Salvation

Crucifixion, 13th century, Athos
Interestingly, in most Orthodox icons of Christ on the Cross
his face is peaceful, not in anguish.  

"Save me from what?" my friend asked when discussing Christ and his death on the cross, some 2,000 years ago.  "Sin" was my abrupt answer, knowing full well what I meant, but not understanding in the least how that answer rested in my friend's mind and heart.

Reading about Christ's crucifixion, having discussions about it and singing those old familiar hymns about power in the blood left me somewhat confused as a teenager.  I accepted that Christ died for me, yet I often envisioned a mad Father, full of wrath being pleased by nothing except the spilling of his Son's blood.   The full story, as told in light of the glorious Resurrection, did little to ease the stomach turning aspect of that ransom-- that human sacrifice to appease an angry Father because of the sin of mankind.   Is this what love looks like?  I wondered.

It was this particular aspect of Christianity that was a continual stumbling block as I tried to share my faith with others.  Reiterating the same lines about Christ atoning for the sin of man did little to answer the particular questions from nonbelievers.  Questions like, "Why did it have to be so brutal?  Couldn't God - in His all powerful way- concoct a scheme of redemption a bit more peaceful?  Couldn't He just open the doors of heaven to those who would believe in Him without a bloody sacrifice?"  or the more poignant, "God desires pain to save us from pain, doesn't He?"

God desires pain?  God's wrath would not be assuaged except by a gruesome crucifixion?
How would I ever be an effective witness if I couldn't wrap my head around this dichotomy of a loving God and the crucifixion of Christ as "payment" to that same loving God?

Years of reading and asking questions about salvation to the wise eventually led to the discovery of ancient Christianity.  Not just the history as recorded in Scripture after Pentecost, but the following early centuries of Christians and their understanding of salvation; in particular, the Celtic people and monastics of the Egyptian desert.  In these early writings, nowhere did I find language that referenced a legalistic framework for understanding Christ's sacrifice.  Instead, I discovered the view of a victorious Saviour in the midst of barbarity;  God incarnate coming to reconcile creation to Himself.  A God who heals the brokenness caused by sin.

I began to see Christ's death as a rescue mission, not a payment for a debt incurred at birth.  Christ came to rescue me from the bondage of sin, not as a legal settlement to ease God's wrath.  God isn't holding us captive, sin is.   That pervading sickness that affects us all... not just the druggies, the prostitutes and murderers, but the liars, the hypocrites, the self-righteous and those who live with lust quietly enveloping their hearts.  No one is free of sin and all need the blessed love and redemption of Christ our Lord.

The brutality of the crucifixion had to be the means by which Christ conquered;  He used the greatest weapon of the enemy -- torture and death -- to defeat the enemy.   Destroying death by death.  It is the greatest story ever told!  He led captivity captive... one of the most powerful phrases from Scripture alludes to the smashing open of hades by Christ; death could not contain Him for He is the source of all Life.  This is the earliest understanding of Christ's redemptive work on the cross and one of the reasons I am an Orthodox Christian.

The image of the Cross -- that implement of death and destruction by the mighty Romans became a symbol of victory because of the Author of Life.  We must remember that Christ was God incarnate -- with legions of angels at His command.  How perplexed these heavenly beings must have been to see the King of Kings willingly hanging on a tree and forgiving the filth of men who nailed Him there.  

We serve a loving, compassionate and patient God.  A God who provided for our broken communion with Him when sin entered the world.  Like the story of the Prodigal Son, God awaits our return to Him through repentance, an acknowledgment of sin and how it wounds us.   Glory to God for all things †  Glory to His third day Resurrection and praise Him for the gift of salvation †

Being Good vs. A New Creation

 "...that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness 

and holiness of truth. "

Ephesians 4:22-24

So, isn't Christianity all about following rules and being good to people?  Do unto others and all that jazz?   

If that were the case, we wouldn't need the christian church at all;  we'd be like the atheists building their churches across America to worship themselves because they are good people.  As we were reminded at church recently, Christ did not die on the cross so that we could belong to a special group, nor did he die so that we could be good and follow a set of rules for living.  He died so that we could be restored to our likeness of God, our Creator!

It is only by the grace and mercy of Christ that we can "put off the old self"  as St. Paul describes above and be renewed in our spirit.  In the most simple terms, think of the difference between showing kindness to someone who has showed you the same and showing the same warmth and love to someone who has wronged you.  It's a conversion of the heart.

It's the kind of change that brings people to their knees at the foot of the cross... that restores human beings and allows them to see their own sinfulness and need for salvation.  That brings peace and healing to shattered souls.   Souls like Brian Welch, of KORN fame, who shares his profound transformation as part of the I AM SECOND ministry.  

In his own words: Brian Welch

It's a transformation that the darkness cannot comprehend. 

IC XC NIKA  

A Thought on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

With all the headlines and discussions on the Boston Marathon bombings, the joy in capturing someone dangerous to humanity, the speculation about the legal battle to follow... all the many questions we Americans have, I'm finding myself contemplating one thing: 

Does the saving of a soul save multitudes?

I'm finding myself praying for the salvation of this young man, believed to have wrought such wickedness, alongside my prayers for the victims of devastation.    Now, lest you think I'm showing softness and mercy where none is due, consider this: 

If it's true that this wicked event was played out because of radical Islamic belief, what can we do to dismantle that power?   If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces the death penalty, do we give radical Islam another martyr to fuel their fire?    What happens to people at large when the heart of a militant Muslim converts to Christ?

By the power of Christ, hearts can be remade... we see evidence of that in the former murderer, St. Paul.  We see it in the conversion of Roman soldiers who witnessed the miracles of Christ, people who were formerly wicked and without concern for life.  

What happens in the militant Islamic world when one of their own converts to Christ and follows his commandments?  What would happen if nurses and doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show an uncommon love of Christ in their care of this man?  How interesting to note that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's life is in the hands of an institution founded by Christian and Jewish brothers & sisters...

My prayers are for the mercy of God to grant healing to the mind, body and soul of all those who are injured in Boston, for comfort & peace for the families who lost a loved one that day...

and for the salvation of Dzhokhar Tsamaev, believing always that

 the power of God is greater than the power of wickedness.

The Gospel in Chairs

A concise video by fellow blogger, Steve Robinson, illustrating general differences between a common Protestant view of salvation and an Orthodox view of salvation.

I found this very interesting, mostly because Steve's words on the Orthodox view included events from the Bible that I've thought about, but not in light of our salvation. And, with an understanding of the Calvinist view in particular, it's a good explanation of what faces us in

a study of Genesis, and original sin, from these two different paradigms:

Either God abandoned His "wholly defiled" creation as stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, ( chapter 6 article 2) until the Advent of Christ to atone for our sin,

or

He loves us so much that not only did He never abandon mankind, but has throughout history, beckoned us near for the restoration of our soul twisted by sin.