Categories: orthodox-life, study
Date: 17 September 2004 14:09:11
Tonight we had our second Bible study on Romans. Two weeks ago we looked at the Epistle of Romans as a whole and also at the life of St Paul. Tonight we looked at Romans 1, specifically verses 18 to 25 and the fact that God has revealed himself -- both through "natural" and "supernatural" revelation.
We chant "God is the Lord who has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord" at Liturgy: and this became all the more real for me tonight. Indeed I am sure I knew God had revealed Himself to us before tonight, but tonight I "discovered" it once more. And I re-discovered the ineffable love of God in wanting to make Himself known to all people, and to me in particular. That the Almighty God who created me, who created and sustains all, would want me in a relationship with Him: this is truly amazing and a truly a great blessing.
I'll leave you with a quote on God's revelation from St John Damascene's "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith - Book I". I especially like his comments on God revealing what was profitable for us, and keeping secret what we could not bear.
God, however, did not leave us in absolute ignorance. For the knowledge of God's existence has been implanted by Him in all by nature. This creation, too, and its maintenance and its government, proclaim the majesty of the Divine nature. Moreover, by the Law and the Prophets in former times and afterwards by His Only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, He disclosed to us the knowledge of Himself as that was possible for us. All things, therefore, that have been delivered to us by Law and Prophets and Apostles and Evangelists we receive and know and honour, seeking for nothing beyond these. For God, being good, is the cause of all good, subject neither to envy nor to any passion. For envy is far removed from the Divine nature, which is both passionless and only good. As knowing all things, therefore, and providing for what is profitable for each, He revealed that which it was to our profit to know; but what we were unable to bear, He kept secret. With these things let us be satisfied, and let us abide by them, not removing everlasting boundaries, nor over passing the divine tradition.