Dogmatic Topics, Part 7

Servants Preparation Curriculum

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Dogmatic Topics, Part 7 – Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Objectives:

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• To review the benefits of The Incarnation and the need for A Redeemer
• To study the criteria of Salvation in The Orthodox Faith
• To view Salvation as it is understood in other denominations
• To learn a few of the heresies on Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Salvation

• Sin is disobedience to God and a transgression against Him, showing our lack of love for Him

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• Since God is unlimited, sin is unlimited too because it is committed against God

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• So, it requires A Redeemer to be unlimited (God is the only option)

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• God himself must incarnate and take the human nature and shed his own blood

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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The Benefits of Incarnation

1. Human Salvation

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• Corrects the corrupted human nature

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• God showed man victory over the devil on the mountain

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• God showed man the way of virtue and the love of/for good

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Sin Leads to Death

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

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“God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Genesis 3:2)

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• 2 choices
• Man dies forever and God will create a new creature
• God redeems the man

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Why should man live?

• God’s Love for man is overwhelming
• God blessed man before sin
• God’s blessing is unchangeable
• God’s knowledge is perfect from the beginning and man’s sin is not a surprise to Him
• God is Almighty and capable of everything

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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The Need for a Redeemer

• Someone should die on behalf of man, so that man does not die
• Someone must reconcile man with God
• Someone must correct the corrupted human nature

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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The Need for a Redeemer Cont.

1. Must be without sin (born without an earthly father)
2. Must be unlimited because sin was directed to the unlimited God
3. Must take the form of a man (human flesh and human soul)
4. Must die

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• The only solution is that God, Himself, must take the form of man and die on behalf of the human race

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Dogmatic Topics, Part 7 – Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Objectives:

​

• To review the benefits of The Incarnation and the need for A Redeemer
• To study the criteria of Salvation in The Orthodox Faith
• To view Salvation as it is understood in other denominations
• To learn a few of the heresies on Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Salvation

• What are the requirements of salvation?

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1. Faith
2. Saving/Salvific Sacraments
• Baptism.
• Confirmation
• Repentance & Confession
• The Eucharist
3. Good Works

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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1. Faith

• Faith means to believe in The Blood of Christ, The Crucifixion, and The Sacrifice of Christ on The Cross

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“without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22)

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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1. Faith Cont.

“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)

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“for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24)

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• I believe that I have been saved, having put on our Lord Jesus Christ in Baptism
• My faith should be A LIVING FAITH!

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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2. Sacraments

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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A. Baptism

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16)

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“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3)

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• Baptism renews me, washes me, unites me with the Main Body, forgives my sins, and clothes me with a new garment

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“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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A. Baptism Cont.

• As salvation started with The Lord’s death, baptism starts with death with The Lord and to rise up with Him

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“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:8)

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Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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B. Chrismation/Confirmation

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)

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What is this gift of the Holy Spirit? Is it necessary for our salvation?

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• We can never be saved without the gift of the Holy Spirit - that is because our whole spiritual life is just a response of our will to do the work of the Holy Spirit within us
• Repentance, prayer, fasting, humility, service, etc.

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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B. Chrismation/Confirmation Cont.

• Therefore, the apostles were very careful in giving the gift of The Holy Spirit to the believers and not all of them were able to give it
• It started first by laying hands, then as The Holy Myron

�“Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.(Acts 8:17)

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• In Baptism, we share in Christ’s death and become sons while by The Holy Spirit we live in a way that suits our being sons
• Both matters are necessary for our salvation!

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Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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B. Chrismation/Confirmation Cont.

The Holy Spirit in us…

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• Feeling guilty after sinning and encouraging repentance
• A desire to grow closer to God by prayer, kneeling, reading The Bible, etc.
• Entices us to do acts of good

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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C. The Eucharist

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him…He who eats this bread will live forever ” (John 6:56-58)

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• In fact, The Holy Offering of The Eucharist is a continuation of The Sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, you cannot be saved without it!

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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D. Repentance and Confession

• Do faith and baptism prevent you from sinning afterwards?! Certainly not!

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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

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• God requires the repentance of the angels of the churches in The Book of Revelation (Chapter 2)

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“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23)

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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3. Good Works

• Good works alone are not sufficient for salvation without faith and other sacraments!

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“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20)

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“by works faith was made perfect” (James 2:22)

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Nonbelievers do good deeds, but this is NOT enough for salvation

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Dogmatic Topics, Part 7 – Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Objectives:

​

• To review the benefits of The Incarnation and the need for A Redeemer
• To study the criteria of Salvation in The Orthodox Faith
• To view Salvation as it is understood in other denominations
• To learn a few of the heresies on Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Salvation in Other Denominations

• Catholicism = same as us
• Protestants = faith alone, maybe some good deeds, and 2 sacraments (baptism and communion)
• Methodist / Lutheran = same as protestants
• Amish = good deeds and do not mingle with the rest of the world
• Mennonites = good deeds and faith
• Islam = good deeds
• Hindu = no salvation needed
• Buddhism = no salvation needed because of a constant process of reincarnation

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Dogmatic Topics, Part 7 – Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Objectives:

​

• To review the benefits of The Incarnation and the need for A Redeemer
• To study the criteria of Salvation in The Orthodox Faith
• To view Salvation as it is understood in other denominations
• To learn a few of the heresies on Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Heresies: Salvation happens in a moment

• The protestant depend on the thief’s story and say he didn’t do any of the above things and he got saved

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• Orthodoxy responds and says…
• No, he passed through everything we said and it was not in a moment
• The first good deed - the thief was to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
• Because he believed in the Lord Jesus while He was crucified, humiliated, despised, and in a weak state in front of many

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Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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• The second good deed - Our Lord said, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5)
• The thief hated the Lord in the beginning, and then repented (Mark 15:32)

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• The third good deed - the thief confessed his sins - “we receive the due reward of our deeds” (Luke 23:41)
• Thus, he confessed his sins and acknowledged that the death penalty on the cross was the due reward for his evil deeds

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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• The fourth good deed - the thief was to have tremendous hope
• The thief loved our Lord Jesus and although he never heard the words of St. John, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18)

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• The fifth good deed – the thief defended the Lord saying, “but this Man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41)
• Our Lord stood alone, no one defended Him (not even His disciples or followers), but the voice of this thief came out to put to shame the ungrateful thousands

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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• The sixth good deed - the thief was to declare a complete confession of faith
• “Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42)

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• Yes, he got baptized, he died, and broke his legs = a baptism of blood
• Also, the Lord spoke to him at the 6^th hour - His death was at the 9nth hour, while the thief death was at the 11^th hour - about 5 hours after the Lord’s death

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Dogmatic Topics, Part 7 – Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Objectives:

​

• To review the benefits of The Incarnation and the need for A Redeemer
• To study the criteria of Salvation in The Orthodox Faith
• To view Salvation as it is understood in other denominations
• To learn a few of the heresies on Salvation in The Orthodox Faith

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Memorization Verses

1. “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22)

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• “for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24)

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• “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:8)

Lecture 24, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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