Over the years I have signed many legal contracts, including the loan to build our new church! I have signed contracts to purchase homes, cars and trucks, furniture and borrowed all kinds of green paper money for whatever project I was involved in. Some of the contracts have been a single page and yet others were lengthier like a short-story. I am not an attorney and sometimes the legal verbiage is a bit much and I rely on my assessment of the relationship I have with the folks wanting my signature or promise on their legal agreement, and of course I ask many questions. After all, when we agree to something we usually want to know all the angles, possibilities and limitations. Years ago I was always instructed to use black ink pens as it was more official. In the past couple of years I have been instructed to use blue ink pens because with our advancements in copying documents it is hard to distinguish between the original and a copy.
When it comes to Christianity and your life after death, just what have you agreed to? I know of some folks that study and dissect everything there is to do about Christianity day after day. It seems at times they have not yet surrendered their will and still are testing the waters. Perhaps the think their ability to think and reason is greater than our Creator. I was the very same many years ago, step by step, follow the instructions, research every nook and cranny and all of that! And I pray that those still unconvinced will one day see the Light. As I am now of the age or time in my life, where I have surrendered part of my freedom and hopefully all of my future to our Risen Lord! As for me, I believe! Our Lord asks of us to draw near with faith of a child! [Lk. 18:17] With everything that you are, with no hesitation, sign here. Hand me my crayon!!
In St. Paul’s letter to Corinth he asks: “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. “ [1 Cor. 1:20-21] St. John Chrysostom asks us: “What sort of philosopher, which among those who have studied logic, which of those learned in Jewish matters, saved us and made known the truth? Not one; but it came to be the fisherman’s work, the whole of it. Having then drawn the conclusion which he had in view, and brought down their pride, and said, ‘Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world?’ He states also the reason why these things were so done. ‘For since, in the wisdom of God, the world knew not God through its wisdom,’ the Cross appeared…. Is the heaven great, and the earth boundless? Wonder then at Him Who made them....But since by this wisdom the world was unwilling to know God, He employed what seemed to be foolishness, that is, the proclamation of the Gospel to persuade us—not by reasoning, but by faith. It remains that where God’s wisdom is, there is no longer need of man’s....For to believe on Him that was crucified and buried, and to be fully persuaded that He Himself both rose again and sat down on high, this needs not wisdom, nor reasonings, but faith.... For he cast away Plato, not by means of a more wise philosopher, but by means of an unlearned fisherman. For thus the defeat became greater, and the victory more splendid.” [Hom. 4, P.G. 61:25-27 (cols. 32, 33).]
So I ask: Just how committed are you? Studying the Scripture, saying your prayers and coming to church are a real good start but He wants everything. What is needed is the retraining of your mind and the surrender of your will to a higher power. Is this contract agreeable with you? Saint Kyril instructs us that: “The chief perfection of the mind is to be established in the faith and for our understanding to be uncorrupted therein, and the second, which neighbors upon this chief perfection,...is the clear knowledge of that way of conduct which pleases God and is taught us in the Gospel, and is perfect and blameless” [Ib,. 484.]
