My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
CHRIST’S PASSION ON THE CROSS (Part II)
Christ’s Passion and Sacrifice on the Cross IS A MANIFESTATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S GREAT AGAPE (LOVE) FOR THE HUMAN RACE. Christ’s Himself said: "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Thus the Incarnation and especially the Passion and the Cross show God’s agape and not justice as we regard it. For human justice is retaliation in kind, while God, although He is sinless and not to blame for Adam’s sin and fall, became man in order to save him. Therefore God’s justice is identical with His philanthropy (Saint Isaac the Syrian and Saint Nicolas Cavasilas).
While Orthodox teaching SPEAKS OF THE LOVE AND PHILANTHROPY OF GOD, Western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) theology, as it has developed form scholasticism, speaks OF APPEASING GOD. It says that Christ suffered, was crucified and died on the Cross TO APPEASE THE DIVINE JUSTICE, WHICH WAS OFFENDED BY ADAM’S DISOBEDIENCE AND SIN.
This view, which unfortunately has been taken over into the Orthodox Church by some theologians, CANNOT BE SUPPORTED THEOLOGICALLY . What must chiefly be emphasized is that since God is impassible, HE IS NOT OFFENDED. We CANNOT ASCRIBE TO GOD THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FALLEN AND PASSIONATE MAN. NOT GOD, BUT MAN, NEEDS A CURE. MAN, NOT GOD, MUST BE CURED. Moreover, nowhere in Holy Scripture is it said that Christ reconciled God with man, but it is said that He reconciled man in Himself to God, for man had separated himself from God and had to be brought back to communion with Him. This took place THROUGH CHRIST’S PASSION, CROSS AND RESURRECTION.
It is interesting what Saint Gregory the Theologian says about this. In his time people were discussing to whom Christ offered His blood. Some said that since man was a slave to the devil, Christ offered His blood to the devil as a ransom to liberate man. Others maintained that He offered His Sacrifice to the Father, as if God were angry at man’s apostasy. Both these views are untenable from the orthodox point of view.
Saint Gregory the Theologian maintains that He could NOT have offered His blood, nor even Himself to the devil in order to free the human race. He regards it AS A BLASPHEME FOR ANYONE TO SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT THE DEVIL WOULD TAKE SUCH A GREAT RANSOM AND PAYMENT, SINCE HE WAS TYRANNISING THE HUMAN RACE. Likewise it is IMPOSSIBLE to maintain that the Father needed the blood of His Only-Begotten Son in order to save man. Indeed, as we see in the Old Testament, God did not accept the sacrifice of Isaac either. How is it possible "for the blood of the Only-Begotten to please the Father?"
When Saint Gregory the Theologian rules out both these interpretations, he says that the Father did NOT NEED NOR ASK THAT THE BLOOD OF HIS ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON SHOULD BE POURED OUT, BUT FINALLY HE ACCEPTED IT IN ORDER TO FREE MAN FROM THE TYRANNY OF THE DEVIL, TO SANCTIFY MAN BY THE HUMAN NATURE OF HIS SON AND TO BRING MAN BACK TO COMMUNION WITH HIMSELF THROUGH HIS SON MADE MAN, THUS IT IS BY CHRIST’S SACRIFICE THAT THE DEVIL AND DEATH WERE OVERCOME. MAN HAS BEEN FREED FROM THEIR DOMINION AND HAS ATTAINED COMMUNION WITH GOD.
Saint Nicolas Cavasilas, who shares this view, maintains that Christ WAS OFFERING HIS WOUNDS AND HIS PASSION TOMAN IN ORDER TO BUY HIS WILL. Since man had subjected himself to the devil, he would have to renew the struggle and conquer him. CHRIST DID JUST THIS. THUS BY HIS SACRIFICE HE GAVE POWER TO THE HUMAN NATURE AND WILL TO CONQUER THE DEVIL THROUGH CHRIST AND TO OVERCOME DEATH.
This view is not unconnected with the theology of Saint Gregory the Theologian, if we think that Christ, when He freed Adam from the devil and death, GAVE EVERY PERSON THE POSSIBILITY BY HIS POWER TO CONQUER THEM WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE. UNLESS OUR WILL AND OUR WHOLE NATURE IS STRENGTHENED BY THE GRACE OF THE RISEN CHRIST, WE CANNOT FIGHT AND CONQUER THE DEVIL…
"…In speaking of Christ’s Passion we should say that Saint John of Damascus tells us THAT WE ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SAY THAT DIVINITY SUFFERED IN THE FLESH, BUT WE MAY SAY THAT GOD SUFFERED IN THE FLESH. There is a difference between these two statements. The first indicates that the Divine Nature suffered and was crucified, which is very UNORTHODOX, while the second, which is correct, states that God suffered in the flesh which He acquired from the Panagia (All-Holy Mother of God), tha the flesh of God the Logos/Word SUFFERED AND WAS CRUCIFIED, WITHOUT DIVINITY SUFFERING ANYTHING.
CHRIST WAS GODMAN, PERFECT GOD AND PERFECT MAN. While there were two Natures in Christ, the Divine and the human, still the person, Christ the Godman, was one. The Divine Nature is IMPASSIBLE, while the human Nature suffers. So at the time of Passion while the human Nature suffered, the IMPASSIBLE DIVINE NATURE WAS NOT SUFFERING WITH IT, BUT CHRIST THE GODMAN SUFFERED, AND HE WAS CRUCIFIED. At Troparion (hymn) of the Canon for Holy and Great Saturday says characteristically: "For though the earthly substance of Thy flesh suffered, yet the God head remained impassible."
Many are the Passions which Chist underwent for the cure of man: the INTERROGATION BY THE HIGH PRIESTS AND PILATE, THE SCOURGING, THE CROWN OF THORNS, THE PURPLE ROBE, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS TO GOLGOTHA, THE CRUCIFIXION AT THE PLACE OF A SKULL, etc. In all these things one can see the magnanimity of God, Who accepted everything FOR MAN’S SALVATION. The Creator is condemned and dishonored by His creation, the Maker by what He has made, the Father by His child. {Resources: The Feasts of the Lord)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 