In the reading today from the 10th chapter of the Book of Romans, St Paul urged, and I quote, “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart, the word of faith which I preach.” St Paul is trying to draw both Jews and non-Jews to believe in Christ. The third century theologian Origen reflected that: “Christ who is the Word of God, is potentially near us and near everyone, but this is only realised in practice when I confess with my mouth [that] Christ Is Lord and when I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead.”

This challenge from St Paul in the first century and Origen in the third century remains a challenge for us today. We are each challenged to confess with words that “Christ is Lord” of our lives and believe in our hearts “that God has raised [Jesus Christ] from the dead.” How can we do that? How can we find the words that will convince others that Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead?

I think we start with what we believe about Christ and why we have that belief. What we say, what we confess to others about Christ, depends on what we believe in our hearts about Him. St Paul is quoting from the Old Testament, the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30, verse 14: “The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” The fourth-century theologian Ambrosiaster, about whom we know little, said that these words from Deuteronomy were written, and I quote, “in order to show that belief in Christ is not all that foreign to our mind or to our nature. Even though we cannot see Him with our eyes, what we believe is not out of harmony with the nature of our minds and our way of speaking.”

That’s true. Belief in Christ is not “foreign” to us, but it is a choice that we each make to decide to believe in Christ, to be baptised, to prepare for and to receive Holy Communion as often as possible, and to become part of His Church. That is four choices: first, to believe in Christ; second, to be baptised; third, to prepare for and receive Holy Communion as often as possible; and four, summing up those first three choices, to become part of His Church. As St Basil the Great preached in the fourth century: “There is a certain balance constructed in the interior of each of us by our Creator, on which it is possible to judge the nature of things. [As the book of Deuteronomy states] ‘I [the Lord] have set before you life and death, good and evil,’ two natures contrary to each other.” St Basil continues: “Balance [those two natures] against each other and in your own tribunal.”

Now, a tribunal is a court of justice, and often in Britain a board of people who are appointed to inquire into a specific matter, such as the Grenfell fire disaster and give a judgment on that matter. So what St Basil is saying is that each of us learn within ourselves to balance the choice between good and evil in each decision that we make about how to live our lives.

Origen preached that as set out in the Gospel of St Luke, chapter 17, verse 21, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Then Origen continued: “So it is clear that [those] who pray for the coming of the kingdom of God rightly pray that the kingdom of God might be established and bear fruit and perfected in [themselves].”

That’s quite an important insight. If we wish to draw others to Christ, we first need to be drawn to Him ourselves. If we wish to convince others to become Orthodox Christians, we first have to believe in our hearts that Christ is Lord and has established His Church on earth and that others should join us in this Church. Now, that is not a rejection of other Christians who believe in the Holy Trinity and seek to follow Christ. It is good that in a secular world there should be many Christians who reject that impulse of secularity and seek to know Christ and proclaim Him to others. However, it is important that in our hearts we know that the Orthodox Church is complete within itself and offers that completeness to everyone—both Christians and non-Christians.

I was impressed by a recent documentary on the BBC called “The Last Man on the Moon.” As the American astronaut, Gene Cernan was walking on the moon, he said, “I am proud that I had the competence to get this far.” We too can be proud that we each have the competence to be Orthodox Christians, to grow in our faith in Christ and to draw others to Him and the fullness of His Church.

So be it, as we ascribe as is justly due, all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.