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Psalm 62 - a few observations
Psa. 62:6My soul, be at rest in God alone,
from whom comes my hope.
62:7 God alone is my rock and my salvation,
my secure height; I shall not fall.
62:8 My safety and glory are with God,
my strong rock and refuge.
St Augustine: "God has no need of you: but you have need of God. He seeks nothing of you, to be happy: but unless you receive it from Him, you cannot possess happiness. I do not know if you would dare to complain were you to receive from Him Who made all things something perfect which He had created. But He gives you, not something of what He has made, but Himself for your delight: He, the Creator of all things. For what of all He has made can be more perfect, more wondrous, than He who made it?"
As you consider your spiritual life and what you have been satisfied with, how would you respond to this statement from St Augustine? How would the truth of this statement be evident in your life? God gives us so much good, but the good gifts are not the substitute for the Giver.
Reflect on Psa.62 today. Let your heart rest in His presence. Consider how God is your hope, rock, salvation, fortress and refuge. Express to Him thanksgiving for how He is all this to you.
Originally posted by leushino:
God has no need of you: but you have need of God. He seeks nothing of you, to be happy: but unless you receive it from Him, you cannot possess happiness.
I will contend the portion of the statement that says "God has no need of you:" perhaps GOD has no direct need of us, he does need our choice to follow his instructions to live an appropriate life. As demonstrated through the book of Job, the worlds present condition is a contest of whether Man will choose to accept GOD's love regardless of consequences or will curse GOD and die.
Originally posted by leushino:
As you consider your spiritual life and what you have been satisfied with, how would you respond to this statement from St Augustine?
Repectfully, because Saint Augustine put much thought into his dissertations and he is the Preeminent Doctor of the RC and Anglican Church. " He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and framed the concepts of original sin and just war."
Auggustine of Hippo was on the mark when he said that " The grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom." True we as humans can not be free except knowing the love and grace as demonstrated by Jesus Christ
On concerning his ideas concerning a Just War which is currently codified into into International Law. Augustine of Hippo seems to be on the mark. Excepting the requirement of a serious prospect of success. I believe evil should be contested regardless of the chance of success. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2309, lists four strict conditions for "legitimate defense by military force":
the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
there must be serious prospects of success;
the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
St. Augustines concept of original sin as an inherited sin, has it's merits in that Human kinds suffering is directly related to Adam and Eve wanting a choice in accepting GOD's wisdom. The suffering is the result of having the choice to be good or evil, the sin of the act is not inherited.
Originally posted by grysmn:
I will contend the portion of the statement that says "God has no need of you:" perhaps GOD has no direct need of us, he does need our choice to follow his instructions to live an appropriate life.
I'm guessing that what St Augustine meant was that God is above the concept of need. His love determines His actions. To say that God has any need is to suggest that He is lacking in some regard. I would agree that He desires our free will choice to obey Him for He knows that only in our obedience to Him will our communion with Him be restored.
St. Augustines concept of original sin as an inherited sin, has it's merits in that Human kinds suffering is directly related to Adam and Eve wanting a choice in accepting GOD's wisdom. The suffering is the result of having the choice to be good or evil, the sin of the act is not inherited.
With regard to Original Sin, Gary, you may find the following (from the OCA website) informative. Not trying to convert you... LOL. Just showing the difference that the Christian East takes with this topic in relation to the Christian West (Roman Catholic and Protestant).
With regard to original sin, the difference between Orthodox Christianity and the West may be outlined as follows:
In the Orthodox Faith, the term "original sin" refers to the "first" sin of Adam and Eve. As a result of this sin, humanity bears the "consequences" of sin, the chief of which is death. Here the word "original" may be seen as synonymous with "first." Hence, the "original sin" refers to the "first sin" in much the same way as "original chair" refers to the "first chair."
In the West, humanity likewise bears the "consequences" of the "original sin" of Adam and Eve. However, the West also understands that humanity is likewise "guilty" of the sin of Adam and Eve. The term "Original Sin" here refers to the condition into which humanity is born, a condition in which guilt as well as consequence is involved.
In the Orthodox Christian understanding, while humanity does bear the consequences of the original, or first, sin, humanity does not bear the personal guilt associated with this sin. Adam and Eve are guilty of their willful action; we bear the consequences, chief of which is death.
One might look at all of this in a completely different light. Imagine, if you will, that one of your close relatives was a mass murderer. He committed many serious crimes for which he was found guilty and perhaps even admitted his guilt publicly. You, as his or her son or brother or cousin, may very well bear the consequences of his action - people may shy away from you or say, "Watch out for him - he comes from a family of mass murderers." Your name may be tainted, or you may face some other forms of discrimination as a consequence of your relative’s sin. You, however, are not personally guilty of his or her sin.
There are some within Orthodoxy who approach a westernized view of sin, primarily after the 17th and 18th centuries due to a variety of westernizing influences particularly in Ukraine and Russia after the time of Peter Mohyla. These influences have from time to time colored explanations of the Orthodox Faith which are in many respects lacking.
I think the word 'need' is different from word 'want' . 'Need' is a strong word its used to show that a person in need is lacking some thing basic or vital to his existence. E.g the human body needs waters to survive. Or the refuges need food of they would starve... This is different from the word p'want' which is not used to qualify a desire vital to survival. What i'm saying is that God has no 'Need' from us, cos nothing we can give can satisfy his comfort or is vital to his existence, rather God 'wants' of us. He wants(not need) us to know him, love him, and serve him and be happy with him in the world to come..
there is a pleasure sure in being mad which none but the mad man knows -Dante