The #Mystery of #Incarnation
Let us delve into the profound mystery of the incarnation, a cornerstone of our faith. In this divine revelation, we proclaim that the Word, one of the Holy Trinity, assumed perfect humanity to reveal His boundless love and redeem the world. He was born of the Holy Virgin Mary, fulfilling the prophecies of God's love for mankind, who found themselves ensnared in sin, burdened by their fallen nature, and oppressed under the dominion of demons. As the Apostle Paul declares, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4).
The Word, the invisible Divinity by nature, became visible through the mystical incarnation. The intangible was grasped, the unbeatable was wounded, the immortal experienced death in the flesh, the one who knew no hunger or thirst became hungry and thirsty, and the one without need was satisfied. In this union, the flesh was infused with divinity, and the eternal Word became known as the firstborn, for it merged with the eternal Divinity. As it is written, "Behold, the man has become like one of us" (Genesis 3:22), and thus He was counted as the Son of God the Father and the Son of the Virgin Mary. The Son born of a Virgin is rightfully called the Son of God the Father. Hence, due to this inseparable unity, the Orthodox faith asserts the following teachings regarding the incarnation:
1. Without Change: When the Word becomes flesh, it does not undergo any alteration or modification. Just as the Scriptures affirm, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). "With whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). As the Lord Himself proclaims, "I am the Lord, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6).
2. Without Division: The Divinity did not abandon the body after accomplishing the salvation of the world. He did not separate Himself from the flesh, as confirmed in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "Have I not preserved them in my dwelling?" (Jeremiah 17:16).
3. Without Confusion: The two natures, divine and human, are not blended into one another but exist in a perfect union. Therefore, when it is said that "this is my body," it signifies a complete and indivisible union without any mixture.
4. Without Separation: The divinity and the flesh remain distinct, without mixing or leaving their respective essences. The Word did not abandon His divinity, nor did the flesh cease to be flesh. Rather, the flesh was divinely glorified, and the Word became flesh, displaying a perfect union.
To summarize, the will of the Word, which cannot be violated or augmented, is the same as the will of the flesh. It is a union of two wills without confusion—a perfect harmony of wills.
Furthermore, our mystical incarnation doctrine asserts that God was born in the flesh of the Virgin Mary, and she is rightly called the Theotokos, the Mother of God, for she gave birth to God in the flesh (Luke 1:35). As the devil, disguised as a serpent, separated mankind from God, the Lord chose a mysterious plan that rendered the crafty wisdom of the devil futile. The mystery through which He accomplished the salvation of the world surpasses the wisdom with which He created it. He chose a virgin and, from her flesh and soul, was born in a humble stable, crucified naked, and thus saved the world.
When we declare that God became man, it does not diminish or increase His divinity. As the Scriptures affirm, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He remains the eternal Lord of all (Psalm 101:27).
Obstacles to #Repentance
👉Question: My life has been polluted by sins and I wanted to repent. But I was very afraid of falling into the same sin again, so I thought before I repent, I should try to overcome the sin that challenges me. If I win, then I will repent and cleanse myself of the past. What do you advise me about this?
Answer: Among the ways of salvation that Satan fights against, there is no better than repentance, because repentance destroys all the edifices of sin that the enemy, the devil, has built to destroy the lives of Christians, making it not exist by God's grace. Because of this, he tries to prevent us from repentance, and even if we were to repent, he will never stop doing his best to prevent it from happening sooner than later. Among the obstacles to repentance that the enemy, the devil, uses to keep people in sin or prolong the time for repentance:
1. Creating obstacles: They can be sudden challenges or opportunities, but they disable us from repenting by creating obstacles.
2. To convince the sinner that he is better by comparing himself with those who have sinned more than him and that he does not need repentance, but holiness should not be compared to a sinful life.
3. Being guided by environmental influences due to the weakness of the flesh. Saint Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world." Romans 12:2 A small fish swims in a stormy sea. A Christian should withstand such temptations and live a spiritual life.
5. Despair: Before we fall into sin, Satan makes us sin by thinking of God's goodness and forgiveness, and after we sin, he reminds us of God's judgment and cruelty and discourages us from repenting.
6. By making the repentant think that he is not a sinner, that he is justified by self-admiration. A man cannot change what he thinks is good unless he believes that his own life is corrupted by sin. If there is no spiritual change in his life, he will not think about repentance. He does not repent, so he does not examine himself.
7. Not having a God-fearing heart: According to Saint Isaac, if there is no God-fearing, there is no repentance. Sometimes, some people take out "GOD-fearing" from their hearts in excuse of love. At this time, they become careless about their penitential life and fall into sin. Because of sin, they lose the love of God that leads them to repentance.
In general, it is not appropriate to live as a slave of sin or to fight without repenting but fighting with and winning the devil, falling and getting up in repentance. Joshua son of Sirak told his son that if he wanted to serve God, he should prepare himself for the challenges he would face. Satan is jealous of our spiritual work when it comes to our fasting and repentance. He fights to prevent us from accepting the value of our labor. He will prepare every trap so that we will fall. He tells us that you will not leave us until we surrender. But as St. Peter told us, "Your partner the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Knowing that your brothers in the world have received all that suffering, resist him steadfastly in faith (1 Peter 5:89), we should remember this advice and fight, not give up or run away in fear."
In the work that a person does, while controlling his body and humbly contributing the good, he is given the repentance which he discards the evil work day by day with. "Not even heaven is clean before God, let alone a man who drinks sin like water." Job 15:15.