Salvation in the Orthodox Concept (incarnation, church, Messiah, believe)

[West.]

This book is written by Pope or Patriarch (current) of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church.

I would like to give you this information, so you may use it at well.

First of all: I think and I am sorry.

Introduction

The danger of the use of only one verse!

When people are treating the subject of salvation as an subject, you must, as like it is the case with any other regular subject, must be aware of the danger to use just one verse, apart of the other verses of the Holy Scripture. The Holy Scripture isnt only verses but all parts are in of an (one) spirit.

A fool lays one verse or just a part of a verse in front of him and sets its alone apart from other circumstances and de oppurtunity from where it was said, and even from the whole context. But a wise researcher that it is in search of the truth, brings all texts with connection to the subject of his study altogther to see what they meen.

Let we, for what about the question of the salvation, name a few examples that show us how dangerous it is to use only one verse:

Acts 16:31

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

Some see in this verse a prove that the salvation can be obtained by faith alone!! This is so because the Apostle Saint Paul said to the jailkeeper of Philippi: Believe and you will be saved (Acts 16:31) The one who is calling this verse are forgetting several things: Against who it was said? What is the rest of the verse? What happened afterwarts? What about the other verses that have connection with the same subject?

[West.]

In the first place: This verse was being said to one that was a Doloemo, an unbeliever. What this man would do about good deeds, it would profit him unless he believed in the Messiah!! Thats why it was necessary to lead him to the first stap without he could not be saved. If he would take this stap, he would be lead to the other steps as well. It didnt fit that the two apostles spoke against the keeper about the importance of good works, because this was no use for him, because he was a doloemo, an unbeliever. The right way was step for step taking him with them to the right purpose.

[West.]

Sometimes is in the Bible used the first step to the whole purpose to mean that it begins with this or that step. Take for instance the word of Simon the Elder when he took the child Jesus in its arms. He sayd: Luke 2:28-31
28 He also took him into his arms and blessed God and said

29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace:
30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,

In real saw Simeon the Elder not the Hail of the Lord, that was only forfilled by the blood of the Lord the Messiah that was spilled on the cross when he payd with his dead for our sins for us! Simeon only saw the becoming of the flehs and the birth of the Lord. But the incarnation of the Lord was the first stept that was taking on the way of the salvation, thats why Simeon the Elder spoke with full of confidence: 30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,

Almost the same is beining Mentioned by Paul and Silas when they spoke with the jail keeper from Filippi. They did not mentioned that his own hail/salvation en that of his room-mates would be obtained by faith alone but that his faith would be the first step to the salvation/obtainment of that house

3. The surest proof that with salvation here the first step in that which leads to this is being meant, is too find in the words of the apostle spoke to the/or spoken to the jail keeper: Than will you and your home will be saved.

[West.]

4. How would his familie only by faith would be saved? Is the faith of the one saving the other? What is correct, is that the faith of a man only serves as the first step to the keeping or salvation of the person itself, when he is being baptzed in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Than Can this first step convince his family to take the faith to accept the faith and it can be a good start that will bring him and his room mates to the salvation

5. The same is clear in the following verses, because the Bible says about Paul and Silas: Acts 16:32,33

32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.

When we study so the verse: 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Acts 16:31

Than it must be layd down to other verses to understand the subject completely.

And here is a simple example that is of a great meaning:

Once came a young man to the Lord Jesus the Messiah to ask him:
Matthew 19:16

16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" The Lord did not say to him: Believe and you will be saved but he sayd: Matthew 19:17
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

Would we dare to say that keeping the commandments alone is enough to get salvation, withouht faith, with baptism, and without sacraments? No, we cannot ourself, others or the faith do harm by only, using one verse.

In the same example we see that the young man answerred: That everything, the commandments, have i done..what else do I have to got to do?

Then the lord jesus the Messiah spoke to him:
Matthew 19:21

21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Again spoke the Lord Jesus not about faith or mercy. Would we than use this example to exellerate the worth of the faith, just because the Lord this not say in his conversation about eternal life?
No, God does not let happen that! We cannot make the mistake to use just one single verse, because every situation is using a fitting language..in this example the lord used the words that were fitting by the situation of that rich youngman and that the him only weakness sawing.