Seraphim Hamilton

My intention in this article is to demonstrate that Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism are three fundamentally different religions and cannot be understood as merely three parts of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.  In order to do this, I will explain and contrast the soteriologies of each Christian group.

Roman Catholicism teaches that one is saved by the merits of Jesus Christ applied by grace, which subdue the wrath of God and allow one into Heaven.  In addition, there is temporal wrath which one may be saved from.  As for the eternal wrath, in Roman soteriology, God the Father has wrath towards each individual person, for both their original sin imputed to them by Adam, and also for their personal sins.  Their personal sins are divided into mortal and venial sins.  Before baptism, both sins are sufficient to condemn one to eternal damnation.

In baptism, the merits of Christ are applied to the individual, thus eliminating the Father’s wrath towards any sins committed before baptism.  However, after baptism, if one commits a mortal sin, wrath is applied so that one would be damned if they died in that state.  To solve this, one confesses to an ordained priest.  The priest provides the penitent with certain works to do, and after they perform these prescribed works of penance, the merits of Christ are applied to them and they are forgiven.

Temporal wrath is satisfied in a particular time in purgatory.  If one wishes to expunge this, one must perform set good works to have a certain amount of days removed from their term in purgatory.  The removal of eternal punishment is distinct from the removal of temporal punishment.  While mortal sins incur both eternal and temporal punishment, confession only eliminates the eternal punishment, leaving the temporal punishment undealt with.  Venial sins committed after baptism accumulate temporal wrath, without eternal wrath.

Through prayer, fasting, reception of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist, and other good works, Christ applies His grace to an individual so that they accumulate grace over time.  This grace leads them to higher and higher states of salvation.  After death, any leftover grace is received into a treasury of merit, where it may be appropriated by individual Roman Catholics through indulgences.

In short, the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation deals with the accumulation of divine wrath through sin and the reduction of divine wrath by the appropriation of the merits generated by Christ’s work on the Cross.

Protestantism teaches that all men are totally depraved, because the depravity of Adam is inherited by all men.  Therefore, according to Protestantism, all men are utterly unable to do any good in the eyes of God.  God can only receive perfect righteousness and sinlessness into His Heavenly Kingdom.

Therefore, God sent Jesus Christ into the world.  Christ, through His death, suffered the penalty for the sins of the world and provided a righteousness to be imputed to believing Christians.  When one places personal trust in Jesus Christ’s atoning work, one attains a faith-union with Christ.  One’s sins are recognized as punished in His person, and thus all sins, past, present, and future, are immediately forgiven.  Through this faith-union, Christ’s righteousness is immediately imputed to the believing Christian.  Therefore, God receives them into heaven, because they have been counted as righteous by virtue of their union with Jesus Christ.

The Protestant faith includes the doctrine that God’s divine wrath is satisfied on the Cross.  However, it disagrees with Roman Catholicism in that there is no temporal element to salvation.  It also disagrees on the means of the application of the substitution.  Roman Catholics believe that ones sins are continually forgiven through the application of merit through the sacraments and good works.  Protestants teach that all sins are immediately forgiven because of faith alone.  Roman Catholics teach that justification is infused righteousness which develops and grows over time.  Protestants teach that justification is imputed righteousness which is imputed once and does not change.

Orthodoxy is radically different from both of these soteriologies.  Like Protestantism, Orthodoxy teaches that there is no such thing as purgatory, and thus, there is no such thing as temporal salvation.  However, the similarities essentially end there.  Salvation is defined in three words as “life in Christ.”  It is attained by a lifelong journey to union with God through His incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.

The salvation process begins with the mystery of Holy Baptism.  Baptism unites one with the death and resurrection of Christ.  Thus, all of ones sins are united to His person, and are annihilated, not punished, by His death.  This union washes away all sins committed prior to Baptism.  The mystery of Chrismation endows one with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of God indwells the Orthodox Christian, empowering him on his journey to salvation.

Prayer is an essential part of the Orthodox life.  Rather than being a means to appropriate merit, prayer dulls the passions and brings one into communion with God.  Prayer, when done in true repentance, washes one of sin.  It prepares one for the central mystery of the Church of Christ — the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the true body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  By partaking of it in a spirit of faith and repentance, one is united to Jesus Christ, and thus it is effective unto eternal life and salvation.

Before reception of the Eucharist, one often repents in the presence of an ordained priest.  This mystery, called the mystery of confession, is a healing sacrament rather than a legal process.  Through confession, one is washed and forgiven of confessed sins.  Certain serious sins, called mortal sins by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, require confession to receive the Eucharist in purity.  Fasting does not apply the merit of Christ to balance the wrath of God, but rather subdues the body to the soul.

The soul is purified of its sin and sickness through prayer, fasting, ascetism, and reception of the Eucharist.  The soul radiates the grace of God the Holy Spirit, and when the body is subdued to the soul, the soul radiates that grace through the body as well.  This is why the bodies of Orthodox saints (as did the body of the Prophet Elijah) are known to have healing powers.  This is why, when living, devout Orthodox ascetics are known to radiate the uncreated light.  This union with Christ is salvation.