Ep. 160: I certainly can't but God can

It is sin that kills, not the law. Opening Romans 7:7, Father Genard Lazar stands with Paul: Is the law sin? Far be it. The commandment does not produce evil — it makes sin known. What you did not recognize, the law names; and once named, you are accountable.A dumbbell is not bad because weak arms cannot lift it. The law had power to strengthen; man was weak in the flesh. Christ alone had the holiness to fulfill it. Paul points not to murder or adultery — outward acts — but to coveting, the hidden passion of the heart. The law exposes not only what we do, but the desires within.Without the law, sin was dead. When the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died — Eden again. God said, Do not eat, for life, not to kill. He did not say, I will kill you. When you disobey, you separate yourself from the source of life. You are dead. Admission and confession are not enough. Pray for repentance. Come back. Eat His Body and drink His Blood. Live under the new law of the Spirit in Jesus Christ.Key takeaways:• The law is not sin — it reveals sin; man was evil, not the commandment• Coveting shows the law reaches the inward heart, not only outward acts• Sin kills by separating us from God; the commandment was given for life• Admit and confess, then repent — without return there is no forgivenessListen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.

Death puts asunder. A wife is bound while her husband lives — but if he dies, she is free. Finishing Romans 6 and opening Romans 7, Father Genard Lazar drives home Paul’s hard edge: the wages of sin is death you earn; eternal life is a gift you cannot merit — and it comes only through Jesus Christ our Lord.You cannot serve sin and praise God. Oil and water do not mix. When we chose immorality and the world’s patterns, we were free from righteousness — free from obedience to God. Baptism put us to death with Christ. We became Christians at the font, not by reading Scripture alone. Now we are called to be slaves to holiness, bearing fruit whose end is eternal life. “Once saved, always saved” collapses under Paul: we died to the law by the body of Christ so we might belong to Him who rose — and bring forth fruit unto God.Be holy, for the Lord your God is holy. From Adam’s side came Eve; from the pierced side of the second Adam come blood and water — and we are His bride. If the shoe fits, wear it. Repent. The gift is free because Christ paid the debt.Key takeaways:• The wages of sin is death — earned; eternal life is God’s gift — not a wage or a merit• Eternal life is only through our Lord Jesus Christ, not through any other name or council• Baptism is death with Christ; death puts asunder the old bond so we may belong to the risen Bridegroom• Holiness and evil do not mix — sanctification is God’s will for those set apart at the fontListen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.

A fifth amendment may help in an earthly court, but not before Christ the righteous Judge. In this episode Father Genard Lazar opens the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22: the invitation is our present life, the wedding hall is the Church, and the King will examine every guest at the final judgment. Merely coming to church — even being baptized — does not mean the verdict is already in our favor. The man without a wedding garment was speechless. There is no counsel, no village patron, and no excuse that will stand.Drawing on St. John Chrysostom and the teaching of the Church, this episode calls us to wake up, repent (not merely admit), and put on the garment of virtue before that day.Key takeaways:• The wedding garment is the life of virtue and good deeds that reveal the quality of our faith• We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ — including those saved by grace (Matthew 25:31-46; Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10)• “The devil made me do it,” “I didn’t know,” and “I didn’t have time” will not answer• Repentance is turning and returning — as the Church of the East prays — not a one-line “forgive me”• Prepare now: be reconciled (Matthew 5:25-26), keep oil in the lamp (Matthew 25:1-13), and repent (Luke 13:1-5)Listen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.

Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Far be it. Continuing Romans 6, Father Genard Lazar teaches that dying with Christ in baptism does not mean we will never be tempted — only that we must not continue to live in sin. Grace is the strength to get up, confess, and repent. It is not an excuse, a license, or a justification to remain in uncleanness. “Once saved, always saved” is heresy; to preach it is to pervert the grace of God (Jude 1).There are two masters. Yield yourself to sin and the wage is death — distance from the life of God now, and eternal separation if we remain there. Yield yourself to righteousness and walk in the apostolic teaching (Acts 2:42): prayer, the Eucharist, and the liturgy of the Church. Mar Isho'dad writes that in baptism the dominion of sin is broken: freedom from sin is not freedom to sin, but freedom to serve righteously. Your members are instruments. They belong to God. Use them for holiness.Key takeaways:• Temptation will come (Luke 17:1); falling is not the same as remaining in sin• We were freed from sin in baptism — not by the sinner’s prayer alone• You cannot call Christ Lord and not do as He commands; live church all seven days, not only Sunday• Yield your body to righteousness and holiness, not to immorality• If you are convicted, pray, consult your parish priest, and walk the path of penitence — and do not claim victory before the fight is finishedListen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.

If you died with Christ in baptism, how should you now live? Romans 6 calls every believer to stop letting sin reign and to walk in the new life of righteousness through prayer, obedience, the holy sacraments, and continual repentance.Drawing on the wisdom of the Church Fathers, this episode offers practical guidance for living the victory already won in baptism.Key takeaways:• Baptism is real participation in Christ’s death—not mere symbolism• Temptation is not sin; yielding to it is• A life of prayer, fasting, Eucharist, and repentance keeps us free• Remember your baptism daily and refuse to return to the old ways

Grace is not a license to sin. In this episode we unpack Romans 6:1-5 and the true meaning of baptism: dying with Christ, being buried into His death, and rising to a new life that requires ongoing repentance.Key takeaways:• “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid.”• Baptism (not just belief) puts us to death to sin once for all• The Prodigal Son shows the real path after we fall: admit, return, confess, receive the new garment, and feast• Cheap grace and “once saved, always saved” are refuted by Scripture

In this powerful Bible study, Father Genard Lazar breaks down Romans Chapter 5 — the contrast between Adam and Christ, sin and grace, death and life.Discover how sin and death entered the world through one man’s disobedience, yet God’s grace abounds much more through Jesus Christ, bringing justification, righteousness, and eternal life.From the Assyrian Church of the East perspective, learn what we truly inherit from Adam (consequences, not personal guilt), the purpose of the Law, and how to live as justified believers who persevere in faith.Key Takeaways• Christ’s grace is greater than Adam’s offense• We inherit mortality & inclination to sin — not guilt• Grace is not a license to sin — it calls us to repentance and obedience• Salvation: I have been saved, I am being saved, I will be saved

From Muslim to Subdeacon in the Assyrian Church of the East — The powerful testimony of Sub-Deacon Steve Mortada.Born into a Muslim Lebanese family in Australia, Steve grew up celebrating secular Christmas, questioning God, and eventually walking away from faith. But everything changed when a Bible verse pierced his heart and led him to the Assyrian Church of the East.In this moving testimony from the 38th Annual Youth Conference, Steve shares his incredible journey:•⁠ ⁠Growing up in a divided Muslim home•⁠ ⁠13-year family estrangement after marrying a Christian•⁠ ⁠The exact Bible verse (Matthew 10:34-36) that brought him to his knees•⁠ ⁠Finding his spiritual home at St. Peter & Paul Parish in Sydney•⁠ ⁠Baptism, ordination as Subdeacon, and reconciliation with his parentsA story of redemption, forgiveness, and God’s perfect timing.

Neither our faith without Christ’s blood, nor Christ’s blood without our faith, can justify us. Continuing in Romans 5, this episode asks a hard question: if God only promised and never fulfilled, could we still call Him faithful? Just as His promises are confirmed by their fulfillment, our faith must be confirmed by deeds — and by the blood of the Cross.While we were still weak, sinners, and enemies, Christ gave Himself up to death — not after we had made ourselves worthy, but before we asked. That is the love of God. St. Paul writes that we are justified by His blood. We die with Him and walk in new life not by believing alone, but by the holy sacrament of baptism. And we remain in Him by eating His Body and drinking His Blood.The power is not the strength of our faith. The power is the blood of Christ. Yet that blood is not forced upon us: we must believe, repent, and continue in the sacraments of the Church.Key takeaways:• Faith without deeds is dead — as a promise without fulfillment is not faithfulness• Christ died for the wicked, not the good; that is divine love• Justification is by His blood and by faith — never one without the other• Baptism is real death and new life with Christ, not a symbolListen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.

Abraham was a hundred years old. Sarah’s womb was dead. Of course a man cannot — but God can. In this episode we continue in Romans 4 and watch Abraham’s faith refuse to measure the promise by the weakness of the body. The same God who quickens the dead is able to fulfill whatever He has spoken.The promise to Abraham was not through the law — the law had not even been given — but through the righteousness of faith. That seed is Christ, and those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. We are not heirs of an earthly land, but co-heirs with Jesus Christ of eternal life. Therefore being justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ — and if we have no relationship with Him, we are at war with God, not He with us.St. John Chrysostom names the grace we have entered: knowledge of God, baptism, absolution, the Holy Eucharist — gifts that extend from the priesthood of the Church. Hope does not shame us, because the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given in holy baptism. We cannot. God can.Key takeaways:• Abraham did not stare at his weakness; he was fully convinced God would do what He promised• The law reveals transgression — it does not make heirs• Peace with God is only through Jesus Christ; falling back into sin is making war with Him again• Grace is baptism, Eucharist, and a life of repentance — not a feelingListen, share, and let the double-edged sword do its work in you today. Rate and review the podcast so more people encounter the living Word.