[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Hi OP, I also confess a certain liking for the Calvinistic recognition of our human lowliness and inadequacy. Blessed are the poor in spirit. But it's missing something! Perhaps. :-) "In spite of our sinfulness, in spite of the darkness surrounding our souls, the Grace of the Holy Spirit, conferred by baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, still shines in our hearts with the inextinguishable light of Christ ... and when the sinner turns to the way of repentance the light smooths away every trace of the sins committed, clothing the former sinner in the garments of incorruption, spun of the Grace of the Holy Spirit." (Saint Seraphim)

Hey... no fair stacking the deck, Saint Seraphim!!

You know that we Presbyterians believe in the Covenantal Grace of infant baptism adminstered to the child of a believing parents who commit to raise their children in the Faith... while we don't believe with the Catholics and the Orthodox that Baptism causes Regeneration in and of itself, we do believe that God generally assures us that "the Promise is to you and to your children", and that God has thus ordained that the children of Faithful Believers shall generally be numbered among the Elect (I'd have to guess that the vast majority of Christians in history are not "adult converts" but rather children of Believing Parents who have been raised in the Faith).

So no, I can't exactly apply the Scriptures which describe the Fallen Condition of Man in general to those who are "conferred by baptism into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit". But like I said, that's stacking the deck, Saint Seraphim!! What is the general condition of Fallen Man outside of the Covenantal Grace of Believing Families and Believing Churches?

1 Corinthians 7:14 -- For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

And for the general condition of Fallen Man -- Romans 8:5-8 and Ephesians 2:1-3 are the applicable Scriptures on the matter.

The natural condition of man is to be united to God. In the EO church, we share a more optimistic, less sacrificial, understanding of Christ’s "rescue mission". We view the incarnation of Christ as a cosmic event. By taking on a body, God united all material reality to himself. By entering into human existence, God opened the way for us to participate in His existence, to partake of His divinity, by means of a communion of life-giving love.

Well, I can't find a thing with which to disagree in that entire paragraph... but "life-giving love" is exactly the point. "He loved us, before we first loved Him." That's why Calvinists say that Regeneration must precede Faith -- God's Love must make us Alive, before we Live in Love to Him.

OP, what do you do with Scripture like "Be ye perfect"?

Attempt to obey it.

Badly. And with huge, gaping failures.

Clinging as my only confidence to the Fact that my Savior has obeyed Perfectly... on my behalf.

"Thank God for the Active Obedience of Jesus Christ. Without it, no hope... no hope at all..." (last words of Dr. J. Gresham Machen, founder of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church)

God bless, OP

[kosta50]

OP, what do you do with Scripture like "Be ye perfect"?

If you are quoting Mt 5:48 that sentence is in the future tense (will-be therefore you perfect), not in the present (be therefore perfect).

It is a hope that, through theosis, we can live up to that -- but it's not very likely.

[kosta50]

while we don't believe with the Catholics and the Orthodox that Baptism causes Regeneration in and of itself

The Orthodox view on this is elaborated by Fr. Potapov as an exmaple.

Doesn't the Calvinist/Presbyterian regenration-justification-sanctification strikingly correspond to the ancient Eastern Orthodx concept of baptism-faith-theosis?