The Immaculate Conception And Orthodoxy

Here’s the deal: In the fifth century, a question arose in the Western Church: “Are we sinners because we sin or do we sin because we are sinners?” A monk from Britain named Pelagius began to teach that we are only sinners because we sin, and so we can save ourselves simply by willing not to sin anymore. Jesus, said Pelagius, was primarily sent as a good example. Our task was to just grit our teeth and, through sheer will power, imitate him perfectly, thereby freeing ourselves from sin. This notion began to attract some Christians in western Europe because it appealed to a cultural imperative that approved of demanding high and heroic deeds from oneself. There was only one problem: Pelagianism wasn’t true—a fact proven in the Laboratory of Human Experience by everybody who has ever tried it.

The foe of Pelagianism was the great Father of the Western Church, Augustine of Hippo. Basing his argument on Paul’s teaching, Augustine reminded the Pelagians that, in truth, we sin because we are sinners, born of the fallen Adam. This is why, Augustine argued, the Gospel says, “[S]in came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned” (Rom. 5:12). And so, concluded Augustine (with the agreement of the Western bishops and the pope), Pelagius is disastrously wrong to claim that we can, on our own and without God’s aid, save ourselves from sin. For sin is, in its most fundamental reality, the lack of the life of God. And it’s nonsense to speak of restoring the lack of God’s life in our souls without God.

Now all of this was basically believed in the Eastern Orthodox Churches as well. Eastern Orthodox Christians read the same Pauline letters their Roman cousins read. But the Pelagian controversy never really affected the Eastern Churches. So the Eastern theologians never saw much point to closely defining just how it occurs that we are sinners, and therefore they never got around to fussing much about philosophical terms like “original sin.” The East simply tended to affirm the broad and mysterious statement that we are all sinners “in Adam” and left it at that.

Why does this matter? Because if you don’t have a concept of original sin threshed out and articulated as it has been in the West, then you don’t need to explain how it is that Mary isn’t affected by original sin. You can—and, until need arises, probably should —simply do what the Eastern Churches did: acclaim Mary as “Panagia” or “All Holy” (i.e. sinless), sing “Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure!”( Akathist Hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary) and leave it at that. That’s why there’s not much comfort for Evangelicals in the Eastern Orthodox Churches. For Eastern Orthodoxy doesn’t bother with the notion of original sin (which Evangelicals, relying on Catholic tradition, insist upon) while heaping the same accolades on Mary’s sinless life that Catholics do.

click on: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH by Fr Lev Gilet (Orth)

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an Advent feast, because the grace of the Immaculate Conception was given to the Virgin by God in preparation for the Incarnation.   Belonging to the time of preparation, it brought to perfection in Mary’s soul that long process of preparation of the Jewish people for the Messiah that began with God’s covenant with Abraham.  It is an Old Testament grace, a grace of preparation.   As the dogmatic decree stated and in accordance with the legalistic theology of the time, it was a privilege granted to Our Lady because of the foreseen merits of Christ on the Cross, like all Old Testament were.   It can be expressed in non-legal language    This process would be fulfilled when creation became united to its Creator in Mary’s womb, when she truly became Mother of God.   Then, at that moment, the grace of the New Testament came into existence, born of the harmony between the activity of the Holy Spirit who enables and humble, loving human obedience which becomes enabled.   In this way, Mary became Mother of God, Jesus, Son of God became son of Mary; this harmony deepened and strengthened during Christ’s life and reached totally new heights in his obedience unto death.   Made perfect by this loving obedience, this new relationship with God (New Testament grace) became Christ’s very life when he rose again and ascended into heaven.   By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus shared this life with his Church at Pentecost, and Mary, in whom this life originated, became our mother by the power of the same Spirit.- Fr David