I’ve been thinking a lot about seeking God lately. I keep running across this term in my Bible. What does it mean? How do we do this? What are the results if we do this? What if someone who claims to be a Christian is not seeking God? What then? Many questions have come to my mind as I have continually run into this little phrase “seek God”. For, in the end, this is our ultimate concern.

I won’t be answering all of those questions in this post today. I just don’t have the time to do an entire study justice. However, I did want consider this phrase and get us all thinking a bit about what it means. Hopefully, this will get us thinking about what place this ultimate concern holds in our own lives, as evidenced by our daily choices and decisions, both great and small.

I went through the Bible this morning, looking at all the verses in which the word “seek” is used. Many were in reference to seeking God. Others were in reference to specific happenings. And some were in reference to what not to seek. Today, I’d like to take a look at a few of the verses about seeking God and then at a few of the verses about what not to seek. I think this will be a helpful study for me and, hopefully, for you, too. I am not giving the verses in any particular order.

Here are a few things we find from scripture regarding our search for God–

1. If we seek Him, we will find Him.

We are promised in God’s Word that if we search for God, we will find Him. This is a guarantee and not some treasure hunt where we may or may not find the treasure. God has told us that we will find Him, if we seek Him.

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chronicles 15:2b )

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9)

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (Acts 17:27)

2. If we seek God, He will forgive our sins and give us life!

We are also promised forgiveness of sins if we seek God. But, wait a minute, we may think…what about all of those people who are seeking God without knowing Jesus? The answer to this is clear: They aren’t actually seeking the One True God. They are seeking their own manmade god. God has very specifically told us in His Word how we are to seek Him. If we don’t submit to and obey Him, we are not truly seeking Him. This is a very important distinction to make.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. (Psalm 22:26 )

For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: (Amos 5:4)

3. Those who seek God are never forsaken by Him.

God promises never to forsake those who seek Him. Let’s meditate on that promise for just a moment. Isn’t that simply amazing?

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. (Psalm 9:10)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:29-32)

4. If we seek God, we are blessed and we can expect good things from Him.

Life is sometimes hard for God’s children. It is simply not true that we get to bypass trials when we become one of God’s dear children. We still face trials, troubles, disease, persecution, and, yes, eventually, death. I am so saddened when I see Christians believe that we can escape these things if we have “enough faith”. Oh, what a lie from the pit of hell! God has never promised us escape from these things. However, He does promise us blessing and good things. What are these things, if they are not keeping us from trials? We know from God’s Word (and through our own experiences and the testimonies of others) that the blessing and good things come in the form of peace, grace, mercy, and other priceless intangibles. God truly does not forsake those who seek Him.

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. (Psalm 119:2).

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Lamentations 3:25)

5. Seeking God gives us great cause to rejoice!

Perhaps we do not feel like rejoicing today. Could that mean that we are seeking after our own selfish desires instead of seeking God? Yes, of course, that is what it means. For seeking God will always give us cause for rejoicing. It is sobering for me to think how often I am lacking in joy because of my own selfishness. Anyone else out there relate??

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. (1 Chronicles 16:10)

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. (Psalm 40:16)

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. (Psalm 105:3)

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What else do we find from scripture regarding our seek for God? There are a few important things to consider–

First, we never seek God without Him stirring our hearts. We cannot do it on our own. Romans 3:11 and Psalm 14:1 both tell us that there are NONE that seek after God. John gives further elaboration to this by letting us clearly know that no man can come to salvation unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). This is a hard truth, but it is throughout scripture and we dare not ignore it nor try to change it simply because we don’t like it.

Second, we tend to seek God in our affliction. Hosea 5:15 reminds us of this. How often does a trial or trouble cause us to seek harder after God? These things tend to soften and mold the hearts of true believers.

Third, there will be a time that we cannot seek God. Isaiah 55:6 tells us that we are to seek Him while He can still be found. This must mean that there will be a time when He can’t be found. I have not studied this passage at length but I do know that when death comes, it will be too late to seek Him. It must be done while we still have breath. It is dangerous and exceedingly unwise to put off seeking the Lord because death can strike at any moment.

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And, finally, we find in scripture the things that people seek after other than the Lord. These are the things that distract us and keep us from a whole-hearted seeking of God.

People seek after sorcery and signs.

The Word of God is where we learn to know God. But, for so many, this is not enough. Even today someone showed me the testimony of someone who had “encountered Jesus” through a new age method and yet they believe this is actually Jesus. God tells us in His Word that these things are not of Him. He tells us that we shouldn’t need signs. Blessed are they that believe without seeing. Blessed are they that trust in His Word. The Bible is sufficient for all we need in our Christian life. But it doesn’t always “feel good”, does it? It doesn’t always seem like enough to a generation that longs for good feelings and experiences. May we be astute and discerning as we travel the road called “Christianity”, for it is literally overflowing with landmines of heresy and new age practices and, yes, outright sorcery.

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:31)

A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. (Matthew 16:4)

People do not seek God because of their pride.

I am not sure there is anything that can kill our search for the One, True God quicker than pride. It is pride that insists that we can stand righteous before God based on our own good deeds. It is pride that says we don’t need a Savior. It is pride that demands its own way of salvation and arrogantly gives its own definition of what living the Christian life looks like. Pride is truly a death blow to a genuine seeking of God.

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (Psalm 10:4)

And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. (Hosea 7:10)

People seek after their own desires rather than seek after God.

Oh, how many people believe that Christianity is all about fulfilled dreams and finding personal purpose? This is not biblical Christianity at all but it is a counterfeit that uses the same terms and names. When we replace seeking God with seeking our own good, we have also replaced true religion for false religion. This comes in many ways. Some seek after the things of this world–fame, popularity, wealth. Others prioritize health, family, even church duties over seeking God. Some just simply love their sin and aren’t willing to give it up. Many love entertainment that God hates and this keeps them from a whole-hearted seeking of God. We all have that one thing we desire that keeps us from seeking God with our whole heart. The key is to be aware and to pray to God for help. We cannot turn our backs on these things without His help.

The following verses remind us that seeking God and seeking self are
absolutely incompatible—

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Mark 4:19)

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (Romans 6:12)

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:12)

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:2-5)

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (Titus 2:12)

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (I Peter 2:11)

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We will never seek God perfectly. We will fight sin and our fleshly desires for all of our lives. The key is that there is a battle. For no battle signals that there is no life. May we never give up the fight as we strive to seek God with our whole hearts, believing in God’s Word that, in doing so, it will yield much blessing and rejoicing in our lives.

For seeking God is the ultimate concern for all who would claim to know Christ.

The other week I wrote about the sparrow that was building a nest in one of my ferns. As I’ve grown older I’ve come to appreciate birds in a whole new way. They are such lively little creatures, bringing both music and color to our world.

I really enjoyed watching that mother bringing her babies food and doing her best to protect them. One morning I came out to find my porch full of…dirt. Yep, the baby birdies were growing and they were doing what all birds do.

That is the one thing I will say about birds. If you have them, then you will have the dirt that goes with them. At least if your porches and outdoor furniture and anything else sit near trees and other places birds like to land.

As I scrubbed off that porch I had to think about how life is like that. You can’t have the good without the bad. If you have birds around, then you also have that inevitable disadvantage. If you have kids, the joy comes with both work and frustration. If you have a spouse, you get their good side and their bad side. It’s an imperfect world and this principle is woven throughout our lives, isn’t it?

It’s true for any relationship and for any job. It’s true for our hobbies and for our past times. Life just doesn’t come as 100% pleasant.

It does seem as if we, in our culture, are searching for 100% pleasant, however.

And so we do all we can to make this happen. Can you think of things you do that make your life more pleasant or comfortable in the moment? Oftentimes these things bring unpleasantness in the future.

For example, it is unpleasant to discipline children in the moment. But to not to discipline them will most likely yield mountains of heartbreak and unpleasantness later on. It is also unpleasant to have the hard conversations with our spouse. But to let the bitterness and frustration grow will only grow the unpleasantness, until many times that marriage is destroyed. It is unpleasant to say no to unhealthy food or to get up off the couch to exercise, but that, too, yields its inevitable results.

Sometimes we just have to do the hard thing. We have to do the unpleasant thing. The unpleasant often brings the pleasant. We can’t have one without the other. It’s just how it is in this world.

It’s hard to imagine living in the Garden of Eden where this was just not the case. The utopia we long for was experienced by Adam and Eve for just a little while.

The awesome thing to remember is that we, if we are God’s own redeemed child, have that to look forward to.

I love this passage from the book of Revelation—

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1-5)

And this one—

And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. (Revelation 22:1-6)

What a reminder that one day we will only experience the good and the perfect! This world is not our home and it is just temporary. Satan and sin will not reign forever. God’s words are faithful and true.

“100% Pleasant” will be our portion one day. God says in the Psalms that at His right hand are “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Just think about that. We get a little taste of that here on earth when we are saved by faith in Christ and go on to live for Him. But how magnificent to think that our future in glory will be filled with pleasure, with both sin and sorrow gone forever!

In the meantime, let’s press on and work through the unpleasant and the hard. Let’s recognize that in order to fulfill our calling—whether it be parent, spouse, employee, adult child, church member, or whatever God has called us to do—will require diligence and patience and, yes, sometimes sorrow. But along with all of these usually comes a large portion of joy. And, for that, may we be grateful.

As I sit here on my porch a little sparrow scolds me (see photo above.) She decided to build a nest in one of my hanging ferns and it frustrates her greatly each morning as I make my way outside with a cup of coffee in my hand and two dogs as my companions.

She titters and she flies around near me, often landing quite close by. Occasionally, she will fly into her nest for a brief second before her fear overtakes her and she leaves again.

The only thing this tiny bird can do is titter and scold. The dogs and I are so much bigger and stronger than her. She is limited and she is powerless.

And so she does the only thing she can: She makes a loud fuss. She feels like her home and her babies are in danger and she does the only thing that she can do.

I think it is fair to say that most of us Americans (and many of you abroad, as well, as you are facing your own country’s political upheavals; they are certainly not limited to America) are feeling like our home is being threatened.

There was a debate last night that was surreal, quite honestly. Can it possibly be that these men are the only two options to lead this great country?!?

Something just doesn’t seem right, does it? Something seems…intentionally planned… But that’s a subject for another day.

But many are upset and are desperately trying to save our country. We fuss and we fret as we see the unwelcome changes to our “home” taking place, finding ourselves powerless to do a thing to fix it. (I am not saying you shouldn’t do what you can, but, at the end of the day, without God’s intervention, we are powerless to change the direction of where this country is headed. And should we expect God to intervene when He has laid out a very specific plan for the last days and it cannot include an strong, independent country such as America was? We have to yield our will and desires to His.)

The sparrow did not pick a wise place to build her home. If she wanted peace and a carefree time of raising her babies, she should have built it in a tree somewhere. But, instead, she built her home in a fern on my porch.

What is going on here and in so many other countries, as well, is a reminder of how many of us have done the same thing. We have “built our nest” in the wrong place. We have set our affections on our earthly, temporal homes rather than on our future, heavenly home.

The Bible says we are but pilgrims and sojourners passing through this world (I Peter 2:11). Our minds are to be set on things above, not on the things of this world (Colossians 3:2).

I know that is so much easier said than done in the midst of all this political chaos and confusion, but, as believers in God and His Word, we know that what looks like chaos is just part of God’s plan coming to fruition. What looks like confusion is not confusing to God.

We don’t have to get worked up as believers as we see the world’s system falling and failing across the world. This had to happen for the end to come as God has revealed it to us in His Word. And it’s not a bad thing. It just means we are getting closer and closer to the rapture and to our final, glorious home!

What I am not implying here is that you shouldn’t vote or hold office or try to make changes to policy or to the culture. If you believe God has called you to do these things, then, by all means, do them.

What I am saying is that these things should never overtake our first calling as believers, which is to share the Gospel and to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

What I am also saying is that we must, of all people, not titter and fret and scold as we wait to see what happens. God’s got this. He has a plan. It might not be our plan and, in fact, it probably isn’t. But He knows what He is doing and we can rest in Him.

As for God, His way is perfect:
the word of the LORD is tried:
He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
(Psalms 18:30)

As I sit here listening to this sparrow (yes, she is still scolding me), I am reminded of that precious passage in Matthew 6—

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
(Matthew 6:26-27)

Not only does God have complete control of Kings and Kingdoms, Presidents, and Prime Ministers (Proverbs 21:1) but He also sees and cares for the small sparrow. How much more does He care for His own dear child? If we are His, we can rest in His abundant promises for this present time and for our future.

In the midst of whatever lies ahead, we have God’s promise that He will walk us through. We do not have the promise that it will be easy or fun. We do not have the promise that we will continue in the lifestyle we have become accustomed to. We do not have the promise that we won’t experience disease or death. But we do have the promise that God will walk us through whatever lies ahead. And we have His promise for a glorious future for all eternity.

So let’s not despair. We serve the mighty King who reigns over all. The King of Kings who never makes even one mistake. We will be just fine, no matter what happens in this crazy world of ours, because we are His.

I was reading a book recently that told the true story of a woman named Lara. Born in Kazakhstan in the middle of last century and living most of her life in Ukraine, her life was filled with things we can’t even imagine. Lack of food, lack of clothing, lack of shelter, and, perhaps most importantly, lack of love. And, yet, in her heart, she always knew there was a God and He so lovingly led her to Himself.

Today I’d like to write about something specific that happened to her and delve a bit into the spiritual lesson that can be learned from it.

A few years after she got married, she and her husband found a small, dirty house that was said to be haunted. This made it cheap enough for them to afford and they bravely moved forward. They lived in that house for a long, long time, through the births of many children and then through the untimely death of her husband. Through all this time, Lara just didn’t feel well. She spent weeks in the hospital, trying to recuperate, only to come back home and eventually end up back in the hospital to recuperate again. It was a mysterious illness with seemingly no cause.

Until one day…

She and her son-in-law were in the attic working on something that needed fixing when they came across something they had never realized: There was mercury stored in the attic.

They started putting the pieces together and realized that she was suffering from severe mercury poisoning and that her husband’s death may have also been from that.

The house was condemned (and no home insurance!) and the whole family was taken immediately to the hospital. (If you want to read the rest of this story, I’ll put the link for the book at the bottom of this post. Definitely worth reading!)

But I want to reflect a bit on that mercury poisoning. The family was being slowly poisoned and did not even know it. It was affecting their health and yet they were in complete ignorance as to why they weren’t feeling well.

In light of this, my mind was led to the subject of entertainment. I have been thinking a great deal about its role in the lives of Christians. Time after time, I am flummoxed at the choices of those who say they love Christ. Time after time, I find myself puzzled at my own choices, specifically back in the day, as someone who claimed to love Christ.

Meanwhile, my appetite for the Word was not great. And my attitude towards prayer was apathetic. My passion for worldly movies and ungodly music and spiritually unhealthy fiction far outweighed my desire for scripture or anything holy.

I am so grateful to God for His continual conviction to my heart in this area, as one by one, He began to show me the poison I had been filling my heart with. It was a slow and arduous process and it continues to this day. But, oh so slowly, I’ve been ridding my life of the mercury that poisons my soul and so greatly affects my spiritual health.

But none of it could have begun without one specific choice: I chose to surrender my entertainment to my Lord.

Oh, that was so very hard. And I had to do it over and over again. And, in fact, I continue to do it to this day. Only recently, I was watching a series someone recommended to me. I was enjoying it and yet there was this niggling that wouldn’t go away. The series was filled with lies about God. Lies that specifically went against scripture. The Holy Spirit just kept working on my heart until I finally surrendered. It saddens me that it took me too long to get to the place of surrender.

I am not sure we can even get to a place of conviction until we take the first step and say, “Lord, I surrender my entertainment to you. I ask you to show me the truth about what I am watching, what I am listening to, and what I am reading. I ask you to take away my taste for anything that is displeasing to you.”

It isn’t instant, but I promise you that as you start removing the mercury from your spiritual life, you will be surprised at how much more spiritually healthy you feel. It’s quite amazing, really.

I think many of us are spiritually poisoned and we don’t even realize it. We grow lazy and watch movies and shows that are filled with the things God hates. Or we get caught up in a book series filled with sorcery and magic. Or we just turn on the radio to any old channel. We dismiss the idea that these things affect us in any way.

Satan knows this. He knows that Christians think entertainment is simply just that: entertainment. What he also knows is that most entertainment has some level of mercury hidden within that is specifically designed to deaden our consciences and to make us apathetic towards the things of God.

Oh, how important that we consider the consequences of our entertainment choices. I am a living, breathing example of what happens when you surrender this to the Lord.

I still find myself utterly amazed at how the Lord took away my desire for ungodly music. It’s like my own personal little miracle. I know I have mentioned this before but I am going to do so again for any new readers.

I LOVED—and by that I basically mean “was addicted to”—rock music. Of both the secular and Christian varieties. The harder the better. Eventually I became convicted that secular was definitely displeasing to the Lord. That wasn’t too painful. But, oh, the Christian music that was patterned after the world was a tough one.

Finally, I threw my hands in the air and said, “Lord, I can’t do this. I need your help. If you want me to stop listening to this, can you take away my taste for it?”

And HE DID!

It wasn’t instant and it wasn’t easy but HE DID. Today, I just don’t even desire the ungodly music I had been so addicted to for so many years.

And as I have, very intentionally, begun removing the mercurial entertainment from my life I have found that, little by little, God has reawakened my hardened conscience and given me a hunger for the Word that I never had before.

And so I heartily encourage you to also turn your entertainment over to the Lord. Trust me, I know it’s hard. And I know it’s unpleasant to even consider. But I also know how incredibly rewarding it is. And I definitely know you won’t regret it!

*Lara’s Hunger, written by Harold Troyer. You can find it here.

Today I had planned to take a look at the Orthodox and Anglican Churches, which I call the “cousins” of Catholicism. I say this because they have some key similarities. Both have Catholic roots that run quite deep. The Orthodox church was born from the “Great Schism” in 1054 and the Anglican church was basically the Catholic church in England, re-named due to a frustrated King who wasn’t getting his way (more about that next time).

While the Orthodox and Anglican Churches have a few similarities, they also have some really big differences. I was planning to include both on this post but it was going to get way too long. So today, we will take a look at the Orthodox Church and the next time we will turn our focus to the Anglican Church.

So let’s find out what the Orthodox Church believes about Jesus.

Before I began this study, I had no idea that there were so many different Orthodox churches These churches are broken into two specific branches– the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox, (which is also known as the Coptic Church). As most of us are more familiar with Eastern Orthodox (which includes Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, among many others), and as the two branches of Orthodoxy believe very similar things, my focus for this particular study will be the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The first thing we find as troublesome in the Orthodox Church is their belief in continuing divine inspiration. It is worded like this on the Greek Orthodox Diocese of America’s website—

The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, along with Sacred Apostolic Tradition are the divine Sources in which Almighty God revealed His Will and which the Church accepted as being the only depository for these truths.

So we can see from this that they believe that God has revealed divine truth not only through the scriptures but continues to reveal divine truth through their Church Fathers. They say that both the Bible and the words of church leaders through the years are equal, believing both to be divinely sourced.

This is foundational to the rest of the errors we will find in this church. As soon as we include (and rely on) any human’s words for divine truth, we are going to end up in a very confused and erroneous state.

I just have to add something here that is relevant for us all at some level. While this belief is quite troublesome, since we know that the Canon is closed and God says we shall not add or subtract anything from the Bible (Revelation 22:18-19), we need to ask ourselves if we actually and personally believe this to be true? I ask this because so many now believe in revelation from God outside of His Holy Word. Whereas this used to be considered the highest of heresies, now it is a commonplace belief that God is still speaking personally to people. I do not believe scripture confirms this belief and that this belief is, in fact, a product of our culture that is steeped and overflowing in mysticism. While I won’t go into this here, you can read more about what the Bible has to say about special revelation in this current age here at this post.

A second concern regarding this church is their dependence upon the sacraments for salvation–

The sacred ceremony of Baptism with that of Chrismation and the ceremony of the Holy Eucharist with that of Confession are the sacred Mysteria (sacraments) which every Christian should receive as an active communicant of divine Grace. There are three other sacraments: ordination, marriage, and unction. They are granted to man, but are not obligatory, if not so desired.

Just a note: Chrismation is the Orthodox term for what the Catholic Church would call “Confirmation”. However there are some differences. While the Catholic Church’s confirmation is based on the age of the participant (“the age of reason”), the Orthodox Chrismation is dependent upon events rather than age and generally happens after Baptism and before their first Holy Communion.

So what does the Orthodox Church think of Jesus? We can see that, just like in Catholicism, Jesus is not enough. What He did on the cross is unable to save us for all eternity. Something is needed from us. So here again, we see a religion of works. Man must DO something in order to be saved.

We know from scripture that this just isn’t true–

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Third, and also from the same website listed above, we see their belief that the communion bread and cup is turned into the very body and blood of Christ–

The most awesome ceremony in the Orthodox Church is the Mysterion (sacrament) of the Holy Eucharist. This ceremony was instituted by Jesus Christ the day before His Crucifixion, as He enriched His Church forever with the Divine Gifts, His own Body and Blood. This ceremony of the Holy Eucharist is both His sacrifice for the salvation of man and a sacred mysterion. The Holy Eucharist is the seal of the proclamation of the communion with God. It is the only Sacrament offered by the Church in which the elements of bread and wine not only carry the Grace of God, as a mysterion, but are “changed” into and “are” the very Body and the very Blood of Christ, being a propitiatory sacrifice.

So again we see that Christ is, in essence, being continually crucified. Why the continual crucifying of Jesus Christ, when He has risen victorious over death? Not to mention how disturbing this belief is when you really take a moment to reflect on it. There is no way it is from God and it’s certainly not found in the Bible anywhere. We are to hold communion in remembrance of Jesus’s sacrifice (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:24-25). Communion helps us to remember Christ’s sacrifice–not to relive it (or for Him to relive it) over and over again. Jesus is not on the Cross! He has risen victoriously over sin and death and reigns on high, where He sits at the right hand of God! (Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 12:2)

Fourth–and this is seriously heretical–the Orthodox Church does not believe in the substitutionary death of Christ. They emphasize the medicinal value of the cross (to help man rather than to appease God’s wrath). I first became familiar with this idea through an interview I watched with an Orthodox Priest. But I found this confirmation on the Orthodox Church in America website—

[Jesus] “paid the price,” not in some legalistic or juridical or economic meaning. He “paid the price” not to the devil whose rights over man were won by deceit and tyranny. He “paid the price” not to God the Father in the sense that God delights in His sufferings and received “satisfaction” from His creatures in Him. He “paid the price” rather, we might say, to Reality Itself. He “paid the price” to create the conditions in and through which man might receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life by dying and rising again in Him to newness of life (see Rom 5–8; Gal 2–4).

So they completely remove the concept that Jesus died to appease God’s wrath. He, rather, died to “pay the price to Reality”…whatever that means. Do you see the danger in this? They don’t like how God is portrayed in scripture, and so they change it. (I just have to add that much of what was written in this particular article sounded very biblical. It took me a bit of scrolling to get to this heretical understanding.)

But the Bible makes it clear that Jesus saved us from God’s wrath–

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (I Thessalonians 1:10)

Other verses regarding this concept of God’s wrath and Jesus satisfying it can be found in Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; I Thess. 5:9; and Rev. 6:17, 11:18, 15:7. I am sure this could be a study all on its own. But when all taken together, we know from scripture that Jesus most certainly was sacrificed to appease God’s wrath.

And fifth, and finally, one of the biggest concerns I found regarding the Orthodox Church is a doctrine they call Theosis. I had never even heard this word before researching Orthodoxy. Here is how OrthodoxChristianity101 defines it–

Theosis, a foundational concept in Orthodox Christian theology, encapsulates the profound journey of transformation and communion with God. Rooted in the belief that humanity is called to share in the divine nature, theosis emphasizes the process by which individuals are gradually divinized or deified through their union with God. This transformative journey unfolds through a life of prayer, asceticism, and participation in the sacramental life of the Church.

So we can see that they believe that the end goal for man is deification–that he/she will become a god. According to a video I watched, this process is likened to a ladder where the person is continually climbing and will not reach perfection until they go to heaven. (Although, they never really are quite sure if they are worthy of heaven. And so there’s really no guarantee they are even on the ladder. There is no assurance of salvation in a works-based religion).

How did the Orthodox church end up with this doctrine? It happens by taking a verse or two out of context and, instead of comparing scripture to scripture, something “new” is taught that is inconsistent with the whole of scripture. Interestingly enough, the Mormon religion uses the same verses to promote their belief that men will become gods, so perhaps we will take a closer look at these verses when we get to Mormonism.

And so we can see that there are several errors in the Orthodox Church which would render it a false religion. Could someone be saved and still attend an Orthodox Church? Perhaps. But they could never stay there as they read and study their Bible and compare what it says to what they are learning in their church.

I never fail to be amazed at how subtle and deceptive Satan is as he presents these “almost Christian” religions to the masses. Almost but not quite. As soon as a religion requires works it becomes a false religion. We know this clearly from scripture.

Now, let me add this: Just as in biblical Christian circles, there is a wide swath of beliefs and “flavors” of any specific religion. What I wrote here may not be what every priest believes. I tried to do my research carefully, using several different sources. But what I wrote here may not represent every Orthodox Church or every priest. I do believe it represents most of them.

I hope this will help you as you seek to witness to and converse with members of the Orthodox Church.

Next time, we will take a look at what the Anglican Church believes about Jesus….

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What does the Bible actually teach about Jesus? Find out at this link. You can find the rest of this series at this link.

PLEASE NOTE: Find a printable pdf of this post in its entirety HERE. You will find a bibliography and list of resources used on the last page of the pdf.