I’ve been wrecked by the study of the Orthodox church….All of this is pulling at me like a strong current. At times, I am letting myself flow with that stream and at others I am holding on to something. The question is, “Is what I’m holding on to true and worth the cost of holding on?”

Soon after this post (just 6 days later), I went to a pastors retreat with about 12 other men from our area (the southern tier of NY). While I enjoyed the fellowship with the other pastors, I still was in spiritual turmoil over what the Church looked like and if I was actually a part of it. Every testimony and time of worship was scrutinized in light of what I was being challenged with. As much as I wanted to just be there and immersed in the group experience, I had too many questions rolling around in my head to be at peace.

On the last night we were there, we took time as a group to share what God had been showing us over the last couple of days and I found myself growing stressed over my lack of spiritual experience. I ended up not sharing anything because I really felt that I was so uncertain about things.

Immediately following this time of sharing, we shared Communion together. While I held the bread, the body of Christ, I was desperately praying that God would show me how to serve Him with all my heart. I told him that I just wanted to be one with Him, regardless of what that looked like. We were asked to take the bread and break it in half, symbolizing Christ’s brokenness for us. As I broke the bread,  I heard Jesus say to my spirit as clearly as day, “I AM ENOUGH.” Immediately, I broke down into tears sobbing. A tidal wave of peace, love and acceptance rushed over me and I settled into God’s everlasting love. I knew then that I had wrestled with these questions long enough and God was releasing me from this aspect of my journey.

As I look back over these thoughts and questions almost 2 years later, I realize there are still questions unanswered and thoughts I’m sure I will revisit which God will use to challenge and encourage me. I’m reminded of what Paul said to the Philippians:

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

My prayer, not only for myself, but for all who believe and call on the name of Jesus Christ, is that we would, by God’s grace, live out with our brothers and sisters by our sides, the high calling heavenward in Christ Jesus. Let us be the Body and bring the kingdom of God into a world desperate for His love. May it be so.

Carlton defends this orthodox view firstly by addressing the malignment of the view of tradition by protestants. He points out that the NIV specifically has consciously mistranslated the Greek word for tradition (when it’s in the positive) to read ‘teachings’. (see 2 Th. 2:15). If what protestants believe about the scriptures being self revealing, then why would translators feel the need to make changes such as this. Personally, I’ve noticed more how different pastors, mainly in radio, will, while they are preaching, throw in statements that defend scripture as the be all and deny the promotion of tradition. It does feel like they are defending ideology, rather than communicating a way of life.

“Evangelicals view Christianity as “a system of truth” that is “infallibly preserved” only in Scripture. For teh Orthodox Fathers, however, Christianity is not a “system”, but life in Christ.” He agrees with John MacArthur’s description of tradition as “practical apostolic doctrine, taught and lived”. Before the canon was even formed, the disciples knew that in order for this ‘Jesus Movement’ to survive, it must be passed on from generation to generation. There is much evidence to believe that most of this was done orally and within the context of the church, not by adhering to a system of logic or an ideology of Christianity. Protestants have it reversed. They believe that you need to ‘get it right’ theologically and then conform your life to it’s teaching. The Orthodox would say it was opposite from that. You live life of community in the Body of Christ and as you live it out, you grow in your understanding.

Protestant:  knowledge + belief = community

Orthodox: belief + community THEN knowledge

This isn’t a perfect interpretation and word choices, but my head sometimes has to see them written like this.

Basically, the Orthodox would say that you can’t have”practical apostolic doctrine, taught and lived” outside of tradition. The Orthodox believe that they carry the only true tradition “practical apostolic doctrine, taught and lived”.

Throughout each of these verses, it is to be noted that each time the writers describe the scriptures, they are speaking of the Old Testament writings. So right off the bat, proponents of sola scriptura would have a rough time getting the New Testament tagged on according to these verses.

Many will point to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 as evidence of sola scriptura teaching in the Bible, but keep in mind Paul is talking about the OT scriptures. Orthodox Christians DO believe that the whole Bible is the inspired word of God, but just because it is the inspired word of God, that doesn’t mean that it carries in itself the entire revelation of God. Carlton points out that in verse 8 Paul brings in two names from Jewish tradition about the magicians (Jannes and Jambres) of Pharaoh’s court. Carlton states, “If he (Paul) believed that the Scriptures are self-sufficient, then he was not very consistent.”

1 Corinthians 4:6 is also used to push sola scriptura, but by reading the verse in context, we find out that Paul was speaking out against the comparing of leaders and finding identity through these leaders.

A study of Acts 17:10-11 is also interesting because in the KJV and the NIV the verse is mistranslated to put emphasis not only on the Bereans openness to accept the word, but also their examining of the Scriptures daily. By doing this, it places a higher value on private investigation of the scriptures.

Lastly, Revelation 22:18-19 speaks of not adding or taking away from the words of the prophecy. The problem with this is that John is referring to Revelation specifically, not the Scriptures as a whole. Even if this did refer to the whole of Scripture, that doesn’t mean that they should be taken as the sole sufficiency for communion with God. Carlton states, “To say that the text must not be altered, however, is not the same as saying that the text is sufficient in and of itself.”

The orthodox church does believe that the inspired word of God is the “normative reocrd of God’s Self-revelation to mankind”, but also that was written within the context and community of the church to be read, interpreted and lived out in teh context and community of the church. This is nothing less than Tradition at its best.

I was talking with my brother, Stefan, about my recent interest and research into orthodoxy. He is a grad of Houghton College, a Wesleyan school, and is a great thinker, very in-depth and insightful, and had some good thoughts. As I shared some of my ‘findings’ with him and specifically the view that Orthodox Christians hold regarding the exclusiveness of the Orthodox Church as the one true authentic Christian church. Stefan was wondering what specifically the Orthodox church believed, how it might differ and what it meant to live as a Christian as a part of the Body of Christ. If it is a mere matter of adhering to a certain set of beliefs as defined by the Orthodox Church. If so, what if one does believe the same things as the Orthodox Church? Does it make that person orthodox? My guess is “no”, based upon the idea of the Orthodox church being carried/passed on from Bishop/Church to another, including “ordaining” new churches/leaders based upon training, etc. I would guess that there has to be perhaps a denial of protestant faith or ideals and an embracing of the Orthodox church as the way. Again, these are only my presumptions. Hopefully I’ll find out more clearly the truth.

Father, may your name be honored through my life and the lives of those who follow you all across the globe. Bring us into all unity, just like you and Jesus are ONE, so that the world would know you sent Jesus for them as a ransom, a gift of love and an opportunity for relationship with their Creator. Truly. Truly.

The answer, according to the Orthodox church is, “Yes…and no”. Again, coming back to their high view of the Church, Orthodoxs would put all those questions through the channel of the Body of Christ within the orthodox church.

Carlton points out that many protestants believe that the Bible we have today just came to be accepted as canon without any guiding factors, such as the Church’s role. He makes the point that if it took the Church several centuries to really pin down which writings (there were many) were to be included as “Scripture”, why do we not consider that the same Church involvement is needed for deciding what is true today and how it is lived out in Christian community? It would only make sense that the Church is seen in the same way today. If it is true, that the Church is necessary to define or clarify truth, then which Church has it right? The Orthodox Church would say that they are the only church that has remained true over the past 2,000 years.

My thoughts? Well, I guess part of me does track with that line of thinking. I’ve always seen doctrinal differences as something we needed to overcome in order to join together in unity, but what if there is suppose to be this guiding force of Church and Tradition that unifies our hearts and thinking? Part of me hopes that there is some kind of unifying factor that brings together the Body without the necessity of “looking the other way” on certain matters for the sake of unity.

God, fill my mind with your wisdom. I truly desire to see your love on earth, the Body of Christ, alive and well in full, loving, undivide community. Bring me to a place of understanding by your grace. Amen.