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The Pastoral Epistles of Saint Paul
Talk by Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen), part 48, Hebrews 11:1-12:17
November 14, 2023

Topics include:
(1) More discussion of Expiation and Propitiation based on 1 John 2:2. God is NOT an angry wrathful Father that Jesus saves us from; 
(2)  On the nature of Faith: Faith is knowing spiritually, noetically that God exists. It is not a rational belief that fluctuates with rational aspects ("sometimes I believe, sometimes I don't, sometimes I'm confused"). Faith is the living reality of communion with God, of relationship with God; Faith gives subsistence to things in our soul, even things that don't yet exist, such as our future resurrection; 
(3) On Enoch and the Books of Enoch; 
(4) Of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Two versions existed at the time of Christ, one in which Isaac actually died and was resurrected. The resurrection of Isaac becomes a type of Christ; 
(5) The faithful witness: Many Christians (then and now) abandon the pagan ways of their fathers to follow Christ ... though our own house denies us, we look to Christ and His Heavenly Kingdom. Our faithful cloud of witnesses refused to betray God and accepted sufferings, martyrdom, and asceticism instead. They were approved by the witness of their faith, and encourage us in our faith; 
(6) Laying aside sins, slumber, negligence, mean reasoning, human things, and with patience, endurance, and perseverance, living the spiritual life, looking to Jesus, His suffering, endurance, and the Cross, whose shamefulness He rejected. His patience and longsuffering, against bitter opposition and contradictions, encourages us to endure and not faint in our souls; 
(7) God disciplines His beloved children that we may share in His holiness, yielding in us the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Faith and holiness go together --- faith matures into authentic holiness, of living in union with the will of God. 
(8) On being "born again": Orthodox do not think in terms of static states, but in terms of the process of sanctification, which takes many years. We have the potential at baptism, but it needs to be expanded by intentional righteousness; 
(9) A question on the animal sacrifice of Abel cf. the bread and wine offering of Melchizedek.