Word on St. Day Apostle and Evangelist John

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tempt the spirits, if they are of God (1 John 4:1) The son of the church of the times of the Apostles, or those closest to them, who heard this admonition of the Apostle, whose memory we now celebrate, could not help but admit that it was especially useful due to the circumstances of the time. For the new Church of Christ, just beginning to be planted on the ruins of the ancient world, was subject to the pressure of teachings that were decaying and alien to its true spirit. Nowadays, the times of heresies have apparently passed, the dogmas of faith have long been explained, defined and approved, so that there should no longer be room for doubt or heretical interpretation. And yet, even now the Church does not cease to repeat to us the apostolic admonition to be careful, and now does not cease to remind us of testing the spirits to see if they are from God. And this is not without reason. If the thought is true, and it is undoubtedly true, that the word of God in whole and in parts is not an expression of any spirit of the time, but represents a treasure of God-revealed truths and rules of life for any time, then for this reason alone we cannot deny the applicability of the words of the Apostle to the present time. If we try to lift the brilliant mask of the time and look at what is hidden behind it, we will see that now urgent need dictates that the warning against submissive adherence to the direction and spirit of the time be repeated in the ears of the faithful. Our age prides itself on wisdom, boasts of independence of thought, freedom of research - and not without reason. Modern thought works hard and fast. Not wanting to rest on what has been established, she goes on and on tirelessly to expand the field of knowledge, to find something unknown, to discover the unknown. A thirst for something new, a pursuit of something unknown, an enthusiastic passion for discoveries, a willingness to give up and reject everything that does not bear the stamp of novelty - all this becomes a sign of the times. The external features of the modern trend are so attractive, so plausible, that those inexperienced in faith can easily mistake it for an angel of light, for the true spirit of the teachings of Christ. In fact, is it possible to be a cold spectator of the constant activity that is in full swing everywhere? Is it possible not to sympathize with the fiery love for enlightenment that animates modern humanity, and especially the younger generation? Is it possible not to rejoice at this power of thought, which has overcome difficulties, apparently insurmountable, and which has told the world its numerous gains? But let’s refrain from premature praise, let’s wait until we read the word of praise to the age, and let’s see what the age exposes itself for! Are not the brilliant aspirations of modern society mostly a guise under which the far from bright spirit of the times is hidden? Indeed, one should delve deeper into this wandering cycle of thought in order to notice that the bearer of everything here is the natural mind of man. He walks proudly, armed with the three powerful weapons of modern thought - experience, observation and guidance, mercilessly bending under his yoke everything that comes his way. But where and how is he going? What area do these weapons subdue to his power? He rushes exclusively in one direction - towards external existence, the world of phenomena. Abusing the freedom of thought given to him by man, he quickly rushes into this exclusive area and does not want to know the limits in this endeavor. The Apostle, wishing to keep the natural wisdom of man within proper limits, advises not to philosophize more than it is proper to philosophize, but to philosophize in chastity (Rom. 12:3). And the modern mind, not heeding this advice, in its philosophizing has gone much further than how much it should be philosophizing. Bold tasks, sometimes solved, confidence in the sufficiency of his strength to complete them lead him into a strange self-delusion, due to which he tries to measure, weigh, decompose, touch everything. Proud of his successes, he persistently rebels against any authority, does not want to bow to anything, does not want to leave anything that does not lend itself to his power, he wants to impose his own authority on everything. Authority exhibited under the banner of free thought. And what is the purpose of it all? – Break everything, rebuild everything in your own way, create your own science, open new, unknown paths of thought and knowledge. And so, the victorious cry of modern wisdom is loudly proclaimed, the victorious banner of new knowledge is hoisted with the inscription: “Only that which does not contradict the convictions of reason is true!” A banner worthy of the struggle that was won. But it is not joy, not triumph, but sorrow and bitterness that cause these enormous tasks, these bold goals, impossible plans. What will happen if natural reason, with the same goals, with the same methods, approaches the study of those areas of knowledge where thought is powerless, where reason must humble itself before the inaccessible, insoluble for it? What will happen if the sphere of religious faith, to which reason must be obedient, experiences its all-crushing effect? One of two things: either he must renounce the imaginary rights to self-law in favor of the authority of positive Revelation and Faith - but this would be a contradiction of himself, self-abasement, in the language of reason, a kind of spiritual suicide - or reason must react negatively to the sphere of the incomprehensible. This method is easier and more decisive in order to get rid of the last area of ​​​​knowledge that does not submit to it. The mind decides on it. Religion, the truths of positive Revelation - in a word, everything that constitutes the object of Faith turns out to be, before the assessment of reason, inconsistent with its beliefs, and therefore not true. Meanwhile, if only the mind wanted to follow this Revelation, it would find in it what it is so intensely looking for. He seeks freedom of thought, and Revelation proclaims the word of the Incarnate Truth Who has testified to its teaching. If you continue in my words, you will understand the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31). What a great, immense, inexhaustible circle of knowledge this is! The thought does not arise about its narrowness, but about its immeasurability. The knowledge and study of this wisdom has its highest dignity and rewards labor a hundredfold. Its goal is the highest knowledge of God, confessed by the Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18), who gave man light and reason for this knowledge (1 John 5:20), inaccessible to man on his own. Will the wisdom of the sons of the earth, earthly beings, the so-called natural wisdom, compare with this Divine wisdom in the height and depth of the subject of wisdom, in the quality of knowledge, dignity, purpose, and in all other properties befitting wisdom? But modern reason, preaching freedom of thought, did not want to follow the path of this vast wisdom, and in chaotic blindness found here not wisdom, but madness. But doesn’t he himself, with the self-created wisdom of modern times, remind us of the old madness about which the Apostle spoke: the verb “to be wise and foolish” (Rom. 1:22)? Let the modern thinker, who worships the natural powers of reason alone and its authority, hear and ask his consciousness: is it not him who is being denounced by this voice of the Apostle, is it not him who openly declares his wisdom in the realm of the natural, accessible to him, and who has become a fool - in an act of denial, so to speak, unconsciously admitting his ignorance of the supernatural, religious realm. Isn’t it him – chasing freedom of thought and arbitrarily rejecting the true path to it?... These unrealizable tasks of his - to build a pillar of learning, unprecedented, colossal and thereby perpetuate his name - do not they resemble the long-standing super-strong desire to create a city and a pillar, its top will be even to heaven with the vain goal of creating a name for ourselves (Gen. 11: 4), this is the madness of the ancient pillars of Babylon, the madness that ended with the confusion of languages, concepts and the scattering of the builders across the face of the earth? What if the same fate befalls the madness of the wisdom of modern times?!.. So, these are the consequences to which natural reason, guided only by its own principles, comes. If so, and if our age boasts of freedom of thought, the power of reason, denying the authority of Faith, then we are unlikely to sin in saying that this is a spirit that is not from God; and it is against this spirit that the admonishing word of the Apostle is directed: do not believe every spirit, but tempt the spirits (1 John 4:1). If the direction of our century, from its very beginning, calls for the need for caution - to test spirits, then reality encourages this all the more. The human mind, no matter what development it achieves, cannot by itself, by its own forces, cognize the highest truths and secrets of the Divine mind. The history of all times and peoples has proven this undoubted truth, and it is also justified in our enlightened age, which has led natural wisdom. Natural wisdom, true to its principles, turns out to be true to them in its consequences. Natural reason, which does not know anything other than sensory things, has not found any principles other than those of a sensory nature. In fact, if we take a closer look at the teachings of today's enlighteners and delve into the direction of a society that exalts education, it is not difficult to see that the dominant spirit of our time and society is precisely the spirit of soulless materialism. The crude teaching of materialists is deadly for a believing heart, its godless concepts are dismal for the mind, illuminated by the light of Divine teaching, and, looking at it, it is difficult to imagine that it would find any response, any sympathy in Christian societies. Meanwhile, in our, although Christian, society, it finds for itself not only sympathy, but also zealous worship, fervent defense, fervent to the point of self-sacrifice. The phenomenon is extremely sad in its consequences. Let's dwell on them. The first and most important consequence that has arisen from this direction is the separation of knowledge and religion, a separation that has had an adverse effect on life itself. The idea, true in itself, that knowledge should gravitate towards religion, that science and religion should go hand in hand, justifying one another, serves materialism as a plausible pretext for drawing from their mutual attraction, in the event of a failed unification, a conclusion in favor of their separation. He builds his assumptions, makes suggestions and conclusions, passing them off as the conclusions of the exact sciences. With the hidden thought of an enemy, under the guise of a defender, he begins to compare his conclusions with the positive truths of Revelation, having secured the idea that, due to gravity, there must be a mutual agreement here. But under this “should” there is already hidden the ulterior thought about the impossibility of a complete agreement, which is actually necessary for its purpose. So, in case of disagreement, to what does he ascribe truth: the conclusions of the exact sciences, or positive Revelation? - The conclusions of exact sciences, and revealed truths are classified as unjustifiable by science, and therefore false. Science, with its nature of mobility and variability, is a criterion of positive truths. Revelation, which told the world its immutable word, which science can only partially comprehend, this Revelation is verified by the freedom of personal thought. The product of the Divine mind hears a verdict on itself from the human mind. The truth of the positive is sacrificed to the fluid, changeable, impermanent. And here comes the separation of science and religion, natural wisdom and Christian wisdom. What will we say when we see this? Is this phenomenon a sign of healthy development of scientific consciousness? Or does it not indicate a lack of reasonable understanding of the tasks of science and life in the heat of passion and self-forgetfulness? The history of science shows us that true knowledge has always gravitated towards God-implanted religion, has always been inseparable from the development of religious consciousness, and the further we ascend, the stronger and stronger this connection is noticed. But if this was the case in the ancient world, then even more so it should be now, when the world has been illuminated by the light of the Gospel truth, when the positive, revealed truth of Christ is told to everyone, when in it they have a faithful, reliable leader of man’s aspirations and thirst for knowledge. Therefore, isn’t their unity now more necessary? Is there no more reason now for the subordination of thought and reason to the light of Faith? Here lies the basis of the truth of science, here lies the guarantee of its beneficence and its social significance. And after this, what will we say, seeing how science strives for us to go into discord with positive Revelation. What judgment shall we pronounce? We will not say it, but history and experience. Centuries-long experience points us to the actual facts that where thought has sought to illegally renounce religion, the bitter consequences of its arbitrary independence have weighed heavily on all branches of development and entire nations have shuddered, reaping the disastrous fruits that have grown on the soil of the so-called freedom of thought. Just look at some of the phenomena in our social life, how much does it represent that is gratifying and soothing for the believing heart? “The modern age is a practical age,” people say of the present time. In these short words, in which they want to see the best praise of the time, much is said, but not in favor of the time. Temporary benefit and worldly good are, according to modern concepts, the main goal to which a person should strive and the law by which he should be guided in his life and activities. By virtue of such a law and purpose, the dignity of each thing is assessed and measured by the standard of everyday usefulness; to the extent that it serves the temporary benefits of a person, its value rises to the extent that it serves. In view of actual examples, we can say boldly that today they can make mental and spiritual activity serve the benefits of everyday life. Even science, which has a purely contemplative character and must carry a goal in itself, often turns into a means to achieve other goals, from which there is a spirit that is not entirely selfless. Based on all this, the significant words of the Savior: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these (that is, temporary blessings) will be added to you (Matthew 6:33) have lost their practical meaning among the people of the present century. The majority of people of this century are inclined to seek temporary blessings ahead of time, leaving until later the search for the kingdom of God.... Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be (Matthew 6:21), the Heavenly Teacher once said. The modern leader found a treasure in the usefulness and blessings of life, and his heart immediately stopped. Chained to temporary interests, having found its treasures here, can it naturally rise to anything spiritual? Will any bright thought about higher, eternal pleasures rise on his horizon? - No. Moreover, it does not see treasures for itself, so why strive there? Now it is not faith that inspires him, but many acquisitions. It trembles not from the fear of God, but from fear - either of losing what has been acquired, or of not having luck in improving one’s everyday life. There is no talk here about love or any other duties in relation to the Highest Living God. Because it is impossible to combine such two opposites as thirst for material gain and selfless holy love for God, the desire for temporary benefits and the desire for eternal bliss. It is true that such people sometimes speak with particular fervor and animation about the holiness of moral convictions, about moral duty, about virtue, about the duties of everyone in relation to the Supreme Being. But it takes a little observation to notice in this kind spirit a flattering spirit whose attractive appearance seduces the inexperienced. All these cries of apparent piety are cries of self-love and blind self-delusion. In fact, if a person’s heart is alien to living faith in God, in the immortality of the soul and in the future life, where everyone, if he does good, will receive it from the Lord (Eph. 6:8), then, obviously, he has nothing else to do but care about his body, about his temporal interests and satisfy his carnal passions. Pits and pits, we will die in the morning (1 Cor. 15:32; Is. 22:12–13), people who did not believe in the future life once said. Isn’t the same thing repeated here, although in a different, differently presented form? In other countries they are now beginning to teach: “non-existence is better than being, and therefore the destruction of being, the cessation of life - whether it be gradual or instantaneous, is better and more commendable than existence under the real dominance of physical and moral evil, under the disorder of nature,” etc. This is the sad, unbearably difficult outcome of materialism, which has undermined religious principles, faith in the Living God, hope, love, etc. in certain circles of society. In this outcome, one can hear the cry of a joyless heart, perceptible only to a believing feeling, thrown into the chaos of world phenomena, seeing neither the opportunity nor the strength to free itself from this rotation of matter. A rotation that brings upon him sorrow, cramped conditions, representing darkness and gloom everywhere, and not a single point of light, not a single ray of hope for the best, at least somewhat joyful. Isn’t this an echo of these teachings – one striking phenomenon that is repeated more and more often in our country. These are suicides that occur predominantly among the younger generation. What does this violent cessation of flourishing life mean and where does this unnatural death of young forces come from? Where is the beginning from which it comes? The heart and mind cannot always be calmed down by the reasons that are usually offered in such cases, that is, insanity, an abnormal state of the brain, etc. These reasons only refer to the search for further, deeper and more fundamental ones. Where should you look for them? We tend to see them in the absence of religious consciousness and feeling, supplanted by materialism hostile to them, which after them rules all human actions. Natural life amid the domination of physical evil and imperfections, subject to adversity, constantly flattering a person with something and destroying his best hopes. This life, in fact, can hardly give a person any joy and peace. As if the Creator gave him religion as a saving boat in the middle of a cruel storm. And only she can stop him from extreme despair, only she can illuminate the thorny path of real life. But how will one react to this life whose religion has long since left the soul, who, brought up in materialism, looks at life only as an accident that called him to an existence that must cease here? Awareness of the helplessness of his position in the event of any failure, the fear of seeing his cherished thoughts and hopes dashed, when imagining the too unpleasant final goal of his existence, which materialism taught him, the absence of thoughts about the continuation of existence beyond the boundaries of real life, about reward and punishment there, if we add to this instability due to youth, physical and moral strength - all this together can really be an incentive to say in your heart on occasion: “it’s better soon.” end the struggle rather than suffer while living; It’s all the same, we can’t wait for the best.” And the thoughts of the heart end in violence, nowhere visible in living nature, characteristic only of the perverted will of a person who has forgotten God and himself. Thus, these unfortunate victims of a terrible death, who prematurely ruined the flower of strength and hope, are a return tribute, a repayment to society for educating the younger generation in materialism of interests and atheism of the heart. There is a comforting, purely moral, apparently, trait that shines through in the teachings of modern wisdom - this is love for one’s neighbors, or in modern language “humanity.” But it is in vain that our age takes credit for the invention of this virtue. Its root lies in the very nature of our soul, and it was prescribed much earlier than our time, namely by the law of Jesus Christ. Our century belongs not to its invention, but rather to its reinterpretation. We only need to delve deeper into modern humanity, and we will hear here the voice not of selfless love for our neighbors, but, first of all, everyone’s awareness of their personal character and the desire to strengthen and secure this right. It is alien to truly Christian love. A modern lover of mankind will hardly ever apply to his heart the words of the Savior: if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer him another (Matthew 5:39), while love, which does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil... but endures everything (1 Cor. 13:5-7), would not be slow in fulfilling this. In general, how sincere and pure the humanity now preached is evident from those dark sides of society that develop along with the development of humane teachings - this is terrible beggary. Thus, even where one would like to see Christian principles and properties, properties borrowed from the prevailing spirit of the time appear there. We dared to lift the veil of time, namely our time, to which loud praise is showered with a generous hand, as a highly enlightened age. We have seen that this veil presents external attractive features to the superficial eye. Meanwhile, it hides behind itself such phenomena that paint the picture of this time with too dark a color. If all this is a bitter consequence of the prevailing direction of the age, if such is the fruit of the spirit of the time, then what can we say about the spirit? By their fruit you will know them (Matthew 7:20), the Savior said about false teachers. We also recognize the spirit of our time from its fruits. Its fruits are bitter and destructive. Bearing in mind this ruling spirit of the age, we have the right to say that even now it is not only appropriate, but even urgently necessary to remember and apply to practice this wise warning once spoken by the Apostle: beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tempt the spirits that are of God (1 John 4:1). Amen. You might be interested in: