HOW TO LIVE IN SODOM?
GURINSKY MarinaSomething to hide: we are afraid of poverty, criminals, disease, disasters, end of the world and eternal damnation. While the extent of our fears did not match the scale of what we fear. And often we forget that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). But if it's easier, we forget that the Lord is with us; heartily sing in the temple of God With us! or the Lord is my education and my salvation - whom then shall I fear?, but in real life (or, as they say nowadays, "for life") are afraid of all of the above.Honestly, there is reason to fret. Eternal damnation supposed to be afraid of even - and repent and pray for mercy of God; but it is "not the fear, it is fear they may be saved. With the end of the world is more complicated - no fear here, of course, can not do, but it is softened by thinking about the glorious Second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not the feverish quest dubious sources, allegedly informing about the terms and signs. Disaster - what can you do with them, they are not in our power, including - alas! - and man-made, and especially caused by terrorists, but their ability is more useful simply to become reconciled to not dying dozens of times a horrible death in the imagination. And nothing good in the disease (say, because they are spiritually useful, only if we are talking about his illnesses, and to specify writhing in pain on middle spiritual benefits of this state - as something not very good at it). Poverty, too, is relative; so, the billionaire bitter and sad to retrain in a simple millionaires. Here the proverb is composed of: all his sorrows, who has the soup liquid, one pearl chalk.Perhaps worst of all, irrationalise only a reasonable fear of criminals. It's not that any of us can insult, to deprive of property, maim and excruciating way to kill… Yes, it's really scary. But even worse is that the crime is shrouded in the stench of wickedness, and we not only fear for themselves and for loved ones, but also horrified that the deepest abyss of immorality with which the risk to touch, about which we know that it exists and is distributed worldwide. And one is impiety, even if it is not fraught with criminal threat to us personally, plunges in horror.And the question arises: how to live in Sodom? And this question becomes terrible because the Lord can punish Sodom. And we live here.In my opinion, thorough, instructive, and comforting answer to this question is contained in the Second General Epistle of the Holy Apostle Peter. It would be good strength to sit and read it carefully from beginning to end. But you need to specifically configure and soul, and heart, and mind. But if a little bit…The Holy Apostle speaks about indulging in Vice, and about falling away from the faith, and of false prophets and of the Lord's Day, when this world will perish, and that we who believe in Christ the Son of God, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:12). And we need to think about how to come before God unspotted and blameless in peace (3:14). And the longsuffering of the Lord, in the words of the Apostle Paul, read salvation (cf 2:4): the Lord is not willing that people were dying, and waiting for when they come to repentance.So our business in a depraved world - don't cry out except in prayer (is rare to hear and spoken casually pronouncement of punishment on the heads of the wicked, and - even worse - censure directly to the Creator: "God, how can You stand it!"), and to behave. And remember that the righteous performs a very important cause: saving the people from death. But not propaganda and agitation, not loud denunciations, but simply the fact of its existence.Referring to the sad story of Sodom, more precisely, to the prehistory of his death (see Genesis 18:20-33), we can see that the Lord was inclined to give it grace through the intercession of Abraham. The episode "bargaining of Abraham," one of the most dramatic in the old Testament: Abraham requests that were not destroyed the righteous with the wicked. And the Lord agrees to spare the city if there are 50 righteous (Abraham offers). Then Abraham asks for mercy for Sodom, even if the righteous will be just 45… 30… 20… 10. And the Lord every time agrees. But ten not found!Returning to the title, say that living in Sodom is possible - but so as to remain righteous. And this requires some peace of mind, " which can be very difficult. Here the Apostle Peter, speaking of the only merciful exception when destruction of Sodom, indicates that the Lord is righteous Lot, distressed by between people frantically Horny, delivered (for that righteous man dwelling among them, was daily tormented in his righteous soul by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) (2 Pet 2:7-8), because the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation. What an unexpected and good word - "tired"! Not perturbed, not angry, not even worried was Lot in Sodom, and tired, of course, from the constant tension caused by the need not exactly angry, embittered, not to worry, in short - not to volatise into the abyss of passion.