Евангелие

According to the threefold temptation, Christ, the Son of God, when he heard that John the Baptist, who preached repentance and baptized the people who came, had been betrayed, went out to preach and began to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, saying: Repent and believe in the Gospel (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15). When you read the Gospel, Christ God speaks to you. When, while reading, you pray to Him, you are talking to Him. Ah, sweet conversation! Ah, kind and pleasant conversation! God is with man, the King of Heaven is with corruptible dust, the Lord is talking to the servant! What could be nicer than this, and what could be more useful? What a life-giving plaster is for an ulcer or a bodily wound, so is the Gospel for the sinful soul, through the fear of God’s judgment and sorrow over sins. A bodily wound receives weakening of the disease and healing from a life-giving plaster. Thus, a sinful soul, trembling at the judgment of God, crushed by fear of Him and sorrow, receives weakening, living consolation and healing from the Gospel. This is what the Psalmist sang about God’s love for mankind: he heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Ps. 146:3). Do not be afraid, sinful, but repentant and painful soul! Believe only in the Gospel, and you will feel its vitality in your heart. To whom is the Gospel appropriate? Answer: sinners who have turned to God from their sins, who are sick for their sins, who fear God’s judgment, who are contrite with sorrow, who seek God’s mercy and who humbly approach Him. Therefore it is written: repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). We see that repentance is offered first, and then the Gospel. Without repentance, the Gospel will not bring any benefit. The Gospel brings us comfort. But what is consolation for someone who does not have a sad and contrite heart? And this is what Christ the Lord says about Himself: He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, and He sent Me to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18). You see to whom Christ preaches the gospel. Repent and turn from your sins to God, and have a contrite heart. Then the Holy Gospel will be appropriate for you, like a life-giving plaster for a bodily ulcer. Pupils in schools look at the rules and example set by their teachers, and thus learn the arts and sciences. Christians, our rule is the Holy Gospel, and the life and morals of our Savior Jesus Christ are a living example. We must look at this sacred rule and living example of virtues and learn the art of Christianity, that is, a virtuous life. Everything that we see in us that is contrary to the Gospel and the life of Christ is a vice. The Gospel and the life of Christ are light. Everything that is contrary to this light in us is darkness. Just as we present a mirror before our face, and, seeing in it the vices on our face, we erase them, so we must present our souls before the mirror of the Gospel and the life of Christ, and cleanse everything that is contrary to it, like a vice, with repentance and contrition of heart. I am the Light of the world; Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12), says the Lord. Let us approach this wondrous light, and let us follow Him - let us not remain in darkness. The Law of God refers to the commandments of God, in which God either commands or forbids us to do something, such as: turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). The Gospel means all His merciful and joyful promises to us, either those that have already been fulfilled, such as: about the coming of Christ the Son of God, Who has already come and accomplished the great work of our salvation, or those that have yet to be fulfilled, such as: the general resurrection and eternal life for those who believe in Christ. All the power of the Gospel is contained in Christ’s short saying: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). The Law of God, given to our first parents Adam and Eve in Paradise, was written on their hearts, but then, written on two tablets from God, it was handed over to Saint Moses on Mount Sinai and through him it was announced to all people, as it is written in the book of Exodus (Exodus 32 and 34). Christ the Son of God brought the Gospel from the bosom of His Heavenly Father to earth and preached: And he came and preached peace to us, far and near (Eph. 2:17), as He says about Himself: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are tormented, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). Saint John the Evangelist wrote briefly about the Law and the Gospel: The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Gospel is a Greek word and means favorable and joyful news, that is, it preaches Christ the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners, as the apostle of Christ wrote as a consolation to sinners: this is a true saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first (1 Tim. 1:15). And Christ Himself declared about Himself: the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). So, what message could be more pleasant for us sinners than to hear the preached remission of sins for free, instead of the wrath of God - the mercy of God, instead of the curse - the blessing of God, instead of condemnation - justification, instead of hell - the open Kingdom of Heaven, and with the great, holy and eternal God - eternal reconciliation and communion (see: Rom. 5, 1; John 1, 3, 7, 9 ). Truly there could be no message more desirable for sinners. Health is not so desirable for the sick, for the hungry - bread, for the thirsty - cold water, for prisoners - freedom, for captives - release, for the blind and those sitting in darkness - light, as for sinners who were subject to God's eternal wrath and rejection - remission of sins and justification. This means the Gospel, Christians! The Gospel brings us this good news! Be comforted by this, O soul, contrite with sorrow for sins and fear of God’s judgment, for God, in the richness of His goodness, has opened the doors of mercy and eternal bliss to all sinners who repent and believe in the name of His only begotten Son. There is only one creator of the law and the gospel—God. And just as the law is given to everyone, and obliges everyone to perfect obedience, so the Gospel is commanded to preach to everyone, as it is written: Preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). And Christ, the revelation of Whom is contained in the Gospel, preached to all creation, calls everyone to Himself: come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). And just as the law was given for this purpose, so that a person who fulfilled it perfectly could be justified and saved: whoever does it [what is written in the law] will live by it (Lev. 18:5; Gal. 3:12), so the purpose of the Gospel is to justify those who believe, and so on. However, the difference between the law and the gospel is the following: 1. The law, that is, the written one, was given by Moses (for it was written on the hearts of our first parents, Adam and Eve). The Gospel is by Christ, as the holy evangelist wrote: the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). 2. The law gives commandments about what we must do and what we must not do. The Gospel preaches the remission of sins, the grace of God and the merits of Christ. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). 3. The law teaches what to do and what to turn away from, but does not provide help for action. The Gospel promises the grace of the Holy Spirit, by whom the law is written and acts on the hearts of believers (see: Jer. 31, 33). 4. The law shows sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). The law convicts, accuses, frightens the sinner, the wrath of God proclaims him (see: Rom. 4:15), strikes him with an oath and condemns him (see: Gal. 3:10), but does not take away sin. The Gospel covers sin, heals sinful weakness, encourages and comforts those who fear God’s wrath, and promises grace and eternal life to believers. 5. The law is for fearless, faulty, careless, wicked people, whom it must frighten, crush and lead to repentance. Already the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10). The Gospel is preached to those who are afraid, embarrassed, with the fear of God and sorrow for their sins, to those who are contrite, hungry for God’s mercy and consolation. Therefore, Christ says: I have sent Me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18), and so on. From this it follows that the preachers of God's Word must act carefully in their teaching, that is, preach the law and proclaim the wrath of God to those who live fearlessly, and to those who are contrite and wounded by the fear of God, as well as to the dying and repentant - the Gospel, the mercy of God and hence consolation, so that the fearless are not led to greater fearlessness, and the sad and embarrassed by the fear of God are not led to the destruction of despair, so that the fearless came into fear and feeling, while the contrite ones felt living consolation in their hearts and were confirmed in faith. To whom is the Gospel preached? Christ answers: I have sent Me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18). This is to whom the Gospel consolation is preached. The poor, that is, those who recognize their spiritual poverty and seek the riches of God’s goodness, mercy and love for mankind, those who, not finding any truth in themselves before God, but even seeing every kind of damnation, hunger and thirst for the truth of God about Christ Jesus and thus humble themselves before Him. Contrite hearts, that is, those who have a heart wounded by sorrow for sins, like an arrow. The gospel is preached to them, they are told: believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). All the riches of God's love for mankind are revealed to them. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction (2 Cor. 1:3-4). The law, although it was given in order to justify man, as stated above, could not justify man, not from itself, but from human weakness. For no one could fulfill it perfectly, as it is written: all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and so with his justification he retreated from us. With justification, I say, for as for the fulfillment of the law, even now Christians must fulfill it, obey it, conduct their lives according to its rule and teaching. Otherwise, those who do not want to live by its rule cannot avoid the curses and condemnations declared in the law. And if the law with justification has departed from us, for by the works of the law no flesh will be justified (Gal. 2:16), since they could not fulfill it, thereby he refers us to the Gospel and, as the weak, entrusts us to Christ preached in the Gospel, who freely, without the works of the law, justifies and saves those who believe in Him (Rom. 3:24-28). In this sense, it seems, the apostle wrote: the law was a guide for us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). For besides the fact that he teaches us what to do and what not to do, and so tries to lead us away from sins, he, as if taking us by the hand, leads us, faulty and weak, to Christ, for what he teaches us, we do not do, and so he convicts us and condemns us, and does not justify, frightens us, and does not console us, our weakness shows us, and does not take away, and thereby, as it were, convinces us to look for another means through which we could get rid of our wretchedness. In such a tightness of conscience, we are convinced to resort to God’s merciful promise in Christ Jesus, to His holy Gospel and Christ, about whom the Gospel revelation preaches, who freely justifies those who did not make the law, but freely justifies and delivers from all disaster and damnation, as He Himself says: if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free (John 8:36), so that even though you are unable to to be justified by the law, to be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). For Christ took upon Himself the condemnation of the law, to which we, as sinners and transgressors of the law, were subject, and gives us the blessing. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). He gives us His righteousness through faith, as the Apostle wrote: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21)... From the above it follows: 1. From the beginning of the world the gospel was the same as it is now preached. 2. The same faith was from the beginning of the world that is now preached, for the fathers of the Old Testament believed in the coming Christ, and we believe in the coming. 3. They had the same image of justification and salvation as we have, that is, faith in Christ. For in the eternal counsel of God it was laid down that a person who has sinned cannot be saved except through Christ, by faith in Him. And what was decreed then is now done, and whoever is saved is saved by faith. For the Gospel is a mystery hidden from eternity in God (Eph. 3:9)… 4. Just as a Christian comes from faith, so faith begins from the Gospel. Without the Gospel there can be no faith. We must believe God’s merciful promise, which relates to the Gospel, if we want to receive faith in our hearts. 5. In order to receive faith in the heart from the Gospel, one must feel in the heart the power, conviction, condemnation and fear of God’s judgment from the law. This requires the preaching of God's law. 6. From this we can see how we need to study in the Word of God, that is, in the law and the Gospel, since from the law sin is known and the wrath of God against sin is felt (see: Rom. 3:20), and from the Gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit, consolation and living faith are instilled in the heart. 7. The Gospel does not bring any benefit to those who are defective, unrepentant and who do not stop sinning, since the gospel is only preached to those who fear God and His righteous judgment and are wounded by fear and sorrow for their sins. They need and are offered comfort from the Gospel. They are told: do not be afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36). To them Christ, preached in the Gospel, is the Comforter and the Physician, just as He Himself says: it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick (Matthew 9:12). Gospel is a Greek word and means good, favorable and comforting news. The Gospel of Jesus Christ reveals to us that He was sent by the Heavenly Father into this world to save sinners, and to seek and save the lost, as He Himself teaches in His Gospel: The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His apostle preaches the same gospel to us: this is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Glory to the Father who sent, glory to the Son who came to save sinners. Let us bow down with a joyful and grateful spirit to Him who came to save us, and to Him who deigned to send Him. Blessed is God, who wants all people to be saved and to reach the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4)! Let us accept this all-joyful news into our hearts and give glory to God, who has been well pleased with us. There is nothing more pleasant, kinder and sweeter to us sinners than the Gospel. Freedom is not so favorable to those hungry for bread, thirsty for drink, captives and those sitting in prison, as the Gospel is for sinners who know their misfortune. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). This is the sweetest voice of the Gospel. Who is He, the Son of Man? This is the Son of God, the King of Heaven, sent to us from His Heavenly Father, who wanted for our sake to be called the Son of Man. What did He come for? To seek and save us, the lost, and bring us into His eternal Kingdom. What could be more favorable and desirable than this for us who have perished? But let's see what the Gospel is, what it requires from us and to whom is it preached? 1. The Gospel, by its very name, is good news. It preaches to the whole world Christ, the Savior of the world, who came to seek and save the lost. Listen, all lost sinners, listen to the sweetest voice of the Gospel! It addresses us all: The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost. We are afraid to be in sins before God - the Gospel preaches that our sins are forgiven for the sake of the name of Christ and that Christ is our justification before God. In you, my Savior, Jesus, the Son of God, I will be justified, you are my truth and sanctification. We are afraid to be under the wrath of God - the Gospel preaches that Christ reconciled us to God and, having come, preached peace to everyone, far and near (Eph. 2:17). The legal oath is terrible to us, for we are all sinners. It subjects the sinner to both temporary and eternal punishment. And the Gospel preaches that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). We are afraid of death - the Gospel preaches that Christ is our resurrection and life. Gehenna and hell are terrible for us - the Gospel preaches that Christ delivered us from hell and all that disaster. We are afraid to be separated from God and His eternal Kingdom - the Gospel preaches that we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17) in His eternal Kingdom. This, blessed Christians, is the sweetest voice of the Gospel: taste and see how good the Lord is (Ps. 33:9)! For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned (John 3:16–18). Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, that He has visited His people, and created deliverance for them, and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (Luke 1:68-69). 2. It is required of us, Christians, that we gratefully accept this heavenly and sweetest news sent from heaven, and always thank God, our Benefactor, who has had mercy on us, from a pure heart, and out of gratitude show Him holy obedience and pleasing. For conscience itself exhorts and convinces us to be grateful to our benefactor. He loved us, unworthy, and we will love Him, worthy of all love. Love requires not to insult your loved one. God is offended by every sin. Let us turn away from all sin, and let us do His holy will, and let us not offend Him, our gracious Father and Benefactor. Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth, and so on (Matthew 6:10). 3. To whom is the Gospel preached? Christ answers us: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor and sent Me to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18). That is, those people who, recognizing their sins, see their poverty, poverty and damnation, and have a heart broken by the fear of God’s judgment and sadness. To such people the Gospel is preached, just as a life-giving plaster is applied to an ulcerated body. Listen, sad and contrite souls, listen to the sweet voice of the Gospel: The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Apply this life-giving plaster of the sweet Gospel to our ulcerated souls, heal your broken hearts with this saving healing. The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. He will also seek and save you, since you are also one of those whom He came to seek and save. If you recognize and confess yourselves as sinners before God, your sins will also be forgiven for the sake of the name of Christ. If you repent for your sins and sorrow for the sake of God (2 Cor. 7:10), you have salvation from God ready for you. This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first (1 Tim. 1:15). The Holy Spirit speaks to you through his minister: sacrifice to God a broken spirit; God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19). A repentant and contrite heart offers this sacrifice to God, and it is more pleasant to Him than any offering. God looks upon such a sacrifice with mercy and sends down His grace (see: Is. 66:2). From this you see, Christian, that the Gospel is not useful to those Christians who live fearlessly and lawlessly, who do not recognize their sins, poverty and misfortune and do not have a contrite heart. For what profit does a stone profit from oil? A plaster is applied to the wound, and healing is given to the one who knows and acknowledges his weakness. Such people are told: repent, lament, weep and howl; Let your laughter turn into crying, and your joy into sadness. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:9-10). And one more thing: the ax is already lying at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10). Sinners! Let us fear the Last Judgment of God and try to have a contrite and humble heart, and then we will draw living water of coolness and consolation from the Gospel, as from a saving source, and water our souls, and so we will receive eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.