We wrote this chapter for the following questions, which everyone who wants to be Happy must ask themselves and truthfully and sincerely give themselves (themselves, not others!) an answer. Who am I: believing (knowing) in Christ, faithful to Christ or trusting the Church (witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, that is, those who have met face to face with the Risen Jesus Christ)?! To make it easier to answer these questions, let’s clarify what we are talking about. Believing in Christ—this is one who face to face in the Holy Spirit experienced Christ, lived through a meeting with Him, became at least for a moment (face to face) one with the Lord. This moment, this knowledge of Christ is faith in Christ. Therefore, the question can be put this way: was I at least for a moment a believer in Christ, was I in the “third heaven” (in the Kingdom of God) in the grace of the Holy Spirit; did I experience God by experience, dwell in Him, and He in me, that is, dwell in love—in the hypostatic communication with the Lord?! After a period (moment—for beginners in the spiritual Eucharistic life) of faith-knowledge of Christ face to face by the Holy Spirit, comes the period of fidelity to Christ, with whom one has united in marital union in the sacrament of faith-knowledge! Thus, are we faithful to Christ, that is, faithful to that experience of knowledge (union with the Lord in one Spirit), which we experienced (visited the third heaven, as Apostle Paul), and behave according to this mystery of knowledge of God, which the Lord entrusted to us, and struggle to be faithful sons of God, struggle to make the Gift of Grace our own, behave worthily of the calling (to be a son of God), which we touched and knew in faith?! Are we trusting the Church and undergoing the course of declaration, preparation for the great mystery of adoption—baptism-chrismation- Eucharist?! Who are we?! Who am I?! Faithful, believing or trusting Christ, the Church?! Not believers (that is, not Christians), because they have not met the Risen Christ, have not known the grace of the Holy Spirit, have not experienced their own resurrection in Christ! There is no sense talking about fidelity, because it comes after faith-knowledge! (Christians—those who know God—are so few that when we say, to express the spiritual state of the historical Body of the Church (those baptized into the Church, who are still in Phase II.), that there are none, we will not be mistaken! And there are even fewer faithful!). Therefore, we are not believers in Christ, not faithful to Christ!!! Maybe we are trusting the Church, witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ (that is, Christians)?! But even here, for our salvation, Happiness, we must not deceive ourselves! It turns out that we are not even trusting (not even declared, that is, those who are preparing for baptism)! Indeed, we are not trusting, because to trust someone who talks about Happiness (fullness of bliss, joy, pleasure, freedom, truth…), who has experienced it, known it (and now lives in fidelity-trust to this experience- knowledge), means to inquire the shortest path and signs of the right movement (landmarks, so as not to stray from the path) to the goal. That is, theoretically discuss everything (trust from hearing, and faith from performing the Word of God—Christ’s Commandments.
“He who loves Me will keep My commandments!” – says God. Therefore, first you need to learn with the mind from hearing the Way (the Commandments, the New Testament), and walk that Way (perform everything prescribed and recommended, which leads to achieving the Goal)!
And we, when we say that we trust the Church (Christians, who assert that Christ is Risen and that all creation in Christ has already been deified, resurrected!), do we do so: do we study the Holy Scripture of the Church (the testimony of eyewitnesses to the Resurrection of Christ and the whole world, which has already taken place!) under the guidance of the Church (which gave it and is the only one that understands-knows, about Whom it is spoken) and carefully perform (having previously convinced ourselves that the fullness of knowledge of God, Truth, and the path to Happiness, Deification is in the Orthodox Church – this, by the way, is not an obvious fact, it takes a lot of effort to be convinced of the truthfulness of this assertion) ALL Christ’s Commandments, which the Church offers to the trusting! For a better understanding of trust (the criterion of verification: whether I am trusting, declared) let’s give an example. When we go to a doctor and ask him to help cure a disease, he prescribes us a list of medications that need to be taken in a certain order and under certain conditions, a daily regimen, diet, etc. Thus, from the thoroughness of carrying out what the doctor prescribed, we can see whether we trust him or not! If I do not perform even one thing from the prescribed (not because I cannot, but because I do not want to or consider it unnecessary, even harmful), then I do not trust this doctor. Because both what I will perform and what I consider harmful were prescribed by the same doctor!? It means I do not trust him, but myself! Therefore, before trusting the doctor, you had better inquire everything about this doctor, in whom you intend to treat (whether he can perform a complex surgery, where your Happiness is at stake, the result of which is either eternal Life or eternal death!), whether there is a better specialist than him, whether he is the only specialist in treating this disease (hellish, godless cancer or gangrene). Therefore, having weighed (thoroughly researched (as much as the mind allows): testimony of healed patients, testimony of eyewitnesses to his professionalism, etc.) everything, I trust the specialist (he is the only one, competitors are so weak that they are not even visible in the light of this luminary, whom I want to trust; and the patient has no choice, because he cannot heal himself (perform surgery on himself) and the real doctor – the only one)! And when I have already trusted the doctor, I give myself completely to him, then I do everything he says (I judged, tested, tried him before I trustingly gave myself into his hands; because when I judge the teacher, I am no longer a student, but a teacher, I am a teacher myself; they are not treating me anymore, but I am treating myself, I am my own doctor). And if I do not perform something – it means that I do not trust him, I am not mature enough to trust!!! Therefore, trusting the Church (being trusting) – means to perform (at least try to perform, make efforts to perform everything prescribed by the Church; perform what you can (about the essence of performing the Commandments of God see below), and in what you cannot,- humble yourself, recognize your weakness and repent) EVERYTHING that the One you trust commands, that is, to perform (try to perform) the commandments of the Church, not your own interpretations (your own understanding) of God’s commandments! Therefore, if I do not trust the Church in even one thing, then I – do not trust, not declared, not yet preparing for baptism (even if I have been baptized a thousand times by the most canonical priests!)! Therefore, let’s not deceive ourselves, that we are believers, if we have not even started on the path of acquiring faith, that is, have not trusted (previously thoroughly, judiciously convinced, that the truth is known in full only by Orthodox Christians) the witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ, those who saw Lord Jesus (and such for two thousand years – multitudes and multitudes, who sifted through all times and epochs, multitudes of martyrs, witnesses of the Kingdom of God, which has come in power!).