Illuminating the Mysteries of the Divine Nature, Man, and Creation, Part II

Orthodox views on the nature and the purpose of creation

Welcome back! Here we continue on the second article in this series that examines the Orthodox perspective of God, Man and Creation. If you have not read Part 1, please do so, you can find it here.

Yet more about Creeds

It’s impossible to speak about the Orthodox position without mentioning the Trinity, articulated in the Nicene Creed. Numerous statements of faith were developed by the early church through ecumenical¹ councils², culminating in the Nicene Creed.

Note that the word Creed comes from the Latin Credo - which means “I believe…”

Protestant groups, including LDS, view early Christian creeds as products of the “Great Apostasy.” Originating from the Protestant Reformation and its reaction to the Roman Church's corruption, ideas like Sola Scriptura emerged. To interpret scripture as they wished, Reformers rejected tradition, papal authority, and sometimes the Nicene creed. LDS skepticism towards creeds and traditions can be traced to its Protestant roots and the culture Joseph Smith grew up in.

But what is a Creed? A creed is a concise, formal statement of the essential articles of Christian belief. As mentioned previously, the LDS church also has a creed - the (13) Articles of Faith.³ An early Roman creed, the Apostles Creed, is referred to as the Twelve Articles of Faith, and another creed written by the 12th-century Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides is also known as the 13 Articles of Faith. Coincidence? The reality is that if you have any beliefs at all, then you have a creed.

What became the Nicene Creed was created progressively as a statement of faith from as early as the second century AD⁴, and was formalized as the Nicene Creed to combat the Arian heresy that was ripping the early church apart. Here is the original creed:

I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Creator of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the Prophets.

In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.

Other than the statement of “one essence” and the use of the word Catholic, there is little else in the creed itself that I can see the average LDS member objecting to.

LDS readers may be inclined to charge that this was a decision by consensus, not revelation, but this was produced in the same way the modern LDS church works (i.e the quorum of the twelve must all agree). The bishops - whom the Orthodox believe are the inheritors of apostolic authority - declared that the creed was not the product of human design but was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and we can all agree that revelation is delivered through the Holy Spirit.

"For the Lord in his condescension has given us peace by means of this [creed], and having received it, we are of one body and one belief. [… and they] will recognize the force of what was done in the council; for it was not human power that conducted it, but the power of God." - The Synodal Letter of the Council of Nicaea to the Egyptians.

Understanding the Uncreated God

In the Orthodox view, God is eternal and uncreated. He exists outside of time and space. He is the source of all existence and the creator of the entire universe, ex-nihlo (out of nothing.) As a being outside of time and space, we cannot fully understand his nature - which is why he sent Jesus Christ, the divine made into man so that through him we can know God.

Orthodoxy distinguishes between God’s essence - which is unknowable, uncreated, and exists outside of space and time - and God’s uncreated energies that created, interact with, and sustain the world⁵. The Essence/Energy duality can be perhaps best described as the difference between what something is and what something does.

For Orthodox, Grace is not just favor, mercy, or clemency. Grace is seen as one of the divine energies that represents God’s love and transformative power. The ultimate purpose of Grace is as the means through which humans can progress on the journey of becoming like God (Theosis - i.e., LDS eternal progression and exaltation.) Humans, however, need to accept and allow God’s Grace to affect them through faith, repentance, and a life of virtue.⁶

The Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Each is a separate and distinct person, but each shares the same divine essence - i.e., the stuff he’s made of. The following image may be illustrative.

This may leave some questions in the minds of others; however, instead of precisely trying to define God, the Orthodox take an approach that is apophatic - a theological practice that attempts to speak in terms of what may not be said about God instead of limiting him by human definitions.

Platonic Philosophy?