DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Ephesians 1:22-2:3 (09/28) Epistle for Monday of
the Seventeenth Week after Pentecost
The Church and Salvation I ~ The Body of Christ: Ephesians
1:22-2:3, especially vss. 22, 23: “And
He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to
the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in
all.” Over the course of the two millennia that separate us from
“...those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave,
the Resurrection on the third day,” the Ascension, and the Outpouring of
the Spirit, much has been said and written about the relationship between the
Church and Salvation. Ephesians,
dwelling on the themes of Church and her relation to Salvation, is a fruitful
source for exploring these spiritual realities and learning how to apply them
to our lives. Hence, for the next
five days, we shall consider some of what Ephesians holds concerning these
Mysteries.
In the present passage,
First, the Apostle speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as
forever bearing our full humanity in His Person, yet seated as Divine monarch
over all creation - both the visible, tangible cosmos,
as well as the spiritual, invisible realms of angels and all the bodiless
powers. As Orthodox Christians, we
especially ought to note that too often the truth concerning salvation by our
Savior is narrowed down by teachers of limited understanding strictly to
individual deliverance. In fact, in Salvation,
God aims at the restoration of the entire universe.
The Lord Jesus, as King and God, is “Christos Pantocrator,” Christ the Almighty, the Ruler of
All. Typically in Orthodox
Churches, the dominant icon in the dome of our churches or the major one on the
Iconostasis depicts His regal image.
What is under our Lord’s feet? Everything! - definitely
every achievement or empire of man!
Yes, all the hosts of evil opposing God are under the sway of the Ruler
of All. The incapacity of their
present power is exposed by Christ’s exaltation. Death, life, the farthest stars and
galaxies - all are beneath His feet.
None may successfully resist His power. Of course, for the moment, He restrains
the full exercise of His sovereignty to allow you and me the opportunity to
turn to Him, pledge our fidelity and love to Him,
amend our lives, and henceforth live not unto ourselves but unto Him, our
Savior and God.
Furthermore, Christ as “Pantocrator”
is not distant, removed, or unavailable.
Listen to Saint Nikolai of Zica:
“Headless humanity is given a head in the Lord Jesus, risen
from the dead. The body, severed
from the head, begins to knit together with that head, bit by bit and part by
part. All men are called, but not
all respond to be received under the Head.
Some will not knit themselves into His Body, the Church,” even
though incorporation into the Body of Christ is the way of rebirth - to begin
purification and to move toward full union with the exalted Christ.
Membership in Christ is God’s means of Salvation, the
way to be made alive (vs. 1): “...as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Look back in time, and see how God has
had His hand upon us through our lifetime.
And even now, He is offering strength for us to push on in the work He
has given to complete salvation (Eph. 2:1-3). We “...were dead in trespasses and
sins...” (Eph. 2:1); now we are alive. The prince of this world was our ruler;
now Christ is our King and our God! (see vs. 2). We were “...children of
wrath...” (vs. 3), but now are children of God. May we not quit, but sustain our life in
Christ to the end!
Grant us in this age, the knowledge of Thy truth, and in
the age to come, life everlasting.
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