The Orthodox Church — Salvation & Atonement, Tradition, and Discipleship
Humans are quick to judge before knowing all of the information. Many western Protestants assume a lot about Orthodox tradition and doctrine, but few of us could summarize their vein of thought!
Here I want to highlight three particular areas of doctrine where Protestants may differ from the Orthodox Church. Theory of atonement (what did Christ’s death do and mean?), Ecclesiology (theology of the church), and Discipleship.
Many Protestants' default view of the theory of atonement would be a view of substitutionary atonement. In short, this means that there was a debt that we owed for sin, but Jesus substituted himself for us so that he would repay our debt that we couldn’t pay. While the Orthodox would not completely discredit this idea, they would not be quick to say that it should be the prevailing view. Orthodoxy wants instead to recognize that the atoning work of Christ on the cross cannot be fit into just one bag. It is too monumental, too all-encompassing for us to think of it in just one way. Another reason that they may disagree with this paradigm is the language used. A view of substitutionary atonement is usually viewed in terms of a crime and a just punishment. Members of Orthodoxy would prefer to view it more like illness and healing. We are sick with the effects of sin, death itself is a symptom of this illness. Jesus' death on the cross and spectacular resurrection shatter death and sin and allow us to begin healing from the illness of sin and that healing is incredibly holistic and involves healing on many levels. Therefore the work of Christ on the cross should not and cannot be understood on just one level.
One of Protestant reformer Martin Luther’s three biggest points was the idea of sola scriptura. Or, “by scripture alone.” This is one of the largest deviations between Protestants and Orthodox. Many times Protestants will accuse both Orthodox and Catholic churches of having a “low view of scripture” when in fact that is just not true. The Orthodox Church has a very high view of scripture, but they also have a very high view of “Holy Tradition.” There is a difference to the Orthodox between Holy Tradition and tradition. Holy Tradition is the words of smaller bodies or individual members that the whole church can later agree on being holy and inspired just as the word of the 12 apostles were. Holy Tradition is understood to be “the life of the Holy Spirit in the church” (The Ten Minute Bible Hour, 2021, 16:12). In this understanding, even the New Testament becomes Holy Tradition, as well as its interpretation. The Orthodox Church does not just run around claiming things as inspired willy-nilly though. Orthodoxy is very careful with what they call Holy Tradition, they are very slow to bestow that title upon anything. Just as the canon of scripture took its time to be finalized, Holy Tradition takes its time to be declared.
For Protestants, discipleship and acceptance into the church can look very different for every belief system, denomination, and individual church. For the Orthodox, this is not so much the case. The Orthodox structure their discipleship similarly to the model that the 1st and 2nd-century churches used. Those who wish to join Orthodoxy must first become a “catechumenate.” In the Early Church, a catechumen would study for 3 years, but now in the Orthodox Church, a new catechumen must spend 6 months to a year training in doctrine and discipline before they can be baptized into the church. This is not just like a trial period though, there is a commitment here. When one becomes a catechumen, they make a formal commitment to the Orthodox church. While they are not formally considered a full member, they are still considered a part of the church and may enjoy some privileges of it. One father described it as an engagement in the first century, at that time one had to officially divorce their fiancee to break an engagement because there was an official level of commitment there.
Though these things are very different from the Protestant way of doing things, there can still be understanding between the two. Though Orthodox are clear about their way of doing things and believe it is the correct way, a vast percentage of Orthodoxy would not want to doubt the salvation of other sects of Christianity as they acknowledge the mystery and acknowledge that they do not understand all.
Works Cited
The Ten Minute Bible Hour. What Do Orthodox Christians Believe? (And Why I Care), 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRMsLntuVcQ.
