Second Sunday f Saint Matthew

Romans 2: l0-l6

By
His Eminence
Metropolitan Panteleimon of Antinoes
In the Letter t the Romans, the Apostle Paul emphasises one of the most
serious issues of the Orthodox Christian Faith, namely the Justice of God.
Every day we hear people talking about the Love of God, and that God is only
Love.
This is of course true, but these people forget that God is not only Love, but
that He also passes Judgement. Because God loved mankind, He sent His only
begotten Son, so "that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life" (John 3:l6). Many people believe, in their ignorance and misunderstanding of the
Scriptures, that God will ultimately save all.
It is however, clear from the teachings of our Lord, that man will be judged
according t his deeds. Our Lord Himself in the Gospel of St. John assured us that,
"those who have done good, will come t the resurrection of life, and those who
have done evil, t the resuecton of judgement" (John 5: 29). There are two types of
Life after death, namely "etemal punishment" and "etemal life" (Matt. 25: 46).
Now, what is "etemal punishment" or Hell, and what is "etemal life" or
Paradise? ''Eternal punishment" is a true condition or state of life after death where
man is completely cut off from God. Here he does not share in the life and the glory
of the Holy Trinity, but he feels remorse in his conscience for every evil deed that he
had committed in his life. He will also not have the slightest comfort or alleviation of
his eternal sufferings (Luke l6:24). Our Lord taught us that there are different levels
of "etemal punishments". He uses different cmparisons t make us understand, for
example: "the outer darkness" (Matt. 8:l2; Mark 22:l3), "the unquenchable fire" (Mark
9:43), "the abyss" (Luke 8:3l), etc. Hell was not created for man, but it is the result of
the unrepentance of Satan and his angels and all those men who wilfully and
stubbornly refuse t repent for their sins.
''Etemal Life" or "Paradise" on the other hand, is the full participation and
sharing in the life and glory of the Holy Trinity. Here we shall see God face t face, as
St. Paul teaches us in 1st Corinth. l3:l2. The ingdom of God was created before the
creation of this material world, as Christ Himself teaches us (Matt. 25:34). In the book
of Revelation, St. John describes us how he saw the ingdom of God (Rev. 2l:9-
22:5).
St. Paul himself was worthy t go up t "the third Heaven", where "he heard
things that cannot be told, which man may not be uttered" (2 Corinth. l2:4). In another
part of Holy Scripture, St. Paul teaches us that the beauty that is in Paradise is so great
"that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man conceived, what God has
prepared for those who love Him" (l Corinth. 2:9). Our Lord and Saviour teaches us
that in the ingdom of God there are different levels, "in y Father's house are many
rooms" (John l4:2). We are also taught that the just will be different in glory, "there is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for
star differs from star in glory" (l Corinth. l5:4l), as so "the righteus will shine like the
sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. l3:43).
Whosoever chooses, out of their own free will, t live apart from the Will of
God, will have t bear the consequences thereof. Whosoever, on the other hand, have
lived according t the Will of God, and fought against evil, will inherit the ingdom
of God and will become "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:l7).
What hapens t people who have not heard about the Son of God, or had not
had the chance t believe in Him? What happens t the children who died, but were
not baptised? believe that these two questions bother many Christians and shall
now answer these questions according to the teachings of the holy Fathers of our
Orthodox Church.
St. Paul teaches us in the most beautiful way that "all who have sinned
without the law will also perish without the law; and all who have sinned under
the law will be judged by the law" (Rom. 2:l2). Those who did not have the Law
of God, but nevertheless sinned against the moral Law of the Heart and
conscience, will be punished accordingly, because, "when Gentiles who have not
the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even
though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written
on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting
thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them" (Rom. 2:l4-l5).
Mans conscience is amongst the great Gifts that God has bestowed upon
him. Conscience is the voice of mans soul which reacts according to mans moral
or immoral deeds. It shows to him what is right and what is wrong. Conscience is
the spiritual world of man wherein is placed all his feelings and the results of his
deeds. Anyone who has not heard the Law of God has in his heart the Law of his
conscience.
In those cases where they have learnt about the Law of God, for example
we Orthodox Christians, and did not followed Gods Law, but remained unrepen-
tent to Gods mercy, they will be judged according to Gods Law.
St. John Chrysostom taught us that without Gods Law people who do not
follow the Law of the Heart will be judged and condemned according to the Law
of the Heart and the Law of God, "for the greater the attention someone enjoyed,
the greater the punishment he will suffer". "The Gentiles, which have not the Law,
do by nature things contained in the Law." In this case, they are not better than
those who are instructed by the Law, but "by this he showed that God made man
independent so as to be able to choose virtue and to avoid vice." Continuing the
Holy Father taught us: "Now let each man enter into his own conscience, and
reckoning up his transgressions, let him call himself to a strict account, that we
be not condemned with the word for fearful is that court, awful the tribunal, full
of trembling the accounts, a river of fire rolls along. Call then to mind what is
said in the Gospel, the Angeis running to and fro, of the bridechamber being shut,
of the lamps going out, of the powers which drag to the furnaces. And consider
this, that if a secret deed of any one of us", here presented, "were brought forth
into the midst, before the Church only, what could he do but pray to perish, and
to have the earth to gape for him, rather than have so many witnesses of his
wickedness? How then shall we feel when, before the whole world, all things are
brought into the midst in a theatre so bright and open, with both those known and
unknown to us seeing into everything?"
In front of God there are no secrets. "But all are open and laid bare to the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:l3). Through the good use of
mans free wll, every man who comes into this world has the opportunity to
realise the general salvation which the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, offered
to mankind on the Cross.
What happens to unbaptised children when they die? This question is
answered through the Holy Apostolic Tradition. According to these teachings,
these particular children are not condemned, but they cannot see God face to face,
because they still have the Original Sin which was the cause because of mans fall
from Paradise, and that Death ruled over mankind (Rom. 5:l2). They are in a
similar condition to those who lived according to the Law of their Heart of
Conscience. In this state, these children enjoy some happiness, and they do not
suffer, but they cannot share fully the vision of Gods Glory.
n the book of Revelation, St. John teaches us that "the leaves of the tree"
(of life) "were for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2). In another verse, God
commands St. John not to measure the courtyard outside the Temple (of Heaven),
"for it is given over to the nations" (Rev. 11:2).
For those children who die, but who were baptised in Christ, the Holy
Tradition states that they go straight to the ingdom of God. These children are
placed as the closest to Gods Throne, because they are free of personal sin. For
this reason, if an infant is ill and in danger of dying, the parents themselves
should baptise the child by raising it into the air three times - in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - uttering the same words that the
riest would have used, and also naming the child. This is called "aerobaptisma"
or "baptism in air", which the Orthodox Church accepts only in cases of children
whose lives were in danger. If the child lives, however, the Church will not repeat
the Baptism, but will read all the prayers of Holy Baptism, and will confirm the
child by annointing it with Holy Myrrh.
It is very important for every Orthodox Christian to live according to
Gods Will. This is what is meant when we hear that we have to live in practise
with Love to God and to our fellow man. Everything which we will do in our
lives must be done for the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not in hope of some
reward. St. John Chrysostom again teaches us, saying, "Let us then so love Him.
For this is the great reward, this is royalty and pleasure, this is enjoyment, and
glory, and honour, this is light, this is the great happiness which language (or
reasoning) cannot set before us, nor mind conceive.
He who lives and practises the commandments of the Son of God is
worthy to become the Temple of the Holy Trinity, just as our Lord taught us, "if a
man loves Me, he will keep word, and Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make our home with him" (John l4:23). This is the purpose of
our lives, to inherit the Eternal ingdom of God. Whether we achieve this or not,
depends on our own free will.
Presently, many people are getting ready for trips to Greece and elsewhere.
Preparations usually start months ahead of time. If we prepare ourselves so long
before these material trips, how much more should we not prepare ourselves for
our Great Voyage to the ingdom of God? Fr material trips we have to spend
lots of money, but for the most important trip the only things that we take with us
are either our vitrues or our bad deeds.
Let us open our hearts to Christ, who loved us so much that He gave His
Life for us on the Cross. Let us love one another, so that we will one day be with
Him in His ingdom, glorifying the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit unto the Ages of Ages. Amen.