THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WITNESSING FOR THE FAITH AND BEING A FANATIC FOR THE FAITH
Witnessing for our differences with the world is positive and imperative; for how can we see improvement in the relationship with the non Christians? By showing the similarities with them in many matters? Then what about the differences with them? Are these less important than the matters that seem similar to theirs? Definitely not. Our belief and our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was Incarnate, is not only of great importance, but it is also essential. St. John the Apostle said, "And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world." (I John 4:3). The Apostle Paul said, "…no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (I Corinthians 12:3).
John the Apostle warns us from being negligent in our dealings with the non-believers by saying, "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him." (II John 1:10). He then clarifies his warning by saying, "For he who greets him, shares in his evil deeds." (II John 1:11). We greet our brothers, the non-Christians, shake their hands, kiss them, accept them in our homes, eat with them, with the acceptance that we are different and that we love them as our brothers, as human beings in spite of these differences. With our witnessing to these differences, we love them. We need not try to conceal these differences behind matters that outwardly seem similar, we must not accept them as the Apostle John said in II John 1:11, for we would be sharing their state with them, noting that the Apostle said "He who greets him…"
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Priest says in the blessing "Absolve us and absolve all Your people from every sin, from every curse, from every denial, from every false oath, and from every encounter with the heretics and the heathens. Then he says, "O our Lord, grant us a reason, power and understanding to flee from any evil deed …" Contacts with heretics and pagans require wisdom in action so that we do not reconcile with a spirit that is against Christ and participate and accept a misdeed because of our weakness.
There is presently a dangerous tendency, which has probably reached us through the theory of Relativity that is widely spread, especially in the West. The theory is that every group or denomination has some right and holds part of the truth. Thus, the differences in the faith are accepted as a curriculum that is to be followed as it is done in the Protestant denominations.
We do not hate or despise anyone, but we witness to Christ with our life and our sayings. We witness to our faith and belief. Peace with those who do not share our faith is not in hiding the essence of our faith or in putting it aside, to appear like them. This is not peace!
We witness to our faith and our belief so that we do not become fanatics. Here comes the decisive question: "What is the difference between the testimony to the faith and fanaticism?" The difference is that the testimony to the faith is the essence of love, the love of God and the love of the stranger. You love God and you respond to His love that was manifested on the Cross, by calling people to Him as He has called you. You also love your brother, the unbeliever and you want him to enjoy life with Christ, just as you do. This is the testimony of the faith, and the proof of this is, "Love does no harm to a neighbour." (Romans 13:10).
The essence of fanaticism is the self which is like a band of criminals united by intolerance and crime and not by love. The essence of fanaticism is also hatred and that is why the fanatics consider the others as their enemies and want to vanquish them by any means.
One person may ask why the Apostle Paul said, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law. To those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means have some. Now, this I do for the Gospel's sake, that I may partaker of it with you." (I Corinthians 9:19-23).
This is the work of the preacher, so if you preach among atheists, show yourself as though you are lawless although you are not without law, and talk to them thus until you win them. However, this does not mean that you say to them that Christianity is similar to atheism in several ways, The Apostle Paul's saying means that he made himself as one of them as a means for reaching out and understanding, but at the same time, he clarified to them his testimony for the faith. Here are some examples:
In the Book of Acts, as the Apostle Paul preached in Athens, he said to the Athenian philosophers, "For as I was passing through and considered the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'To the Unknown God.' Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you." (Acts 17:23). Here, the Apostle started with them, with their own worshipped god, although he did not accept it at all. But with wisdom, he showed them from this point that they did not yet know the true God. Then he called for the preaching of the Gospel. If he had said to them, for instance, "We also have an altar like yours." And then had kept quiet, his words would have been unacceptable, for he would have placed the altar of the true God with the rest of the untrue altars.
Another example, when the Jews refused his invitation and also excited the persecution against them and harassed them, the Holy Book said, "But they shook the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium." (Acts 13:51). This was in Antioch, in Bythinia. In our present days, do we show any similarity with the non-Christians when we are persecuted, in order to find peace?
Let us ponder the meaning of what the Apostle Paul said, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win he more." He made himself a servant, but not his faith or his belief.
If the purpose of showing similarity with the others is peace, our Lord Jesus said, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided; three against two and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53). "And a man's enemies will be those of his own household." (Matthew 10:36).
Christ the Lord means that He did not come to give apparent peace with the non-believers, but naturally, He gave His peace and, " the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." (Philippians 4:7). "not as the world gives you do I give to you." (John 14:27). He gave it to the believers in their hearts, this is also the meaning of the praise, "and on earth , peace…" (Luke 2:1). "I came to send fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished." (Luke 12:49,50).
He said the same words in the Gospel of Matthew just after he said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32,33).
It is either with Jesus Christ or against Him; there is no middle place. "He who is not with Me, is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me, scatters abroad." (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11;23). How does this fit with the saying, "For he who is not against us is on our side." (Mark 9:40 and Luke 9:50). In the first saying, whoever is not with Christ must be against Him as mentioned by the Apostle. In the second, whoever is not against Him must be, according to the first instance, with Christ. By taking both rules into consideration we conclude that there is no middle way; it is either with Christ or against him.
A third example: Look at this difference. The Apostle Paul said, "And to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews." (I Coruinthians 19,20. He circumcised his disciple Timothy, "Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek." (Acts 16:3). Paul the Apostle himself, had opposed Peter the Apostle when he acted like the Jews, "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed." (Galatians 2:11). What is the difference then? The difference is clear, Paul won the Jews to Christ, and Peter the Apostle in that instance described in Galatians did that for fear of being blamed. He wished for a false peace in his attitude with the brethren who came, "fearing those of the circumcision." (Galatians 2:12), and the rest of the Jews who were hypocrites.
A fourth example: I once met with two Jews, After the greeting and some conversation, I said to one of them, "According to your faith, you are still awaiting the coming of the Messiah." And I talked with him according to his faith as a Jew. Then I asked him, "In what shape do you expect the coming Messiah to appear?" There were several answers, and in spite of their logic, the responses did not answer the implied question: Why do they not believe in Jesus Christ who has come about two thousand years ago? This required that they listen to the truth, but at least I testified to the Gospel without imposing it on them.
In the present days, we see people give matters modern names, such as "Politics," which is not true politics because the meaning of the word 'politics' is to rule people, or deal with them with shrewdness. For the Christians there is no politics except the politics of love, "Let all that you do be done with love." (I Corinthians 16:14).
What is called politics in the world is, in many instances, no politics at all, but it is being a hypocrite, ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38 and Luke 9:26).
The expression has been changed into "Political Correctness" and is used to affirm erroneous meanings, in the Gospel. So, in order to avoid the appearance of the error, the speaker specifies what he says with this expression to try to legitimize it from the political point of view and convince the listener. However, as we said, this is not true politics, for the truth is one and cannot be divided. There is no true matter when there is an Evangelical error. As the Lord said, "I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is in the truth hears My voice." (John 18:37).
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ, the Lord, and ourselves our bond-servants for Jesus' sake."(II Corinthians 4:5).
Copyright © 2007 Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A. The above article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A. |
