In Search of Truth

From the island of Cyprus, to whom it may concern:

To my brothers and sisters who have dedicated their lives to Lord Jesus Christ. To all of those who are justly anticipating to live eternally in the Heavenly Kingdom

“Be Holy because I am holy” (Peter 1,16)

Sainthood (holiness) is not a philosophy or a man made theory, but an actual physical (ontological) transformation that is visible not only on the Holy Remains of the Apostles, but on the Holy Remains of the Orthodox Saints who have followed in their footsteps for 2000 years now.

Please accept to share a few words of wisdom belonging to Saints of a Church who are rightfully your own not only because at the beginning of Christianity there was only One single Church, but because these same Saints were the ones inspired by the Holy Spirit (2nd Ecumenical Synod 381 A.D) to eliminate the false scripts and deliver the Holy Bible in your hands as you know it today.

Reading, “Why Cyprus is called the Island of the Saints” on the Internet you will be reminded that Paul came to the island of Cyprus (Acts 13v. 4, 5) and taught along with John Mark in the synagogues. You will read how hundreds of thousands were saved in the world by the Apostles the first 30or 40 years of the Church in absence of the Bible! (It wasn’t fully completed yet). You will also find out that Lazarus was a Cyprus Bishop in the city of Larnaka for 38 years after he was resurrected and you will also find out why while alive he never smiled! You will also discover that the Apostles instituted 85 Holy Cannons that are described as the Law or the Constitution of Jesus Christ new founded Christian Church. Jesus brother James for instance (Josephs’ son), was ordained the first Bishop of Jerusalem under the first rule of these 85 Cannons (rules) that describes the way the Lord wants his Bishops ordained. You will also find out that there was only One Church, One Faith and One Baptism (Ephesians 4, 5) for the first 1054 years of Christianity! You will also learn about the three spiritual stages that the Orthodox monks anticipate going through in order to…and it will be humbly and theologically explained to you my brothers and sisters why:

“The words and the sentences in the Holy Bible are meant to pass on certain knowledge of truth. However, this knowledge is part of the truth, and does not reflect the sum of the truth needed for our Salvation.”

The Church that Paul has founded 2000 years ago is still here and Her prime directive has always been to keep all that was passed down from Jesus and the Apostles u n c h a n g e d for these teachings and directives that were put forward for the Salvation of all man constitute or sum up the Divine Will of God.

In closing, I do not represent any organizations and I am not funded by anyone. I am an Orthodox Christian that is asking from you to read and evaluate… for your selves and all those that you love. My self I am no one but a sinner who has repented, who loves the Lord as much as anyone else does who is looking forward to receive from Him ALL that he has promised. I feel in my heart sadden and hurt to see all those who have been better than myself in prayer and Christian deeds to not get what they truly deserve because of reasons …of not knowing.

Prayer selects the addresses that are chosen by myself on the Internet. The Orthodox monks on Athos mountain Greece (20 Orthodox Monasteries still follow today the same Life of Worship and Tradition for 2000 years now.

Please allow me to be your servant. Commends-questions welcomed

Please pray for me. God bless you.

Remember is not the road that matters… but the Destination.

We get a lot of "form mail" that borders on religious spam. Most of the time I delete it without submitting it to the forum. I suspect that most other people also dismiss this kind of email quite readily. But, does it warrant a response?

Often, I dismiss personally responding to views that are so extremely different than mine, usually while muttering something about "throwing pearls before swine". Certainly, we need to be careful about spuriously wasting our efforts, when someone does not care, or is clearly unwilling to listen with an open mind (Matthew 7:6). However, I must always examine myself: Am I dismissing these notes too quickly? Am I using Matthew 7:6 as an excuse to avoid wrestling with thoughts that differ so wildly from my own and challenge articulation of a logical response?

Jesus died on the cross for these folks, just like you and me (John 3:16; Luke 15:1-7). If I was in their place, and if I was in error, I would want somebody to explain that error to me, as patiently as they know how. How would you want to be treated?

What is your reaction to the above post?

email wrote:“The words and the sentences in the Holy Bible are meant to pass on certain knowledge of truth. However, this knowledge is part of the truth, and does not reflect the sum of the truth needed for our Salvation.”

This correspondent offers to provide what is lacking in the Bible. However, the Bible leaves no room for addition. First, please notice that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His apostles, Who would reveal "all truth" to them:

John, by inspiration, wrote:"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ... These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:16-26)

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:12-13)

Second, please notice that the writings of these apostles and prophets already claim to contain all truth, especially that knowledge regarding life, good works, and godliness:

Paul, the apostle, wrote:All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Peter, the apostle, wrote:Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (II Peter 1:2-4)

Paul, by inspiration, wrote:For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ... For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:11-16)

Third, please note that the Scripture warns against us accepting additional revelation, especially that which contradicts the "once delivered" gospel:

Jude, a prophet of Jesus, wrote:Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 1:7)

Paul, by the Holy Spirit, wrote:I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

Paul again wrote:Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. (I Corinthians 4:6)

Although specifically applied to John's last book, clearly this next warning should also be heeded for all of God's revealed Word:

John by inspiration wrote:For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

A similar warning was given long ago, and it was applied to all of God's words:

The wise man wrote:Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Some contend that the writings of Scripture cannot be understood. In addition to blasphemously blaming God for a poorly written text, such an accusation directly conflicts with the obvious teaching of the apostles' writings:

Paul, again by inspiration, wrote:if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:2-5)

Others argue that the Scriptures have been corrupted and need restoration. Again, latter day revelation is contrary to the notion that the Scripture was "once delivered". But, such an assertion is also contrary to common sense. Who can accept that God could or would allow His saving gospel to lapse into dilapidation and inaccessibility for any period of time? Certainly, such reasoning is inconsistent with the imperishability of God's Word as taught by the Scriptures themselves:

Isiah the prophet wrote:So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

John, recording Jesus' words, wrote:"... to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken) (John 10:35)

Peter by inspiration wrote:Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (I Peter 1:22-25)

As seen in the previous passage, even New Testament saints were converted not through direct revelation from the Spirit, but indirectly through the inspired preaching of the apostles and prophets.

How can I accept these contradictory teachings, since the Scriptures suffer no room for them.

...

email wrote:Remember is not the road that matters… but the Destination.

I may be overreacting, but I do not think this is correct. Paul acknowledged the exclusivity of Christianity, when he called it "The Way" (Acts 24:14), even as Jesus said:

John, recording Jesus', wrote:Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

Since there is only one way to the desired destination, it seems our choice regarding the road taken, matters infinitely:

Matthew, recording Jesus, wrote:"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)