4. Господин и раб

A slave is called by the name of the master whose slave he is. Likewise, a Christian is called a Christian because he is a servant of Christ. A slave is called a slave of a certain master because he works for him, fulfills his will and pleases him. Likewise, a Christian is called a servant of Christ because he works for Him, fulfills His will and pleases Him. The master does not recognize as faithful his slave who does not fulfill his will. Likewise, Christ does not recognize as His faithful servant a Christian who does not fulfill His commandments. “Why do you call Me: Lord! God! – and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46)? A slave walks before his master with fear and reverence, so as not to anger him. Likewise, Christians must walk before Christ their Lord with fear and reverence, so as not to anger Him. Although they do not see Him in front of them, He sees everyone and looks at everyone. The slave does not know when his master will call him, and therefore a good slave is ready and waiting for him at any time. Likewise, a Christian does not know when Christ the Lord will call him to Himself. Christ calls everyone to Himself through death, and therefore a good Christian always prepares for the outcome. When the master goes somewhere, a good slave always waits for his arrival. Likewise, Christians must always expect the coming of Christ from heaven and prepare to meet Him. “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. And you be like people who wait for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open the door to him immediately” (Luke 12:35-36). A slave, when he appears before his master faulty, is punished. Likewise, a Christian, when he appears faulty before Christ the Lord, will be punished. A slave, no matter how faithfully he works for his master, does what he must do. Likewise, a Christian, although he works faithfully for Christ the Lord, must recognize himself as unworthy. “When you have done all that was commanded you, say: We are worthless servants, because we have done what we had to do” (Luke 17:10). For faithful service, a slave receives reward and payment from his good master only by his grace alone. Likewise, Christians, the servants of Christ, will receive a reward from Christ the Lord in the next century, but only according to His mercy alone, and not according to their merits. Fickle and evil slaves live and are self-willed behind the back of their master. They do what they want, thinking that the master does not see them. Likewise, many unscrupulous Christians act against conscience and the law of God, as if Christ does not see them, and just do not say: “Christ in heaven, far from us, does not see us and our deeds.” Or maybe many people think and say so. But the Psalmist sings to everyone: “The Lord looked from heaven and saw all the sons of men. From His prepared dwelling He looked upon all those living on earth, He who created their hearts and considers all their deeds” * (Ps. 32:13-15). And the prophet Jeremiah says to the Lord: “Your eyes, O Lord, are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to reward everyone according to his way and according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jer. 32:19). And the holy David denounces them: “Become wise, you fools among the people, and fools, finally, become wise. Doesn't he who plugs the ear hear? and does not the creator's eye see? Will not He who instructs the nations reprove, He who teaches man understanding?” ( Ps. 93:8-10 ). And the Lord Himself says to the sinner: “I will reprove you and bring your sins before your face” (Ps. 49:21). If a slave were to become so mad and furious that in front of his master he would dare to shout, make noise, laugh immensely, jump, dance and do other outrages, then he would show extreme disrespect and annoyance to his master and would cause his great anger. Such madness and frenzy are shown by Christians who, before Christ the Lord, the All-Seeing, are lawless and self-willed. This includes disorderly shouting, fist fights, dances, dances, nasty and inappropriate songs, horse racing, quarrels and abuse, curses, slander and condemnation of one's neighbor, disorderly meetings, feasting, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, theft, theft, etc. All this is Christian madness and fury, which is committed by blind Christians before the eyes of the Almighty Jesus Christ the Lord. All of them show great disrespect and annoyance to Christ the Lord and thereby incite Him to righteous anger. Therefore, there are such terrible executions as great fires, pestilences, invasions of foreigners, earthquakes, etc. Truly great is human blindness and madness! A slave before a master - a man - is afraid to commit outrages. But Christians before Christ - God - are not afraid to do what man does not dare to do before man, although they hear from Holy Scripture that God sees everything. This is how Satan blinds the minds of people so that they do not see their destruction! Beware, man, of doing before God what you are afraid to do before earthly power and are ashamed before an honest man. Until now God has tolerated you, but whether He will tolerate you in the future is unknown. “Our God is a consuming Fire - it is terrible to fall into the hands of God” (Heb. 10:31, 12:29). Understand this. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: