What is meant bypredestination? When it is used in a spiritual context it expresses the view that God has eternally chosen those whom He intends to save. This is a view in direct opposition to early Christianity’s teaching that salvation is influenced by the use of free will. While it is given that salvation is by God’s grace, we have a free will that makes it possible for us to choose to follow or ignore God. Orthodox teaching has consistently taught that to be saved we must choose to respond to God’s grace. This debate developed in the sixteenth century during the Protestant Reformation. We will show that predestination is in direct conflict with the Holy Tradition and Scriptural understanding of the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Christianity upholds an ancient held belief that free will is essential for attaining Salvation.
Being made in His image and likeness we received a divine gift of free will that God expects us to use to do His will out of our love of Him. Free will gives us the ability to make choices to either follow God’s freely given grace, or we can make choices based on our own desires, disregarding God’s intentions and ignoring His grace working in us. This view stands in stark contrast to the deterministic view called predestination. Let’s discuss this further.
Orthodox understanding is rooted in Scripture starting with the the account of Adam and Eve.
God offered Adam and Eve a test by forbidding them to eat the fruit of the tree in the center of the garden. They were tempted, and, using their free will, chose to disobey God’s command. The consequence was their separation from God and their expulsion from Paradise, leading them to mortal lives. Throughout Scripture there are numerous examples of God inviting people to follow His direction and chosing to go against His will. Verses such as Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, Revelation 3:20 and others highlight this dynamic.
Orthodox Christianity recognizes that human free will is an integral part of the image of God.
God has created us with the capacity to reason, discern, and make choices. He challenges us to develop in His image and become like Him. However, like Adam and Eve, we have capability to either cooperate with God’s will or disregard it. Our choices reflect how individuals respond to God’s love and invitation. We are commanded to love Him with our whole heart. If we have such love we will always desire to do His will. Grace will help us do this and the tendency to do so will grow in us. In this way we desire to cultivate a loving relationship with God, embracing His unconditional love for us unconditionally, knowing He desires our love in return.
Orthodox affirm that grace is freely given to all of humanity, but we must choose to follow it.
No one is excluded from His love or His desire for us to be saved. At the appropriate time, God sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to reveal the fullness of this image and show us the path to salvation. This is a path that leads to reunion with God with eternal life in His kingdom. Jesus made it clear that even though salvation is available to all, each individual must learn to follow His commandments. Therefore, our personal salvation depends on how we use our free will. The proper use of free will in cooperation with God’s grace, is called synergia.
Our view on free will determines how we live our lives.
It determines how we grow spiritually and become prepared to enter His kingdom where eternal life awaits us. It is a path or a way of life. Orthodox Christians view this path being open to everyone through God’s grace. This path was called the “Way” by the early Christians as recorded several places in the Book of Acts. It is a path that leads to a union with God called Theosis, which is the alignment of our will with God’s will, making us like Him. This is the ultimate goal of an Orthodox Christian’s way of life. Orthodox faithful understand that their choices matter. Life is seen as an ongoing journey involving ongoing repentance, voluntarily engaging in spiritual disciplines that includes regular participation in the sacraments like Holy Communion and Confession, maintaining a daily prayer life, and practicing regular fasting.
John Calvin introduced an innovative view in the 16th century.
He proclaimed a doctrine of predestination based on a new interpretation of certain passages in the Bible differing from the tradition of the Church. Calvin and other reformers relied on two primary passages in developing his new view: Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29-30.
The Calvinist interpretation the phase, “He chose us in him before creation of the world,” was used as evidence of God’s selective predestination to eternal life in either Heaven or Hell. Calvinists argue that God’s choice and our predestination occurs independently of any consideration of our choices based on free will.
Orthodox Christianity, drawing from centuries of patristic writings, interprets this passage differently. They view it in the context of God’s inclusive grace and His desire for salvation for all. In Orthodox understanding, rather than an arbitrary pre-selection, the emphasis is on God’s foreknowledge of individual actions and an invitation extended to all people. God’s foreknowledge does not imply control over human choices, but rather the foresight how we will choose. God seeks our love and knows that love can only come from a free will that follows His commandments.
In Roman 8:30 Paul writes: “whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Calvinists interpret this as evidence of God’s predetermined plan for salvation, implying that there is a predetermined order or calling, justification and glorification. Orthodox see this as God’s plan for those who love Him and who freely choose to serve Him in humility. (Rom 8:28). We can be assured that once called, having faith, being baptized, and then striving in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to root out all passions, we will be justified and then glorified. This provides hope that our efforts will lead to becoming like Him. He knows us all and desires that we all be justified. This passage as understood by Orthodox Christians gives hope that our efforts will lead to becoming like him.
St. Symeon the New Theologian says,
“What good is it to me if I throw myself into many labors, if I give proof of repentance and conversion, when I am neither foreknown nor predestined by God to be saved and conformed to the glory of God His Son?” (second Ethical discourse)
Conclusion:
The ancient Orthodox understanding of free will, unchanged over the centuries, emphasizes a harmonious synergy between God's grace and human freedom. While recognizing God's sovereignty and His universal invitation to salvation, Orthodox Christians believe in the significance of personal choice and our response to God's love. Our choices matter, and through the proper use of our free will in cooperation with God's grace, we participate in our ongoing journey of salvation.
The Calvinistic view of predestination has been totally rejected by Orthodox Christianity.
Note:
It’s important to note that the Orthodox Church has made major responses to theological innovations throughout history, including the Protestant Reformation. The first response to Lutheranism was when the Lutheran theologians of Tübingen and Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople exchanged letters from 1573 to 1581. Later in 1672 when a synod of bishops gathered in Jerusalem to respond to Cyril Lucaris’ Calvinistic 1629 Confession. The council resoundingly rejected Reformed theology and drafted a formal statement known as the Confession of Dositheus. It soon acquired the status of being Orthodoxy’s definitive stance on Reformed theology.*
References:
- The “Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue in the Sixteenth Century,” and in 1672 when a synod of bishops gathered in Jerusalem to respond to Cyril Lucaris’ Calvinistic 1629 Confession. (https://orthodoxbridge.com/2018/11/09/orthodoxys-official-response-to-calvinism-the-confession-of-dositheus-1673/)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)
Orthodox Fathers and scholars such as Fr. Lawrence, provide a comprehensive interpretations of these passages supporting the Orthodox view of free will (https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/nootherfoundation/scriptural-teaching-predestination/).
Also consult the Orthodox Study Bible commentary on these passages.
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