- Oct 4, 2016
- 7,236
- 7,313
- 56
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Oriental Orthodox
- Marital Status
- Single
Hey everybody! A few days ago I started a discussion in the Soteriology board of Theology on the Facebook post listed below. I enjoyed it and realized you might like it as well so I reposted it here for folks that avoid the rest of the forum.
But the second reason for posting is to solicit any kinds of advice for arguing an Eastern position of Soteriology, the Bible etc. especially in regards to Protestant arguments on "imputed righteousness" etc. There are some folks like @ArmyMatt that don't want to be caught into controversies that are a time wasters, or maybe even negative to one's theosis (Is there a handy term for that?). But anyway if Fr. Matt and others got the time etc. I was going to ask that they lurk and if they think of some useful information, advice etc. maybe drop me an message / email on my forum account.
Thanks and have a blessed day.
Interesting Facebook post on Justification
"The reason I cannot, of a good conscience, agree with the Protestant understanding of “Justification by Faith” is all because of one little word. Strong’s will tell you, with Luther, the Reformers, and countless Protestant websites, that “Justification” is “Dikaiosis” in Greek, and that it means “To be declared righteous.” For many years, this was unquestioned truth to me, and I based my whole understanding of my relationship with God on a legal process of God declaring me righteous.
This worldview was completely destroyed when, one day in 2007, I discovered that this is not what the Greek word meant. It is not a legal term, and it nowhere implies “declaration.”
The Greek root of Dikaiosis means “righteous”, and is used to mean “Saint” and “Holy” throughout the Biblical and Christian Tradition. The suffix “-osis” is the aorist tense and means “a state of”, and together the word means a “state of righteousness” not “to be declared righteous.”
If the Septuagint gives the lexical context for the use of this word in the Ancient Church, the Protestant assignment of the meaning of the Latin word “iustificario” from the Vulgate (which was a legal word and assigned by St. Jerome in the 5th century), is an improper assignment. It was a simple mistake to make, but careful scholars can’t allow it to stand when so much hinges on the meaning of this one little word.
To be “legally declared righteous” results in Luther’s famous “snow-covered dung” analogy. To be truly transformed by God’s grace through faith means that we are made into the likeness of Christ. One is external and involves God pretending, the Holy Trinity conspiring within itself to save mankind through legal loopholes, and Christ hiding us from the wrath of God the Father in an act of holy deception. The other is an actual relationship with God that manifests our original purpose and the harmony of Trinity for our salvation, and Christ fulfilled the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are indeed “Justified by Faith”, but this means that we are actually made righteous by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not merely declared to be something that we are not."
-Bishop Joseph Boyd
But the second reason for posting is to solicit any kinds of advice for arguing an Eastern position of Soteriology, the Bible etc. especially in regards to Protestant arguments on "imputed righteousness" etc. There are some folks like @ArmyMatt that don't want to be caught into controversies that are a time wasters, or maybe even negative to one's theosis (Is there a handy term for that?). But anyway if Fr. Matt and others got the time etc. I was going to ask that they lurk and if they think of some useful information, advice etc. maybe drop me an message / email on my forum account.
Thanks and have a blessed day.
Interesting Facebook post on Justification
"The reason I cannot, of a good conscience, agree with the Protestant understanding of “Justification by Faith” is all because of one little word. Strong’s will tell you, with Luther, the Reformers, and countless Protestant websites, that “Justification” is “Dikaiosis” in Greek, and that it means “To be declared righteous.” For many years, this was unquestioned truth to me, and I based my whole understanding of my relationship with God on a legal process of God declaring me righteous.
This worldview was completely destroyed when, one day in 2007, I discovered that this is not what the Greek word meant. It is not a legal term, and it nowhere implies “declaration.”
The Greek root of Dikaiosis means “righteous”, and is used to mean “Saint” and “Holy” throughout the Biblical and Christian Tradition. The suffix “-osis” is the aorist tense and means “a state of”, and together the word means a “state of righteousness” not “to be declared righteous.”
If the Septuagint gives the lexical context for the use of this word in the Ancient Church, the Protestant assignment of the meaning of the Latin word “iustificario” from the Vulgate (which was a legal word and assigned by St. Jerome in the 5th century), is an improper assignment. It was a simple mistake to make, but careful scholars can’t allow it to stand when so much hinges on the meaning of this one little word.
To be “legally declared righteous” results in Luther’s famous “snow-covered dung” analogy. To be truly transformed by God’s grace through faith means that we are made into the likeness of Christ. One is external and involves God pretending, the Holy Trinity conspiring within itself to save mankind through legal loopholes, and Christ hiding us from the wrath of God the Father in an act of holy deception. The other is an actual relationship with God that manifests our original purpose and the harmony of Trinity for our salvation, and Christ fulfilled the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are indeed “Justified by Faith”, but this means that we are actually made righteous by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not merely declared to be something that we are not."
-Bishop Joseph Boyd
Last edited: