|
Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Exposition by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky
The spiritual principle in man which is opposed to the body is designated in Sacred Scripture by two terms which are almost equal in significance: “spirit” and “soul.” The use of the word “spirit” in place of “soul,” or both terms used in exactly the same meaning, is encountered especially in the Apostle Paul. This is made evident, for example, by placing the following texts side by side: Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Cor. 6:20); Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (II Cor. 7:1); and, We are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. 10:39). Copyright 2002 St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Press
23. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Until we have been cleansed from the passions, the gifts of the Holy Spirit received during the Mystery of Holy Chrism aren’t fully manifested, although they too work in a covered way through each virtue. But once the passions which cover them are removed, the gifts of the Holy Spirit blaze up in our consciousness, from the hidden part of the heart, in all their brilliance. Strictly speaking, in distinction to the grace of Baptism which directs the work of mortifying the old man and of the general growth of the new, they are intended to remake and intensify the powers of the knowledge of the soul and of courageous perseverance in God, after he has known Him. They are first of all the gifts for enlightening the mind, and precisely because of this, gifts for its fortification in its orientation toward God. Therefore they show their full efficiency only when our intellectual powers, which work with them, have been sufficiently developed. They are the fruits of a Mystery which imparts to us the gifts of the Holy Spirit; they are meant to open the spirit in us and to make rich the life “in the Spirit,” but this can’t be realized before purification from the passions. By Metropolitan Kallistos Ware
WE BELIEVE THAT THE SCRIPTURES constitute a coherent whole. They are at once divinely inspired and humanly expressed. They bear authoritative witness to God's revelation of Himself—in creation, in the Incarnation of the Word, and the whole history of salvation. And as such they express the word of God in human language. We know, receive, and interpret Scripture through the Church and in the Church. Our approach to the Bible is one of obedience. |
Archives
August 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed
