I do confess a certain liking for the Eastern Orthodox concept of Jesus Christ as a Warrior braving the Walls of Hell to rescue the captives from the Prison of Satan. It is a Holy and Exalting view of the Crucifixion.... like a Jew invading the "Kingdom of Hitler", to save the Prisoners of War. ~~ You have put into most beautiful words, in a nutshell, one of the most profound realizations I came to when I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. How truly powerful God is and how loving, that he would be willing to show us sinful creatures how he conquered death!Gosh. (blushing, a little bit humbled and convicted)
That's really a far better compliment than I in any way deserve, considering that I was only trying to offer a fair statement of Eastern Orthodox beliefs, while contrasting it with my own Calvinist beliefs.
I guess I'll just hafta take it as a re-affirmation of my belief in God's Providence. If I have said, in a Spirit of Argumentation (which I did mean well, "as iron sharpens iron"), something which an Eastern Orthodox finds useful for their own Edification... Well, I guess that God must have Predestined it for the Good.
(You Eastern Orthodox do make it terribly difficult to pick fights, though; here I compose a perfectly good Theological Brawling post, and instead you turn it into an opportunity for meditation and reflection. Humph!! Bah, humbug!! [grin])
Maranatha, OP
"If You Only Had One Sweet Son
And You Gave His Life To Save Ten Wicked Men.
And They Returned And Denied That You Gave Your Only Son For Them
And Said You Child Never Exist No One Died For Us
Please Go Right Now And Call You Child To You.
And Measure You Love For Him
And Turn And Look At The Most Sinful Man You Know
And Think If You Would Trade Your Presus Son For Him.
God Is Love."
"We all have the image of God in us and we belong to him, even if we're sinners"
Howard Finster
