We shall not find many who can boast in strength or power, or in the nobility of their birth.
The Apostle Paul declares in the following words that not many are called: “You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.”
On the contrary, in the Gospel according to Matthew, Christ Himself depicts a multitude of those called: “Many are called” (Mt 22:14).
Jesus Christ by His words declares the universal calling, which, on the other hand, makes a distinction in election. The Apostle Paul speaks of the particular calling, which includes the submission of the human soul to the calling and remains with election.
Christ under the name “many” understands every man in general and without exception. Paul under the name “many” indicates the Corinthians known to him, as can be seen from his own words.
“You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world.”
The teacher of the Gentiles, throughout almost the whole First Epistle and in many places in the Second, calls the Corinthians his brethren: “You see your calling, brethren.” He also calls the Galatians beloved brethren (Gal 1:2).
Meanwhile, there were divisions, errors, and delusions among them, even in the dogmas of the faith. It was the same among the Galatians.
From this someone may conclude and ask: can we, and ought we, call brethren the opponents of true teaching and the holy faith, as well as others who do not agree with us in the dogmas of faith?
Without entering into an explanation of the difficulties presented here, three conditions must first be set forth.
First, the law of both Testaments, the Old and the New, obliges every man to observe not only peace, but also tranquility.
Peace is commanded in Matthew by these words: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9). In John: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34).
Again: “Holy Father, keep them in Your name, whom You have given Me, that they may be one, as We are” (Jn 17:11). “God is not the God of disorder, but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33).
“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jas 3:18). “Let him who desires to love life and see good days seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet 3:11).
In many other places as well, Scripture commands us to have peace among ourselves. It also praises zeal for observing the truth.
In John: “Sanctify them in Your truth” (Jn 17:17). “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8). “That the truth of the Gospel might remain with you” (Gal 2:5).
Those who do not obey the truth Scripture calls foolish. “O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth?” (Gal 3:1).
In 2 Thess 2:10 the Apostle Paul places human salvation in the reception of the truth, and perdition in its rejection. In 2 Tim 2:25-26, he regards those who do not obey the truth as having been caught in the snare of the devil.
John the Theologian, in his Second Epistle, affirms that the truth abides in the pious: “and will be with us forever” (2 Jn 1:2).
This zeal for observing the truth is a spiritual foundation upon the word of God. His word is truth (Jn 17:17). In the same way, the zeal for the peace and concord mentioned and praised above is spiritual, inward, and theological.
It differs greatly from temporal, outward, and civic peace. Zeal for observing temporal, that is, outward and civic union and peace, can and should be held with all people.
The Apostle Paul also commands this: “If possible, as much as depends on you, have peace with all men” (Rom 12:18). “Pursue peace and holiness with all” (Heb 12:14).
But zeal for observing spiritual peace abides only in the society of the pious, who reverently believe in the one God.
Temporal peace consists in this: people bind themselves to one another by mutual relations. Although they may be outside society, they still dwell peacefully among themselves.
Spiritual peace requires that those who honor it have one heart and one spirit. The former obliges people partly by natural law and partly by a single summons to common well-being.
The latter establishes its firmness solely on the common agreement of men in heavenly truths and on a pious union of human wills and hearts.
The primitive Church presents us with such an example. Though it had very many faithful, all had one heart and one spirit, as can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles.
“And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32). Jesus Christ prays to the heavenly Father that He grant such union to His faithful.
He says, “Father, that they may be one, as We are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one” (Jn 17:22-23).
Saint Gregory Nazianzen writes very fittingly and harmoniously about this peace in his works. No one is so inclined to single-minded concord as those who always think on the things of God.
They burn with love for them and agree in the true worship of God. On the contrary, no peoples are so bold for division as those who disagree in the actions of their divine worship.
There is no need to bring here testimonies from Holy Scripture establishing concord and peace upon the confession of revealed truth. Let us hear what the prophet Zechariah suggests to us.
Does he not first persuade us to love truth, and then peace? “Love truth and peace” (Zech 8:19).
What the Savior prescribes to His disciples concerning peace does not exclude righteousness, signified under the name of salt: “Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mk 9:50).
The teacher of the Gentiles suggests the same to the Ephesian presbyter: “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22).
But in order to understand more clearly those who directly and essentially hold the truth in the confession of the holy faith, one must know that in the society of the heterodox there are people of three degrees.
To the first belong those who, although outwardly they pretend in their errors and apparently defend them, in actual fact hold the true faith firmly in their heart.
Augustine writes of them in his fourth homily on John: many are considered to be outside the court who nevertheless are in the courts of the Lord. Their hearts are purer than mouths smeared by the flattery of false teachers.
Second, there are those who, although they have wandered from the path of holy truth, can easily be taught and corrected in the morals of Christian piety.
Such are called by the Apostle weak in faith: “Receive one who is weak in faith” (Rom 14:1).
To the third division belong those who, although they present themselves as manifest teachers of the law, are in themselves hardened corrupters of the faith. They drag others after themselves into perdition, and there is little hope for their correction unto salvation.
To the first two divisions belong the Corinthians and Galatians, whom the Apostle greets as brethren. He does so for some because they truly presented themselves to him as such.
He does so for others because they themselves gave sufficient hope for their conversion. For this reason, having much contact with them, he found some capable of receiving the holy faith and taught them sufficiently.
But he commands us to reject people of the third degree, opponents of the true faith and hardened corrupters of piety: “Reject a heretical man after the first and second admonition” (Tit 3:10).
At times he even delivers such a one to Satan, as Hymenaeus and Alexander: “whom I delivered to Satan, that they may be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Tim 1:20).
In general, he teaches us to beware of and avoid those who cause disputes and divisions in Christian societies: “I beseech you, brethren, beware of those who cause disputes and divisions” (Rom 16:17).
He counsels us to withdraw from fellowship with those who introduce contrary teaching into Christian society.
“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the teaching according to piety, withdraw from such” (1 Tim 6:3, 5).
In another place he gives such people over to anathema: “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you other than what we preached to you, let him be anathema” (Gal 1:8).
Still more, he makes them excluded from the society of Christ. “Would that those who trouble you were cut off” (Gal 5:12).
He exhorts us not to be partakers with their vain words: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them” (Eph 5:6-7).
The Savior Himself also suggests this to us: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mt 7:15).
In agreement with this, the holy Theologian teaches us: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, nor greet him” (2 Jn 1:10).
From these places of Holy Scripture everyone can see that Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, and the holy Theologian never and nowhere called brethren the bold deceivers, stubborn heresiarchs, and defenders of every error and false teaching.
For this reason our Orthodox Church, like the primitive Church of the New Testament, does not entirely exclude from the number of brethren, that is, from Christian society, those deceived by the depravity of heretics but not wholly rooted in heretical error.
This is especially because in them a capacity for instruction and zeal for hearing the word of God was observed.
But the contrary must be affirmed concerning stubborn and hardened corrupters. Such were the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom Jesus Christ regarded as having no hope of correction.
Such were Hymenaeus and Philetus, whom the Apostle Paul excluded (2 Tim 2:17). Such were Ebion and Cerdo, whom John the Theologian recognized as disobedient and hardened apostates.
Such was Marcion, whom Polycarp, when Marcion asked him for brotherhood, called a son of Satan, answering, “I recognize you as the firstborn of Satan.” Such were the Nicolaitans, whom the bishop of Ephesus hated (Rev 2:6).
In the same way, we, the sons of Orthodoxy and zealots of true piety, must act toward stubborn and hardened opponents of evangelical truth.
We must act so toward all defenders of error, founders of heterodox opinions and non-Orthodox assemblies, and all who produce disputes and divisions in the Church of Christ.
THEOSIS