NOTES for Th2 2:13-3:5

What is the connection between prayer and witness? The first thing that comes to mind is this: without prayer, without constant communion with God, no witness is possible. There can only be dry theology, theoretical reasoning about God, about Christ, about the Kingdom. One cannot say that such reasoning will necessarily be mistaken; it may be formally not only correct, but even flawless, and yet it will not become witness. And when the matter concerns church life, prayer for those who are witnessing at a given moment is something entirely natural and self-evident.

But this is only one side of the matter. The other is connected with the fact that one can truly witness to the Kingdom only from within the Kingdom itself. Until the witness begins to live by its life, all his witness will still be more a witness to someone else's experience than to his own.

But the Church is precisely nothing other than the Kingdom entering our world. The chief and, in essence, only task of the Church is witness to the Kingdom, and the chief way of such witness is the manifestation of the Kingdom in our transforming but not yet transformed world, the manifestation of its breath, its love, its power. And every witness of each member of the Church becomes, in essence, part of this whole-Church witness. In this case, of course, the matter is not formal belonging to one or another church structure and not formal sanctions. The matter is precisely what the apostle writes about in his letter: the unity of the Kingdom, which manifests itself in the single spiritual space of the Church, which, of course, almost never coincides with the social space of church structures. And since the spiritual space of the Church is one, distances cease to have decisive significance for the Church's spiritual life: the prayer of one church community can become spiritual support for another community whose members, because of circumstances, have to witness especially much.

It is precisely here, as is evident, that the spiritual specificity of the Church appears as, in the words of the same Paul, the "body of Christ": whatever size she may reach, her essential, spiritual unity does not disappear, making possible the flow of spiritual energy from one part of her to another. This process itself becomes a living witness to the reality of the Kingdom, for by the laws of the untransformed world such a thing is impossible. But what is impossible in "this world" becomes possible in the Kingdom.

What is the connection between prayer and witness? The first thing that comes to mind: without prayer, without constant communion with God, no witness is possible. Is possible only dry theology, the theoretical reasoning about God, about Christ, the Kingdom. One cannot say that such reasoning will be absolutely erroneous, they may be formally not only correct, but even irreproachable, however they will not become witnesses. And when it comes to the life of church, the prayer for those who witness at the moment is something completely natural and obvious. But it is only one aspect of the case. The other one is connected to the fact that it is possible to really witness about the Kingdom only from the very Kingdom.

As long as the witness will not begin to live his life, all his witness will be in a great measure the witness of someone else experience, than his own. But in fact, especially the Church is nothing other than this Kingdom entering our world. The main and, in fact the only task of the Church is to witness about the kingdom, and the main means of such witness - the demonstration of the Kingdom in our world being transformed, but not yet transformed, the demonstration of its breath, its love, its power. And any witness of every member of the Church becomes, in fact, a part of the church-wide testimonies. It is not of course in this present case about formal membership to a church structure and either about formal penalties.

It is rather exactly about what the apostle writes in his epistle: about the unity of the Kingdom, which manifests itself in the common spiritual space of the Church, which, certainly, never coincides with the social space of the church structures. And since the spiritual space of the Church is united, the distances for the spiritual life of the Church cease having a decisive meaning: the prayer of one community of church can become the spiritual support of another, which the members have to witness a lot because of circumstances.

It is in particular here that manifests itself, as seen, the spiritual specificity of the Church, as, according to the expression of very Paul "the body of Christ": no matter which size it reaches, its essential spiritual unity does not disappear, making possible the flow of the spiritual energy from one of its parts to another one. The process, which becomes itself a living witness of the reality of the Kingdom: because according to the laws of the non transformed world such thing is impossible. But what is impossible in “this world” becomes possible in the Kingdom.

It is not hard to guess that the most tragic page of human history was the fall. And not only because of the consequences that affected not only man, but the whole world, but first of all because of the power the devil received over the human heart. In fact, if this power had not existed, the mentioned consequences would not have existed either, and if a person were able to free his heart completely from the power of the dark forces, everything else would perhaps not be easy, but it would be correctable.

Yet the trouble is precisely that the devil holds a person not by the body and not by the soul, but by the heart, by that spiritual core of the human person without which there is no person at all as the image and likeness of God. The spirit of darkness could not tear the heart out of a person completely, but he managed to hinder and poison that breath of life which God breathed into man at creation. And now, in order to keep man from destruction and the world from complete annihilation, God has to make special efforts so that everyone who would like to change at least something in his spiritual situation may be given such an opportunity.

Of course, God is stronger than the devil, for God is the creator of the world, and the devil is only a creature that rebelled against its Creator. But God needs free persons, not slaves whom He could easily obtain by taking them by force from the devil. If the fall had been exclusively an act of violence, there would be no such problem. But the whole horror of the situation is that it was the consequence of a voluntary choice. And now only the same voluntary choice in the opposite direction gives God the possibility to intervene. Until a person himself understands that he can no longer and does not want to live in diabolical captivity, God will not intervene. He will support every step a person takes toward Him, but He will not force such steps.

And in our days, in the age of the approaching Kingdom, a new dimension has been added to the old confrontation. None of us, before complete transformation, is capable of being completely freed from the power of sin. And the devil has his own hooks in each of us, about which we may or may not know, but with which for a time we can do nothing. And it becomes the special task of God and Jesus to keep the devil from knocking us off the path of the Kingdom. After all, at the beginning of this path we will inevitably have to share in the life of the Kingdom while remaining sinners, and the devil would have every opportunity to close the Kingdom to us forever by inflating our sinfulness to proportions incompatible with the Kingdom. Only God's direct intervention prevents such a development. For God wants to save us. As we are.

It is not difficult to guess that the most tragic page of the history of humanity was the fall. And not only because of these consequences which affected not only a person, but also everybody, and first of all because of the power received by the devil on the human heart. Literally if there was not this power, and the consequences would not have been mentioned, and if man was in state to free his heart completely from the power of dark forces, all the rest would be, perhaps, not easy, but fixable. However the misfortune is that the devil holds man not by the body and nor by the soul, but by the heart, by this spiritual heart of the human personality, without which man as image of God wouldn’t exists at all.

The spirit of darkness was not able to fully wrest from man the heart, but he succeeded to make difficult and to poison this breath of life, which God breathed into man at the creation. And now in order to keep man from death, and the world from the total destruction, God has to make special efforts so that to each, who would like to change something in his spiritual position, such possibility is given. Of course, God is stronger than the devil, because God is the creator of the world, and the devil is just a creature revolted against his Creator.

But indeed, God needs free men, and not slaves, whom He can easily have, by taking them with force from the devil. If the fall was exclusively an act of violence, there wouldn’t have been such problem, but that’s just the horror of the situation, that it was the consequence of a voluntary choice. And now only the same voluntary choice of an opposite direction gives the possibility to God to intervene.

As long as man will not understand for himself that he cannot and does not want to live any more in the devilish captivity, God will not intervene, He will support every step of man to his side, but he will not force such steps. And nowadays, at the era of the Kingdom to come, to the old opposition was added a new measure. None of us before a full transformation is capable to free completely himself from the power of sin. And the devil has in each of us his clues, of which we can know or not know, but with which we can do nothing before time.

So the main task of God and Jesus becomes to prevent the devil from leading us astray from the way of the Kingdom. Because at the beginning of this way it is inevitably necessary to us to learn about the life of the Kingdom, remaining sinners, and the devil would have had the whole possibility to close the Kingdom from us for ever, blowing in us our sinfulness up to scales that are incompatible with the Kingdom. And only God's direct intervention prevents such a development of events. Because God wants to save us. Such, as we are.

“Keep away from disorderly and wicked people.” Lack of discipline is a terrible enemy of our faith. Indiscipline, laxity, and disorder always become the first signs that not everything is well in the house. Doubt and rejection of faith have not yet found expression in words, but disorder is already present, along with the abandonment of daily prayer and the everyday labor of putting one's inner house in order so as to receive Christ in one's heart. Of course, the Lord is always with us, and our prayerful bond with Him need never be interrupted. But all too often such freedom becomes the cause of having no life of prayer at all. “I can pray at any time” turns into “I never have to pray.” Here, human inconstancy can be overcome not by moods and emotions, but by an iron discipline of daily prayer.

The apostle Paul calls his spiritual children to faithfulness. To "stand" means not to "sit" and not to "lie down," that is, not to be relaxed, not to flee from that spiritual battle which Christian life in this world proves to be.

Of course, this is not easy, but there is something that can strengthen us in such "standing." Paul calls this spiritual weapon "tradition," that is, what has been handed on to us by someone who received it from the Source of spiritual strength, from Christ Himself. We, in turn, having received this weapon through instruction, can become able to pass it on further to other people who need strengthening.

Let us note that Paul speaks of two ways of instruction: through the spoken word and through the written word. By this he indicates that important for us are both Revelation fixed in written form, Holy Scripture, and the experience accumulated by the Church in interpreting Scripture and preaching the Word of God, Holy Tradition. Taken together, they become the spiritual weapon that strengthens us in "standing."

Let us note this detail for ourselves: "taken"! A weapon is useless if it has not been taken; therefore in the apostle Paul's call to faithfulness there are these words: "hold to the traditions."

The apostle Paul calls his spiritual children to faithfulness. "Stand fast" - means not being weakened, not avoiding the spiritual battle, in which the Christian life is in this world. Certainly, it is not easy, but there is what can strengthen us in such a "position".

Paul calls this spiritual weapon "tradition", that is something transmitted to us by someone, who received it from the Source of the spiritual strength - from Jesus Christ. We can, in our turn, having received this weapon by the learning, become capable to transmit it further to another people, needing consolidation. Let’s notice that Paul speaks about two ways or methods of learning- by word and by epistle.

He indicates, by this very fact, what is important for us, and the Revelation is fixed in writing - Holy Scriptures, and accumulated Church experiences of the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and the preaching of God's Word - Holy Tradition. They become, taken together what strengthens us into "standing fast" with the spiritual weapon. Let us notice for ourselves this detail: "taken"! The weapon is useless, if it is not taken; that is why in the call of the apostle Paul to faithfulness, there is these words: "hold the traditions".