The Proper Object of Our Trust (Saturday, June 6)

The word for today is “faith.”  This word seems commonplace. But our scripture study today will probe more deeply into its meaning for us.

 Our currency announces, “In God We Trust."  Do "we"? And what is "our" conception of God, the object of our trust? Today, we emphasize that the One who has earned our trust is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our study will suggest that if we put our faith in anything else (the Mosaic Law, our cultural or ethnic background, our education, our abilities, even our fate), then the Cross will be meaningless to us.  

 Today’s reading from Romans doubles back to Romans 3:19-26. In this passage, we hear that in Christ, the righteousness of God is manifest "apart from the Law" (Romans 3:21). This is the righteousness that is freely given "by faith to those who “believe” (Galatians 3:22).

 Belief and Faith Have Different Meanings

 Note that in Greek, the word “to believe" is the verb form of the noun "faith." In English, the term denotes the affirmation that something or someone is true. But in Greek, "faith" is best translated as "trust in" something or someone. This definition of "faith means that it must have an object in which faith is placed.

 This understanding clarifies the issue that St. Paul raises in this passage. What or who is worthy of our "trust"? In Paul's day, the answer for Paul's Jewish Christ opponents was circumcision. That meant Paul's adversaries believed that we should trust in our efforts to keep the Mosaic Law.

 Trusting in the Law or the Cross

But Paul insisted that we are justified “apart from the Law” (Romans 3:28). Therefore, salvation is by the grace of God. Accordingly, in Paul’s view, we trust in Christ and His saving work.  

 Paul's is convinced that boasting about our ability to keep the Law of God only proves our guilt before God is a humbling truth. The more we brag about keeping the law, the more the law exposes our sinfulness.  Therefore, instead of securing our salvation by our observance of the law, the law reminds us of the need for God's grace.

 St. Paul said, “I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (Galatians 2:21). If we do not trust entirely in the Passion of Christ for our salvation, then there is no Gospel, no grounds for the forgiveness of sins, and no significance of the Cross.

 For Reflection

 Our thoughts bring us a question for reflection: If we, as Gentiles, do not rely on keeping the Mosaic Law to earn God's favor, in what are we trusting for spiritual blessings? Who are we trusting for material good fortunes? Which of these is our ultimate trust?

Original Sin Reconsidered (Fri. JjULY 5)

The Word of the Day is "death." Today, in our scripture study, we ask what is at the bottom of human sinfulness? Based on our reading of Romans 15:17-6;2, the Western church answers unequivocally, "original sin." Attributed to Augustine (354-430 AD), this doctrine holds that the sin of Adam and Eve infected human nature with incurable sinfulness. Since the Garden, the guilt of Adam has been passed down throughout the human race. Thus, in reading, they translate,  "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin…"  (OSB Romans 5:13). Yet this answer of the origin of sin depends on the translation and the perspective accompanying it. Today, we will sketch out the Eastern counter view to the Western teaching of how the sin of Adam affected humans.

Yesterday, we read that "… just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12). That sounds plain enough. We identify the "one man" as Adam. Through him "sin entered the world and death through sin."

A DIFFERENCE IN TRANSLATION

However, let us look at this verse more closely. The New King James Bible translates this critical passage as follows: "Death spread to all men because all have sinned. The Western doctrine of "original sin" hangs on this Word: "because." This term blames Adam and Eve, whose sinful nature we have inherited.

However, the standard King James Version does not use the word "because." It uses the phrase "for that." This translation is a more literal translation of the two-word phrase. This version suggests that death spread to all men "for that" or "in that" all have sinned. This translation of the preposition means that human beings do not inherit the "original guilt" of Adam. They inherit the curse of death.

FOR THE ORTHODOX DEATH LEADS TO SINFULNESS 

A note from The Orthodox Study Bible makes this sense clear: "Which comes first, death or sin? For Adam, sin came first (the original sin) and then death. But for us, it is the opposite: we inherit death and mortality, that is, "corruption" from Adam. Sin follows after that" (OSB note on Romans 5:12).

Therefore, as St. Paul says, "by one man's offense death reigned through the one (Adam)…" (OSB Romans 5:17). St. John Chrysostom says that "for that" means that all, even those who did not eat of the tree, have become mortal" (NfPf1:11, 401).

And St. Gregory Palamas comments on Romans 5:17, "Just as through one man, Adam, liability to death passed down by heredity to those born afterward, so the grace of eternal and heavenly life passed down from the one divine and human Word to all those born again of Him" (St. Gregory Palamas, Homily 16, 17). Death is the result of Adam's disobedience to the Giver of Life, and it is at the root of human sinfulness.

THE CURSE OF DEATH CORRUPTS 

The curse of death corrupts human life with the notion that one must gain all that one can, however one can, before death. The scourge of death engenders desperate attempts to achieve immortality through fame, power, accomplishment, popularity, and the accumulation of wealth, none of which is lasting. That is, death provokes humans to self-seeking sin. It provokes humans to seek immortal life apart from their Creator, the source of life.

FOR REFLECTION

Our study has clarified the central role the Resurrection of Christ plays in Orthodox belief. Through His Resurrection, the Risen Lord conquered "death by death."Dea20th no longer has dominion over him  (Romans 6:10) or over those who are baptized into His death… as Paul writes, "As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life" (OSB Romans 6:4). After Christ's resurrection death no longer reigns, and therefore sin no longer rules those who believe in Christ.

Saved Already—Not Yet! (Thursday, July 4)

 The word of the day is "shall," as in "shall be saved." "It ain't over 'till it's over." We can apply that saying to our salvation. Some would declare that they were saved at some moment in the past. And now they can rest in the assurance of their deliverance. But that is like a biker who has climbs to the top of a mountain. He tells himself he can coast down the mountain without worry or effort. But the biker still needs to finish the course. Soon, another mountain appears, and the cyclist who thinks he has finished the ride is unprepared to face its challenge.

Instead, in today's daily study of scripture. We read Romans 5:1-10. In this passage, Paul speaks of salvation as a future happening. He writes, "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (OSB vs. 10). Some may say that salvation is a one-time event. However, today, we suggest that salvation is a process that will be completed in the future. The trials we are enduring are bringing us closer to the rescue of salvation from sin and death and the healing of the soul.

WE SHALL BE SAVED

For those who run the race of faith, the finish line has not yet come into view. Paul emphasizes that we "shall be saved." What is in the past is the death of Christ, and our reconciliation with God by His death (OSB vs. 10). Our love of God enacted by the Cross has overcome our animosity and turned us from enemies of our Creator into friends. However, now we must live our justification as a reconciled child of God. This insight prompts us to view salvation as something more than a verdict that has been pronounced once, and then there is nothing else to be done.

"His life saves us!" This thought involves a change of metaphors. The Greek word for "saved" takes us down two metaphorical tracks. The first word picture is the deliverance or rescue from some sort of danger (Strong's #4982, 245). A second is the deliverance or healing from some disease (Strong's #4982, 245).

In the first view, we may say that we were rescued from the dangers of sin, death, and the devil. And we were justified and reconciled with God, and therefore rescued from divine condemnation and alienation from our Creator.

We firmly believe that by our baptism, we have died with Christ to these forces of death and corruption. And by the "washing of regeneration" (OSB Titus 3:5), we have now risen with Christ to newness of life" (OSB Romans 6:4).

With that verse, the mental image changes. St. Paul’s words teach us that our baptism puts us on the path of healing. Yet that necessarily means that as we walk that path following Christ, we will be saved.

SALVATION AS HEALING

What kind of salvation?

The healing of our souls? What life? The life of Christ's resurrection. The Lord has risen to share His eternal life with us. And so He calls us to "abide in Him as He abides in us: (John 15:4). As we remain in Him, we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:19)

What, then, Is Growth By Healing?

The healing metaphor presents a goal to achieve. The deuterocanonical book of the Wisdom of Solomon states the purpose that the Orthodox emphasize, the metaphor of the image of God. The wise scribe teaches, "for God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil's envy, death entered the world…" (Wisdom 2:23-24 Brenton). In this healing process, the image of God in which we were made is restored in us. That is, we "become" saved" by developing into "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), which means growing to be "like God by grace."

However, this restoration of the image of God in us takes time for the Holy Spirit to work in us. Our nature is permeated with death, and its corruption must be transformed. If we think about salvation in this third way, then the metaphor of healing gives way to the thought of cleansing. According to this comparison, we must continually confess our sins to open the wounds of our souls so that the Lord may wipe away their infection and apply the healing ointment of his grace to the injury. But the deeper the laceration is in the body, the more time it takes. The same is true of the woundedness of our souls.

FOR REFLECTION.

We "were saved." We "are being saved." "We "will be saved." This insight can only mean that salvation is not a moment in time but a process that is going on throughout our lives.

How do we know this? How do we know it isn't over yet? Well, the tribulations' of the world are proof enough that we haven't reached our final deliverance, and the state of our souls also convinces us that the Lord isn't through with us yet. Yet we can be assured that our sufferings are leading us through the virtues of perseverance, character, and hope to the completion of the Lord's work in us, our deification of becoming like God and sharing His eternal life. Deification, in this context, refers to the process of becoming more like God in our existential character, which is the ultimate goal of our salvation journey.

 WORKS CITED

Sir Lancelot Brenton (trans). The Wisdom of Solomon. Samuel Bagster & Sons Ltd. 1851. (The English Septuagint was made available in 2010.( <chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://dustoffthebible.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Septuagint>

Accounted for Righteousness, Transformed for Holiness (Wed. July 3)

 Accounted for Righteousness, Transformed for Holiness  (Wed. July 3)

The word of the day is "imputed." How can we put the meaning of our salvation into words? God's mercy is infinite, and His work of salvation is beyond human comprehension. Today, in our reading of Romans 4:13-25, by the Holy Spirit, Paul declares what the Lord has done for our salvation. He writes that Abraham's faith was "accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead…" (OSB vs. 22-24).

Justification Entails a New Relationship With God

Today, we will study the words Paul uses to describe how we become righteous before God. We will find that our justification is not merely external but a character change in a new covenant relationship with God.

In our reading, Paul continues to assert that Abraham is the prime example of "righteousness by faith."  He states that Abraham became the "father of faith" because his unwavering faith in God's promise was "accounted" as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3, Romans 4:22).

Understanding What Is Unknown by What Is Known

We usually take the word usage in our Bibles for granted and assume that our understanding of the terms is sufficient. But we should be cautious about the words used to describe our salvation in Christ. They are metaphors that compare what we know to what we do not know, putting what we do not understand in terms of word pictures that we do comprehend.

"Imputed" and "Justified" Are Latin Translations of the Greek

The Orthodox Study Bible uses the translation of the New King James Version. This translation uses "imputed" and "justified" to describe the gift of righteousness given to us by faith. However, these terms do not come from the Greek New Testament text. They are derived from a Latin translation. In the Reformation era, the humanist Erasmus published a new Latin version of the Bible. In that edition, he rendered the critical passage, "Abraham's faith was imputed (imputatum) unto him for justice (iustitiam)."

The Protestant Reformers interpreted these words as metaphors that pictured the work of Christ in terms of a law court. Thus, they taught that before the divine judgment seat, all humans are sinful and deserve the just punishment for their affront to God's holiness. Then, the Reformers proposed that though humans deserve God's wrath, the Almighty does not charge (that is, impute) guilt to those who have faith in Christ. The Protestants taught that instead of charging believers with the guilt of original sin, the Almighty declares those who put their faith in Christ "not guilty." Therefore, for the sake of the sufferings and death of Christ, God declares His verdict:  those who believe in Christ are "just" even though they are and remain sinful.

The Basic Divide

Here, we come to the fundamental divide between many forms of Protestantism and Orthodoxy. Both traditions believe that our standing before God (our "righteousness") depends on God's grace given in Jesus Christ. However, the question is, what does that divine grace received by faith actually do? The words we use determine our fundamental understanding. Does it merely declare those who believe to be righteous? Or does it make them righteous?

Is "justification" external or internal? The Orthodox Study Bible notes that when God "accounts" us to be righteous, he does not simply pronounce a courtroom verdict as the words "justify" and "impute" suggest. He "makes" righteous, and that "making" begins the process of internal change in our character. 

The Law Was To Lead Us to Christ

In his blog, Fr. Steven Samick wrote in "Justification and the Works of the Law, "But the Law of Moses was never about earning your way to Heaven, either. All the good things that the Jews those who were Jews did and all the evil that those who were Jews refrained from was not about getting enough points to get them into Heaven. It was about training themselves for righteousness. What Paul is saying is that that training does not actually make you righteous. The Law of Moses was good, to be sure, but its point all along was to lead us to crucifixion with Christ so that we could die with Christ and then so we could live in Christ. It was just the roadmap. It was not the destination. The justification associated with the Law of Moses was not delivered by that Law. Rather, the Law delivered people to Christ, Who is the One Who gives justification, Who makes men righteous." (Father Andrew Stephen Damick, "Justification.").

For Reflection

The Orthodox Study Bible explains that when believers are accounted righteous, "God's righteousness is actually given to mankind by grace" (OSB comment on Romans 4:11, 12). But this gift is not a one-time event. Being "saved" is not a past event that happened at a certain time and place. The Orthodox Study Bible states, "This righteousness transforms the whole person, internally and externally" (OSB comment on Romans 4:11,12). Salvation is past, present, and future. It is a process in which the grace of the Holy Spirit restores us to the image of God in which we were made.

The Faith That Justifies Enters into a Relationship

In summary, the faith that God counts for justification is not merely a belief in one's acquittal in Godo's Court of Law. It is a living, growing, and transforming relationship with God, the Holy Trinity (see the OSB comment on Romans 3:6). The more we grow in grace, the more Christ lives in us, and we live in Him. And the more we are renewed in our relationship with Christ, the more we participate in our sanctification. We become holy by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

Works Cited

Father Stephen Damick, "Justification and the Works of the Law" https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/asd/2014/11/05/justification-works-law/ 

Why We Must Depend on God's Mercy, Not Justice (Tues. July 2)

The Word of the Day is "accounted."  When we hear that God "accounts" faith as righteousness, we are likely to think of our salvation in terms of a law court. And if we use this metaphor to understand the work of Christ for our justification, we may think of it as a legal acquittal of the debt we owe God for our sins. Today, we reconsider what Paul means when he says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness" (OSB 4:3). We will present a contrasting view to the usual emphasis on justice. This perspective stresses the mercy of God, His active benevolence that brings us into a restored relationship with Him.

In today's reading of Romans 4:4-12, we arrive at the core of Paul's defense of the Gentile mission. St. Paul's opponents insisted that to be members of the church, the Gentiles had to be circumcised and thus bound to keep the Law of Moses. However, Paul maintained that keeping the Law of Moses was not how one attains righteousness, a right relationship with God. Instead, in our passage, the apostle states, "a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (OSB Romans 3:28).

Abraham Believed God, and It Was Accounted as Righteousness

To argue his case, Paul reverts to the example of Abraham, the father of faith. We have already read St. Paul's pronouncement, "None is righteous" (Romans 3:11). Having pronounced this divine judgment, St. Paul now proclaims the grace that saves us from the corrupting consequences of unrighteousness. He quotes Genesis 15:6:   Abraham believed God, and it was accounted for him as righteousness" (Romans 4:2-3). Paul thereby asserts that Abraham was not justified by "works."  The Greek word that is often translated as "to justify" is dikaioó, a verb that means "to render just or innocent" or "to deem to be right" (Strong's 1344, 69). In the passive voice, it means to be made right or declared right. We say that it refers to being considered righteous. 

Paul argued that circumcision did not establish Abraham's righteousness before God. The father of faith had not been circumcised yet when the promise was given. Nor could it be that it was because he kept the Law of Moses that he was deemed righteous. Abraham lived and died 450 years before Moses (Galatians 3:17). Thus, justification is not by the works of the Law of Moses.

Abraham's Willingness to Sacrifice Isaac Demonstrated Faith

Clement of Rome wrote, "What can we say to those who insist that Abraham was justified by works because he was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac at the altar?... Abraham piously believed that all things are possible with God, and so exercised this faith. So even if Abraham was also justified by his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, this must be regarded as an evident demonstration of a faith which was already very strong" (Explanation of Romans).

The term "ascribed" comes from the idea of taking inventory. In the primary sense, faith was "credited" to Abraham. God reckoned, that is, He considered, estimated, or concluded that it was righteousness (Strong's 3049, 152). We might say that faith is the equivalent of righteousness in God's mind. Faith, therefore, does more than cancel a debt. It establishes our right status before God.  

For Reflection  

When we press the idea of "accounting" too far, we get the dominant idea of God as a judge who demands payment for the breach of his honor. But that concept comes close to the idea that God's motive for the sacrifice of Christ was to demand justice, not to offer mercy, to exact compensation for being wronged, not to restore us to a loving relationship with Him.

St. Isaac the Syrian Contrasted Mercy and Justice

St. Isaac the Syrian wrote: "Mercy is opposed to justice. Justice is the quality of the even scale, for it gives to each as he deserves, and when it makes recompense, it does not incline to one side or show respect of persons. On the other hand, mercy is a sorrow and pity stirred up by goodness, and it is] is compassionate… It does not requite a man who is deserving of evil, and to him who is deserving of good it gives a double portion. If, therefore, it is evident that mercy belongs to the portion of righteousness, then justice belongs to the portion of wickedness" (St.-Isaac-the-Syrian 1984, 244).

Given this contrast, how can we best describe the divine motive for the sacrifice of Christ? Did He offer up Himself for the sake of God to right the scales of justice in the universe? Or did He give Himself for our sake to put into effect the divine mercy and to bring us back to a righteous, that is, loving relationship, with God?

Works Cited

Clement of Rome. "Explanation of Romans" quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on the Scripture, New Testament, VI, 110. 

St.-Isaac-the-Syrian. 1984. The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian. Translated by Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Brookline, Mass.: Holy Transfiguration Monastery.