REV. DANIEL ROHAN Attaining deification through the church

When Martin Luther burned the books of Catholic canon law at the Elster Gate of Wittenberg on Dec. 10, 1520, he did so to dramatize a point that has become fundamental to Protestant identity: Scripture has a unique and normative value, and whatever value "tradition" has, it is secondary and derivative.
Indeed, Luther wrote, "What else do I contend for but to bring everyone to an understanding of the difference between the divine Scripture and human teaching or custom, so that a Christian may not take the one for the other and exchange gold for straw, silver for stubble, wood for precious stone."
Hence the great watchword of the Reformation -- sola scriptura! This does not mean the Protestants neglect tradition, only that tradition is submitted to the higher authority of the Bible.
Furthermore, Protestants insist that God speaks to the reader of the Bible in a direct manner than being mediated by the church. Just as the Reformers placed Scripture above tradition, they placed the Scriptures above the church. It was the Word of God that gave birth to the church, Calvin insisted, and not the other way around.
Orthodox beliefs
The Orthodox Church understands things differently. According to the late Orthodox theologian John Meyendroff, "The Christian faith and experience can in no way be compatible with the notion of sola scriptura" and the rejection of all ecclesiastical authority except Scripture. This elevation of the Bible above the church, the consequence of which is private interpretation, the late Orthodox theologian George Florovsky once called "the sin of the Reformation."
Positively, Orthodoxy believes that the Spirit of God speaks to his people through apostolic tradition. This tradition is expressed through Scripture, to be sure, but also through the seven ecumenical councils, and to a lesser degree, the church fathers, liturgy, canon law and icons.
Furthermore, contrary to Calvin, the Orthodox note that the church existed some 300 years before the ecumenical councils and the formation of the Scripture canon. The Reformed idea of "Scripture alone" seems privatistic (allowing each person to interpret truth on his or her own) and therefore dangerous. By way of contrast, converts to Orthodoxy vow to accept and understand Holy Scripture in accordance with the interpretation that was and is held by the universal Orthodox church.
The central issue raised by the Reformation was how a person could stand just before God -- How can I be saved? For traditional Protestants, the answer to this question is expressed by Paul's doctrine of "justification by faith alone." The perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to me by faith alone and not by any work I do. Because of Christ's righteousness, God declares me just. According to Luther, Christianity stands or falls with this doctrine.
The background for justification is distinctly legal or forensic. Having offended the majesty of God, a just penalty must be paid.
Theosis
It is fascinating to observe the total absence of the doctrine of justification by faith in large segments of Orthodox history and theology. Instead, the idea of theosis or "deification" takes center stage. The early church fathers, including the champion of trinitarianism, Athanasius, summed it up well: "God became man so that men might become gods."
In fact, theosis enjoys the support of Scripture, as in 2 Peter 1:4: "God has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature ..." Put another way, the Son of God descended and became a man, that we humans might ascend and become like Christ. The legal framework for understanding the work of Christ is played down and our mystical union with God is emphasized.
But what does it mean to "become God"? First Orthodoxy categorically repudiates any hint of pantheism; theosis does not mean the essence of our human nature is lost. Rather, theosis speaks to believers' real, genuine, and mystical union with God whereby we become more and more like Christ and move from corruption to immortality. As we avail ourselves of God's grace and live lives of spiritual vigilance, we hope for what St. Maximus the Confessor in the seventh century described as the "glorious attainment of the likeness of God, insofar as this is possible for the human person."
XThe Rev. Daniel Rohan is pastor of St. Mark Orthodox Church in Liberty.