In the last issue, I introduced, in contrast to the Eastern Church’s understanding of salvation, that of St. Augustine. He presents his notion of grace which is not embraced by the Eastern Church. For Augustine, it seems that many may never participate in God’s deifying energies, and therefore man and God remain forever external to each other. Ultimately, this leads to salvation not defined by communion with God, but rather primarily a moral and legal relationship.

I realize that many want to believe that there is really only one truth and, when I present a different approach – an approach that I believe the Eastern Church embraces – they may become confused. They when I add that I am not saying that one way is right and the other wrong, they become doubly confused. The fact of the matter we can never know the whole truth and, therefore, there are many ways that lead us to union with God. I believe that at least for me, the Eastern approach makes much more sense.

In contrast, the Eastern Church’s view of justification is being empowered by grace to live according to God’s will. By living according to God’s will, we effect our sanctification, thereby participating in God’s life. By being united with the One Who overcomes death, we overcome sin anhd death, participating in His victory, making it our own. In the Eastern Church’s perspective, Anselm’s understanding of God’s wrath and punishment are non-existent.

Our Eastern Church teaches that Christ, by His very Incarnation, takes away the sin of the world. St. Gregory the Theologian says the passage “the word was made flesh” is:

… equivalent to that in which it is said that “He was made sin or a curse for us”; not that the Lord was transformed into either of these – how could he be? But because by taking them upon him he took away our sins and bore our iniquities.

The beginning of the Eastern Church’s view of the Atonement is the Incarnation. The middle of this process is the Cross, through which Christ, as St. Basil the Great explains, “gave Himself as a ransom to death, in which we were held captive, sold under sin, [and] descending through the Cross into hell – that He might fill all things with Himself – he loosed the pangs of death.”

(More to come)