I just wanted to share a summary that I wrote of a book by Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty called "Man and Redemption", where he explains the Orthodox view of the atonement using Scriptural and Patristic sources. This summary isn't academic in nature, it was for my own reference. I highly recommend you guys read the actual book, which can be found
here. Feel free to elaborate upon this summary if you would like. If anyone else who has read the book feels I am doing Fr. Tadros' work injustice, then please tell me so I can correct myself.
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Free-Will and Adam’s SinGod has created us in his image: love. God wishes to pour forth his love on each of us personally as if each one of us were a close personal friend. In contemplating the relationship of God and man one must acknowledge the soul and body. Contrary to the teachings of Origen the body is not a prison but, rather a divine gift by which one can partake of all human needs. God wishes to send forth his salvation on man as a whole, both soul and body. He sent his eternal Word to become incarnate and through him we may dwell in the bosom of the Father eternally. God bestows upon us free will. St. Cyril states that we were created in the divine image; free-will. By Adam’s disobedience we lost the divine image (free-will). How then was our free will weakened? St Athanasius said that prior to Adam’s fall the human mind was not subject to carnal lusts, now it is however, and we must lift up our minds to God through his grace. He continues to say that our souls, mobile by nature, did not cease activity but, rejected what was good and turned towards evil. St Clement said that Adam and Eve became fixated on sexual lusts and became overpowered by carnal pleasures. He teaches that Adam represents all of mankind and that everyone has a choice to either obey God or violate his ordinances as Adam and Eve had before us. We did not inherit their own guilt or fault but rather their perverted sensuality. In his battle with heretics Origen taught the preexistence of souls. He said that God created these souls as equal essences that tried to imitate him. The souls disobeyed God, though, not as awfully as the demons. They were bound to human bodies as imprisonment (this is Origen’s heretical teaching)
Free-will and God’s ProvidenceGod uses the evil committed against others for their salvation. St Clement clarifies this point using the biblical example of Joseph. And also Judas in his misuse of free-will brought about the crucifixion, the central turning point of human salvation. God does not create evil, but, he does not prevent it when it’s displayed in others. Why? Because God can use this evil to bring about good. Had Judas not betrayed Christ there would be no passion or crucifixion. And thus no resurrection and no victory over principalities and powers. Also, how is virtue to be brought about if there is no struggle with evil?
Human NatureMan is a true unity of body and soul. Both dynamic existences within his being. So the Incarnate Word took upon true humanity and upon doing so he has blessed human nature as a whole, as taught by saints Severus and Philoxenos. Alexandrian fathers struggled against Gnostic heretics who rejected the body as evil. The body can be used for good or evil depending on how the mind presides over it. There is nothing inherently evil about us because we were created by God. The human mind is crucial to our relationship with God. With divine grace the human mind can conceive mysteries otherwise unfathomable. St Athanasius says that the soul has the “word of faith” inscribed in it. The Lord Christ also said the Kingdom of Heaven is within us all. The road to God is our own soul and the intelligence that resides therein. Through the Lord Christ one can have a loving communion with the Father in the Son and through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit unites us in our complete human nature (soul, mind, body, energies, and emotions) to God and he harmonizes us with ourselves. Before they were in Christ Sts Paul the Apostle and Moses the Black were wicked, but, through the Holy Spirit there lives were changed.
God’s Role in Man’s SalvationSt. Athanasius said that when Adam disobeyed God we deviated from paradise into death and we needed someone to renew us. Repentance alone does not allow us to realize the fruit of disobedience, death, as a result of Adam’s disobedience. It also does not have the power to conquer sin and death. The Mosaic law only made us realize our sins, but, it cannot grant us true life. It prepared the way for the Messiah, the heavenly physician. Man needs a redeemer who can reconcile God’s mercy and justice together granting him a new life which tramples death. He is the Christ the incarnate only-begotten son. The Savior must be God himself. He granted us the following:
1. Declaring the Creator’s Goodness
God formed man from nothing and prepared for him salvation. In the last of days he sent his only son for the world’s salvation see John 3:16. St Athanasius says that it would not be appropriate if God let his creation waste away as a result of Satan’s deceit so he came to show us his love. Saint Clement of Alexandria says that the Word who fashioned us came as our teacher and taught us how to live, he may afterwards as God grant us eternal life, he pitied us since the beginning then appeared to us and saved us.
2. To Join Us With Himself
Redemption is unity with God. By Christ’s blood we can be united with God. St Athanasius says that had Christ been a creature we could not unite to God. Origen says that Christ’s blood propitiated us and that he destroyed the enemies and made peace, he reconciled us to God by abolishing the barrier of wickedness caused by sin.
3. To Accomplish God’s Sentence of Death
St Athanasius said that Christ assumed humanity and death on our behalf. He died in the place of all. Through him all may be free of the curse that resulted due to our sin. By his resurrection all may be free from corruption. By his death he set us all free from the liability of our transgressions.
4. To Undergo Death (and conquer it)
The problem surrounding our human nature was not only forgiveness of sins , but, the death and corruption that it was subject to. St. Cyril says Christ’s perfect humanity was the only thing that could trample death. St Clement said by assuming death Christ turned death into life and turned mortality to immortality. St Athanasius teaches that Christ assumed mortal human form in order to die and resurrect, conquering death. He continues to say that by assuming our nature Christ has, in a way, united and dwelled with each and every one of us. Death no longer holds us because of the Word Incarnate‘s assumption of death. He also raises the question saying if God made man by a word why not redeem him by a word? But, bringing things into being is different than redeeming things already in existence, so it was only appropriate that God would use a human instrument to redeem us. Because death was engendered to the body the Savior fought death in a body.
5. To Conquer Our Enemy, Satan
St Athanasius says that if Christ were a creature then Satan should have no anxiety because of our Lord Jesus Christ, but, because Christ was God himself he conquered the enemy. By conquering death, the tool which Satan used to hold humanity in his clutches, Christ has conquered Satan.
6. To Raise Us Up To Heaven
In him, Christ, we may unite with God and be raised to heaven.
7. To Renew Our Nature
St. Paul makes a distinction between animal’s sacrifices and Christ’s sacrifice. The former had to be repeated because it was incapable of renewing human nature. Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all and all who turn to him can have their nature renewed turning mortality into immortality. We can participate in his life. Origen says Christ summons those who are flesh to bear his divine image. He may deify us (not in his essence of course). St Clement said the Logos reduced himself to our weakness so that we may be raised to power. God became man so that we may learn from a man how to “become god”. St Athanasius says God assumed what was ours so that he may impart to us what is his. We become a new creation. Christ has come in the flesh, condemned sin, and sanctified our nature that we may partake of his, see 2 Pet 1:4. By his incarnation Christ has despoiled Hades renewed Adam and made paradise accessible to all. He has turned curse to blessing.
8. To Realize Universalism
The Savior’s sacrifice took effect in all times and places. All who turn to him can have eternal life.
9. To Grant Us True Knowledge “Gnosis”
St Clement calls spiritual believers “Gnostics”. Knowledge comes from the Father through the Son. The Son came to grant us knowledge of the Father.
Man’s Role In His Salvation1. Predestination and Man’s Free Will
God does not “predestine” someone’s fate nor does he choose people for their salvation. It is his desire that all may be saved. God wishes all to live in him. It is our own choice to cut ourselves off from him. What St Paul means in Eph 1:4 is that God has imparted knowledge and love of him in our hearts.
2. Faith and Good Works
A. The Alexandrian Church integrates all aspects of living in the life of her faithful. Theology cannot be separated from worship and asceticism. Many Alexandrian Patriarchs were deans of the Catechetical school of Alexandria. We must live our lives in Christ by participating in worship and having a good relationship with others not just believing in dogmas alone.
B. We cannot perform good works like practicing the law or believe that we can save ourselves based on our own righteousness. Good works performed in the grace of God are from a believer’s heart and perfects faith. We cannot perform anything righteous apart from God. Our works will affect our judgment. The Alexandrian fathers said that good works is our reaction to God’s love by his help.
3. Grace and Man’s Free-Will
A believer can choose to have the will of God act within him. At the same time one can reject God’s grace. “For we are God’s fellow workers” - Corinthians 3:9. Salvation is achieved when God and man work together. [Remember Origen’s example in Psalm 126 (127)].
4. Trust in Enjoying the Kingdom
Hope in the mercy of God otherwise, you will lose salvation. Though we can be saved by Christ’s sacrifice we must repent and realize we are sinners.
Comments
Can you find any sources, either Fr Tadros or ancient patristics, that speak about assurance in salvation? It seems to me that there is a creeping theology that says no one can be sure that they are going to heaven. This is propogated by hagiographical stories of monks who feared losing their inheritance of the heavenly kingdom even at the moment of death. But I think the Bible speaks of the opposite. There are many passages of assurance of the inheritance of heaven by Christ's blood. I can list them but I know I'll be accused of Protestantism. I am not able to find any good patristic writings. Any thoughts? Anyone?
Severian,
Can you find any sources, either Fr Tadros or ancient patristics, that speak about assurance in salvation? It seems to me that there is a creeping theology that says no one can be sure that they are going to heaven. This is propogated by hagiographical stories of monks who feared losing their inheritance of the heavenly kingdom even at the moment of death. But I think the Bible speaks of the opposite. There are many passages of assurance of the inheritance of heaven by Christ's blood. I can list them but I know I'll be accused of Protestantism. I am not able to find any good patristic writings. Any thoughts? Anyone?
Are you referring to sola fide? In any case, I encourage you to actually read Fr. Tadros' book. Anyway, here are some Patristics which seem to be against guaranteed salvation:
http://www.catholic-forum.com/members/catholictracts/tract44.html
Specifically, this one quote really deals with the issue at hand:
St. John Chrysostom (Homilies on John, 31:1 [A.D. 391]) "‘Is it then enough,' saith one, ‘to believe on the Son, that one may have eternal life?' By no means... Though a man believe rightly on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet if he lead not a right life, his faith will avail nothing towards his salvation."
No. I am not talking about sola fide. I am talking about a person who believes in the Trinity AND leads a righteous life. Are we supposed to doubt an assured inheritance? Is there even such a thing as an assured inheritance for such a person? I think the Bible says there is an assured inheritance. I am looking for patristic writings to corroborate it.
The issue is no one can say that he is perfect or that he has reached perfection. Who can say that he is leading a righteous life, even if he is in comparison to those around him?
The spiritual life is a life of struggle and the fathers teach us that the devil is ready to strike when one thinks he has reached some sort of gain in the spiritual life.
Our Lord tells us:
"when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’"
Who can say that he has done all the commandments? Even if he has done everything, he is still an unprofitable servant.
Our deeds are judged by God not us. Who are we to say that we are righteous?
Mastering the spiritual path is likened to mastering a certain sport. No matter how skillful the trainee may think of himself, the trainer will keep pushing his student to the limit. Once the trainee reaches a certain level, his master will push him to the next level.
I am not talking about one who claims to take God's place in judgment. I am talking about relying and being completely assured that if one believes in God and leads a righteous life, he can rely on God's promise that he WILL receive an inheritance, not merely hope for an inheritance.
I guess I am not being clear. My question pertains to a person who believes in the Trinity AND leads a righteous life. By leading a righteous life, I mean he does works of righteousness that include complete humility. This person acknowledges that he is an unprofitable servant. This person doesn't judge himself worthy but unworthy.
I am not talking about one who claims to take God's place in judgment. I am talking about relying and being completely assured that if one believes in God and leads a righteous life, he can rely on God's promise that he WILL receive an inheritance, not merely hope for an inheritance.
In this context, the liturgical prayers are full of such an attitude.
The Lord's prayer itself teaches us this. When we pray Our Father, this gives us the assurance that God is really our Father and we proceed to ask Him for His Kingdom "thy Kingdom come".
We are sure that our names are written in the book of life, but it is up to us to preserve it.
We have this hope that we are all counted among the saints and our names are engraved on His hands. However, e need to work our salvation.
It seems in our attempts to fight Calvinism and Protestantism we have not given an alternative meaning or understanding of predestination. We hear that word and we dismiss it in entirety, not realizing that predestination is an Orthodox concept (at least liturgically). I am looking for patristic evidence for predestination.
Not to get technical, but with the verse you put here from Ephesians about the "guarantee", the KJV has that as earnest, I looked at it in the Greek, and it is actually "pledge" - which has a very different meaning (I think) than "guarantee". I found this piece from ACCS on that verse which agrees with pledge as well:
GUARANTEE CONTRASTED WITH PLEDGE. JEROME: A guarantee (arraboœn, “earnest”) is not the same as a token or pledge. For a guarantee is given as an affidavit and bond for a future purchase. But a pledge … is an expression of a present reciprocal transaction. Thus when the money is returned the pledge is restored by the creditor to the one who has repaid the debt…. So from the guarantee the majestic scope of the future inheritance may be grasped. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.1.14
Having said that, and it being late and not having tons of references before me, my understanding from other readings was that yes, we are indeed to be confident that is "His good pleasure" to give us the Kingdom! The monastic stories were meant to off-balance us from believing we could live whatever way we like and enter the Kingdom unworthily...i.e. all ten virgins believed in Christ and were invited to the wedding, but not all had oil type thing
So I was raised and read to believe that I can be confident of God's promises, so long as I struggle to "live worthy of the vocation wherewith we were called" (Eph 4:1)
I remember reading that the only predestination concept to which we subscribe is "predestination according to the foreknowledge of God", which is to say that He did not make something happen, but rather knew that it would happen. This is illustrated in the verse from the same chapter you're using:
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph 1:11)
Saint John Chrysostom qualifies this verse to express that the "predestination according to foreknowledge" clause was written to emphasise that this inheritance was not by "luck", but rather that since God knew us already, that the inheritance given to us as an intentional gift. [but that does not mean, of course, that one could never lose that inheritance]:
"Since inheritance is a matter of fortune, not of choice or virtue, it often depends on obscure or fortuitous circumstances, overlooking virtue. It may bring to the fore those who are of no account. But notice how Paul qualifies this statement. … He says “have been destined,” that is, God has set us apart for himself. It is as if to say God saw us before we became heirs. The foreknowledge of God is wonderful and sees all things before they occur." (Saint John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians)
pray for me.
[quote author=Remnkemi link=topic=13539.msg159209#msg159209 date=1345670712]
Good, now let's take it a step farther. This thread is called "Man and Redemption". Part of redemption, as described in Ephesians 1 is predestination. We were predestined for adoption, chosen before the foundation of the world to be "holy and without blame before Him" (Ephesians 1:4). The result is an assurance of inheritance personally guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13, 14)
It seems in our attempts to fight Calvinism and Protestantism we have not given an alternative meaning or understanding of predestination. We hear that word and we dismiss it in entirety, not realizing that predestination is an Orthodox concept (at least liturgically). I am looking for patristic evidence for predestination.
[quote author=fortunatus link=topic=13539.msg159218#msg159218 date=1345697833]
Not to get technical, but with the verse you put here from Ephesians about the "guarantee", the KJV has that as earnest, I looked at it in the Greek, and it is actually "pledge" - which has a very different meaning (I think) than "guarantee". I found this piece from ACCS on that verse which agrees with pledge as well:
I agree that pledge has a different meaning than guarantee from a linguistic view. From a predestination view, I don't see the difference. I'll explain below. This made some sense until we came to the last sentence. It seems Jerome made a point of distinguishing pledge from guarantee because a pledge is completed in the present tense, while a guarantee is completed in the future. It seems he wanted to point out that Ephesians 1 speaks of a pledge, not a guarantee. But then in the last sentence he writes, "so from the guarantee the majestic scope of the future inheritance may be grasped." Maybe this is just a matter of translation. I think it is more. If a pledge is "an expression of a present reciprocal transaction", it assumes the transaction is completed in the present tense. But Ephesians 1 and Hebrew 11 speak of a promise being fulfilled in the future. By Jerome's definition, it must be a guarantee. Hence why Jerome used "guarantee" in his last sentence. These are two different issues. A person can have a guarantee with conditions for compliance, but it is still a guarantee. The ten virgins had one condition: to be ready with extra oil for their lamps. Five complied, five didn't. However, the assurance of the guarantee that the bridegroom will come (again some time in the future) was always there. The guarantee was fulfilled. Focusing on the condition and worrying about compliance not only depreciates the guarantee itself, but also berates and discredits the guarantor. One servant can say "I must bring oil to comply so that I hopefully can inherit heaven. My guarantor is 'a hard man', reaping and gathering at a very high standard, expecting no mistakes. If I don't bring enough oil, I know my guarantor will not credit me worthy of heaven." and another servant says "I will go to heaven because I know I comply and I brought enough oil. And if I didn't bring enough oil, I know my guarantor will still credit me worthy of heaven." Do you see the difference? The first says the guarantee is so fickle and fragile and only a contentious guarantor gives a volatile guarantee. The latter says, my guarantor is most merciful and stronger than any compliance check point. I will do my best to comply, but I know will inherit the promise.
Again, it seems in our attempt to fight Protestantism, we have totally become the first type of servant. St Paul tells us to be the second type of servant in Ephesians 1. There is a very blurry line between the knowing the future and making (or directing) the future. Yes God is omniscient and knows the future. But predestination must mean more than just knowing the future. Suppose, God knows I will be hit by a car one day in the future. If it is His will that I live, he will "predestine" me so that I don't get hit by a car; (with the condition that it is not against my will to be saved from a car collision.) On that day, the omnipotent God will cause any one of an infinite number of processes that will result in my not getting hit by a car. This is how God predestined me for a specific inheritance. It is more than foreknowledge. The absolute assurance in this inheritance is a godly virtue and fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and it is essential to my salvation (Ephesians 1). This is the idea St Paul was speaking of in Ephesians 1.
Any thoughts?
I was hoping someone would comment and let me know if there is a flaw in my argument. Does the silence mean everyone agrees?
Before people begin to bash on St. Augustine based on secondary sources, I figured I'd include some of his sayings here on foreknowledge and predestination:
De prasedestinatione sanctorum 19 (PL 44), trans. Roland J. Teske, in Answer to the Pelagians IV, NY: New City Press, 1999, p. 166. +++
Contra Julianum 4.43 (PL 44), trans. Roland J. Teske, in Answer to the Pelagians II, NY: New City Press, 1998, p. 406. +++
Summary: "Foreknowledge" is not the same as "forewill,"and "predestination," and also "all" is not the same as "many."
Allow me to balance this Western thought on a scale with Eastern thought:
St. John of Damascus, Expositio fidei, Book 2 ch. 30, trans. Frederic Chase, in St. John of Damascus: Writings. FC 37. Washington, D.C.: CUA Press, 1958. p. 263-4.
God gave everyone a specific time to live. This is the only predestination that is played in one's life. The time of birth and the time of death. To illustrate, one is predestined to be born on Jan 1, 1900 and to die on Jan 1, 1980. This person is predestined to live 80 years.
However, he may live longer or shorter depending on what kind of life he lives. If end up being a drunkard and drug addict, he actually shortens his life. In this manner, he did not live wisely and shortened his life through his evil livelihood.
In contrast, this person might have lived a righteous life and people blessed him and asked God to lengthen his life. Accordingly, God may answer these prayers and lengthen the 80 years.
Following, God would protect one from an accident because his life has not come to an end as of yet.
Now also being the pragmatist--forgive me--I must warn some of the posters here about my former protestant upbringing. I have seen inquiries about Calvinism and Presbyterianism here. Please be very careful around such people. They can crush the Holy Spirit within you if you are expecting a Christian bond with them.
They "have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof".
Some here have correctly compared aspects of Calvinism with the Allah of Islam and concepts of Inshallah. Believe it or not, you may find more civility from a Muslim on these subjects than a Calvinist protestant. Beware.