...even on me; a wretched, good for nothing sinner...

[Umut]

I think the reason we say "...for I am nothing but a wretched sinner..." in prayers is that so we surrender ourselves to God in the battle vs. temptation so that God sees that we repent and he dwells in our hearts to fight off the devil...

Any other reasons? I ask because from a stranger of Orthodoxy's point of view; the religion makes its followers look bad...

So, any other explanations for assuming ourselves wretched and humble?

 

[countrymousenc]

If I may blunder in, Umut, I think you got it exactly right with the word "surrender." It goes against the grain of modernism, with its emphasis on self-esteem, and that's what really makes us feel queasy about confessing ourselves to be wretched sinners. But, apart from God's help, wretched sinners is all any of us can ever be, and so we must humble ourselves and ask for His help, confessing what we know ourselves to be.

 

[Suzannah]

Dear Umut,
Yes I think you are right! I also think that when we remind ourselves of our sinfulness, and focus on what we must do to overcome it, it gives us far less room to judge others....I think too, that it keeps mindful that we are not to be living for ourselves. The "self" is destructive. I must be give my "self" in order to have God. O'course, this is an uphill battle both ways... LOL!

 

[Umut]

Wow, great points! Thanks!



I will be praying for all of you!

 

[Roald]

From an outsiders perspective...

I've always found that Orthodoxy stresses the 'wretchedness' of the sinner a lot less than Western Christianity. It's definitely a nice counterpoint to the Total Depravity found in Protestant theology.

 

[Oblio]

I've always found that Orthodoxy stresses the 'wretchedness' of the sinner a lot less than Western Christianity. It's definitely a nice counterpoint to the Total Depravity found in Protestant theology.

Actually, unlike Calvinistic theology what we reject is total depravity, and the fact that we cannot undergo a change in nature towards holiness. The change is brought forth in a symbiotic relationship with God, a relationship that is shown and prototyped in the relationship between the persons of the Holy Trinity.