What is sin? Redemption? Hell?

I was thinking last night of how it is one offends God. I thought on it, because it is pretty standard Christian belief that it is impossible to injure God - our existance and anything we do can neither add or diminish the "divine 'fullness.'"

The answer as far as I can tell, is that while we may speak in a way that seems to indicate injury to God, the reality is that offences against the Divine Majesty are self injury - the most direct injury being to the particular offender, but in a broader sense (in so far as individual men are parts of the larger "whole" which is creation, both corporeal and incorporeal - "the kosmos").

As such, it would seem that the only exacting way we can speak of "divine justice", is in terms of the damage sins do to the integrity of the creation as God made it (and the injury done to it in terms of the creation being able to fulfill it's "vocation.") In that sense, sins certainly do have a "judicial" dimension, and as such the remedy is going to have a judicial dimension. Denying this would seem to be a negation of a great deal of the Bible's witness on the topic of sin and redemption.

With that said, the danger (and I sense this more in popular western piety than anywhere else) is when one fails to see that this "judicial dimension" is in any way seperated from the therepeutic understanding of sin and it's remedy. They are not simply related topics, but are one and the same thing perceived from a slightly different vantage point. After all, does not the "fifth evangelist" (as some have called the Prophet Isaiah) prophecy quite plainly that...

"...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

(If you follow the link I've provided for Isaiah 53:5 and read the Strong's notes on the meaning and etymology of the Hebrew of this verse, this point becomes even clearer.)

While I have some sympathy for those Orthodox apologists who desire to keep clear of the excesses found in the various western confessions (either dogmatically or at least practically), I've begun to become concerned about a tendency that I've heard called either "stavroclasm" ("cross-breaking") or perhaps even more cleverly put, "neo-Marcionism". While I think those charges are sometimes thrown around too easily, I have run across things which seem to fit that description being sold as "pure Orthodox theology" (as opposed to that other kind of Orthodox theology we've supposedly been getting in recent centuries.

Of course, like with every stereo-type and exageration, there is some truth to the ideas underlying the often touted "western captivity" of Orthodox theology. But I stress it is only some. To say otherwise, is to in effect take a bad lesson from the Protestant interpretive paradigm - namely, the idea that for centuries "pure Christianity" did not exist, but thanks to our wise neo-patristic theologians we're going to get back on track real soon. Be wary of "nicer than God" Christianity - it's hardly a step away from being "Christianity without the Cross".

As one can say "truth is one", perhaps it can at least be said that "all errors are similar". It seems to me that this species of error has a lot in common with old fashioned Marcionism, in that both seem to be more committed to Hellenism than the Gospel - they love Athens more than Jerusalem, as Tertullian would have opined. Connected to this, of course, is the whole idea of "Hell". While I've heard some modern Orthodox commentators insist that the "emptiness of hell" is a real possibility, I don't know if that can be fairly said to line up to the witness of the Scriptures. The following verses would seem to not make much sense were some kind of "universal restoration"...

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. " - (St.Matthew 7:14)

"And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: [w]here their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: [w]here their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." (St.Mark 9:42-50)

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [n]or thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1st Corinthians 6:9-10)

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Apocalypse 20:10)

"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Apocalypse 20:14-15)

"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Apocalypse 21:6-8))

(also see the entry on this topic at www.orthowiki.org)

Many more passages than the above could be cited, but I think these are fairly clear on their own. I find the words of our Lord recorded in St.Mark chapter 9 to be especially clear - don't die in sin, do anything but die in sin, otherwise you're going to be permanently miserable. Indeed, how can we speak of a "last judgement", if there is nothing "final" about it?

The idea that we are somehow "entitled" to an eternity to make up our minds has neither the Holy Writ nor reason to recommend it. That there were so many who took apokatastasis seriously in the early centuries of the Church, says more about the heavy influence that Hellenism had upon some Christian thinkers (like Origen, and St.Gregory of Nyssa, who was following Origen on this point), not to mention that there was not yet a consensus on certain Biblical books (like the Apocalypse of St.John) throughout all of Christendom. It is not at all surprising that once the Church found itself on more stable footing, everyone pretty much agreed "universal restoration" wasn't a position that was reconcilable to the totality of the Christian confession.

From the "Better late than never" file...

Happy Nativity All!

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shown to the world the light of wisdom, for by it, those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star to adore thee,
The sun of righteousness,
And to know thee, the orient from on high O Lord, glory to thee!