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DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE


EXISTENTIAL FAITH AND ONTOLOGICAL LOVE
(Hermeneutic Exposition Of Eight N.T.Passages)

By DR.GEEVARGHESE MAR OSTHATHIOS

Make love your aim. The ultimate aim is to reach the Holy God of Love whom we now understand as the Triune God. It may be added that St. Paul speaks of the fruit of Holy Spirit as love in singular and then adds its ingredients and results like joy

INTRODUCTION:

Soren Kierkegaard taught that subjectivity is truth. This is a cardinal truth of Existentialist Philosophy of atheistic Existentialist, like Jeane Paul Sartre and Theological Founder of Modern Existentialism viz. Danish Kierkegaard, Martin Luther wanted to become a lawyer and having escaped death, became a friar of the Augustinian Monastery. Having passed through the doctrine of salvation by work taught by the Inquisition School; and Augustinian salvation by grace alone (Grace to those who were pre-destined for salvation) finally he was deeply touched by Rom. 1:17 (i.e., Righteousness of God is revealed through Faith for Faith as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live".) The discovery of salvation or justification through faith alone (sola fidei) was a turning point in the life of Martin Luther. "He felt that he was born again and entered paradise." The doctrine of Justification by faith alone was reestablished by Karal Bath for Protestant theology and by Hans King for modern Roman Catholic theology. Something like this has happened to this writer, being touched by the stupendous statement "God is Love" found only in 1 Jn. 4.8 and 16. It is found nowhere else in the Holy Bible. Faith and hope are existential and love is ontological. We do not see anywhere in the Bible that God is faith or hope. Traditional teaching from the time of Augustine that the three theological virtues are faith, hope and love, not realizing that the difference is not in degree, but in kind. St. Paul's "phrase," the greatest of these is love" 1 Cor.13: 13 is a continuation of 1 Cor.12;29-31. The best hymn on love has a preface, that unlike Charismata, love is the best way. It is the revelation that God is love. The person of Christ and the work of Christ are one as St. Athanasius shows in his famous small Book, The Incarnation of the Word. The Holy Trinity is the Canon within the Canon for the interpretation of the Holy Bible, especially for the Orthodox Churches. The basis that the sola scriptura that, fundamentalist sects and Christians hold as the basis is a phrase, not found in the Holy Bible. The authority of the eternal revealed spiritual truths of the Scriptures are not on the Basis of 'It is written'. Even the devil quoted the Bible to tempt Jesus Christ, Our Lord.. According to John 16;12f., it is the Holy Spirit that guides us to the whole truth. Yet, the following arguments are based on the Bible, tradition and reason:

1.
Eph. 3;14-19. This passage shows that faith is necessary for the indwelling of Christ and at the same time, love is ontology in the Holy Trinity. It is infinite like God, transcending the breadth, length height and depth and that love of Christ surpasses knowledge. Faith is a psychological openness to the reception of Christ, whereas love is ontology in the Holy Trinity. We know that the heavenly realm is beyond the finite earthly realm where as faith and hope are necessary. Agape or divine love is started on earth and perfected in heave.
2.
1 John 4:7-21. As I mentioned above, this is the only Chapter in the whole Bible where the ontological uniqueness of love is mentioned. It also says that love is of God (v.7) "He who does not love does not know God." The word of love (Agape) appears 27 times in these 22 verses. "If we love one another, God abides in us and his love perfected in us (12). "He who loves God should love his brother also" (21). In this chapter, St.John goes beyond the hymn of love of St.paul. The epoch-making truth revealed in this chapter is "God is love." It means that love is ontological, eternal as the Triune God Himself.
3.
Mt. 25:31-45. The only question in the Last judgement is, whether all the nations before the Judgement Seat of the risen Son of Man, Jesus Christ in glory is whether they had compassion or love? The existential historical order was decisive in so far as those judged needed faith and hope to help them to be loving and compassionate. Jesus Christ, Pre-existent and post-existent Logos. Holy Sprit and the incarnate Christ are one agape (Love) like the Triune God.
4.
II. Cor. 13.14. (the Trinititatian Benediction: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with you all" does not mention faith or hope which are existential, but mentions grace, love and fellowship, which are ontological. Sola gratia and sola amor are ontological, essence of God. Koinonia or sharing love is also ontological essence of the Holy Trinity.Grace, Love and Koinonia are synoyms; divine and eternal. Faith and hope are the gifts of God springing from the essence of love of God, brought down to the earth by the incarnational grace of the second person of the Holy Trinity and manifested through the Church or the kingdom of God, by the life-giving and consummating Holy Spirit.

The Adwaitha of Sankaracharya does not mean Monism, but the Ontological love in which the two are one as the three are one in the Holy Triune God. The Greek word 'Koinonia' must be reinterpreted as is the sanathana, sharing God including the plurality and unity of Divine Love (amor or agape). Islam, which has misunderstood Trinity as three Gods, must realize, that the church Fathers have written scholarly books that Triunity is not three Gods. Holy Quran begins each sura in the name of the compassionate ALLAH. It is another way of saying that God is not a monad, but compassionate God. Compassion is sharing of love in Himself in all eternity, as God is changeless. If God is eternal Father, He must have an eternal Son. Arian heresy that the Father must be older than the son was the projection of human limitation to the God head. Earthly family is a pale reflection, of the co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential compassionate ALLAAH of GOD in eternal koinonia of ontological love of God. The main point here is that, Holy Tri-une GOD is Ontological love unlike the theological virtues of faith and hope. The mystery of Holy Triune God is not a mystery to those who believe that God is Love. Logic demands that love of God cannot be a monad. It is more than duity, as the married couple without a child is not having the joy as giving, receiving and sharing love. God's perfection is in his eternal koinonia. Eternal love unites plurality and singularity.

5.
(Gal. 3:27f.) "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew, nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ "This verse identifies Christ with universalism of divine love. Jesus Christ is not only the historical Christ whose body is the visible Church, but all who share the unity in Church, but all who share the unity in Christ who is very God of very God "of the same essence of the Father. As perfect in his humanity, He is 'The Man' and not a man; He is 'The Man' pointing to whom, Pilate said! Behold the Man!. In the early Church all who were baptized into Church shared everything as one family and 'there was not a needy person amongthem' (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-35). Those who are fully baptized into Christ have put off selfishness in the joy of, having got Christ the Universal Divine Mind, to guide all those who are baptized to the Community of sharing love. They have no discrimination of caste or colour or creed. Any discrimination on the basis of religion (Jew and Greek) or culture (slave and free) sex (male and female) shows the marks of Satan and all unity of love the mark of true baptism into Christ (loving God). This is the meaning of the distinction between the sheep on the right and goats on the left before the Judgement Throne. irit.
6.
(..Eph. 1:9f) The mustery of the fullness of times is that all thing in heaven and earth must be summed up or re-capitulated in Him. Phil 2:11 goes a step further and assert that every knee in heaven, earth and Hades will confess Jesus Christ as Lord. St. Ireneus has renamed Eph. 1:10 as the recapitulation even of the end time. How can all things in heaven and earth be summed in Christ, if He is only the best man who ever lived. To the believer in the Incarnation, He is the GodMan who practiced the selfless, kenotic Cosmic divine love, which should defeat evil by goodness and dispel darkness by divine light. This is an inclusive Christology of Christ as Logos, Sabda Brhama or OM, Eternal Son of the Eternal God of love. Love has no enemy except evil, which will be defeated ultimately. India needs such a Christology.
7.
(1 Cor. 13 and 14:1) The supremacy of love over faith, and prophecy in the writings of St. Paul is clearly discernible in this famous hymn on love.
A.   Loveless speaking in tongues are like a clanging symbol.
B.   LoveLess prophecy and knowledge are futile
C.   Faith even to remove a mountain, with out love is nothing
D.   Love never ends, as it is ontological
E.   Make love your aim. The ultimate aim is to reach the Holy God of Love whom we now understand as the Triune God. It may be added that St. Paul speaks of the fruit of Holy Spirit as love in singular and then adds its ingredients and results like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Gal.5:22).
8.
(1 Peter 3:17-20) This passage is ignored by many who do not believe in praying for the departed souls. Furthermore, they translate 'Hades' as 'prison'. But it is a Creedal statement from the second century. Even in the Ancient creeds 'descended into Hades' is found. Ancient churches call it 'the Gospel Saturday'. It speaks of the ontological, eternal love of God even to the dis-obe-dent departed souls. The following truths are noteworthy:
A.   It is the will of God that we suffer for doing good.
B.   Christ died once for all for the unrighteous, though He was the Righteous One. Love of God is boundless.
C.   His descent to Hades was not for the baptized eight people in the Ark of Noah, the symbol of the church; but for those who did not believe in the Gospel that Noah preached. Love of God is for all, living and the departed
D.   There is a possibility of repentance and salvation even after death. Otherwise He would not descend to Hades and offer salvation.
E.   The patience of God is unlimited and eternal as love is divine. There are three types of eschatology for which proof-texts from the Bible are quoted by adherents, namely eternal Hell; and eternal heaven, Eternal salvation only to those who believe in Jesus Christ and universalism.

Karl Barth and many Orthodox theologians believe that the love of God will finally empty hell. There is only purgatory and no eternal hell. Barth's theology is that one is rejected (Jesus Christ) and all are elected. My own faith is that as God is ontological love. He is at least like a good human father who wants all his children to be saved (Mt. 7:11).

The story that Mother Theresa was very happy when Christ permitted her to help the suffering people in the Hades rather than enjoy Paradise for herself while some were suffering on the other side of the Gulf, crossing the bridge that Jesus Christ built by His first Descent to Hades. The Heavenly Father is ontological love, which can conquer the recalcitrant Prodigals, by bringing them to themselves by the work of, the Holy Spirit and those departed with the same love. How can I enjoy the joy of Paradise, if my mother is in Hades?

CONCLUSION:

I am writing this brief article to introduce the readers to my latest book One Religion of Love (Sola amor instead of Sola Fiedi published by CSS Thiruvalla, Kerala, India. 689 101. Price: Rs. 90. Dec. 2000)

The Third Millennium needs an al-in-clusive theology of love, centered on the Triune God who is also Satchidananda (sat- (Essence) God the father, Chit (Intellegence) - Christ the son and Anandbliss the Holy Spirit). He is also Compassionate Allah, revealed by the Ontological Love of the Incarnate God-Man, Jesus Christ. This is a call to all religions with the aim of arriving at One Religion of Love in the place of contemporary trend of selfishness and war "United we stand; divided we fall".

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