Keeping Christ’s Word

Saint Irenaeus, a disciple of saint Polycarp, who was a disciple of apostle John, wrote in “Against Heresies”: ‘error is never set forth in its naked deformity, but it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced (ridiculous as the expression may seem) more true than truth itself’. How profoundly true. The history of the Church is filled with such errors and today we have its first example: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).

The believers from the faction of the Pharisees who preached that doctrine had a point. Circumcision was the sign of the covenant between God and His people (Gen 17:11). Jesus was circumcised according to the custom of Moses (Luke 2:22–24). The first Christians of Jewish origin were zealous for the law of Moses. They prayed in the Temple, circumcised their children, kept the Sabbath and did not eat anything unclean (see Acts 2:42; 3:1; 10:41; 21:20–21). Thus, they had the Scriptures and the evidence of the believers’ lives on their side. If James, Peter, and John, considered to be pillars of the Church, followed the law of Moses , then surely the Gentiles should obey it too. They were so sure to be right that they spread that doctrine among the Christians of Gentile origin. In Galatia, the entire community established by Paul fell under their spell (see Gal 3:1–5). Today, we know that they were wrong.

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word” (John 14:23). Our love for Christ is manifested in obedience to His teaching. You may be a great orator, possess prophetic powers, and be super intelligent, but without love, you are just a noisy gong. You may perform the feats of faith and lead a spartan life but if you do not hold to Christ’s teaching you gain nothing (see 1 Cor 13:1–3). There are too many Christians who treat their faith like a supermarket. They choose only what suit their taste and reject things they do not agree with. They hop from one church to another church the way others hop from one shop to another looking for the cheapest price. And yet, they can talk about their love for Christ and how much Jesus means to them. Let us stop deceiving ourselves. To those who prophesy, cast out demons, and do mighty works in Christ’s name but do not keep His word, our Lord has this to say: “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt 7:23).

The Catholic Church is often criticised for not going with the spirit of times. Other protestant denominations adopted their doctrines and morals to the changing times but the Church holds on to the ‘old fashion creeds and moral principles’. Why? The Christian community has not right to invent its teaching. The Church was given a task to safeguard faithfully the deposit of faith received from her Lord. In this task, she is guided by the Holy Spirit. “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 that I have said to you” (John 14:26). The Spirit enables us to grasp the truth. The evangelists after so many years have remembered all the sayings of Christ they wrote in their Gospels because the Holy Spirit had brought them to their minds. The Spirit also helped the apostles to deal with the believers from the party of the Pharisees.

“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me” (John 14:24). Most of us have no problem with this statement. We believe that Christ is the revelation of God’s love and obedience to Him means obeying the Father. But our Lord goes even further. “The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). Christ’s teaching is the teaching of the Father and the Church’s teaching is the teaching of Christ. Here is the answer to many other craftily decked out errors that aim at tearing apart the unity of the Church. Whoever does not love Christ does not keep His words and whoever does not love the Church does not keep her words.

“How can a young man keep his way pure?” asks the psalmist. “By guarding it according to Your word” (Ps 119:9). The Church guards the lives of the faithful according to Christ’s word. She is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2:20). She stands in the world as “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). The Holy Spirit leads her to all the truth. Therefore, have faith and do not allow yourself to be deceived by any type of crafty teaching that may appear more true than truth itself. The Saviour promised His Church that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against her” (Matt 16:18). Therefore: “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thes 2:15).

I love to read the testimonies of those journeying to the Catholic Church. It always starts with the question of authority. Who decides what is the truth? Some were upholding the Bible or other holy books as their sole authority. Others followed trendy and novel philosophies. Yet, they could not fulfil the emptiness of their hearts. Then, led by the invisible Spirit of God they turn towards the Church. They listened to her teaching and found truth and home. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).

Questions

1. Can you discern an error from truth? What are your criteria for discernment?

2. Why do many believers treat the Church like a supermarket? Are you one of them?

3. How often do you invoke the Holy Spirit to guide you through life?

4. Love is seen in obedience. Do you love Christ? Do you keep His word?