Thank you for your interest in my comment. The answer to your first question is "the chicken" according to Genesis chapter 1. The answer to your second question is "the church came after the first half of the Bible (OT) was written, but before the second half (NT) was written. So you can see that I do not deny history, but in fact, like to be precise in my history. The church was born on Pentecost, and the New Testament was written over the next several decades, but canonized centuries later. Of course "the Bible did not produce the church"; the Holy Spirit is the Person responsible for both the Church, and the Holy Scriptures. I am not a Protestant, I am an Orthodox Christian. But I am an Orthodox Christian who is concerned with the absence of the Gospel being preached. Before I make my point let me say I absolutely love the teaching ministry of Fr Josiah. I have probably listened to just about every podcast of his at Ancient Faith Radio, his videos on youtube, I have purchased many of his teachings from Patristic Nectar, own his books, and have listened to the "Rock and Sand" interviews at least twice in their entirety. The point I am making in my comment above is that Jesus is our Savior, belonging to a church does not save you. Of course a true Orthodox Church possesses the Gospel. Once a person is a believer in Jesus they are added to the church (the Orthodox Church). I know an Orthodox priest who has succeeded for 28 years to not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but instead promotes his New Age beliefs, and promotes New Age/Buddhist books in all his counseling, catechism, and sermons. So being in an Orthodox Church does not guarantee that a person is hearing the Gospel preached. When we go into the world Jesus says we are to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). St Paul says "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17-24). St Paul over and over referenced "the preaching of the Gospel" as his mission and purpose, never "the preaching of the church".(1 Thes. 1:5-10; Col. 1:5, 6; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Of course the church is the body of Christ, of which we are members in particular (1 Cor. 12:27), the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), and the church, which Jesus said He would build, would never be overcome by the powers of hell (Mt. 16:18). I am an Orthodox Christian striving for an Orthodox mindset, but is it possible that what is passing for Orthodox Christianity nowadays is over-simplified. I am not speaking of Fr. Josiah whom I esteem highly in the Lord. Though I do question him on the above point, and hope by doing so to inspire thoughtfulness concerning "the preaching of the Gospel". J.M., your broad view of the Gospel may be accurate in general terms, but according to St Paul and the Orthodox Church we are told what the Gospel is: "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried. and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures". (1 Cor. 15:1-4) And finally, I did not accuse Fr. Josiah of not being orthodox. I am simply making the point that the Gospel is the prime mover for salvation. Yes it, the gospel, can be found in an Orthodox church, but it, the gospel, is found wherever Jesus Christ is proclaimed, and that is where salvation is. I humbly submit these words to those who read them. I only long for the truth of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed in the Orthodox Church and all the world. I ask, "What is necessary for salvation"?Thursday, December 10, 2015
WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION?
Thank you for your interest in my comment. The answer to your first question is "the chicken" according to Genesis chapter 1. The answer to your second question is "the church came after the first half of the Bible (OT) was written, but before the second half (NT) was written. So you can see that I do not deny history, but in fact, like to be precise in my history. The church was born on Pentecost, and the New Testament was written over the next several decades, but canonized centuries later. Of course "the Bible did not produce the church"; the Holy Spirit is the Person responsible for both the Church, and the Holy Scriptures. I am not a Protestant, I am an Orthodox Christian. But I am an Orthodox Christian who is concerned with the absence of the Gospel being preached. Before I make my point let me say I absolutely love the teaching ministry of Fr Josiah. I have probably listened to just about every podcast of his at Ancient Faith Radio, his videos on youtube, I have purchased many of his teachings from Patristic Nectar, own his books, and have listened to the "Rock and Sand" interviews at least twice in their entirety. The point I am making in my comment above is that Jesus is our Savior, belonging to a church does not save you. Of course a true Orthodox Church possesses the Gospel. Once a person is a believer in Jesus they are added to the church (the Orthodox Church). I know an Orthodox priest who has succeeded for 28 years to not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but instead promotes his New Age beliefs, and promotes New Age/Buddhist books in all his counseling, catechism, and sermons. So being in an Orthodox Church does not guarantee that a person is hearing the Gospel preached. When we go into the world Jesus says we are to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). St Paul says "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17-24). St Paul over and over referenced "the preaching of the Gospel" as his mission and purpose, never "the preaching of the church".(1 Thes. 1:5-10; Col. 1:5, 6; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Of course the church is the body of Christ, of which we are members in particular (1 Cor. 12:27), the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), and the church, which Jesus said He would build, would never be overcome by the powers of hell (Mt. 16:18). I am an Orthodox Christian striving for an Orthodox mindset, but is it possible that what is passing for Orthodox Christianity nowadays is over-simplified. I am not speaking of Fr. Josiah whom I esteem highly in the Lord. Though I do question him on the above point, and hope by doing so to inspire thoughtfulness concerning "the preaching of the Gospel". J.M., your broad view of the Gospel may be accurate in general terms, but according to St Paul and the Orthodox Church we are told what the Gospel is: "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried. and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures". (1 Cor. 15:1-4) And finally, I did not accuse Fr. Josiah of not being orthodox. I am simply making the point that the Gospel is the prime mover for salvation. Yes it, the gospel, can be found in an Orthodox church, but it, the gospel, is found wherever Jesus Christ is proclaimed, and that is where salvation is. I humbly submit these words to those who read them. I only long for the truth of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed in the Orthodox Church and all the world. I ask, "What is necessary for salvation"?
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