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sojourner said:
speratus,

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So the Orthodox Church stopped teaching, as St. Basil had, that man is "justified by faith alone in Christ" to avoid any confusion with the "justification by faith alone in Christ alone" being taught by the Protestants? Wouldn't it have been better to retain the formulation of St. Basil and explain to the Protestants where they had erred?
No, we have not stopped teaching it at all. We just never use the simple understanding in writing that it is 'faith alone' as the protestants understand.
The protestants have not changed in 500 years, does it look like they might in future, doubtful.
It is either saved by faith, or by faith in Christ alone, but never by 'faith alone'.

You would be hard pressed to find a Protestant who believes that faith is ever alone or that faith is ever separated from the object of faith (i.e., Christ). Protestants are "protesting" the Roman departure from St. Basil, "recognizing oneself as lacking true righteousness to be justified by faith alone in Christ." Surely, the Orthodox Church does not agree with justification by works of the Papacy (i.e., indulgences, satisfactions, merits of the Saints, purgatory, priestly offering up of the Mass for the sins of the living and the dead, etc.)?

Last edited by speratus; Thu Jan 06, 2005 9:55 AM.