HOLY
TRINITY CELTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
“HOME
OF BIBLICAL ORTHODOXY”
1703
Macomber St.,
Toledo,
Ohio 43606
419-206.2190
Bishop
Brian J. Kennedy, O.S.B.
HOW
PROTESTANTISM DIFFERS FROM BIBLICAL ORTHODOXY
When
trying to discuss Protestantism it is difficult to travel the maze of doctrines
and teaching, but Calvinism is a good reflection of the common views within
modern Protestantism. Due to the
ever mutating heresies within Protestantism, it is impossible to identify much
that we can call codified doctrine and teachings. The term Protestant means ‘one who
protest something’. What
Protestants protest against is the ancient, Biblical faith as once delivered to
the Saints.
Sin
Calvinism
teaches that Adam and Eve's original sin caused total depravity in mankind to
the point that people are incapable of choosing God's ways. According to
Calvinism, when Adam sinned, all of his progeny became guilty of sin. This he
got from Augustine and is a shared belief with Roman Catholicism. Biblical
Orthodoxy rejects this view of original sin, believing instead that the only
direct effect of Adam's sin on his progeny is that people lost immortality and
acquired a propensity for sin as a natural condition of rebellion against
God. What in Protestantism and Roman Catholicism is called Original sin,
in Biblical Orthodoxy is term the Ancestral Curse because through the sin of
Adam and Eve we became subject to sickness and death. Biblical Orthodoxy believes that all
people retain their ability to choose to obey or disobey God.
Election
Calvinism
teaches that God chose those whom He would save and those who would be damned
before the beginning of time. This is called the doctrine of election or
predestination, and is based largely on a misunderstanding of Romans 8:29
through 30. Calvinists believe that
only those who are specifically called by God are capable of responding
positively to that call. Biblical Orthodox Christians believe that God's grace
is available to all through the hearing of the Gospel. In the Orthodox way of
thinking, God elects those who are to be saved or damned based on their
repentance, or turning from sin to Christ, and obedience to God's word.
One of my favorite lines is “Accept what I say and be saved or reject it and go
to hell. The choice is yours, but know either way God loves you enough to give
you the choice and so do I.” That is basically what God is saying,
the choice is yours and you will suffer the consequences for your failure or be
compensated for your acceptance of God in Christ.
Atonement
Calvinism
teaches that Jesus' death was sufficient to pay for everyone's sins, but that it
only provided atonement, or payment for forgiveness and reconciliation, for
those who are predestined to be saved. This doctrine is known as "limited
atonement." Biblical Orthodox Christians do not view atonement in the same
manner. Another heresy is the heresy called Recapitulation followed by the
Eastern Orthodox Churches. The
Recapitulation Theory denies we are ransomed by the blood of Christ. The
view of Biblical Orthodoxy and Roman Catholics is actually the correct Biblical
teaching.
Grace
Calvinism
teaches that grace is unmerited favor, and that those who are called are
incapable of resisting God's saving grace, just as those who are reprobate are
incapable of receiving it. In their
view, the external Gospel message is offered to all who hear it, but God has
predetermined who will and won't receive the grace needed to respond to that
calling. In the Biblical Orthodox
view, people have the choice to receive or to resist God's grace. Biblical
Orthodox Christians view grace as the free gift of God allowing man to share in
the energies of God which allows people to partake in God's nature and to become
increasingly godly through the process called Theosis,
or deification. The Biblical Orthodox view is shared by Roman Catholics.
In the Mass we pray, “By the
mystery of this water and wine may we share in the divinity of your Christ who
humbled Himself to share in our humanity.”
Perseverance
Calvinism
teaches that it is impossible for a person who has been called by God's grace
and received God's grace to fall away from faith. This teaching is often
expressed as "once saved, always saved." This teaching, among others,
explains the disharmony with the Lutherans, all Orthodox and Roman
Catholics. For Biblical Orthodoxy, salvation is a person, not a
thing. If we believe and follow the Commandments and rules of God revealed
in His Christ we will have “synergy with the Father in Christ”.
Synergy with the Father in Christ begins in time and reaches fulfillment in
eternity. The New Testament is filled with cases of people who fell away
and suffered eternal damnation. The Gospel message with some people is
strangled as by rocks and thorns, and for these people the Gospel is received in
vain. For these the message of God
revealed in His Christ is received in vain. Some start out well
enough but do not persevere and for these Hell is their destiny. Some
start out badly but eventually turn to God in Christ and for these Heaven is
their destiny.