On Gracious Choice

Last time you heard of the Kingdom of God, which is within you (Lk. 17:21). But is there no Kingdom outside us?! There is, and there is. Open the martyrologies and read: today is the feast of such-and-such a saint, tomorrow of such-and-such, the day after of such-and-such… and so forth every day has its saint. In their totality, here are placed all who have pleased God from age to age—the patriarchs, the fathers, the prophets, the apostles, the hierarchs, the martyrs and martyresses, the venerable fathers and mothers, the unmercenary workers, those who became fools for Christ’s sake. A multitude great beyond measure! All of them rejoice in heaven, pray for us, and help us. This is one part of the Kingdom of God that is outside us—the Church of the firstborn, written in heaven.

Descending from there to earth, we see how, under their benevolent and prayerful influence, here also in the Church of God those who truly believe are born again by God’s grace, mature, and ascend “«to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ»” (Eph. 4:13), so that, having lived like them on earth, they may be glorified like them in heaven. Thus from those and these, heavenly and earthly together, is composed the gracious Kingdom of Christ, the Church of the saved in the Lord, the object of God’s blessings and the goal of the desire of all people who truly understand their significance.

Tearing your attention from this blessed vision of the Kingdom of God, now look around you at what is happening, and you will see that in opposition to this Kingdom of Christ stands another kingdom—the kingdom of the prince of this age, composed of all who love the world and sin, both departed and living, upheld and maintained by the malicious malevolence of our age-old enemy, in defiance of the gracious care of the Lord for us, to our deception, temptation, and destruction.

Here are two kingdoms!

All of us living on earth are inevitably under the influence of both of them and—now incline toward one or the other, now stand between them as if in uncertainty, toward which side to lean and where to turn.

This is what has come to my mind now, and I feel compelled to say to you, brothers, a law well known to all: “«Do not love the world, nor what is in the world»” (1 Jn. 2:15), “«come out from the midst” of the world-lovers “and the uncleanness” of them “do not touch»” (2 Cor. 6:17).

I would like, however, that you yourselves make such a good choice or turn of your own will. For this reason I wish to show you the opposition between the characteristic traits of the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the prince of this age. I do not think that any of you are unaware of the truth and salvation of the former and the falsehood and destruction of the latter. But on the supposition that you might have become distracted or your thoughts and feelings drawn away from these truths by your cares or other things, I consider it not useless to remind you of this.

In every kingdom there appear a king, laws, privileges or promises and rewards, and an end to which it leads.

All these traits in the Kingdom of Christ are clearly evident, certainly true, and unbreakable, while in the kingdom of this age they are false, deceptive, illusory. Just look for yourselves!

Who is the King in the Kingdom of grace? God, worshipped in the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Who created the world and provides for all, Who, having arranged our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, authoritatively laid His commandments and injunctions upon all who follow Him for their own good; Who makes Himself known to all, allows all to taste, to spiritually touch; Who is merciful to all and cares for all, helps all, and assures all: «Work in my vineyard according to my will; I see all and will reward you for all.» And those laboring in the Kingdom of Christ know definitely whom they serve, and this gives them inner strength and patience in labors. They are assured that they labor before the face of the all-seeing, all-helping, all-consoling Lord, and rejoice in the midst of all hardships and difficulties in which their earnest labor for the Lord is placed. I “suffer,” says the Apostle, “but am not ashamed. I know whom I have believed and am confident” that “He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day»” (2 Tim. 1:12).

In the kingdom of the prince of this age—in the world—it is quite different. Here no one knows who their king is. If the most desperate world-lover realized that his king is the malicious and gloomy Satan, whom he serves to his own destruction, he would at once with horror turn and flee from his domain. But this is hidden from the sons of this age. The enemy has hidden his vile form from their eyes. And world-lovers serve, not knowing whom. You constantly hear: «One cannot do this, one cannot do that… this is how it should be… and this is how it must be…»; but ask: «Why? Who commanded it?» — no one will say. Everyone is constrained and oppressed by the institutions established among them; even some condemn and curse them, but no one dares to break away from them, fearing someone—as if watching, ready to punish—whom, however, no one can point out and definitely name. The world is a gathering of persons working for some phantom of their imagination, although in reality behind it is cunningly concealed the malicious Satan.

What are the laws in the Kingdom of Christ? Christ, our true God, said definitely:

«Do this and that… and you will please Me and be saved. Deny yourself, be poor in spirit, be meek, peace-loving, patient, pure in heart, love righteousness, weep for your sins, revere Me day and night, be benevolent and kind to your brothers… and perfectly keep all my commandments, not sparing yourselves…» See how everything is clear and definite, and not only definite but also sealed forever by the unchangeableness of His word. As it is written, so shall it be to the end of the age. Every one entering the Kingdom of Christ knows for sure what he must do, does not expect any changes in the laws that govern the Kingdom, and therefore proceeds confidently and cheerfully along its path, assured that he will certainly reach what he seeks.

It is not so at all in the kingdom of the prince of this age. Here it is impossible to settle one’s thought on anything definite. The spirit of world-lovers is known; it is the spirit of self-will, pride, self-interest, and universal comfort and sensuality.

But the applications of this spirit—the laws and rules of the world—are so shaky, vague, changeable that no one can vouch for the fact that tomorrow the world will not begin to consider bad and disapproved what it now admires. The customs of the world flow like water, and its rules—for clothing, speech, meetings, relationships, stances, postures, and everything in general—are as unstable as the movement of the air… Now it is this way… tomorrow, one knows not from where, a fashion will come and change everything. The world is a stage on which Satan makes sport of poor mankind, forcing it to dance at his bidding like apes or puppets in popular plays, making it consider valuable, important, essentially necessary what is in itself trifling, worthless, empty. And all are occupied with this—small and great alike, not excluding those who by their origin, upbringing, and actual position in life could, it seems, spend their time and labor on something better than these phantoms.

What advantages and promises does the Kingdom of Christ offer? Our Lord and God says: «Work for Me, and I will reward you for all. Every deed of yours, and every thought of yours, and your desires, and feelings displayed in pleasing Me and held by you—none will lack its reward. What others do not see, I see; what others do not value, I value; for what others may persecute you, I will be your Protector; and for every labor of yours there is ready an eternal dwelling, which is built by your labors.» Thus the Lord has promised, thus it is. And all who enter His Kingdom experience by deed the truthfulness of these promises. They taste the blessedness of labors in which they toil in God’s commandments—the blessedness of humility, meekness, righteousness, peace, mercy, patience, purity, and every other virtue. And these virtues, produced by God’s grace, make their hearts vessels of God’s Spirit, Who is for them a pledge or earnest of the future inheritance, surely hoped for, because of these foretastes assimilated by everyone who labors for the Lord with sincerity.

Are the world’s promises like this? Not at all. The world promises everything and gives nothing. It lures, having aroused hope, but at the moment, so to speak, of rendering what is promised, it steals it… then, again pointing in the distance, again lures, and again steals from the one who has received what seems already obtained. Therefore, in the world all chase after something that promises much, and no one gets anything; they pursue phantoms that dissolve into the air at the moment when they are about to seize them. World-lovers boast in empty confidence that by acting in a worldly way they deserve the world’s attention; but the world either does not see their deeds, or, seeing them, does not recognize their value, or, having recognized it, does not give the conditional reward. In the world all without exception are deceived, and all continue to deceive themselves with hopes for which they have no foundation.

I will point out one more trait briefly.

Those who serve the Lord are outwardly invisible, often despised and persecuted, yet inwardly they always grow in spiritual perfections, which in another world will shine in them like the sun and will give them a place and blessedness corresponding to themselves. Those who serve the world are outwardly visible, brilliant, often all-powerful, yet inwardly they are gnawed at by anguish, torments of heart, and burning anxieties. Having no peace here even for a moment, they pass into eternal, inconsolable torment there, which cannot be described.

Such is the fate here and the lot there of those living according to the spirit of Christ and according to the spirit of the world. Here are the characteristic traits of the two kingdoms! I do not say to you—choose… because only one who has lost all sense can hesitate in his choice. And yet the kingdom of this age exists and is never empty, and yet it is composed entirely of us. How is this a wonder? Is our mind sometimes or from certain sides not very wise, or does the spirit of the world around us act so swiftly that it obscures us before we have time to think—with one glance enticing and swallowing up its prey like certain poisonous snakes? But this is certain: many even of the Christians cling to the world, and the world cannot complain of the rarity of rows of its worshipers…

But, brothers, however bewitching the world may be, this is no justification for those drawn to it. “If”, says the Lord, “I had not come and spoken”, you “would have no sin.” “Now”, that is, when He has explained everything, you have no “excuse” (Jn. 15:22). Why is it so strongly impressed and so often repeated in God’s word: “«love of the world… is enmity toward God»” (Jas. 4:4) “«do not love the world, nor what is in the world»” (1 Jn. 2:15) “«come out from the midst” of it “and the uncleanness” of it “do not touch»” (2 Cor. 6:17); put away the wickedness from your souls, and “«you will live»” (Rom. 8:13) and the like? It is so that those to whom it applies might come to their senses, sober up from the intoxicating love of the world, take hold of themselves, and turn from what is phantom and pernicious deception to what is essential salvation—with firm steps following in the train of so great a multitude of men and women who shone with virtues on earth and were glorified by glory in heaven.

Merciful Lord, by the prayers of all Your saints, grant that all who are unfortunate enough to be caught in the devil’s snare of their own will may rise from the diabolical net, and lead all from this darkness into Your wonderful light and from the realm of Satan to God. Amen.