Apostle also shows the wrath awaiting
those who do not repent and are subject to the just
condemnation of God.. He says, "Or do you despise the
riches ofHis goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,
not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to
repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and
your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself
wrath in the day of wrath and revelation ofthe righteous
judgment ofGod, who will render to each one according
to his deeds" (Rom. 2:4-6).
God did not require repentance from the gentiles and
non-believers only, but He required it also in the
Revelation from the angels of the seven chruches in Asia••
He says to the angel of the Church of Ephesus,
"Remember therefore from where )'ou have fallen;
 55

repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you

quickly and remove your lampstand from its place -
unless you repent" (Rev. 2:5). God required repentance
also from the angel of the church in Pergamos (Rev.
2:16). To the angel of the church in Sardis God said,
"Remember therefore how you have received and heard;
hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch,
I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know
what hour I will come upon you" (Rev. 3:3). And to the
angel of the Church of the Laodiceans He said, "be
Zealous and repent" (Rev. 3:19).
My brother, do not think that Adam's sin alone
deserves death.. but in general the wages of sin is death.
Any sin you commit after being baptized may lead to
your perdition - unless you repent.
The sacrament of Repentance is also known in Chruch
as the Sacrament of Confession.. for you need to come
to the priest and confess your sins in order to have
absolution from him and have them forgiven ...
The sacrament of Repentance had been practised by
the holy chruch since the beginning.. The Holy Bible
states that in the epoch of the apostles, "Many who had
believed came confessing and telling their deeds" (Acts
19:18).. Even before this epoch, the Bible tells about
John the Baptist that many".. were baptized by him in
the Jordan, confessing their sins. " (Mt. 3:6).
Along the way of your salvation, I wish you would
benefit of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to His
56

disciples when He said, "Reuive the Holy Spirit. 1/you

fOTfive the sins ofll1lY, they are forgiven them; if you
retain the sins 0/ any, they are retained" (In. 20:22,23).

4- GOOD WORKS

We have already· talked about salvation through the

blood of Christ and how one needs faith, baptism, the
sacrament of the Holy Unction, the sacrament of
Repentance and the sacrament of Eucharist in order to
benefit from the deserts of the blood of Christ.
Now. we have to talk about works and their
importance for salvation.. This we shall do in a seperate
Chapter due to its importance...
 57

CHAPTER 2
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKS FOR
SALVATION

Introduction:
The works of man are either good or evil••• Evil works
lead a person to perdition and makes him lose his
~alvation .. But good works are necessary for salvation..
find absence of good works shows that the faith is dead
and fruitless.. However, good works alone are not
sufficient for salvation without faith, baptism and
without the deserts of the blood of Christ.
Good works are the ·fruit of faith; they demonstrate
faith and perfect it as we shall see in detail hereinafter.
God required and even commanded us to do good works
setting up punishments to be inflected upon whomever
neglects them.
Condemnation on the day of judgment will be
according to one's works.
But we say that salvation is not attained through good
works yet it is not attained without them.. For, salvation
cannot be attained except through the blood of Christ ..
but works make one worthy of the deserts of this blood.
58

Here, we must draw your attention to something very

important which is that a person needs the help of grace
to be able to do good works as the Lord Christ - glory
be to Him - says, l<.. without Me you can do nothing"
(In. 15:5). Our good works then, are the outcome of the
communion between our will and the work of the Holy
Spirit within us.
The texts of the Holy Bible which belittle the value
of works, either mean the works of the Law such as
circumcision, ritual practices, observing days, months,
and feasts and other similar matters or they are attacking
the works which are not based on the blood of Christ
and His redemption such as the works of non-believers
of heathen and so on.. Such works are without faith or
preceding faith.
I shall try to deal with each of these topics seperately
as far as God's grace gives help..
 59

EVIL WORKS LEAD TO PERDITION

It is a matter of course that evil works lead to perdi-

tion•• for God is perfect in His mercy as He is perfect
in His justice. And as "the wages ofsin is death" (Rom.
6:23,), so a sinner must be punished for his sin ...
It is true that Christ died for us.. but only the penitent
would enjoy the deserts of the death of Christ. Otherwise
such free savlation would be an open door for
recklessness and corruption, or would be a permission
tor sinning without fear of the punishment, depending
on the blood of Christ and the atonement which paid
for everything!!!
In this respect, St. Paul the Apostle says, "What shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin
/(ve any longer in it? •.• Therefore do not let sin reign
in your immortal body, that you should obey it in its
lusts" (Rom. 6:1-2).
St. Paul goes on saying, "What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly
not! Do you not know that to whom you present
Y'ourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom
you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to
60
righteousness?" (Rom. 6:15,16).
In these two verses, the apostle shows us that if we
obey sin - though being under grace - this obedience will
lead us to death .• And if so, this means that we lose
the eternal life which we have in Christ Jesus.
How great the importance is of these verses especially
because they are the words of inspiration on the mouth
of St. Paul the Apostle upon whom the Protestants
depend mostly regarding the topic of grace and
justification through faith .. These verses are part of the
Epistle to the Romans. the main epistle they depend on
in this concern.. [See also Gal. 2: 17].

Texts from the Pauline Epistles:

Many are the texts of the Holy Bible that prove the
fact that evil works lead to perdition. The following are
some examples:

• Gal. 5:19-21:
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, flissensions,
heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the
like of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such things will
not inherit the kingdom of God"
 61

Faith then, accompanied by such evil works, avails

.nothing and cannot save a person alone...

• Eph. 5:5,6:
"For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean
person, nor covetous man who is an idolator, has any
inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. Let no
one deceive you with empty words, for because of these
things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience".

• 1 Cor. 6:9,10:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the Kingdom oj God? Do not be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit
the Kingdom of God. "

• Heb. 13:4:
".. but fornicators and adulterers God will judge"..
In these explicit verses, St. Paul the Apostle mentions
over twenty evils that close the gate of the Kingdom of
God before any believer who may sin•••
Listen also to the very harsh words of St. Paul, the
apostle of grace and justification, in his Epistle to the
Hebrews:
62

• Reb. 10:26,27,29-31:
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of
judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the
adversaries ".
«Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of
God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by
which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted
the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said,
'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.' And
again, 'The Lord will judge His people. ' It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

• The same meaning of the first two verses is asserted

by the apostle in another part of the epistle (Reb. 6:4-8)
in harsh similar words.
• Rom. 1:18:
"For the wrath of God is revealedfrom heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men' '.

• Col. 3:5,6:
«Therefore put to death your members which are on
the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire,
and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these
things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of
disobedience ".
 63

• 2 Thess. 1:8,9:
taking vengeance on those who do not know God,
u •••

and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord

Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord".
We notice here that the everlasting destruction is set
up as a punishment for both matters: abandoning faith,
and forsaking works. The words "do not know God"
refer to lack of faith, while the words "do not obey the
gospel" refer to forsaking works.

• Rom. 2:8-10:
UBut to those who are self-seeking and do not obey
the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and
wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul ofman who
does evil, of the Jew first and also oj the Greek; but
glory, honour, and peace to everyone who works what
is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek".
We notice here that not only the punishment of the
evil works is mentioned but also the reward of good
works.

• Comment:
The verses quoted above show: the punishment of sin,
how a believer may perish if he sins, how evil works
prevent a sinner from inheriting the Kingdom of God,
hew God's wrath fall on him and how he becomes among
the sons of disobedience, how he is subject to fearful
64

judgment and fiery indignation which may devour him,

bow sucb a sinner will be punisbed witb everlasting
destruction from the presence of tbe Lord and bow
tribulation and anguish will be on his soul and how God
will judge him.
All this has been mentioned by St. Paul the Apostle
who talked in great details about grace and justification
through faith .. We started with these verses so that - in
their light - we may understand the verses that dealt with
grace and faith which St. Paul himself mentioned. Thus,
no one may ever think that St. Paul the Apostle taught
different doctrines•• for in almost every epistle he taught
that sins close the gates of the Kingdom of heavens•••
He even taught that evil works do away with faith •• He
said in his Epistle to Titus:

• Tit. 1:16:
HThey profess to know God, but in works they deny
Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified
for every good work".

Other texts from non-Pauline Epistles:

• 2 Pet. 2:4-22:
HFor if God did not spare the angels who sinned but
cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains
of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not
spare the ancient world ... then the Lord knows how to
 65

deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the

unjust under punishment for the day ofjudgment, and
esPecially those who walk according to the flesh in the
lust ofuncleanness... and will utterly perish in their own
corruption, and will receive the wages of
unrighteousness... to whom the gloom of darkness is
,.,served forever••• for if, after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the
~ord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them
than the beginning. For it would have been better for
them not to have known the way ofrighteousness, than
having known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered to them. But it has happened to them according
to the true proverb <A dog returns to his own vomit' and,
<t1 sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire'''.

• 1 Pet. 4:17,18:
"... What will be the end of those who do not obey
the gospel ofGod? Now <Ifthe righteous one is scarcely
saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?' "

• Acts 5:9,10:
"Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have
agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the
feet of those who have buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out... and the young men
came in andfound her dead, and carrying her out, buried
her by her husband. "
66

The perdition of Ananias and Sapphira proves that

evil work leads to destruction and faith alone is not
sufficient.. Both of them were believers but their hearts
were not upright; so they perished.. And the Bible states
that after their death, "great fear came upon all the
church and upon all who heard these things t,.

• Rev. 21:8 :
«But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable,
murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolators, and
all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death".

• Rev. 18:7:
"In the measure that she glorified herself and lived
luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and
sorrow".

• 1In. 3:15:
"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you
know that no murderer has eternalli/e abiding in him".

• Jas. 3:1,2:
"My brethren, let not many ofyou become teachers,
knowing that we shall receive a stricter jufigment. For
we all stumble in many things".
 67

• Jas. 5:1,9:
HCome now, you rich, weep and howl for your
miseries that are coming upon you... Do not grumble
against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned.
Behold, the Judge is standing at the door".

• Comment:
We see, from the previous texts that many sins lead
to perdition and to the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone. Such sins bring about torment and sorrow,
deprive sinners of eternal life and cause misery and
condemnation whether they are serious sins or slight as
some may deem them•• such as much teaching, excessive
riches, oppressing the hired or hating one's brethren...
~tc. This is also the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself.

• In. 5:28,29:
HFor the hour is coming in which all who are in the
graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who
have done good, to the resurrection oflife and those who
have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

• Mt. 13:40-42:
HTherefore as the tares are gathered and burned in
the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The son of
Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out
of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who
practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace
of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. "

• Mt. 7:19,20:
"every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you
will know them ".
In all the previous texts we notice that the Lord Jesus
Christ did not say that the non-believers will be cast into
fire or condemnation but those "who have done evil",
"all things that offend and those who practice
lawlessness", and those who "do not bear goodfmit".
The following texts indicate clearly that faith alone is
of no avail for salvation unless accompanied by good
works.

• Mt. 7:21-23:
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall
enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will
ofMy fahter in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast
out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in
Your name?' And then / wiil dec/are to them, '/ never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness! ".
We notice here that those who were to perish were not
merely believers but they were also endowed with gift
and worked mincttA.
 69

• Mt. 25:41-46:
HThen He will also say to those on the left hand,
*Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angles: for I was hungry
and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave
Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me
in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison
and you did not ·visit Me. Then they also will answer
Him, saying, 'Lord, when .... ? And these will go away
into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into
eternal life".
We notice bere likewise tbat tbose wbo were to perisb
were not murderers, fornicators or idolators, but tbe
cause of tbeir perdition was merely tbeir not giving food
to tbe bungered, nor visiting tbe sick••

• iLk. 13:3,5:
HUnless you repent you will all likewise perish".

• 'Mt. 5:29,30:
HAnd if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you
that one ofyour members perish, than for your whole
body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes
you to sin... ".
Here, tbe lack of faitb is not tbe cause for casting into
bell but just one sin of tbe flesb sucb as tbe lust of tbe
eyes wbicb lead to adultery or to tbeft for example.
70

• Lk. ·13:24-28:
UStrive to enter through the narrow gate, for many,
I say 10 you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When
once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the
door, and you begin to stand outside and knock, at the
door, saying, ~Lord, Lord, oPen for us' And He will
answer and say to you, ~I do not know you, where you
are from'.... Depart from Me, all you workers of
iniquity. There will be weeping and gnashing ofteeth.. ".
The Lord here is addressing believers who say to Him,
'Lord, Lord' ••• However they were to perish because
they were workers of iniquity.

• Mt. 19:24:
HIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of
God".
This shows that some people may I~se the Kingdom
not because they did not believe but because of the
dangers of wealth.

• Mt. 12:36:
"But I say to you that for every idle word men may
SPeak, they will give account ofit in the day ofjudgment.
For by your words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned".
 71

One's faitb does not protect one against falling under

condemnation due to one's words.
This reminds us of the words of St. Basil the Great
. who said,
[What would it benefit me if I did all righteousness
but said to my brother 'You fool', for then I would be
in danger of bell fire as our Lord Jesus Christ said, "But
whoever says. 'You fool' shall be in danger ofhellfire".]
72

JUDGMENT ... ACCORDING TO WORKS

It is an obvious fact which shows the importance of

works,
• In the Old Testament, David the Psalmist says,
UAlso to You, 0 Lord, belongs mercy; for You render
to each according to his work" (Ps. 61:11),
And in the Ecclesiastes, it is stated, UPor God brings
every work into judgment, including every secret thing,
whether it is good or whether it is evil" (Ece/ess, 12:14),
• In the New Testament, this fact is asserted by the
Lord Jesus Christ and by His holy disciples" The Lord
says, uPor the Son ofMan will come in the glory ofHis
Pather with His angels, and then He will reward each
according to His works" (Mt. 16:27).
He says also, u,. for the hour is coming in which all
who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth
- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation" (In. 5:28,29),
Notice that He is speaking in this verse about works,
"those who have done good,., those who have done
evil",
 73

COIlde....tIon is not for works only bat even for

~ords as the Lord says, "For by your words you wiU
beJustified, tlIId by your words you will be co1UlernMd"
(/tit. 12:36).
This is obvious also in the Revelation as the Lord sent
to each of the seven angels of the cbruches saying, "]
know your. works" (Rev. 2:2). He also says expressly,
'~And behold, I am coming quickly, tlIId My retVilTd is
with Me, to give to every OM according to his work"
(Rev. 22:12).
It is also said in the same Book, "Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lordfrom now on. ·Yes', says the Spirit,
·that they may rest from their labors tlIId their works
follow them' " (Rev. 14:13), and "Thedeadwerejudged
aecording to their works, by the things which were
written in the books" (Rev. 20:12).
The picture of judgment which the Lord revealed to
us by His words to those on His right hand and the others
on His left hand is judgment according to works.. For
He said to those on His right hand, "] was hungry and
you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;
I was a stranger andyou took Me in ... Because of such
H

goOd works He said to them, "Come, you blessed ofMy

Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world" (Mt. 25:31-46).
He did the same, likewise, concerning the evildoers,
He judged them according to their works.
74
A person, then, is apt to lose the Kingdom if only his
heart becomes void of mercy and he does not give food
to the hungry nor visit the sick. Whatever mercy be may
have, and whatever vain confidence may fill his heart
would avail him nothing!! How hard are the words of
St. James the Apostle in this regard; he says, HWhat does
it profit, my brethren, ifsomeone says he has faith but
does not have works? Canfaith save him?" (Jas. 2:14).
Judgment according to works is also a fact very
frequently referred to by St. Paul the Apostle. He says,
HFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the
body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad" (2 Cor. 5:10), and also, HBut in accordance with
your hardness and your impenitent heart you are
treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will
render to each one according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:5-7).
About the same topic St. Paul the Apostle says, I f••

whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who

sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life" (Gal. 6:7,8). He says also, Each one's
If

work will become manifest; for the Day will dec/are it,
because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test
each one's work of what sort it is" (l Cor. 3:13). He says
that everyone will have his reward "according to his
labor", not Ifaccording to his faith" or Ifaccording to
the work of grace .....
 75
St. Peter the Apostle also-speaking about judgment
according to works - says, H •• the Father, who without
ptU1/tlIityjudges according to each one's work, conduct
yourselves throughout the time ofyour sojouming here
lit fear" (l Pet. 1:17).
. Since works whether good or evil, are so serious as
to cause one's condemnation, would anyone then dare
belittle their value and importance?
My beloved bretbren, since God does not forget "a
cup ofcold water" and tbe reward in not lost, nor forget
at all tbe labor of love, "therefore be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work ofthe Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"
(1 Cor. 15:58).

Works are very important for our salvation and for

determining our eternal destiny.. Let us then contemplate
on their necessity..

+ Works are fruits requisite for faith:

iWorks are fruits of faith .. for living faith must bear
fruit and its fruit is good works Such works prove the
existence of faith and its liveliness.. They are also fruit
ofthe work of the Holy Spirit within us and are requisite
fot the life of repentance which we lead.
Does God require such works or such fruit? .. Yes, He
does and He empbasizes tbat..
76

John the Baptist stood crying out to the multitudes,

" •• bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin
to say to yourselves. ~We have Abraham as our
father·... " (Lk. 3:8). He wanted to saYt 'Your being
chosen by God does not mean that you can be saved
without works. . You must bear fruits worthy of
repentance t But if we do not do? In this case you will
perish. What is the evidence?
John the Baptist t who among those born of women
there has not risen one greater than he t goes on to sayt
IfAnd even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree which does not bear·good fruit is
cut down and thrown into the fire" (Lk. 3:9).
It means that whoever does no good works with perish.
You may argue saying, 'I have Abraham as my father;
I am born of God; I have been justified, sanctified and
regenerated.••'. Well, but I say to you, "Bear fruits
worthy of repentance".
This is not said by John the Baptist alone t but in the
New Testament t St. Paul the Apostle also saYSt I f••but
declared first to those in Damoscus and in Jerusalem.
and throughout all the region ofJudea. and then to the
Gentiles. that they should repent. turn to God. and do
works befitting repentance" (Acts 26:20). And in the
Epistle to Titus t St. Paul saYSt This is afaithful saying.
If

and these things I want you to affirm constantly. that

those who have believed in God should be careful to
maintain good works" why do you say this. you great
 n
saint? He proceeds to say, "And let our people also learn
to maintain good works... that they may not be
unfruitful" (Tit. 3:8,14).
Works then are fruits of faith. If you do have faith
but your faith does not bear fruit, it is then dead faith ••
For had it been living faith, it would have brought forth
fruit••
This issue is expounded by our master James the
Apostle; he says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he hasfaith but does not have works? Can
faith save him?" (las. 2:14). You believe on Christ, and
you say, 'The blood of Christ has cleansed me, renewed
me and justified me' Very well •• But suppose you have
80 good works, would such faith save you?!

St. James the Apostle asserts explicitly that faith is

unable to save a person who has no good works..
But is it St. James only who attacks such dead faith?
Nay.. But St. Paul the Apostle also says, "And though
I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing" (l Cor. 13:2).
. c::
If you are truly the son of God and a temple for Him,
and the Holy Spirit dwells in you, then you ought to have
works which are the fruits of the Spirit within you•.. St.
Paul the Apostle describes such fruits saying, "But the
fruit of the Spirit is love , joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control" (Gal. 5:22).
78

Do you have these fruits? If not, what is the evidence

of the work of the Holy Spirit within you?
A tree which bears no fruit is a dead tree, and the Lord
Jesus Christ - glory be to Him - says, "Every tree that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord', shall enter the
Kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My
Father in heaven" (Mt. 7:19-21).
We notice here that the Lord has set a relation between
salvation and good fruit which fruit appears in doing the
father's will.
Due to the importance of these fruits, the Lord
rebuked the Jews saying, "Therefore I say to you, the
Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to
a nation bearing the fruits of it" (Mt. 21:43).
The Lord has also explained to us how he intended
to cut down the fig tree which gave no fruit and how
the keeper of the vineyard implored Him, "Sir, let it
alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize
it; and if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you
can cut it down" (Lk. 13:6-9).

Brother, if you do fear to be cut down like that tree,

make haste now and do works meet for the sons of God.
Do not look slightly upon the value of works for the ax
is laid to the root of the tree.
 79
Moreover, works are not only fruits of faith but they
are also:
+ Works are evidence of the existence of faith:
St. James the Apostle says, "Show me your faith
without your works, and I will show you my faith by
my works" (Jas. 2:18).
This shows that works are evidence of the existence
of faith. This is evident from the words of the Holy Bible,
"You will know them by their fruits... every good tree
bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Mt.
7:16,17).

+ Works are evidence of being born of God:

The Holy Bible says, "If you know that He is
righteous, you know that everyone who practices
righteousness is born of Him" (1 In. 2:29), and also,
"Whoever has been born of God does not sin" (1 In.·
3:9) This is what distinguishes God's children, for it is
said directly after that, "In this the children ofGod and
the children of the devil are manifest" (l In. 3:10).
This goes along with what the Lord said to the Jews
who boasted vainly of their being Abraham's chirldren.
He addressed them saying, "If you were Abraham's
children, you would do the works of Abraham" (In.
8:39). He considered works as evidence of sonship.
St. Paul the Apostle also asserts this point saying, "For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons
of God" (Rom. 8:14).
80

If God's cbildren, tben, are tbose rigbteous people,

wbat would we call tbe sinners? Tbe Bible calls tbem,
"Brood of vipers!" (Mt. 3:7) "Children of the devil"
(In. 8:44, IJn. 3:10), "the sons of disobedience",
"children of wrath" (Epb. 2:2,3).
So, if anyone says to you, 'I am God's son because
1 have been renewed, justified and sanctified.", say to
him, "By their fruits. you will know them ".
We said that works are fruits of faith, are evidence
of the existence of faith and are evidence of being born
of God... What else?.

+ By works faith is made perfect:

This is what St. James the Apostle says, "By works
faith was made perfect" (Jas. 2:22).
. S1. James the Apostle - when speaking about religion
- goes far as to say, "Pure and undefiled religion before
God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows
in their trouble. and to keep oneselfunspottedfrom the
world" (Jas. 1:27). Certainly, such things are all works...
However, we do not use one verse only for our benefit
as some others do because we believe in the principle
which says that "using one verse only in dangerous".
Since works are of such improtance, let us then
remember always the words of S1. James the Apostle,
"Therefore. to him who knows to do good and does not
do it. to him it is sin" (Jas. 4:17).
 81

+ The importance of behaviour and good works:

Some may inquire, 'What relation is there between
salvation and one's behaviour? It is a matter of faith,
not a matter of behaviour or good works'!! So, we shall
indicate here the importance of behaviour and of keeping
the commandments.
• St. John the Apostle says, "If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and
do not practice the truth. ;But if we walk in the light as
He is in the light, we havefellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from
all sin" (l In. 1:6,7).
Thus, walking in the light has two results: fellowship
and cleansing.
Walking in the light gives us fellowship with God and
fellowship with each other.. while walking in darkness
hinders our fellowship with God.
Walking in the Ught makes us worthy of being cleansed
with the blood of Christ as the apostle says, "The blood
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin". It
depends upon our walking in the light. ..
So, it is evident that the deserts of redemption and the
cleansing with the blood of Christ requires our walking
in the light. .. How signficant, then, and how serious our
behaviour is! ...
• Such good behaviour saves us from condemnation
82

on the day of judgment as the Holy Bible states, "There

is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh,
but ac-ording to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1).
It means that you can be saved from condemnation
through the Lord Jesus Christ.. provided that you walk
according to the Spirit Le. to behave in a spiritual way.

We notice here that the words of St. Paul the Apostle

comprise both positive and passive asPeCts.• On one side,
a believer should abstain from doing evil, and not walk
according to the flesh .. While on the other side, he should
bear fruit in virtue and walk according to the Spirit.
• Therefore many are the commandments of our
fathers. the apostles regarding the importance of
behaviour:
8t. Paul the Apostle says in his Epistle to the Galatians,
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"
(Gal. 5:25).. "He stresses the same point again saying,
"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of
theflesh" (Gal. 5:16). He orders us to walk "in newness
of life".
He sends to the Ephesians saying, "I, therefore, the
prisoner ofthe Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy
of the calling with which you were called" (Eph. 4:1),
and also, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as
fools but as wise" (Eph. 5:15).
[See also 1 Thess. 2:12, 4:1; Col. 1:10; Rom. 13:13].
 83

• Hence, our fathers tbe aposdes prevented mixing up

~tb those who walk disorderly, for S1. Paul the Apostle
says in his second Epistle to the Thessalonians, "But we
command you, brethren, in the name ofour Lord Jesus
Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks
disorderly and not, Ofcording to the tradition which he
received from us" (2 Thess. 3:6,11).
• Our fatbers the apostles see also that good behaviour
is a sign of love and a proof of abiding in Christ: St.
John the Apostle says, "This is love, that we walk
according to His commandments" (2 In. 6), and also,
"He who says he obides in Him ought himself also to
walk just as He walked" (l In 2:6).
• Keeping the commandments is an evidence of having
love for Christ and being related to Him: In this regard
81. John the Apostle says, "For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments. And His
commandments are not burdensome" (l In. 5:3). This
is said also by the Lord Himself, for He says, "He who
has My commandment and keeps them, it is he who loves
Me" (In. 14:21).
As for being related to Christ, He says, "For whoever
does the will ofMy Father in heaven is My brother and
sister and mother" (Mt. 12:50).
If one's behaviour is of so great signficance to the
extent that on it depends our fellowship with God and
with Church and our being cleansed of our sins through
tbe blood of Christ; also according to it we are to be
84

judged; besides its being an evidence of our love for God,

our abiding in Him, and our relation to Him••• would
tben anyone ignore it and say tbat our life is not just
bebaviour but it is faitb!! ••
 85

CHAPTER 3
STRIVING AND GRACE

Since works are necessary for salvation, would a

person be saved by his works or by the grace of the Holy
Spirit working in him? Many went far in defending either
of them and were mistaken.. So, we shall try here to give
an answer to such an important question i.e. How is man
saved? Is it by striving? by grace? or by both together?

Striving and grace together:

A person cannot be saved by his striving alone, for
the Lord Jesus Christ - glory be to Him - says, "Without
Me you can do nothing" (In. 15:5). You cannot be saved~
then, by your own human arm (power) alone without
God supporting you.. whatever striving or labor you may
have.
But grace would not save you by itself unless your will
responds to it•• How beautiful the words of St. John
Chrysostom in this regard are, he says, "God does not
want us to lie down on our backs and He gives us the
Kingdom.. for grace does. not do everything alone".
Grace is not a cause for laziness, carelessness and
slackening.
88

Do not stay then in laziness, without any striving in

your life and unwisely say, 'I submit myself to grace to
do whatever it wants for me!!' The work of grace within
you, brother, does not mean that you sleep and slacken
in performing your duties.

The example of Joshua and Moses:

Joshua the son of Nun led the army and fought
Amalek, while Moses stood on the top of the hill holding
up his hands in prayer (Ex. 17: 11).
Did the people defeat Amalek through the fighting of
Joshua's army or through the prayer of Moses?
Concentrating on one of them and neglecting the other
would be a mistake.. because Joshua alone, however
hard had he fought, without the prayer of Moses, or in
other words without God's help, would have never
defeated.
However, the prayer of Moses did not mean at all
encouraging the army to slacken before the enemy
depending on that prayer! Fighting and prayer went
together, side by side. One was striving in the war and
the other holding up his hands in prayer.. both were
inseparable

The communion of the Holy Spirit:

There is a beautiful verse which if well-understood
would make us understand more about grace and
striving, it is the apostolic benediction which says, «The
 87
grace ofthe Lord Jesus Christ, and the love ofGod, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. "
(2 Cor. 13:14).
It is a communion between two, working together: the
Holy spirit and man. The Holy Spirit is able to save and
redeem you•• , but He would not do it alone•. He wants
you to participate with Him in managing your own life •.•
This is the communion of the Holy Spirit.
You may argue saying, 'How is that! Is not the Holy
Spirit-alone-able to save me? Nay, He is able... but He
does not want ... It is not God's dispensation to force
you to do good, because you would not be rewarded for
an action done without your discretion...
Again, we say if it is the Holy Spirit who works alone,
why then are there righteous people and evil ones? If the
matter is confined to the work of the Holy Spirit alone,
there would be no single sinner on the earth.
The Holy Spirit can make a sinner repent. .. but He
does not want to do so unless the sinner's will agrees with
Him ... It is a communion ...
The mere existence of just one sinner in the world not
willing to repent is a sure evidence that grace, alone, does
not do everything.
Does the work of grace mean abolishing of personal
freedom?
No, for you still have your discretion and your will.
You can respond to the work of the Holy Spirit within
88

you, to participate in work with Him and be led by

Him ... But you can also stop the work of the Holy spririt
within you if you wish to. So, the Holy Bible warns us
saying, "Do not quench the Spirit" (l Thess. 5:19), and
also, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit ofGod" (Eph. 4:3f/).
Grace is standing knocking at the door.. as the Lord
says, uBeho/d, I stand at the door and knock. Ifanyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20).
But what if he does not open? He has full discretion to
determine his own destiny as he wishes...
Grace offers you help ••• and you have the option to
accept or refuse, to work or not •••
If you do participate with the Holy Spirit in action,
for your own sake, you will-with the grace of the Holy
Spirit-attain perfect holiness according to the extent of
your response and submission ... But if you refuse to
participate, grace will never force you to do good.
Many people go far in interpreting the word "striving"
as to consider it including a heresy? as if it were
something against faith, and against God's help! All this
is wrong.
Grace is just a weapon offered you.. You have the
option: either to fight with it and conquer, or neglect
it and meet the adversary disarmed and be defeated.. In
both cases, you are free to carry out your own will.. but
it is for your own good to make use of the weapon
offered you for your own salvation.
 89

Take as an example for this, the soldiers who receive

from their leadership during war, tanks, guns, bombs,
and weapons to fight with•• In case they conquer, is their
~ctory due to their own bravery or to the weapons?.

Their bravery alone, without weapons, would not be

sUfficient at all to bring them victory because fighting
needs weapons.. Likewise, weapons alone without
stilled soldiers to use them, can do nothing. The same
applies to spiritual wars in which man's will participates
in work with the spiritual weapons.

The necessity of striving:

, Many indeed are the holy texts which confirm the
necessity of striving.. from among these texts we cite the
words of the apostle. "There/ore we also, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us" (Reb. 12:1). Then he rebukes the Hebrews
saying, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving
against sin" (Heb. 12:4)
It behoves us, then, to strive.. not the ordinary striving,
but striving to bloodshed against sin. Would anyone ask,
'Until when?', we say, 'Until the end of one's life.. as
the Holy Bible says, " .. he who endures to the end will
be saved" (Mt. 10:22).
The apostle who strove much and spoke of striving
explains to us how his life was supported by grace, he
90

says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up far
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, will give to me on that day.. " (2 Jim.
4:7,8).
It is a striving, but not a personal one seperate from
God's work.. It is rather a combination of both
matters .. as the apostle says about his preaching, "To
this end I also labor, striving according to His working
which works in me mightily" (Col. 1:29).

It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs:

Some people go far in talking about the role of grace
as to belittle the role of striving.. depending on the verse
which says, "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of
him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. " (Rom.
9:16).
What does this mean? Does it mean that God's mercy
grants us free salvation and transfers us to the Kingdom
of heavens without any effort or good will on our side?!
Does it mean that a person relaxes lazily and runs not
towards good nor even wishes it depending on God's
mercy to have compassion upon him in spite of his
slackness? !
This can never be the meaning.. It is impossi1;Jle to say
that the apostle meant this by his words "not ofhim who
runs" which in another place he says, "I have fought
the good fight, I have finished the race.. "
 91

He who says, "not ofhim who runs ", he himself has

finished the race and attained the crown of righteousness
as a reward for his running and his good fight.

The same person who said, "not of him who runs"

said also about himself, "Not that I have already
attained, or am already perfected; but I press on that I

I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also
laid hold ofme-Brethren, I do not count myself to have
apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize
:ofthe upward call ofgod in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14).
St. Paul himself pressed on that he might lay hold ••
Is this just a personal experience which St. Paul had?
Certainly not .• It is for everyone. So, St. Paul goes on
saying, "Therefore let us, as many as are mature
(perfect), have this mind" (Phil. 3:15). Then, if you are
mature (perfect), you have to press on so that you may
apprehend.
St. Paul himself calls us all to this running and this
striving; he says, "Do you not know that those who run
in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such
a way that you may obtain it" (l Cor. 9:24).
What is it that you require us to do, great apostle?
Why should we run since it is not of him who wills, nor
of him who runs? what is the use of running and striving
then? Suffice us to stand still where we are and wait for
God's grace to come and transfer us from death to life
92
and bring us into the Kingdom of heavens freely without
our willing or running.. !
But St. Paul proceeds saying, "And everyone who
competes for the prize is temperate in all things .••
There/ore I run thus .•. But I discipline my body and
bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to
others, I myself should become disqualified. " (l Cor.
9:25-27).
This running and striving then, is not only for us, the
weak believers, but also for the apostles. As we see from
the verses, St. Paul himself ran and pressed on •. though
he was filled with the Holy Spirit and grace worked in
him more than in the others •• Yet he was in need to run,
to pass on, to finish the race and to fight the good fight ••
He calls us to do as he did in order that we may attain.
This great saint disciplined his body and brought it
into subjection in order not to become disqualified! If
St. Paul himself strove and was afraid lest he sbould be
refused ••• What ought we to do then?
What then is the meaning of the words, HIt is not 0/
him who wills, nor of him who runs, but 0/ God who
shows mercy".
The meaning is that you cannot attain the Kingdom
just by your willing or striving, without God's work
within you, without the help of His grace, and without
the communion of the Holy Spirit.
The main action in this regard is by God who shows
 93
mercy .. So, whoever depends on his own will and his
own striving is actually in the wrong way.. But the right
thing is that I press on, and God shows mercy .. and
when God blesses my labor I ascribe the result to God,
not to my own labor.
It is true that it is not of him who wills, nor of him
who runs, but of God who shows mercy .. But towards
whom does God show mercy? One of the saints said,
~God shows mercy towards them who will and who run' •

This reminds me of anther verse said by St. Paul also,

i'SO then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who
waters, but God who gives the increase" (l Cor. 3:7).
True indeed, it is God who gives the increase; but to
what? to the plant which is planted and watered. Then,
"e must not abstain from planting and watering saying
to ourselves that neither he who plants is anything, nor
he who waters.. and wait foolishly for God to give the
increase!!
The right thing is to plant and water yet say that neither
he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God
who gives the increase•..
It is the same as we said before that we have to will
and to run yet say that it is not of him who wills nor
Of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
94

The spiritual war:

Let us meditate on St. Paul's description of the
spiritual war in his Epistle to the Ephesians; he says,
HFinally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we do not wrestle against fksh and blood, but
against prlncipalities,against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the
whole armor ofGod, that you may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand
therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having
put on the breastplate ofrighteousness, and having shod
your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
above all taking the shield of faith with which you will
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful
to this end with all perseverance and supplication... II

(Eph. 6:10-18).
Here, we find wrestling, spiritual fight and striving,
while the weapon is the whole armor of God. This does
not mean that you do not strive, but you ought to strive,
yet depend on God in your striving .. Do not be like one
given God's spiritual weapons but he stands still not using
them, nor fighting with them .. The weapons are
available but one must fight.
 9S

God's weapons have their power but unless you use

,them, you wiD be defeated. there are some persons whom
S1. Paul mentions even weeping in (Phil. 3:18), those
could have used such weapons but because they neglected
them, deviated towards sin and submitted to it, they
perished in their sins.
We notice here also that among such spiritual weapons
are righteousness, truth, the word of God, prayer and
suppUcation, being watchful... which are all works.
St. Peter the Apostle also speaks about this spiritual
war; he says, "Be Sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in
the faith, ... .. (l Pet. 5:8,9). The devil, our adversary is
like a roaring lion: What should we do, then?
St. Peter says, "Resist him "•• i.e. strive, be firm and
be brave but do not depend on your human arm
(power) ••• You ought rather to "resist him steadfast in
the faith".. Dis verse includes both sides: striving in
resisting the devll, and grace upon which depends the
one who strives through faith.
It is the striving which St. Paul the Apostle calls for
while rebuking the Hebrews, for he says, "You have not
yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin" (Heb.
12:4)..
Here, striving and resistance are required but we
should resist by God's whole armor, not by our own
power and we should be steadfast in the faith.
98

Dus, St. Paul the Apostle says to his disciple St.

Timothy, "Fight tM goodfight ollaith" (1 Tim. 6:11).
Here, he requires both matters; striving and faith•• and
both go together. St. Paul speaks again about his own
striving; he says, HWe were bold in our God to speak
to you the gosPel of God in much conflict" (l Thess.
1:1), and in his Epistle to the Colossians, he says, uFor
I want you to know what a great conflict I havefor you".

The example of David and Goliath:

How did David defeat Goliath? Was this through
God's grace and help? Certainly, yes. David depended
wholly on God, so he said to Goliath, uYou come to
me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But
I come to you in the name ofthe Lord ofhosts", uThis
day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will
strike you and take your headfrom you ... Then all this
assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with
sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He
will give you into our hands" (l Sam. 17:45-47).
The greatness of David in this battle appears in that
he brought God into the field of the battle•• Before David
came, there had been no mention of God.. , only talk
about the man who had come up, the valiant who defied
the army and about the prize of the king to the person
who would kill that man (l Sam. 17:25).
David brought the Lord's name into the battle as we
see from his words, "I come to you in the name of the
Lord of hosts... This day the Lord will deliver you into
 97

~y htmd••• the Lord who deUvered me from the paw of

the Uon••• the 1Hltt~ is the Lord's••• etc. "But, was David
satisfied witb iDtroduciDg tbe Dame of tbe Lord iDto tbe
battlefield? Did be depeDd OD that sayiDg 'Througb faitb·
I sballldli Goliatb, witbout labor or striviDg. Tbe battle
is tbe Lord's aDd He will give him iDto our baDds'?. No,
but David, "chose for himselffive smooth stones from
the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch
which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew
near to the Philistine. " (l Sam. 17:40)...
Then as Goliath drew near to meet David, it was so
that, "David hastened and ran toward the army to meet
the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and
took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine
in hisforehead, so that the stone sank into hisforehead,
and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed
oyer the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck
the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword
in the ·hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood
over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it of its
sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.. ..
(l Sam. 17:48-51).
It is true iDdeed tbat tbe battle is tbe Lord's. ID tbis
example, it was tbe Lord wbo delivered Goliatb into tbe
band of David•• But David bad to figbt, to basten and
run toward tbe army, to cboose certaiD stones, to put
the stones in the sling aDd to strike skilfully. He had also
tQ draw bis sword of its sbeatb aDd prevail over the
Pbilistine and kill him••. All these steps are works.••
98

However, we ascribe this victory to God, not to David,

because the stone might have missed the deadly point
and Goliath might have not died by it. So, although
David fought very skilfully and conquered, yet we say
along with St. Paul the Apostle, "It is not of him who
wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows
mercy" (Rom. 9:16). There must be striving and labor
but at tl)e end victory is to be ascribed to God.

Faith and works together:

The same is to be said of the spiritual striving...
Undoubtedly, it is a battle likewise.
You fight with all your power, but the power you have
is God's power •.• You fight with every weapon you
have, but this weapon is God's whole armor..• On the
other hand, do not say 'I shall sleep and dream; for in
may dreams 1 see God's grace saving me...?
God does not save the sluggard, and the grace does
not encourage slackness and permissiveness.
Suppose that a pupil does not study, but he goes to
the priest asking his prayers for him to succeed, trusting
in the power of prayers•.. What do you say of that? ...
The rule is "Faith without works is dead" .. A pupil
has to study, and to ask for prayers.. Thus faith and
works go together in unity.
Some would say that striving represents the human arm
(power) while it is said, "Cursed is the man who... makes
flesh his strength" (Jer. 17:5).
 99

In fact striving becomes a human power if a person

depends on himself alone... , in other words if he thinks
that he can be saved by his own striving without the work
of grace! At this point he is faced with the words of the
Lord, HWithout Me you can do nothing" (In. 15:5).
Fighting can never be without a weapon.. and a
weapon by itself without fighting, and without a person
to use it skilfully, cannot bring victory. Both are
inseparable as St. Paul the Apostle says, Hlf anyone
competes..., he is not crowned unless he competes
according to the rules" (2 Tim. 2:5).
Thus, you have to strive, and your striving be
according to the rules so that you may be saved.

'{he striving of the Apostles and pastors:

Did not the apostles strive and labor for faith? Nay,
for S1. Paul the Apostle himself says, H •• I labored more
abundantly than they all" (l Cor. 15:10). All the apostles
labored and S1. Paul labored more. He even recorded
his labors in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians (2 Cor.
11: 23-33). If it were merely a question of grace.. why
then would S1. Paul labor? what would be the necessity
of evangelizing, preaching, giving advices, serving the
word of God, pastoral work and labor as long as grace
was to do everything!!
Why should a pastor labor, perform his pastoral duties
look after people and strive? Is not God able to speak
in the hearts of people and save them alone? What need
100

is there for apostles, pastors and preachers?! What need

is there for any striving? Do we call all this human power
(arm)?
Would grace do everything alone, a priest then might
sleep and pray in his heart to the Lord saying, '0 Lord,
it is You who look after your people and take care of
them. Who am I to strive and look after them?! It is not
of him who wills nor of him who runs but of You who
care for the people!!
As for preachers also, why should a preacher give a
sermon? He can lie resting at home and say, '0 Lord,
it is Your grace that speaks in the hearts of the people,
guide them and saves them!!'
You also, why do you labor in your life whether in
prayers, in fasting or striving.. Rest then depending on
grace to do everything!

Working with God:

We say all this because many people were lost because
they followed a wrong counsel said by others, which is:
'Do not strive. Why should you strive? God will not
begin to work for you except when you stop working!
Stop working then so that God may work!!.
What strange deadly words are these,? How can it be
that you stop work in order to let God work! why do
you not wo_rk with God so He works with you, works
within you, and works through you, as St. Paul said
 101

~bouthimself and Apollos, "For we are God's fellow

workers" (l Cor. 3:9).
Why do we seperate our work from God's work. Why
do we not be fellow workers with Him, to work with
Him, and He with us. So, St. John the Apostle speaks
about the Lord and the ~'lellowship with Him" (1 In.
1:6), and St. Paul speaks about the community of the
Holy Spirit...
God, with His grace, with His power, and with His
Holy Spirit says to you, 'I want to work with you to save
you. If you accept to work with Me, you will be saved,
but if you do not accept, you will deprive yourself of
such salvation.. I stand knocking at the door, offering
My grace, My love, My strength, My help and all the
powers necessary for the salvation of the soul at which
dpor I am knocking ... But, if anyone opens for Me, if
he accepts to work with Me, if he gives up Himself to
Me to work in, if he submits to My work, then I shall
co-work with him and He with Me'.

The extravagant point of view:

The worst of what I read throughout my life
concerning extravagance in denying the value of works
was what F .B. Mayer wrote in his book entitled, (Saved
and Preserved)...
Even the most fanatic Protestants who fight striving,
say that a person has to strive in one field only i.e. striving
in prayers •• But F.B. Mayer fights even this striving in
prayers.
102

Under the title "When I stopped my efforts", he says,

'You have to realize a fact: that as long as you wrestle
with God, you will lose the most valuable blessings!
Jacob wrestled with God all the night until the breaking
of day but did not advance even one step ... But when
he became no more able to wrestle because the socket
of his hip was out of joint and was about to fall, he
received the blessing that made him head!! (Gen.
32:24-29)' .
Mayer goes on saying, 'You have moaned and
struggled and implored but in vain. Now you have to
stop and keep silent!! Your tremendous efforts
complicated your affairs more'!! This Protestant writer
goes on fighting prayers, striving, imploring and
wrestling with God till he says, 'Know that God is able
to save you ... He was waiting all this long time to save
you ... and when you stop your labor, He will begin'!!
In this way, he calls people to stop running and working.
In another chapter entitled "we do not seek but we
receive" , he says, 'You will not get the blessing you long
for by struggling and striving, by your cries and prayers,
nor by your determination and attempts but rather by
calming yourself down before God and accepting grace' .
He gives an example of the ineffectiveness of striving
in prayers, the story of a person who struggled for two
years raising prayers to God to grant him power to
overcome a certain temptation .. It seemed that the
prayers were not accepted and he became very desperate.
But when he stopped prayers, God began to work ... !!!
 103

Does this teaching satisfy anyone's conscience? The

Holy Bible itself in all the scriptures calls us to strive in
prayers, to pray unceasingly and to keep watch and
pray... But it is the Protestant extravance that denies the
value of striving even in prayers!!

Spiritual exercises:
The Protestants and any others like them who fight
striving and works, fight also spiritual exercises as if these
also mean dependence on human arm (power).
But we say that ony if a person proceeds with his
spiritual exercises depending on his own power, he will
certainly be mistaken .. It is good for a person to practise
but he should depend on God's power and say along with
St. Paul the Apostle, HI can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).
Also, speaking about his own exercises, St. Paul the-
Apostle says, "This being so, I myself always strive to
have a conscience without offense toward God and men"
(Acts 24:16). And in his Epistle to the Philippians, he
says, HEverywhere and in all things I have learned both
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need" (Phil. 4:12). He had become trained and had his
senses exercised (Heb. 5:14).
It is good then for a believer to have spiritual exercises
and can even pray God saying, "Lead me in Your truth
and teach me" (Ps. 25:5). But, in all these exercises he
104

has to depend on God's power which gives him help; and

in every success he has to ascribe the merit to God not
to his own courage or self-control.
 105

CHAPTER 4

CONFIDENCE AND TRUST

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM
OF GOD

Two questions often occur to many people, viz:

1. To what extent may one have hope in God's mercy?
2. Can a believer trust that he would attain the
Kingdom?
What is the answer to these two questions?

To what extent may one have hope in God's mercy?

A. Unlimited trust in God:
If we inquire: to what extent one would have hope in
God's mercy, we find that actually th~re is no limit for
such hope.. As far as God's mercy is, hope in it would
be. And since God's mercy is unlimited. hope in God's
mercy is likewise unlimited.
Hope is one of the three great virtues mentioned in
(1 Cor. 13: 13). Like any other virtue, it grows in a person
until it reaches its relative perfection in him. But hope
106

cannot be perfected unless it becomes void of any doubt

and confirmed with all certainty.
The certainty of hope emanates from two things: one
pertains to God, and the other to the person himself.
Regarding God, hope is based on believing in: God's
attributes, His previous dealings, the atonement of His
blood and His true promises.
As for God's attributes, He is unlimited in His mercy,
His compassion, His forgiveness and His love. He has
no pleasure at all that the wicked should die but that he
should turn from his ways and live (Ezek. 18:28). Besides,
God's previous dealings demon~te such attributes..
The atonement of His blood is unlimited, and sufficient
for the remission of the sins of the whole world from
the beginning of the ages to the end of ages. As for His
promises, they are abundant and true, opening the doors
of hope wide before the penitents.
This is one aspect of hope. If one sees eternity through
it, one would be filled with trust.
As For the person himself is his look to himself capable
of making him trust that he would attain the Kingdom?

B. We should not trust our own will:

I do not like the song which says, 'I do trust. .. ' It is
a protestant song certainly... Though some of its words
are correct, it gives in general a protestant teaching which
is unsound.
 107

But if someone asks you, 'Do you have trust?' what

answer would you give? ..
You can say, 'Yes, I have trust in the blood of Christ,
unlimited trust.• but I do not trust myself. I do not trust
my free will which may deviate towards evil and though
having begun in the Spirit, I would be made perfect by
the flesh. (Gal. 3:3).
So, those who lose salvation, lose it not because God
is not able to save them, but because their own will
deviate towards evil...
Would then a person lose hope? No, this is an
e~travagance in which Cain - the first sinner of Adam's
offspring - fell when he said, «My punishment is greater
than I can bear!" (Gen 4:13). Judas also fell in despair
and went and hanged himself (Mt. 27:5).
A person who loses hope is mistaken as we have seen;
Iikwise is the person who depends on false hope based
on self· righteousness, A person would be mistaken also
if he negelcts striving and caution, depending on the
blood of Christ and not doing anything that may make
him deserve the effectiveness of this blood•.•
A person would be mistaken also if he thinks that he
had done away with sin and that he is renewed and
sa~ctified and leads a new life in which he can never sin.
This is a false hope which conceals behind it a kind of
self-righteousness whether a person is aware or not...
We trust in the blood of Christ and in its sufficiency
108

for atonement and redemption. But, at the same time

we admit - within us - that we are sinners and that our
sins can very possibly lead us to perdition...
A person who says, 'I trust 1shall attain the Kingdom'
seems as if he were saying 'I am sure 1 will not sin, and
even though 1 sin, 1 am sure 1 will repent and my
repentance will be true and acceptable!!'
Perhaps such a person may object to my words and
say, 'No, you are wrong. 1 shall not speak about
repentance; but if 1 do sin, 1 have the verse which says,
"And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is
the propitiation for our sins" (1 In. 2:1,2).
Yes, brother, He is the propitiation for our sins. But,
it is He who said also, " •. unless you repent, you will
aI/likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3). Or do you think that He
will intercede for you though you do not repent?I No,
this is a false notion.•. Be concerned then about your
eternal life, and repent .. Know that whoever does not
repent, will not have Christ as an advocate but he is
warned by the words, "Holdfast and repent. Therefore
if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief,
and you will not kno w what hour I will come upon you"
(Rev. 3:3).
Be humble then, brother, and listen to the warning of
St. Paul the Apostle, "Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall. " (1 Cor. 10:12).
 109

You are not stronger than those who fell before, but
perhaps you are in a lower level than that which they
were in before their fall. Listen to what St. Paul says
and consider carefully the qualities mentioned, he says,
"For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have
become partakers ofthe Holy Spirit, and have tasted the
good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
if they fall away... " (Heb. 6:4-6).
How terrible and frightful!! Did you who trust that
you will attain the kingdom - attain such high levels which
those have attained? Have you been enlightened, and
have you become partaker of the Holy Spirit? Have you
tasted the heavenly gift, the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come?! However, those who
received all such gifts, fell and not this only but they also
perished because the apostle says, "It is impossible... to
renew them again to repentance" He even compares them
to a land that is, "rejected and near to being cursed,
whose end is to be burned" (Heb. 6:6,8).

c. Are you saved or not?

A young man asked me, 'what answer shall I give if
someone asks me whether I am saved or not' ..
First, you should know that such a person is not a true
Orthodox.. Certainly he is a Protestant or at least living
in a protestant environment and his culture is protestant.
That is because whoever ignores your baptism and the
110

holy sacraments you have received trying to fill you with

doubt regarding your faith and calling you to believe and
be saved as if you were a heathen all your past life!! such
a person can never be an Orthodox; his speech betrays
him.
Anyhow, you can answer him saying, 'Yes, I am
already saved - through baptism - from the original sin,
inherited from Adam. This first salvation is attained
through the blood of Christ and the atoning and
redeeming power of this blood..
As for the final salvation, it shall be attained when
we put off the flesh .. We are still in a war, "For we do
not wrestle against flesh and blood, but... against
spiritual hosts of wickedness" (Eph. 6:12) .. We shall
attain salvation only when we canquer and win in this
war...
As
v
long as we are in the flesh, we cannot say that we
have conquered and attained salvation... Hence, the holy
church does nto celebrate the birthdays of the saints nor
the days of their acceptance in church, but it celebrates
the days of their departure or martyrizing according to
what the Bible says, "Remember those... whose faith
follow, considering the outcome of their conduct" (Heb.
13: 7). Thus, in the commemoration of saints during the
Holy Mass, we remember the souls of all the righteous
persons who were perfected in faith or whose lives ended
in faith ...
This reminds us of the story of the passing of 81.
 111

Macarius the Great.. The devils chased his soul after its
coming out of the body, saying to him, 'You are already
saved, Macara'. But he did not say to them, 'Yes,
through the Lord's grace I am saved' except when he
entered into Paradise.

D. Let your answers be from the faith of the church:

If you are asked any question relating to beliefs, never
depend on your own views or understanding when you
give an answer; for the Holy Bible says, "Lean not on
your own understanding" (Prov. 3:5).
Since you are a son of the Coptic Orthodox Church,
you have to give the answers which conform with the
faith of your church.. This faith is found in the
recognized books of the Orthodox Coptic church, in the
sayings of its fathers, in its laws and traditions.
Let us examine two of the church books that are of
great importance viz: the Euchologion which comprises
the holy liturgy, and the book of the canonical hours
(agpeya) ..
You pray everyday the Vespers (the eleventh hour
prayer - at 5 O'clock p.m.) in which you say,
"If the righteous is hardly saved, where shall I,
a sinner, appear!".
"Count me, 0 God, among those of the
eleventh hour" "I have spent my life in pleasures
and desires, the time in running out".
112

"I practised evil with diligence and enthusiasm;

with earnestness and keenness I committed every
sin. For this, I deserve suffering and
condemnation" .
Is tbere even one pbrase among all this tbat may show
that you are already saved and can be sure of attaining
tbe Kingdom'.
Or ntber tbey are pnyers nised by a broken spirit
confessing its sins and admitting tbat it deserves
punisbment and asking the Lord for mercy? •.
Before sleeping, you stand before God with the same
contrite heart to pray the Compline (the twelfth hour
prayer - at 6 O'clock) saying,
"Behold, I am about to stand before the Just
Judge in fear because of my numerous sins, for
the life that is spent in pleasures deserves
condemnation. Repent therefore, 0 my soul, so
long as you dwell on earth". Then you reproach
yourself saying.
"If your wicked deeds and nasty evils are
revealed before the Just Judge, what answer
would you give while you are lying on the bed
of sin and slackening in vanquishing the body?" .
Tbis is the broken - beartedness of tbe tax-collector
who stood before God in humility not the pride of the
Pbarisee.•• We do not stand before God with a feeling
of rigbteousness as if we are already regenerated,
 113

sanctified, saved and sure of attaining tbe Kingdom. But,

in every prayer, we admit tbat .we deserve condemnation
and ask for salvation •••
The same goes with the prayer in the compline which
begins with the words, "Lord, by Your grace protect
liS" •• In this prayer each of us implores the Lord saying,

"I have sinned against You, have mercy upon me

and save my soul. Save me Lord, for I am seeking
You. Teach me to do Your will".
In the Sext (the sixth hour prayer - at 12
O'Clock-noon), we start with (Ps. 54:1) "Save me 0
Ood. by Your name" and we pray the Lord saying,
"Tear up the deed of our sins, 0 Christ our Lord,
and save us".
Then we conclude this part of the prayer saying,
"My words I utter, and He hears my voice and
saves my soul peacefully".
Thus, the church teaches us to implore the Lord every
day asking Him to tear up the deed of our sins.
In baptism, you are saved of your original sin. Your
old man died when you died with Christ and were buried
with Him... However, you still do sin everyday and if
you say that you have no sin, you deceive yourself, and
the turth is not in you (l In. 1:8).
You sin everyday, and since tbe wages of sin is death,
you are subject to deatb everyday and do need salvation
114

everyday. You need the blood of Christ everyday to

cleanse you of every sin. Therefore, you have to confess
your sins continually, to repent, and to partake of the
Lord's flesh and blood that is "given for us a salvation,
a remission of sins and an enternal life for whoever
partakes of it" as the prayers of the Holy Mass teach us.
Salvation then, is renewed continually. You pray for
it every day, and obtain it every time you repent, and
in every absolution the priest prays on your head and
everytime you partake of the Lord's flesh and blood.
Now, after this introduction, let us return to the
subject of confidence and the turst to have the Kingdom.
 BASICS AND CONDITIONS OF
CONFIDENCE AS EXPLAINED
BY ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE

The confidence and certainty of St. Paul:

Those who say they are sure to have the Kingdom
depend mainly on the words of St. Paul the Apostle,
"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the
Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19), and also,
1<•••I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that
He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until
that day" (2 Tim. 1:12) "Finally, there is laid up for
rrze the crown of righteousness" (2 Jim. 4:8). besides
other holy texts which many people depend on saying
that they have "the certainty of St. Paul"!!

We shall treat - God willing - all these texts explaining

and commenting on them with the help of God's grace.
But, we want first to know what the basis is for such
confidence.•. So, to begin with, we find no better
explanation for this point than that given by St. John
the Apostle regarding the conditions, reasons and basics
of confidence.
What are then the basics and conditions which St. John
the Apostle mention?
c9
1. The first condition is to have an easy conscience:
St. John the Apostle says, "If our heart does not
condemn us, we have confidence toward God" (l In.
3:21). Here the condition is that our hearts do not
condemn us which means that our conscience have
nothing to reproach or blame us for .. In other words:
that we do not do anything wrong for which our hearts
might reproach us••
The source of confidence here and its basis is that our
hearts be satisfied regarding our relation with God and
find nothing to blame us for .. But if our hearts blame
us, confidence will - no doubt - be shaken.

Confidence then is due to having an easy conscience..

But, how can one have an easy conscience? St. John
expounds this idea saying, "If our heart does not
condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And
whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep
His commandments and do those things that are pleasing
in His sight" (l In. 3:21,22).
. Now the source of confidence is obvious which is that
we keep God's commandments and do the things that
are pleasing in His sight••• This is the cornerstone of the
teaching: if we keep God's commandments and do the
things that are pleasing in His sight, our conscience will
be at ease and our hearts will find nothing to blame us
for•• Only then we shall have confidence towards God.
What else is said by St. John the apostle?
2. The second condition is to abide in Christ:
G
St. John says, HAnd now, little children, abide in Him,
that when He appears, we may have confidence and not
be ashamed before Him at His coming. Ifyou know that
He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices
righteousness is born of Him" (l In. 2:28,29).
Here is another condition for confidence: that we abide
in Christ... If we do not abide in Christ, we shall have
no confidence, and we shall be ashamed before Him at
His coming.•. It is a clear teaching..
Would you say then, 'I am saved, 1 have confidence,
I am sure that I will attain the Kingdom!!' though you
are rebuked by your conscience for a certain behaviour
or you are not abiding in Christ.. If so, you are deceiving
yourself or talking nonsense...
Do you want to have confidence? Abide in Christ
then.. And if you want to know what does abiding in
Him mean, come let us consult the Holy Bible and be
guided by it:
St. Paul the Apostle says, HStandfast therefore in the
liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke ofbondage" (Gal. 5: 1) that
means you must not let any sin subjugate you.
What else is there about abiding in Christ?
St. John the Apostle explains, "Whoever abides in
Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him
nor known Him" (1 In. 3:6).
(G)
So, if you do sin, you are not abiding in Him and in
this case, you will have no confidence and you will be
ashamed before Him at His coming.
How easy it is for you to say 'I have confidence, 1 am

I
sure of attaining the Kingdom', without considering what
the Bible says regarding the meaning of confidence which
requires you not to sin..
This meaning is confirmed by St. John the Apostle
in the same Epistle, for he says, "Now he who keeps His
commandments abides in Him and He in him" (l In.
3:21).
It is a mutual abidance which can be acheived by
keeping the commandments.
But to what extent a person has to keep the
commandments? The apostle answers us saying, "He
who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk
just as He walked" (l In. 2:6).
Who dares, after reading this explicit text, to say that
he is abiding in the Lord?! And since we are not abiding
in Him, how could we have confidence then and be not
ashamed before Him at His coming?.
It is better then for each one of us, instead of saying
'I have confidence, 1 am sure' rather to stand with the
tax-collector beating his breast and saying "God be
merciful to me a sinner" (Lk. 18:13).
You can only say that you have confidence and you
are sure that you will attain the Kingdom if you are
 e
continually abiding in Christ, walking just as He walked,
or at least always keeping His commandments and doing
the things that please Him, for the apostle says, " ... he
who does the will o/God abides/or ever" (l In. 2:17).
He says also "If what you heard from the beginning
abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the
Father" (l In. 2:24).
The Lord of Glory Himself explains to us the
importance of abiding in Him; He says, "Ifanyone does
not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is
withered; and they gather them and throw them into the
fire, and they are burned" (In. 15:6).
Do you want then to abide in Him as a branch that
the sap of the vine may flow within you in order not to
wither nore nor be cast into fire and burn? Hear then
what the Lord says, "He who eats My flesh and drinks
My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (In. 6:56).. 0
Lord, what else? "He... willlive/orever" says the Lord
(In. 6:58).
As we have seen in detail, the first condition for

I
confidence is to have an easy conscience; the second is
to abide in the Lord••• Now what is the third condition?

3. The third condition is to havt{jierfect 10:!!J

As the apostle said, to have confidence, a person must
abide in God.. And in order to abide in God, he has to
abide in love because God is love... This is what St. lohn
the Beloved says, "God is love, and he who abides in
love abides in God, and God in him" (l In. 4:16).
So, if a person abides in God's love and his love is
perfected, then he will have confidence. Thus the apostle
continues his speech saying, "Love has been perfected
among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment" (1 In. 4:17).
How can we abide in God's love? The Lord Himself
tells us, HIfyou keep My commandments, you will abide
in My love, just as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love" (In. 15:10). In
order then to attain that perfect love which provides
confidence, we must be perfect in keeping His
commandments.
And if we attain such confidence due to perfect love,
we shall have no fear but peace... Thus, St. John
proceeds saying, "There is no fear in love; but perfect
love casts out fear" (l In. 4:18).
Brother, have you attained this perfect love? Do you
now love the Lord from all your heart, from all you mind
and with all your power? Do you now -in your perfect
love for God - hate the world and all its pleasures, desires
and glories and even hate yourself? If so, and if you
continue in this state, you are blessed indeed. You can
have confidence then as long as you are abiding in this
perfect love.
A last word:
In conclusion I say that confidence as explained by
St. John the Apostle has conditions, among which are
the following:
• A person has to keep God's commandment and do
the things that please Him. Thus his conscience becomes
easy and his heart finds nothing to blame him for ..
• A person must abide in Christ, with the full meaning
of such abidance.
• A person has to attain perfect have for God; which
love might cast out fear.
If a person attains such levels, he will have complete
confidence and will have "the certainty of St. Paul"
which is greatly praised by certain people, and which we
shall explain hereafter...
Believe me, many of those who say that they have
confidence and certainty are shallow - minded and did
not grasp the real meaning of confidence as explained
by St. John the Apostle.
122

CONFIDENCE AND CERTAINTY

IN THE PAULINE EPISTLES

1. The certainty of St. Paul and his crown:

Those who say they are sure that they will attain
salvation depend on the words of St. Paul. the Apostle
which say, "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown
ofrighteousness" (2 Tim. 4:8), and, "For I know whom
I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep
what I have committed to Him until that Day. "(2 Tim.
1:12).
To discuss the matter we have to point out the
following:

a) Who said these words?

It is St. Paul who said them; the greatest unrivalled
apostle; who said also, "I have been crucified with
Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"
(Gal. 2:20), and, "For I am persuaded that neither death
nos life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor
things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth,
nor any other created thing, shall be able to seperate us
from the love of God which, is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Rom. 8:38,39).
 123

St. Paul this was caught up to the third heaven and\

God had compassion on him lest he should be e;alted
above measure by the abundance of the revelations
(2 Cor. 12:2,7).
Do you have, then, such confidence as to be like St.
Paul the Apostle who attained great levels of eminence,
spirituality and grace?! It is not proper at all to ascribe
to yourself what the saints had attained.. St. Paul had
certainty.. but it does not mean tliat you also can claim
that you have it.. Another point is:

b) When did St. Paul say these words?

He said them on his last days, for the words preceding
them directly were, HFor I am already being poured out
as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at
hand" (2 Jim. 4:6). He said also before them, HI have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith" (2 Jim. 4:7)
It is not something impossible for a righteous holy
person to be given by God· on his last days· confidence
and hope and to be allowed to see the crown awaiting
for him. Some martyrs also could see the crowns
prepared for them before they shed their blood for
Christ.
However, let us examine carefully the two said phrases
to know what is meant by them:
124

c) "I am presuaded that He is able":

St. Paul the Apostle says that he is persuaded (sure)
that God is able to keep what he has committed to Him...
What does this sentence mean? No doubt God is able
to keep what anybody commits to Him, but what about
the person himself? What direction does his will take?
God is able, but perhaps you do not want... God is
able to keep what you have committed to Him, but you
may· by your free will • throw it into Hades... Did'nt
the Lord say, "How often I wanted... but you were not
willing" (Mt. 23:37).
God's power is undoubted. However God's power
does not cancel your free will.. As for St. Paul the
Apostle, his free will was completely coinciding with
God's ability to keep what he had committed to Him ..
Are you the like?
Now we move to the second phrase said by St. Paul,
which is:

d) "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of

righteousness:
St. Paul said, "Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will give to me on that Day" (2 Tim. 4:8). Notice
that he said that the crown was laid up but He did not
say that it was given to him... The crown is laid for the
righteous but the righteous receives it on that Day.
 125

How many are those for whom the crowns were laid
up but they lost them?
So, the Lord warns the angel of the church in
Philadelphia saying, "Hold fast what you have, that no
one may take your crown" (Rev. 3:11).

e) What else did St. Paul say in the same Epistle?:

St. Paul says also in the Same Epistle to St. Timothy,
"This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we
shall also live with Him, If we endure, we shall also reign
with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us" (2 Tim.
2:11,12).
The words, "If we... "demonstrate that our salvation
does not depend wholly on God but on us as well.. God
has a part in the savlation of a person, and the person
has a part also.. For, if the matter dePends on God alone,
then, the free will of man will be done away with.
Also, the words, "If we deny Him, He also will deny
us" prove that a person may lose his salvation.

2. Having boldness to enter the Holiest:

Those who say that they are sure of having the
Kingdom, depend on the words of St. Paul, "Therefore,
brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the
blood of Jesus... let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance offaith, having our hearts sprinkledfrom
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
water" (Reb. 10:19-21).
126

This text shows that the boldness to enter, and the

assurance of faith, require certain basic conditions. For,
the words, "having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience" indicate that purity and repentance are
requisites. And the words, "our bodies washed with pure
water" show that baptism is necessry for salvation.
But, did St. Paul stop his speech, satisfied with these
two conditions! No, if we read the rest of his speech,
we shall find that it contradicts what those people say
(who claim that they have confidence)! St. Paul proceeds,
saying, "Let us hold fast the confession oj our hope
without wavering, for He who promised isfaithful. And
let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
good works" (Heb. 10:23,24).
What is the need for love and good works in the issue
of confidence? St. Paul wants by this to prove that
"boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus"
depends also on the works and behaviour of the person,
otherwise confidence will be shaken and destroyed in an
awful way..

The apostle goes further to warn us; he says, "For if

we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of
the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
but a certain fearful expectation ofjudgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Heb.
10:26,27).
Where is boldness then, if there is this (earful judgment
in case we sin? Do we not have to be cautious and on
 127

our guard and walk in fear and humility, if we do want

to enter into the Holies in boldness?
The apostle, speaking about this boldness by the blood
of Christ, did not forget God's justice but continues to
say, "For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine;
I will repay, says the Lord' And again, 'The Lord will
judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:30,31).
This reminds us of the error of the Protestants, in using
ene verse alone which is a dangerous matter•• Regarding
this holy text said by St. Paul the Apostle, they ought
to have read the whole speech of St. Paul till the end
instead of stopping at the first verse in the chapter
satisfied with it...
Had they done this, they would have come also by his
following words,
"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which
has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so
that after you have done the will ofGod, you may receive
the promise" (Heb. 10:35,36). True indeed, "He who
promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:23); but receiving the
promise depends on doing God's will.. This means that
if we do not do the will of God, certainly we shall not
receive the promise nor shall have confidence.
What does this mean? Does it mean that God changes
His mind regarding His gifts which are in fact irrevocable
~Rom. 11:29)? No, His gifts are truly irrevocable but
there are conditions to receive these gifts... So, if you
128

do not receive them, it is not because God changed His

mind but because you contravened the conditions
required. God is faithful in His promises but He said
through St. Paul His Apostle, " .. after you have done
the will of God, you may receive the promise" (Heb.
10:36).
It is quite abvious that doing God's will takes up the
whole life; so the apostle says, "For you have need of
endurance" (Heb. 10:36). It means that we have to
endure for the whole life doing the things that please God
in order to receive His promises.•.
Thus, the speech of St. Paul the Apostle in this chapter
shows that "boldness to enter into the Holiest by the
blood ofChrist" requires many things: It requires a true
heart, a life of repentance and purity, and bodies washed
with the pure water of baptism ... It requires also that
we stir up ourselves into love and good works and do
God's will. We have to endure in all this and be careful
not to sin. Otherwise if we sin willfully, we shall be under
fearful judgement and what a fearful thing it is to fall
into the hands of the living God ...

3. Diligence and endurance in order to have

confidence till the end:
St. Paul the Apostle speaks about endurance in (Heb.
10:35,36) saying, "Therefore do not cast away your
confidence, which has great reward. For you have need
of endurance, so that after you have done the will of
 129

God, you may receive the promise". Again he speaks

about the same subject saying, HAnd we desire that each
one ofyou show the same diligence to the full assurance
of hope until the end" (Reb. 6:11).
Then, the assurance of hope requires from man to be
diligent, until the end.• What else? The apostle continues,
"That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who ,
through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Reb.
6:12).
We notice here that St. Paul added to faith something
else Le. patience and said that through both of them we
inherit the promises ...
Didn't the Lord Himself say before, "In your patience
possess your souls" (Lk. 21:19), and also, "But he who
endures to the end shall be saved" (Mt. 24:13).
We have received salvation through faith in baptism,
but many powers fight it so that we may lose it.. Among
the powers that work against our salvation are: our weak
will which often deviates towards evil, our adversary the
devil who "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour" (l Pet. 5:8), and also sin that' "has cast
down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were.
strong men" (Prov. 7:26).
And in all this we need to, "run with endurance the
race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1), and to endure
until the end as the Bible teaches us~ "considering the
outcome of their conduct" (Heb. 13:7).
130

4. He who has begun a good work in you will

co~plete it:
Thos who call for having confidence and certainty to
attain the Kingdom, depend also on the words of St. Paul
the Apostle to the Philippians: "Being confident of this
very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day ofJesus Christ" (Phil. J:6).
Referring to what we said before that God is able to
complete His work in us, we say, 'What about us?! God
had begun good work in the Galatians but they were
foolish, so the apostle says to them, "Are you so foolish?
Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made
perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3). Here, it is they who
made themselves perfect by the flesh, not giving God a
chance to complete in them good work.
As for the Philippians, though St. Paul had confidence
regarding them, he prays for them that their love may
abound still more and more in knowledge and all
discernment that they may be, "sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits
of righteousness.. " (Phil. 1:9-11). Though the Lord
Christ is able to complete a good work in them, they
themselves have a part: To be without offence till the
end. He advises them also saying, "Only let your conduct
be worthy ofthe gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27), and also,
"For to you it has been granted on behalfofChrist, not
only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake;
having the same conflict which you saw in me and now
hear is in me" (Phil. 1:29,30).
 131

What does all this mean? And as long as God will

complete in them what He has begun, what is the need
for all these advices: to abound in love and knowledge,
,to be without offence, to be filled with the fruits of,
:righteousness, to have conduct worthy of the gospel of
:Christ, to suffer for His sake and strive like St. Paul
himself?
It is because as the Lord Christ has a part in their
salvation, they also have a part to carry out. Hence the
Lord says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and J
trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Christ will not work out their
salvation by Himself alone, but will accomplish it
through them, in them and with them. God does not take
people by force and cast them into the Kingdom, but they
.have to work with Him.
So, we find that it is in his Epistle to the Philippians
that St. Paul speaks most about his striving "I press on
that I may lay hold.. ", "I press toward the goal for the
prize" (Phil. 3:12,14).
St. Paul gives, in this same episde, the example of those
who began in the spirit but were not made perfect in good
work.. so, their end was destruction. The apostle
, mentions them even weeping and asks the Philippians
to follow his example not the example of those whose
end was destruction (Phil. 3: 17).
132

A last word concerning confidence:

How beautiful are the words of Solomon the Wise in
this regard, for he says, "A wise man fears and departs
from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident" (Prov.
14:16) Therefore St. Paul the Apostle advises us saying,
"Do not be haughty, but fear" (Rom. 11:20). He advises
the Philippians, "Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling" (Phil. 2:12) St. Peter the Apostle joins
St. Paul in giving the same advice, he says, "And if you
call on the Father, who without partiality judges
according to each one's work, conduct yourselves
throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear"
(l Pet 1:17).
Would someone say, 'Since there is confidence,
assurance and certainty of having the Kingdom, what
is the cause of fear and trembling then? Why cannot a
person depend on God's promises and have peace?.'
Yes, we trust in God's promises but we do not trust
ourselves..•
So, the apostle associates the divine promises with fear
when he says, "Therefore, having these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"
(2 Cor. 7:1).
 133

CHAPTER 5
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A BELIEVER
WOULD PERISH?

A believer may fall:

Among the most famous examples for this are some
of the angels of the seven churches in Asia. No doubt
they were believers and on the following pages - God
willing - we shall explain how they fell.
It is easy to give many examples of prophets and saints
who fell .• but we shall not concentrate on this point
because most of the Protestants, the Plymouth Brethern
and the sect called "The Salvation of the Souls", agree
~hat a believer mawll but they say that certainly a
believer shall iiOLpeilillr
So, let us examine and prove this last point only which
is: The possibility that a believer would perish.

The word "Believer", and the word "Elect":

All the elect are believers, but not all the believers are
elect.. because some of them may fall and perish.
However, whenever we tell the Protestants of a believer
134

who perished. they agrue falsely that he was not a

believe0"hey say if he had been a believer. he would
not have perishe'!J'<See the difference between the term
"believer u and the term "elecC· on page 1;3-.]
We shall hereafter give examples of persons who
perished and prove definitely that they were believers.

THE FIRST EVIDENCE

ROME. 11, IN. 15

The example of the broken-off branch:

After St. Paul the Apostle had compared the Jews to
natural branches broken off from the olive tree and
deprived of its fatness, he said, "You will say then,
'Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in'
Well said. Because ofunbeliefthey were broken off, and
~

you stand bv faith" (Rom. 11:19,20). It is obvious that

he was speaking to a believer, who was grafted in the
olive tree and became a partaker of its root and fantness
(Rom. 11:17).
Let us see what did he say to that believer? He said
to him, 'po not be haughty, but fear. For if God did
not spare the natural branches. He may not spare you
either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of
God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you,
goodness, i ou continue in His goodness. Otherwise
you also will be cut of! " (Rom.
 135

The last words, "you also will be cut off" were a

warning to that believer that he would perish unless he
continued in God's goodness.
This examples is similar to another one mentioned by
the Lord Jesus Christ in which He compared Himself
to the vine and compared us to the branches. The
branches in a vine certainly represent the believers
because a branch is one of the parts of the vine in which
its sap flows. But can it perish in spite of this?
The Lord says, '~Everv branch in Me that does not

-
hear fruit He takes awav:, .. If anyone does not abide
in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and
they gather them and throw them into the fire. and they
are burned" Un. 15:2,6).
It means that such an unfruitful believer will certainly
perish.

THE SECOND EVIDENCE

HEB.3,4

The example of the disobedient people in the

wilderness:
In these two chapters, St. Paul addresses those whom
he calls, " ... holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
.;..calling" (Heb. J: J). Were those holy people believers or
not? Of course, they were.. However the apostle warns
 136
'.~

them against Udeparting from the living God" (Heb.

3.:12). Those who are warned against departing from faith
are of course believers not unbelievers.
Though those were holy brethren, believers and
partakers of the heavenly calling, S1. Paul says to them,
uTherefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, ifyou will
hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness' " (Heb.
3:7,8). What is that day of the rebellion? What happened
on it? What does it signify here? ..
Those who rebelled against the Lord and provoked
Him are the disobedient people in the wilderness whom
the Lord was angry with and said, uSo, I swore in My
wrath, 'they shall not enter My rest' " (Heb. 3:11). So,
they perished and their corpses fell in the wilderness.

Those who fell, who the Lord swore not to let them
enter His rest and who rebelled against Him in the
wilderness; had not they been saved before? St. Paul
answers, UFor who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was
it not all who came out ofEgypt, led by Moses?" (Heb.
3:16).

r
They had the first salvation: The Lord delivered them
from the bondage, divided the Red Sea for them and they
went through the midst of the sea and crossed it as a
symbol of baptism. However, in spite of all this, they
perished in the wilderness and lost the salvation they
gained. Moreover, the Lord swore they would not enter
His rest.
 137

Are not those an evident example which shows that

believers may perish? Those disobedient people represent
-undoubtedly- those who may depart from faith and as
a result of this they perish. The people of Israel perished
because of their disobedience, and other people entered
the promised land as St. Paul says, H.. and those to
whom it was first preached did not enter because of
disobedience" (Reb. 4:6).
The apostle warns us agalast sucb disobedieDce wbicb
may preveDt us from eDteriDg tbe Lord's rest; be says,
"Let us there/ore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone ,
Jail after the same exampk 0/ disobedience" (Heb. 4:11).
He further says, HTherefore, since a promise, remains
of entering Ris rest, let us/ear lest .any ofyou seem to
have come short of it" (Reb. 4:1).
This story of the disobedient people wbo lost tbeir first
salvatioD aDd perisbed, gives us aD example and warning
tbat a believer may lose bis salvation as St. Paul teacbes
us saying, HNow all these things hapPened to them as
f/Xamples, and they were written for our admonition, on
whom the ends ofthe ages have come. Therefore let him
who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor.
10:11,12).
+ This story of the disobedient people who perished
reminds us also of Lot's wife wbo was saved from Sodom
but perisbed outside it. So, the Bible says, HRemember

-
~ot's wife" (Lk. 17:32).
138

THE THIRD EVIDENCE

HEB. 10:19-32

If we sin willfully after we have received the

knowledge of the truth:
St. Paul addresses the same "holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1); who, after being
illuminated, they endured a great struggle with sufferings;
who had compassion on the apostle in his chains and
joyfully accepted the plundering of their goods, knowing
that they had a better and an enduring possession for
themselves in heaven (Heb. 10:32,34). What does St. Paul
say to those whom he starts his talk with saying, H ••

having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of

Jesus"?
He says to them, "For if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful
expectation ofjudgment, andjU!ry indignation which will
devour the adversaries••• For we know Him who said,
<Vengeance is Mine; I will repay', says the Lord. And
again, <The Lord will judge His people'. It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. " (Heb.
10:26-31).
It is a warning to whoever sins of those holy brethren
that he would perish. This gives us an idea that a believer
may perish as St. Paul the Apostle asserts it saying, "Of
/t()w much worse punishment. do you suppose.
be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God
w~
underfoot, counted the blood ofthe covenant by which
he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit
of grace?" (Heb. 10:29).
Here, we notice that the words "the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified" prove that the
p¢rson who perished was a believer and was sanctified
by the blood of the convenant!

THE FOURTH EVIDENCE

Examples of apostates who perished:

Those apostates were believers, then they departed
fl10m faith and perished, and we can give many examples
from the Holy Bible that show how they perished..
• St. Paul the Apostle says to his disciple, St. Timothy,
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times
some wiD depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of demons, SPeaking lies in
hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot
iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain
from foods which God created to be received with
thanks-giving by those who believe and know the truth"
(1' Tim. 4:1-3).
~ndoubtedIY, those who gave heed to deceiving spirits
and doctrines of demons periShe~owever, the words,
140

"some will depart from tbe faitb sbow tbat tbey were
believers•• It is an obvious example that shows how a
believer may perish in case he departs from faith. This
applies to all heretics and heterodox.
• An example of tbose apostates is given in tbe parable
of the sower where the Lord says, "But the ones on the
rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no root, who believefor a while
and in time of temptation fall away" (Lk. 8:13).
We cannot believe tbat those on tbe rock, who fall
away in time of temptation, wiD have any salvation•• Yet,
the Lord Jesus Cbrist Himself calls tbem believers even
tbougb tbey believe for a while.
Among the most serious kinds of apostasy is that one
which will take place before the advent (Second Coming)
of Christ as St. Paul says, "Let no one deceive you by
any means; jor tha/Day will not come unless the jalling
away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son
of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all
that is called God." (2 Thess. 2:3,4). No doubt in such
falling away many believers who depart from faith will
perish.
As for those corrupt heretics and heterodox who
depart from faith and perish, St. Peter the Apostle says
about them, "For if, after they have escaped the
pollutions ofthe world through the knowlede ofthe Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them
and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the
 141

beginning. For it would have been better for them not

to have known the way of righteousness, than having
I
known it, to tum from the holy commandment delivered
to them"" (2 Pet. 2:20,21).

THE FIFTH EVIDENCE

HEB.6:4-8

Those who were once enlightened but fell away:

St. Paul the Apostle says, "For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the
heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew
them again to rePentance... ".
The attributes mentioned first demonstrate that they
were believers, while the last sentence shows that they
perished. This is a clear evidence that a believer may
I'erish. However, the Protestants argue that those were
Iilot believers.. a thing to be regretted indeed!!! in spite
of the express words that they were enlightened, they
became partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the
heavenly gift, the good word of God and the powers of
the age to come!!
We do not want to argue much with them but we only
say that the verse proves that those people were believers.
Also, the words "it is impossible to renew them again"
142

are an evident proof that they were previously renewed

which means that they were believers.
Their perdition is likewise obvious from the words of
St. Paul as he compares them to the earth which is
"rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be
burned" (Reb. 6:8).

THE SIXTH EVIDENCE

Certainly requires steadiness and has conditions:

• St. Peter the Apostle says, "Therefore, brethren, be
even more diligent to make your calling and election sure,
for if you do these things (good works) you· will never
stumble" (2 Pet 1:10,5-9).
Then, our being elected and called by God requires
more diligence from us so that our election may be sure...
Otherwise the election becomes unsure..
• This conforms with what St. Paul says, " .. whose
house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Reb. 3:6).
This means that such confidence may be firm or not
and requires that we hold fast to it.. to the end.
Then St. Paul further says, "For we have become
partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast to the end" (Heb. 3:14). It is a
condition which we must fulfil: to be steadfast to the
 143

end ... The apostle goes on to warn us not to harden our

hearts lest we should have the same end of the disobedient
people who perished in the wilderness.
• The apostle repeats the same requirement in (Col.
1:22,23), saying, to present you holy, and blameless,
H •••

and irreproachable in His sight-if indeed you continue

in the faith, grounded and steadfast and are not moved
,away from the hope of the gospel".
• It is a salvation granted by the Lord and we hope
for it... yet the apostle warns us saying, HHow shall we
[escape if we neglect so great a salvation" (Heb. 2:3). This
means that in case we neglect such a salvation, we shall
not escape...

THE SEVENTH EVIDENCE

REV. 13:7

How serious the words said in the revelation about the

beast are! For it is stated that, "It was granted to him ,
to make war with the saints and to overcome them"l ...
The term Hsaints" means undoubtedly that they were
believers.
So, if a saint can be overcome, then we have to be on
our guard and continue in prayer asking the Lord to have
mercy on us that we may not perish...
 144

THE EIGHTH EVIDENCE

The perdition of Demas, the assistant of St. Paul:

Demas was one of St. Paul's assistants. St. Paul
mentions him in his Epistle to the colossians, HLuke the
beloved physician and Demas greet you" (Col. 4:14), and
in the Epistle to Philemon, H ••• greets you, as do Mark,
Aristarchus, Demas, Luke my fellow laborers" (Philem.
24).
The apostle in these two verses mentions Demas among
three who were of the greatest preachers working with
him; two of them are of the four evangelists.• The name
of Demas is even mentioned before the name of St. Luke
the Evangelist. Was not he a believer yet?
However, that Demas, the believer and great preacher
perished as we know from the words of St. Paul, HFor
demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world"
(2 Tim. 4:10).
The Protestants go farther in their books as to say that
'toy- }
Demas after departing from St. Paul became a pagan
priest! !

OTHER EVIDENCES

To avoid repetition see the other evidences in chapter 2

under the heading" Judgment according to works".
 145

OBJECTIONS AND REFUTATIONS

THE FIRST OBJECTION
IN. 10:27-29

No one is able to snatch them out of My Father's

hand:
Their first objection to the possibility of the believer's
perdition is based on the Lord's words, HMy sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.. And
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;
and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's
hand".
What does this text signify? Let us meditate deep on it:

First:
The first attribute which the Lord mentions about
those who will not perish is that they are sheep. The Lord
Jesus Christ compares the righteous to the sheep, and
the wicked to the goats and speaking about the day of
judgment, he says, HAil the nations will be gathered
before Him, and He will separate them one from
146

another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats
on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right
hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world" (Mt. 25:32-34).
I Since they are sheep, they are good, for if they were
twicked He would call them goats.

Second:
He ascribes to these sheep the qualities of
righteousness :
a) He says they hear His voice and follow Him.•. which
means that they keep the commandments and do good
works. And we all agree that whoever hears the Lord's
voice and follow Him will never perish.
b) In the same chapter - In. 10 - He says, "They will
by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice ofstrangers" (In. 10:5).
Therefore they did not hear the voice of the thieves and
robbers who came before Him (In. 10:8). All this means
that such good sheep do not submit to the devils nor to
the wicked.
This is goodness in both its positive and passive
aspects: that these sheep follow the Lord, and not follow
the strangers.•; know the Lord's voice, discern it, hears
it and follows it. At the same time they do not know the
 147

voice of the stranger nor follow him, but rather flee from
him.. I wonder if there is an evidence for goodness more
clear than this! Yet I'll give you another evidence:

Third:
He says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them"
It is a mutual relation" So, He says in the same chapter,
"I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the
Father knows Me, even so I know the Father" (In.
10:14,15). What a stronger relation there can be... ! The
Lord describes the extent of this knowledge by saying
that "He calls His own sheep by name" (In, 10:3).
. This knowledge distinguishes the righteous from the
wicked whom the Lord addresses saying, "I never knew
~ou; depart from M~ you who practice lawlessness! "
(Mt. 7:23). The Lord, then, does not know the wicked..
The same is asserted by the words of the Lord to the
foolish virgins to whom He says, "Assuredly, I say 10
you, I do not know you" (MI. 25:12).
Then, since He knows those sheep who will never b~
snatched out of His or the Father's hand, they must
I
certainly be pure in heart and righteous. For, if they were
wicked He would say, "I do not know you" ...
Let us now state in brief points the qualities of those
believers who will not be snatched out of the Father's
hand:
• They are sheep not goat i.e. they are good and
righteous.
148

• They obey God's commandments, hear His voice and

follow Him.
• They avoid evil and the wicked as they do not hear
the voice of the stranger nor follow him but rather fle£
from him.
No doubt we all agree that such persons cannot perish.

Fourth:
What do the words, uno one is able to snatch them
out of My Father's hand" signify?
They mean that po external power can snatch out of
the Father's hand... But it is possible that a believer,
while in the Father's hand and having full discretion, falls
by his own wilL -
God never allows an external power to overcome you
while you are in His hand... But, your own inner will
can lead you to perdition if you allow it. If you say to
Him, '0 Lord, give me help in my weakness', He will
dismiss away any adversary powers fighting you ... But,
if you yourself want to depart from him, He will not
force you to continue with Him.
What do you say of some sheep who were in the hand
of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they deviated and fell and
needed repentance•• Some were said to have a name that
they were alive but they were dead!! An example of those
are some of the angels of the seven churches mentiond
in the Revelation.
 149

St. John the visionary says that he saw the Lord Jesus
Christ in the midst of the seven lampstands Le. the seven
chruches and, "He had in His right hand seven stars...
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches"
(Rev. 1:16,20). The Lord even starts the first message
saying, "These things says He who holds the seven stars
in His right hand". Then they were not only in His hand
'but tbey were even in His right hand. And the right hand
!symbolizes power as the psalm says, "The right hand
of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord
is exalted" (Ps 118:15,16).
However, those who were in the right hand of the
Lord, those mighty pastors of the churches, what does
the Lord say to them? He says fearful words..
To the angel of the church of Ephesus He says, " ...
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent
and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly
,and remove your lampstandfrom its place" (Rev. 2:5).
How terrible!
And to the angel of the church in Sardis He says, "1
know your works, that you have a name that you are
alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1). Can you imagine
that that great angel who was in the right hand of God
was dead! He needed to hear the warning of the Lord,
"Remember therefore how you have received and heard;
holdlast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch I
will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know
what hour I will come upon you" (Rev. 3:3).
150

May God have mercy upon us, my brethren, according

to His loving kindness, for we are not more powerful
than those seven angels.
Listen also to the fearful words the Lord says to the
angel of the church of the Laodiceans, "So then, because
you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, / will spew
you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:16). It is a threat of
perdition.. The Lord continues, "Because you say, '/ am
rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'
-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable,
poor, blind, and naked".• , So, the Lord advises him
to buy white garments that the shame of his nakedness
may not be revealed .. Then He says to him, "Therefore
be zealous and repent" (Rev. 3:17-19).
Then, brother, do not rely on your being in the hand
of the Lord and leave your first love•. For you may easily

~
all from God's right hand by your own will. No one
will snatch you out of His hand but you, by your own
ill, may leave God's hand.

THE SECOND OBJECTION

EPH. 1:13,14

You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:

Here is another verse said by St. Paul the Apostle
which the protestants depend on in their arguments: ....
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
 151

promise, who is the quarantee of our inheritance... ".

They concluded from this verse that the seal of the Holy
Spirit is a guarantee of an everlasting inheritance that
cannot be taken away from a person.
/The answer is very simple: that those who were sealed
with the Holy Spirit still have a free will/Therefore the
Bible says to them, HAnd do not grieve the Holf... Soirit
of God, by whom YOU were sealed for the day of
redemption" (Eph. 4:30), and also, HDo not quench the
Spirit" (l Thess. 5:19). It is further said, HHe who
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never hasforgiveness,
but is subject to eternal condemnation" (Mk. 3:29).
It is, then, in the power of the person since he has a
free will•• According to his will, he can grieve the Spirit,
quench the Spirit, or blasphemes against the Spirit•• So,
in our prayer we say along with the psalmist, "Do not
take Your Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11).

Saul the King who was elected by the Lord, and

anointed by Samuel the Prophet with the Holy Oil, and
who prophesied and was turned into another man when
the Spirit of the Lord came upon him that the people
were amazed and said, HIs Saul also among the
prophets?" (l Sam. 10:6-11). However, the Lord rejected
him afterwards and the Spirit of the Lord departed from
him and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him
(l Sam. 16:1,14).. Thus Saul perished rejected by the
Lord.
152

It doesn't matter how a person begins, being sealed

with the Holy Spirit or having the Lord's Spirit come
upon him.. but the important thing is how does he
end•••?
This answer can be addressed also to those who object
depending on the words of the Lord, "And I will pray
the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that
He may abide with you forever" (In. 14:16).
The Spirit is ready to abide with us, but if we continue
to grieve the Spirit and quench Him or blaspheme against
Him, He will be taken from us••

THE THIRD OBJECTION

LK. 10:20, PHIL. 4:3, REV. 21:27

Your names are written in heaven:

Some of those who object to the possibility of .the
perdition of a believer, take as evidence the words of the
Lord to the seventy disciples when He said to "them,
"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names
are written in heaven" (Lk. 10:20).
St. Paul the Apostle also says in his Epistle to the
Philippians, ..... and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the Book of Life" (Phil. 4:3)..
Likewise, the divine inspiration says in the Revelation,
 153

HBut there shall by no means enter it anything that

defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those
who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life" (Rev.
21:27).
How easy it is to say that by these holy texts, and in
particular the last one, is meant "The elect"•• But we
ought to say expressly the obvious thing which is that:
It is possible that someone's name be written in the Book \ )j(
of Life, then be blotted out.
This is evident in the reply of the Lord to Moses the
Prophet in Exodus when Moses said to the Lord, "Yet
now, if You will forgive their sin - but if not, I pray,
blot me out of Your book which You have written ". The
Lord answered him, "Whoever has sinned against Me,
(
I will blot him out oj My book" (Ex. 32:32,33). J
And in the Revelation the Lord says, "He who
(Jvercomes shall be clothed in white garments, and 1 will
not blot out his namefrom the Book ofLif!!.-" (Rev. 3:5)..
Then, there is a possibility that a person's name be
blotted out from the Book of Life: who overcomes, his
name will not be blotted out..• but who is overcome, the
Lord will blot out his name from the Book of Life.. as
He previously said, "Whoever has sinned against Me,
I will blot him out of My book".
At the end of the Revelation, the Lord says also, HAnd
ifanyone takes away from the words ofthe book ofthis
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book
.01 Life, from the holy city, and from the things which
are written in this book" (Rev. 22:19).
154

THE FOURTH OBJECTION

GAL. 4:7

We are God's sons and heirs through Christ:

Their objection is based also on the words of 81. Paul, .
"Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if
a son, then an heir of God through Christ".
This objection calls us to search together into the
spiritual meaning of the word "son":
St. John the Apostle defines the word "son" as
follows: "If you know that He is righteous, you know
that £!eryone who practices righteousness is born of
Him" (l In. 2:29).
So, brother, if you say that you are God's son and
thereupon an heir of God through Christ, you have to
prove that you are son by your righteousness. But if you
do not practice righteousness, then you are not born of
Him.
Are you then, a son according to the definition
expressed by St. John the Apostle? If so, blessed are
you•. No doubt you are an heir of God through Christ.
But if- when anyone discusses with you a text relating
to the subject of salvation - you quarrel and revile, cry
out and make a fuss; and in spite of all this you say 'I
am God's son'!! know then, that God's sons do not revile
because it is written that no revilers will inherit the
Kingdom of God (l Cor. 6:10).
 155

Do not boast vainly, brother, as the Jews boasted

before of their being SODS of Abraham but the Lord Jesus
Christ put them to shame by saying to them, "If you
were Abraham's children, you would do the works of
Abraham" (In. 8:39).
So, if you say that you are a son of God and an heir
through Christ, you ought also "to walk just as He
,walked" (1 In. 2:6).
, Being bom of God is not just a privilege to boast of,
but it has certain signs that show it. The apostle says,
'''For whatever is bom 0/ God overcomes the world"
(1 In. 5:4), and, "Everyone who loves is born of God
and knows God" (1 In. 4:7). Are these two conditions
fulfilled in you? Are you steadfast in love? Do you
overcome the world?
Another essential sign of being born of God is found
in the words of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, "For
if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by
the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you
will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit 0/ God,
these are sons 0/ God" (Rom. 8:13,14).
Here, the apostle sets as a condition for being born
Of God: to be led by the Spirit of God.. Who is, then,
the son of God? It is he who is led by the Spirit of God.
Do you satisfy this condition, you who say you are an
heir through Christ and sure of attaining the Kingdom?
Ask yourself. ..
156

Another basic condition to be born of God is to be

bom from high, of water and the Spirit as the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself says to Nicodemus, HMost assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born oj water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (In. 3:5).
Do not say rashly, 'I am a son of God and an heir
through Christ. I am sure that I'll attain the Kingdom' •
But rather test yourSelf.. Are you born of water and the
Spirit? Do you keep yourself and the wicked one does
not touch you? Do you overcome the world? Do you
have love and practice righteousness? Is it not possible
for you to sin? Are you led by the Spirit of God? .•. If
all these conditions are satisfied in you, then truly you
are a son of God and your works manifest you as it is
said, "By their fruits you will know them" (Mt. 7:20).
As for the words of St. Paul, H ..you are no longer
a slave but a son" (Gal. 4:7), you should put beside them
the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, HWhoever commits
sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the
house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the
Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (In.
8:34-36).
Another sig~ then for being born of God is to be free
from sin and not a slave of it•. So, if you still sin, you
are a slave of sin and the words of St. Paul "You are
no longer a slave but a son" do not apply to you.
The Lord Jesus Christ settles the matter by His explicit
words, HNot everyone who says to Me, <Lord, Lord'
 157

shall enter the Kingdom ofheaven, but he who does the

will of My Father in heaven" (Mt. 7:21) and, uFor
whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My
brother and sister and mother" (Alt. 12:50). This is the
person indeed who will be an heir through Christ.
• The same refutation applies to another verse of the
same meaning used sometimes by those Pratestants Le.
"And if children, then heirs - heirs ofGod andjoint heirs
with Christ, if ineed we suffer with Him, that we may
also be glorified together" (Rom. 8:17).

THE FIFTH OBJECTION

IN. 6:37

The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast

out:
It is true that who comes to Christ, Christ will by no )
means cast out•• But what about a person who comes
out by his own will?! Christ is the door, ifanyone enters
by Him, he will be saved and will find pasture (In. 10:9).
All those who came out of the holy den, came out by
themselves, due to their own works, their rashness and
their going astray.. They chose perdition for themselves..
St. John the Apostle says of them, UThey went out from
.us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us,
they would have continued with us" (l In. 2:19). They
went out of their own accord.
158

An example of those are some disciples who could not

bear to hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ about
partaking of His flesh and blood•• The Bible says, HFrom
that time many of His disciples went back and walked
with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do
you also want to go away?' " (In. 6:66,67). Those were
not cast out by the Lord, but they left Him by themselves
unlike the twelve who continued with Him.
Even Judas Iscariot was not turned out or cast out by
the Lord.• He left the company of the disciples, left the
Lord's supper and went out to carry out his conspiracy.

THE SIXTH OBJECTION

1 IN. 5:11,12

He who has the Son has life:

Some argue that St. John the Apostle says, HAnd this
is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he
who does not have the Son of God does not have life".
So, since a person has life, an eternal life, how would
he perish then?!
The key to this verse is to understand the intended
meaning of the expression "who has the Son" What does
it mean? Does it mean "whoever believes in Him"? No,
of course. For the Son Himself says, "Not everyone who
says to Me, <Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
 159

heaven, but he who does the will 0/ My Father in

heaven" (Mt. 7:21) and He proceeds, "Many will say
to Me in that day, <Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?' And then J will declare
to them' <J never know you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness!" (Mt. 7:21,23).
Those were not only believers, but they worked J
miracles also•• yet, they did not have the Son, "He never
knew them" because they practised lawlessness and
i..iquity. .
Likewise were the foolish virgins. They had faith and
called Him, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" (Mt. 25:11). But
He answered them, "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not
know you".
They also had not the Son in spite of their faith and
though they waited him the same as the wise virgins did.
lihey kept their virginity and wanted to enter with Him
to the wedding.
Then the expression, "he who has the Son" does not
mean that a person just has faith only.. what does it mean
then? It means:

First: To know the Son:

This is evident from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself to the Father, HAnd this is eternalli/e, that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus. Christ
whom You have sent" (In. 17:3).
160

Again what is the meaning of "know the Son"? and

what is the evidence that we know Him?
St. John the Apostle gives the answer in the same
Epistle, he says, "Now by this we know that we know
Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I
know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps
His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By
this we know that we are in Him" (1 In. 2:3-5).
This is the answer. For how can we have the Son if
we do not know Him? Or how can we know Him if we
do not keep His commandments? If we do keep His
commandments, this will be an evidence that we know
Him. And if we know Him, we shall have life.. In other
words, who keeps the commandments of the Son, will
have the Son and will have life.. And keeping the
commandments is proved by works.

Second: Abiding in the Son:

He who has the Son, abides in the Son as the Son
Himself says, "Abide in Me, and I in you... I am the
vine, you are the branches... If anyone does not abide
in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and
they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they
are burned" (In. 15:4-6).
Thus, to abide in the Son is necessary for life. As the
branch does not have life unless it is fixed in the vine
and which branch does not abide in the vine is withered
 161

and will be burnt. So, who abides in the Son will have
life.
But, how can we abide in Him?
The Son continues His speech, "Abide in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My
love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and
abide in His love" (In. 15:9,10).
Then the matter is related to keeping the
c9mmandments i.e. doing good works. This is asserted
by St. John the Beloved again in his first Epistle; he says,
•iHe who says he abides in Him ought himself also to
walk just as He walked" (l In. 2:6).
What does the expression "he who has the Son" mean
also? It means:

llhird: Fellowship with the Son:

He who has the son, has fellowship with Him. In this
regard St. John the Apostle says, ..... and truly our
fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ" (l In. 1:3). And St. Paul, speaking about this
fellowship says that we died with Him, were buried with
H!im, raised with Him and been glorified with Him (Rom.
6) and he says also, .... that I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings" (Phil. 3:10), and "I have been crucified with
Christ" (Gal. 2:20)... etc.
'But how can we have fellowship with Him? St. John
162

gives the answer in the same Epistle, Hlf we say that we

have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie
and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light, we havefellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from
all sin" (l In. 1:6,7:).
Here also, the matter is related to conduct Le. to
works...

Fourth: To love the Son:

No doubt, he who has the Son has love for Him.. How
would we love Him, then?
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself answers this question;
He says, "He who has My commandments and keeps
them, it is he who loves Me. An he who loves Me will
be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest
Myself to him" (In. 14:21).
Here also, it is a matter of keeping commandments
which implies works.
Thus, the expression "he who has the Son" requires
keeping the commandments in order that a believer may
have eternal life, whether the meaning of this expression
is to know the Son, to abide in the Son, to have
fellowship with the Son or to love the Son.
Then, eternal life requires a person to walk continually
in righteousness. If he deviates from this righteousness,
he loses eternal life because, Hlf we say that we have
 163

fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and

do not practice the truth.... (1 In. 1:6).
The first Epistle of St. John has a certain spirit that
encompasses the whole Epistle. So, if the Protestants try
to argue, depending on one verse alone, they would find
the answer in the rest of the Epistle.

THE SEVENTH OBJECTION

EX. 12:23,7

The Passover Lamb:

H •••and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on
the doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not
allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike
you".
The protestants use this verse to prove that those who
were behind the doors stricken with the blood felt .
complete safety and peace whatever their personal
condition was or their default and iniquity.. That was r}J
pecause their salvation depended on the blood... the ~-t Y\0
blood of the passover lamb which was a symbol of .>
Christ.. Their salvation did not depend at all on their ~'( ~
works. ~ \po'
y
They say that we should have full confidence in the
effectiveness of the blood of Christ and depend on the
deserts of this blood not on our own works.
164

We do not deny that salvation is realized by the blood

of Christ alone•• and that the unlimited atonement of
His blood is capable of giving peace to the self•• But our
confidence in the blood of Christ does not mean that we
can live in sin, or fail to do good works on the grounds
that our salvation depends on the blood not on our
righteousness and purity.
We notice in this example (of the passover lamb and
the door stricken with blood) something very important
which indicates the symbolic meaning properly: It is that
the passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread
(Ex. 12:8). and no leaven would be kept in all the quarters
for seven days as the Bible says,
"Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on
the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days, and no
leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven
be seen among you in all your quarters" (Ex. 13:6,7).
The Lord emphasized strongly on removing leaven
from the houses and set as punishment, cutting off
anyone who would eat leavened bread. He said, "Seven
days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day
you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever
eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh
day, that person shall be cut offfrom Israel" (Ex. 12:15).
Again He stressed the same point, He said, ..... you
shall eat unleavened bread... For seven days no leaven
shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what
 165

is leavened, that same person shall be cut offfrom the

congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a
native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in
all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread" (Ex.
12:18-20).
. What is the reason of all this? What does it symbolize?
Any person who searches into the Holy Bible can
clearly distinguish that leaven is a symbol of evil and sin, ,y
while unleavened bread is a symbol of righteousness and l'
lJurity.
St. Paul the Apostle makes this point very obvious
when he says, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that
you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.
For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the fellst, not with old leaven, nor
with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread ofsincerity and truth" (l Cor 5: 7,8).
Thus, the picture becomes obvious before us: The door
is sprinkled with blood outside,in the inside leaven is
removed and all are eating unleavened bread•• So, the
blood of Christ cannot be a permission to us to eat
leaven.. And even though a person escapes from the
sword of tbe destroyer through the blood, he may be cut
off from the congregation if be eats leaven•. Thus, he
I~ses the salvation he attained tbrough the blood due to
his eating of the leavened bread.
Many people were saved from the original sin through
the blood of Christ and escaped from the sword of the
--
166

destroyer. yet they lost this salvation afterwards and were

cut off from the body of the church because they ate
leavened bread.. Those "Whose end is destruction,
whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame
- who set their mind on earthly things" (Phil. 3:19).
Would you dare, after all this, to say 'I am in peace
inside, behind the doors sprinkled with the blood
whatever way 1 walk'?!.
1 say to you, 'No, if there exists leaven within your
doors, you cannot have peace, for "whoever eats what
is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the
congregation" .
Therefore purge out the old leaven and feast with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
The seven days of the unleavened bread represent the
whole life which ought to be pure.. because "7" is a
number which symbolizes perfection.
Then, brother, since you actually live within the doors
sprinkled with the blood, be careful all your life to
remove leaven from your house, for the rule is evident.

THE EIGHTH OBJECTION

Christ satisfied God's claims:
The protestants argue that the death of Christ satisfied
the claims of the divine justice in all aspects.. Would God
then require us to satisfy them again?
 167

No, God does not require us to do so•• besides, we

haven't the ability to satisfy the divine justice.• The Lord
Jiesus Christ has paid off all the claims of the divine
justice. He made an unlimited atonement sufficient for
the remission of all the sins of all people in all ages.
However, we repeat here what we have already said
before that the blood of Christ is one thing and the
deserts of this blood is another thing.. All we have to
do is not to satisfy the claims of the divine justice, but
to be worthy of the deserts of the blood of Christ.
We do not try to satisfy the divine justice, for this has
been performed on the cross when the Lord shed His
blood on our behalf... But we have only to be worthy
of the blood of Christ.

THE NINTH OBJECTION

He who hears My word... has everlasting life:

Their objection is also based on another verse in which
the Lord says, "He who hears My word and believes in
Him who sent Me has everlasting life. and shall not come
into judgment. but has passedfrom death into life" (In.
5:24).
We notice here that He does not speak about faith
alone, but rather more about works•• For He says, "who
Mars My word" Le. who carries out My command-
ment... So, we believe that, only a believer who carries
168

out God's commandments u;J.til the end, the same will

be saved. If we consider the rest of the Lord's speech
on the same occasion, we notice that He says, H ••• and
come forth - those who have done good, to the
resurrection oflife" (In. 5:29). He does not say, "those
who believed" but "who have done good" thus stressing
on the importance of works for salvation.

THE TENTH OBJECTION

HEB. 10:23

He who promised is faithful:

It is true that God promised, and He who promised
is faithful.. but this must not lead us to blind confidence..
St. Paul himself warns us in the same Epistle saying,
"Therefore, since a promise remains ofentering His rest,
let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of
it" (Heb. 4:1). He says also, "If we deny Him, He also
will deny us" (2 Tim 2:12).
My brethren, remember always the danger of using
one single verse separate from others.
 169

WHEN SHALL WE ATIAIN SALVATION

Since a believer is liable to fall and perish, and since

some people have begun in the Spirit but were made
perfect by the flesh ... when can we say, then, that a
person is completely saved?
We can only say this when he completes the days of
his sojourning on earth peacefully.. That is because we
are in a fight and struggle as long as we are in the flesh
(Eph. 6:10).
We are in a war which result is not yet known. A
person may win the first battle and lose the twelfth one..
who can be sure of the result? A person who is fighting
in a war cannot say he has won except after the end of
the war.. i.e. after one puts off the flesh.
, So, the apostle says, "Work out your own salvation
"Yith fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), and also, " ..
considering the outcome of their conduct" (Heb. 13:7).

Holy texts on our waited for salvation:

• St. Paul says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from
which we also eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus
Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may
be conformed to His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20).
170

This is the true savlation, when we put off this mortal

body and put on the glorious body•.• which matter will
take place after the second coming of Christ and the
general resurrection.
• He says also, "So Christ was offered once to bear
the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him
He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation" (Reb. 9:28).
Here also, the apostle is speaking about the final
salvation which will take place after the second coming
of Christ.
• St. Peter the Apostle also says, " ... you, who are
kept by the power of God through faith for salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time" (l Pet. 1:5).
• The same fact is declared by 81. Paul when he
ordered that the Corinthian sinner should be delivered
to Satan, "For the destruction ofthe flesh, that his spirit
may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (l Cor. 5:5).
• Referring to this coming salvation, St. Paul says to
the Romans, "For now our salvation is nearer than when
we first believed" (Rom. 13:11).
• And to his disciple 81. Timothy the Bishop, S1. Paul
says, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Contin~e in them, for in doing this you will save yourself
and those who hear you" (l Tim. 4:16). Even that saint
needed to take heed to himself, to his ministry and to
continue in that in order to be saved.•
 171

, • Regarding the waited for salvation, St. Peter the

Apostle says, "If the reighteous one is scarcely saved••• "
(l Pet. 4:18).
• And S1. Paul says about the angels, "Are they not
all ministering spirits sent forth to ministerfor those who
will inherit salvation?" (Reb. 1:14).
• This last salvation requires patience and striving so
that we may attain it with glory as S1. Paul says,
<!'Therefore 1 endure all things for the sake of the elect,
that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory" (2Tim. 2:10).
It is obvious then, that the elect did not obtain that
salvation which is accompanied by eternal glory though
they obtained salvation through the blood of Christ in
baptism.. It is just a guarantee (Eph. 1:14) which we may
lose if we stop striving or if our will deviates...
But how can we attain such final salvation? The
apostle gives the answer; he says, "Let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1) for
he who endures to the end shall be saved (Mt. 24:13).
.----- ~-_ .. -- .. ~
 173

CHAPTER 6
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BEARING
ON THE SUBJECT

[1] Had God chosen certain

people to be saved?

A. Salvation is offered to all people:

We find in the Holy Bible a clear answer to this
question.. for it is stated, "For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires
all men to be saved and to' come to the knowledge of
the truth" (l Tim. 2:4).
God Wants all people to be saved, not a certain group.
His love encompasses the whole world.. So, He says, "I
have no pleasure in the death ofthe wicked, but that the
wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 33:11).
This is very obvious in the redemption, for the Bible
says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life" (In. 3:16). His love here
174

is for all people, for the whole world.. Salvation also is

offered publicly to whoever blieves in Him as redeemer
not only to a certain group.
St. John the Beloved, while speaking about the atoning
sacrifice of Christ, repeats the same meaning. He says,
"And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and
not for ours only but also for the whole world" (l In.
2:2). The Lord Jesus Christ then, offered salvation to
all people, sacrificed Himself for all, is the propitiation
for the sins of the whole world, and He wants all people
to be saved ..
This generality is explained by S1. Peter the Apostle;
he says, "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
But in every nation whoever fears Him and works
righteousness is accepted by Him..• He is Lord of all"
(Acts 10:34-36).
This conforms with what S1. Peter himself said on the
day of the Pentecost, "Whoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).
God then wants all people to be saved.. and if not all
of them are saved, the cause will not be due to God but
to people. They themselves do not want to be saved and
not God.

B. God left option to people:

God, being good and loving does not have pleasure
in the death of even one sinner but wants that every sinner
would turn from his way and live.. However, He left the
 175

option to people... He gave everyone freedom to choose

fpr himself. He says to man, "See, I have set before you
t()day life and good, death and evil.•• I call heaven and
earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore
choose life, that both you and your descendants may
live" (Deut. 30:15,19).
Unless choice had been in the hands of man, why
would God have sent the apostles and prophets then?
Why would He have set for us the commandments and
warned us? Why would He have set priests and teachers?
What would be the use of all this if there were certain
people predestined for salvation and others for perdition?

C. Many texts prove that man has a free will:

Many of God's holy commandments begin with the
words, "If anyone desires". "If you want" or "If
anyone hears" .. and other similar expressions. This
proves that man has the option to choose for himself
what he wants and determine his own end according to
his works .. Now we shall give you some examples of all
this:
- 'our lord Jesus Christ said, "Ifanyone desires to come
(lfter Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will
lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it" (Mt. 16:24,25).
176

- And to the rich young man He said, "If you want to

enter into Ii/e, keep the commandments... Ifyou want
to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the
poor" (Mt. 19:17,21).
- To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans He said,
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20).

As for God, He stands at the door and knocks; as for

man, he has the choice either to open or not... and
accordingly, his end will be determined.
How often God wills, but man is not willing •.. God
wants good for man, but man does not want good for
himself. Thus God leaves him to his free will, to have
the end which he desires.
- An example of this is the speech of the Lord when He
was lamenting over Jerusalem, He said, "How often
I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate" (Mt.
23:37,38).
- The Lord also rebuked the Jews saying, "But you are
not willing to come to Me that you may have Ii/e" (In.
5:40).
- The same is evident in the parable of the wedding feast
and those who were invited .. The Lord said that the
king who arranged the wedding feast, "sent out his
 servants to call those who were invited to the wedding;
and they were not willing to come" (Mt. 22:3).
They were invited to the feast, not predestined for
perdition... God opened to them His Kingdom but they
refused to enter.. In the said parable, the invitation was
repeated once and twice and each time the king (the Lord)
sent other servants to them but they were not willing to
come.. So, the sad end appeared in the words of the Lord
.to His servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who
were invited were not worthy" (Mt. 22:8).
- Among the most profound examples that demonstrate
how God is interested in making man choose his own
end are the cases in which the Lord Jesus Christ asked
the patients before healing them, "Do you want to be
made well?" (In. 5:6). The great divine Physician is
ready to heal, but the problem is that those who perish
do not want to be healed.

,D. God is willing to revoke His judgment:

Is there a proof more evident than this to show God's
strong desire to give us salvation?! God is willing to
revoke His judgement if a person turns from his evil ways
and seeks his own salvation. This fact is declared by God;
He says,
- "Again, when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely
die', if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful
and right... and walks in the statutes of life without
1 committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not
178

die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be

remembered against him; he has done what is lawful
( and right; he shall surely live" (Ezek. 33:14-16).

Again, God repeats the same meaning in the Book of

Jeremiah the Prophet, He says,
- "The instant I speak concerning a nation and
concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and
to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken
turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I
thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build
and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does
not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the
good with which I said I would benefit it" (Jer.
18:7-10).
- We have a clear practical example in the story of
Nineveh: God declared His word against it.. but its
people repented at the preaching of Jonah, so it is
. stated, "Then God saw their works, that they turned
from their evil way; and God relentedfrom the disaster
that He had said He would bring upon them, and He
did not do it" (Jon. 3:10).
Then, it all depends on man. So St. James the Apostle
says, "Draw near to God and He wiN draw near to you"
(Jas. 4:8)•• God Himself says in the Book of Malachi
the Prophet, "Return to Me, and I will return to you"
(Mal. 3:7).
 179

E. Answers to some objections:

Let us begin with the words of St. Paul the Apostle
in the Epistle to the Romans:
HAnd we know that all things work togetherfor good
to those who love God, to those who are the called
'according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, he
also predestined to be conformed to the image of His
Son... " (Rom. 8:28-30).
We want here to give some important remarks:
• We notice that the apostle said, "all things work
together for good to those who love God" and did not
say, "to those whom God loves"•• It depends, then, on
,iiiem not on God..
The same applies to St. Paul's words, "But as it is
'written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have
entered into the heart of man the things which God has
preparedfor those who love Him' "(l Cor. 2:9).. Again,
he did not say, "whom He loves" .. because their
salvation depends on their own will.
Ahe second remark is that God's predestination is
not due to His choice but to His foreknowedge, as it is
stated, ''whom He foreknew, He also predestined'~ It
is then, that God through His foreknowledge and
, recognizing what would take place in the future, knew
who would do the things that please Him in righteousness
and goodness of their own accord. Therefore, those
whom He foreknew, He also predestined.
180

The same can be said regarding the story of Jacob and

Esau, HAs it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau
I have hated'" (Rom. 9:13). God, through His
foreknowledge knew that Esau would be an impudent
person and a murderer. He would despise the birthright
and sell it for a stew of lentils. God knew also that Jacob
would be meek and love good.
Therefore, God loved Jacob for what He saw in him
through His foreknowledge, and hated Esau for what
He knew would happen from him.
But, we can never say that God predestined Esau for
perdition and Jacob for salvation.. or in other words that
He decided that Esau was to perish notwithstanding what
choice he makes!!, and that Jacob was to be saved
notwithstanding what works he may do!! God forbids.
• Now, let us consider the words, "Will the thing
formed say to him who formed it 'Why have you made
me like this?'. Does not the potter have power over the
clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor
and another for dishonor?" (Rom. 9:20,21).
Nay, a potter has power over the clay to make
whatever he wants from it whether a vessel for honor
or for dishonor... and the clay cannot say to him 'why
have you made me like this?'. But the potter is wise and
just.
One of the beautiful commentaries that I heard on this
subject is that a potter, in spite of the full discretion and
 181

power he has, tests wisely the lump of clay and examines

it•• If he finds it good, smooth and soft, suitable to be
a vessel for honour, certainly he will make it so. It is
absurd that a wonderful lump of clay comes into the
hands of the potter but he makes from it a vessel for
dishonour, for he is a wise potter. But if it is rough and
bad and not fit to be a vessel for honour, the potter will
be forced, due to its bad state, to make from it a vessel
for dishonour.
Thus it depends, before anything else, upon the
condition of the clay and whether-it is fit or not. But
we do not deny tbe power and the discretion whicb the
potter bas..
A potter tries, as far as be can, to make of the clay
wbich he has vessels for honour as long as the clay helps
him. Hence, the Lord said: "Look, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are you in My hand, 0 house ofIsrael!
The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning
a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy
it, if that nation against whom 1 have spoken turns from
its evil, I will relent ofthe disaster that I thought to bring
upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and
~concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does
,evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then
I will relent concerning the good which I said I would
:benefit it" (Jer. 18:6-10).
This reminds us of the parable of the sower who went
out to sow (Mt. 13:3-8). The sower is tbe same, and the
182·

seeds are tbe same•• but according to the kind of the soil
on which the seeds fell, the result came whether decay
or fruitfulness. The sower did not prepare the seeds to
wither away or be scorched, chocked or devoured by the
birds but the kind of the soil determined the result.
Man likewise is free to choose his own end, "For he
who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life" (Gal. 6:8).

F. A theological treatment of the subject:

The principle of election implies injustice and partiality
and does not conform with God's justice who gives
everyone "according to wlult he has done" (2 Cor. 5:10).
If God has mercy on whomever He will have mercy, and
has compassion on whomever He will have compassion
leaving the rest to perish, how will this agree with God's
justice?!
And those whom God has predestined for perdition
what is their fault?! Would not this lead sinners to
despair, feeling that their striving is useless since they
are vessels predestined for dishonour? As for the
righteous, this would certainly lead them to slackness and
negligence, being sure that they will certainly be saved
whether they strive or not. .. !
Besides, what is the use of rewarding since there are
persons predestined for perdition before they are born?! ..
and others predestined for salvation before they are
 183

born?! what virtue do the elect have so that they may

be rewarded, and what fault do the wicked do so that
they may be punished?
What is the need for the commandment, then, as long
as one's end is determined whether one obeys the
commandment or not! Besides, is not the principle of
election against man's free will?
And why would the devil test man's will? why would
he toil in tempting the elect if they will certainly be saved
however hard he tempts them? Why would he toil to trap
the others since they are not elected and will certainly
perish even though he does not fight them?
What is the need also for evangelizing, preaching,
pastoral work and teaching since all this will not change
man's destiny whether he is among the elect or the
rejected? .
The idea of election leads the world into confusion and
contradicts with God's justice and man's free will.
184

[2] WHAT WAS THE STRIVING OF THE

THIEF THAT MADE HIM GAIN
SALVATION?

Those who argue that salvation can be attained

through faith alone. inquire what good works the thief
that was on the right hand of the Lord did. and what
the striving that brought him salvation was.
We say in reply that the thief did many things. the most
important of which are the following:

A. The thief believed on the Lord in very hard

circumstances:
Just to believe was not an easy thing for the thief. Had
he believed on the Lord while He was raising the dead.
healing the sick. walking on the water. rebuking the wind
and working supematureal miracles. we would have said
that such deeds were evident proofs that cannot be
doubted.. But he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ while
He was on the cross! He believed on Him while He was
humiliated and despised. while He was in a weak state
in front of all! People struck Him. spat on Him and
sneered at Him saying. "Prophesy! Who is it that struck
You?"!...
 185

The hindrances that faced such faith were numerous

and from everyside.. So, if that thief had not believed,
people would have given him excuse; for how would he
believe on a person who was despised and on the cross
that He was God?! Certainly, that thief needed to strive
hard against himself in order to believe. He had to fight
the various doubts that hindered that faith and were
about to do away with it...
Anyone who says that the thief did not strive, seems
to have no idea about the situation that encompassed
the thief, which situation many stumbled at, even the
disciples, for the Lord said to them, HAll ofyou will be
made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is
written, 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will
be scattered." (Mk. 14:27). And it happened that the
~heep were all scattered! No one could stand by the cross
;except the Marys and John the Beloved.. and .. that thief!
The veil of the temple was torn in two, the sun was
darkened and the rocks were split... but was all this
sufficient to make one believe? We know well that in spite
of all, the chief priests, the priests, the elders, the scribes
;and Pharisees did not believe, nor did the other thief•••
It was not an easy matter for the thief on the right hand
of the Lord to believe.
B. The thief declared a complete confession of the
Lord:
The words, HLord, remember me when You come into
Your kingdom" (Lk. 23:42) imply many meanings viz:
186-

He confessed that the Crucified Christ was a Lord and

king and that He had a Kingdom. He confessed that
Christ was coming into His kingdom which means that
the thief believed that death had no power over Him.
The thief believed also that Christ was able to let him
enter the Kingdom or in other words that his salvation
would be through that person crucified with him.
Besides, that thief had great hope.• For in spite of the
awful evils he did throughout his life he believed that
a person like him can be saved and can enter the Kingdom
through the Lord Christ.
Moreover, that thief did not ony believe but he also

I
declared this faith publichy before all, without being
ashamed•.•; a matter which St. Peter the Apostle and .
most of the disciples and apostles could not do.

c. The thief confessed his sins:

He did not stop at the point of declaring his faith but
he was filled with holy zeal when he heard his companion
blaspheming against Christ, saying, .. 'If You are the
Christ, save Yourself and us', But the other (the thief
who was on the right hand of the Lord) answering,
rebuked him saying, 'Do you not even fear god, seeing
you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed
justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds,· but
this Man has done nothing wrong.' (Lk.·23:39-41).
II

Thus, the thief confessed his sins, confessed that he

deserved to be punished and confessd that his death on
 187

the cross was the due reward of his deeds.. He did not
think the punishment greater than what he deserved but
said, 'we receive the due reward of our deeds'.
The conduct of that thief was also spiritual; for whDe
the other thief was thinking of a means to escape from
death and crucirlxion, saying to Christ save Yourself and
us', the thief who beUeved was concerned about his
_emity and the Kingdom He implared the Lord for his
eternal salvation not for saving him of the carnal death.
He accepted that death as a punishment for his sins and
found that those last moments must be given to thinking
about his eternity. His mind was-occupied with the Lord
and His kingdom. This made him defend the Lord...

D. The thief defended the Lord:

The Lord Jesus Christ stood alone; no one defended
him of those who enjoyed His gifts and benefits from
His miracles.. No one of His apostles or His followers
defended Him except for few names. But the voice of
this thief came out loud to put to shame the ungrateful
thousands; he said, "This Man has done nothing
wrong".
What a wonderful defence, from a person embracing
death! It showed that there remained some good in
human nature.. So, he deserved to hear from the Lord
the words, «Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Lk.
23:43).
188

Would people now ask, 'What was the striving of the

thief, and what did he do?'; I ask them in return, 'What
was int he power of the thief, to do more than that and
he did not do?! I'd like to hear their answer to this
question•••
 189- .

[3] How were they saved without

being Baptized

Some people inquire, 'Since baptism is necessary for

salvation, how were the martyrs sved without being
baptized, and how was that thief likewise saved?

The answer is:

We have eplained before that baptism - in its essence-
is death with Christ.. So, St. Paul the Apostle said,1<•••

as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into His death? Therefore we wer buried with
Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness oflife. "(Rom. 6:3-8).
Then, since baptism is death with Christ, we say
e.pressly and plainly that that thief actually died with
Christ•••
Likewise the martyrs, we say that they died with
Christ, shared Him His death and shed their blood with
Him... Therefore, the church calls this baptism,
"Baptism of blood" .. because had those martyrs lived
more, they would have been baptized with water also...
190

CONTENTS

Page
Preface 7
Introduction: 9
The danger of using one single verse 9
Chapter 1 21
. • No salvation except through the blood of
Christ alone 21
• Conditions of salvation through the blood of
Christ: 26
1- Faith 26
2- Baptism 34
3- Sacraments necessary for salvation 46
4- Good works 56
Chapter 2: ,.......................................................... 57
The importance of works for salvation 57
• Evil works lead to perdition 59
• Judgment according to works 72
• Works are fruits requisite for faith 75
• Works are evidence of the existence of faith 79
• Works are evidence of being born of God.. 79
• By works faith is made perfect 80
• The importance of behaviour and good works 81
 J9J

Chapter 3 85
Striving and grace 85
Chapter 4 105
Confidence and trust concerning the Kingdom
of God 105
• To what extent may one have hope in God's
mercy? 105
• Basics and conditions of contidence as
explained by St. John the Apostle 115
• Confidence and certainty in the Pauline
Epistles 122
Chapter 5 133
Is it possible that a believer would perish 133
• Eight evidences 134
• Ten objections and refutations 145
• When shall we attain salvation 169
Chapter 6 173
Answers to questions bearing on the subject.. 173
1. Had God chosen certain people to be
saved? 173
2. What was the striving of the thief that made
him gain salvation 184
3. How were they saved without being
baptized? 189