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To get ready to defend my faith, I got a couple of articles from Protestants that attack the Orthodox Church:
This is from CARM (https://carm.org/authority-compare-orthodox-church-with-scripture)
Attack #1)Who has authority to Interpret Scripture? Christians do
In John 11:35 it says, "Jesus wept." the context is as follows:
John 11:33-37, "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” [Lazarus who had died, John 11:14] They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”
Do we need authority from a church or from those who claim apostolic succession to interpret the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept," (John 11:35)? Of course not. We can read it for ourselves and understand it plainly. Are we committing sin by daring to interpret the words? If authority is necessary to interpret God's word, and how is it we can understand it without that authority? Or, can't we just read it for what it says? Of course we can.
Now, that is not to say that all Scripture can be as easily understood. There are scriptures that are more difficult such as Col. 2:14 and Romans 5:18. But, if we are capable of understanding simple scriptures quickly, it makes sense to say we can understand more complicated issues with more study. But in all this, it does not mean that we ignore our church, or other Christians, or ancient councils, etc. But it does mean we have the right to be able to go to the word of God and look at it and see what it says for ourselves. If you don't believe me, consider what the Bible says...
1 John 2:27, "And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him."
My response, so far: That is like saying anarchy is OK and we can interpret the law by ourselves without any authority. Everybody is a liar (Psalm 115:2, OSB) and always has a tendancy to twist the scripture to their own desires (Isiah 55:8; Isiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 16, OSB). Jesus specifically gave the authority of teaching to the apostles (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 18:18; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15; Mark 16:15;Matthew 28:18-20, OSB).
Attack 2:
If we are to submit to Church authority when interpreting Scripture, then...
Does the Bible itself support the idea that we are to submit to church authority when interpreting the word of God and comparing teachings of Scripture. No it does not. In fact, it contradicts this idea.
But, I do not expect the Orthodox Church to agree with what I am saying here in this article. I can only ask that anyone who is reading this would look at the Scriptures I have cited and see for yourself.
And here is another attack from "gotquestions.com" website:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Eastern-Orthodox-church.html
Attack 1: Sadly, the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent from the history and theology of the Orthodox Church. Rather, Orthodoxy emphasizes theosis (literally, “divinization”), the gradual process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. What many in the Orthodox tradition fail to understand is that “divinization” is the progressive result of salvation, not a requirement for salvation itself.
My response, so far: The Orthodox Church does NOT teach that divination is required for salvation. They teach that it is the result of salvation. They are more faith oriented than Roman Catholocism, in other words, the Orthodox Church believes in faith alone is enough. Denying divinization is like saying you can go to the gym on the first day as a whimpy little guy and start lifting 300 lbs. So what do you do? You start lifting 10 lbs, and then later on 20, and then, 30. Eventually, you would be able to really lift 300 lbs. Romans 7:14-19, 1 John 1:5-10, 1 Peter 2:2, and Philippians 3:12 teach that we become more Christlike over time and it is a gradual process.
Attack 2: Other Orthodox distinctives that are in conflict with the Bible include:
The equal authority of church tradition and Scripture
Discouragement of individuals interpreting the Bible apart from tradition
The perpetual virginity of Mary
Prayer for the dead
Baptism of infants without reference to individual responsibility and faith
The possibility of receiving salvation after death
The possibility of losing salvation
How does an Orthodox Christian respond to these attacks.
Also, I also found this attack on Orthodoxy from some guy (Please note that this is done by David J. Stewart, the same guy who wrote that ALL Rock music and even the Disney Channel is of the devil and that women can't wear pants, blah blah blah) who is quite unstable when compared to the two other Protestants I listed above. Here is his website attacking Orthodoxy, (http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False Religions/Russian_Orthodox/russian_orthodox_exposed.htm). l:
Here is his attack :
The Russian Orthodox cult also teaches the damnable heresy of transubstantiation (just as do the Roman Catholics). This is the belief that the wine and bread at communion literally turn into Jesus' blood and flesh in a partaker's stomach. The Bible is very clear that the Lord's Supper is simply a time for REMEMBERING the atoning work of our precious Saviour...
"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." v-1st Corinthians 11:24-26
Nothing in the Bible even remotely indicates that we are digesting Jesus. The belief is that the digested body and blood of Jesus will give us spiritual life. On the contrary, the Word of God teaches that it is the Holy Spirit of God that gives us life...
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." —Romans 8:11
How does an Orthodox Christian use the bible to defend against this specific attack?
This is from CARM (https://carm.org/authority-compare-orthodox-church-with-scripture)
Attack #1)Who has authority to Interpret Scripture? Christians do
In John 11:35 it says, "Jesus wept." the context is as follows:
John 11:33-37, "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” [Lazarus who had died, John 11:14] They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”
Do we need authority from a church or from those who claim apostolic succession to interpret the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept," (John 11:35)? Of course not. We can read it for ourselves and understand it plainly. Are we committing sin by daring to interpret the words? If authority is necessary to interpret God's word, and how is it we can understand it without that authority? Or, can't we just read it for what it says? Of course we can.
Now, that is not to say that all Scripture can be as easily understood. There are scriptures that are more difficult such as Col. 2:14 and Romans 5:18. But, if we are capable of understanding simple scriptures quickly, it makes sense to say we can understand more complicated issues with more study. But in all this, it does not mean that we ignore our church, or other Christians, or ancient councils, etc. But it does mean we have the right to be able to go to the word of God and look at it and see what it says for ourselves. If you don't believe me, consider what the Bible says...
1 John 2:27, "And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him."
My response, so far: That is like saying anarchy is OK and we can interpret the law by ourselves without any authority. Everybody is a liar (Psalm 115:2, OSB) and always has a tendancy to twist the scripture to their own desires (Isiah 55:8; Isiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 16, OSB). Jesus specifically gave the authority of teaching to the apostles (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 18:18; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15; Mark 16:15;Matthew 28:18-20, OSB).
Attack 2:
If we are to submit to Church authority when interpreting Scripture, then...
Does the Bible itself support the idea that we are to submit to church authority when interpreting the word of God and comparing teachings of Scripture. No it does not. In fact, it contradicts this idea.
- Acts 17:11, "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."
- Romans 14:5, "One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind."
But, I do not expect the Orthodox Church to agree with what I am saying here in this article. I can only ask that anyone who is reading this would look at the Scriptures I have cited and see for yourself.
And here is another attack from "gotquestions.com" website:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Eastern-Orthodox-church.html
Attack 1: Sadly, the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent from the history and theology of the Orthodox Church. Rather, Orthodoxy emphasizes theosis (literally, “divinization”), the gradual process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. What many in the Orthodox tradition fail to understand is that “divinization” is the progressive result of salvation, not a requirement for salvation itself.
My response, so far: The Orthodox Church does NOT teach that divination is required for salvation. They teach that it is the result of salvation. They are more faith oriented than Roman Catholocism, in other words, the Orthodox Church believes in faith alone is enough. Denying divinization is like saying you can go to the gym on the first day as a whimpy little guy and start lifting 300 lbs. So what do you do? You start lifting 10 lbs, and then later on 20, and then, 30. Eventually, you would be able to really lift 300 lbs. Romans 7:14-19, 1 John 1:5-10, 1 Peter 2:2, and Philippians 3:12 teach that we become more Christlike over time and it is a gradual process.
Attack 2: Other Orthodox distinctives that are in conflict with the Bible include:
The equal authority of church tradition and Scripture
Discouragement of individuals interpreting the Bible apart from tradition
The perpetual virginity of Mary
Prayer for the dead
Baptism of infants without reference to individual responsibility and faith
The possibility of receiving salvation after death
The possibility of losing salvation
How does an Orthodox Christian respond to these attacks.
Also, I also found this attack on Orthodoxy from some guy (Please note that this is done by David J. Stewart, the same guy who wrote that ALL Rock music and even the Disney Channel is of the devil and that women can't wear pants, blah blah blah) who is quite unstable when compared to the two other Protestants I listed above. Here is his website attacking Orthodoxy, (http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False Religions/Russian_Orthodox/russian_orthodox_exposed.htm). l:
Here is his attack :
The Russian Orthodox cult also teaches the damnable heresy of transubstantiation (just as do the Roman Catholics). This is the belief that the wine and bread at communion literally turn into Jesus' blood and flesh in a partaker's stomach. The Bible is very clear that the Lord's Supper is simply a time for REMEMBERING the atoning work of our precious Saviour...
"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." v-1st Corinthians 11:24-26
Nothing in the Bible even remotely indicates that we are digesting Jesus. The belief is that the digested body and blood of Jesus will give us spiritual life. On the contrary, the Word of God teaches that it is the Holy Spirit of God that gives us life...
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." —Romans 8:11
How does an Orthodox Christian use the bible to defend against this specific attack?
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