The liberating message of the Gospel rings clearest and truest in the ancient faith of the Orthodox Church. This is the same liberating message of Christ, as explained by the Apostles and their successors, a message of hope and truth. This message is the meaning of our lives, who we are and why we exist. Our life as we experience it is inexorably linked to our origin, our destiny, our fall, and our restoration; but with the passage of time and human history, the Gospel’s true message of hope and promise was altered, particularly in the West. Western emphasis on legalism, rationalism and institutionalism engendered and fostered a misunderstanding of God’s Love and our relationship to Him. This eleven-part ‘Western Series’ shall endeavour to demonstrate how and why this came about, what it means for us today, and how we can return to the real Jesus.
Discover the Orthodox perspective on Heaven and Hell as the same Divine Fire of God’s Love—joy for the repentant, torment for the unrepentant. Contrasts Western legalism with patristic wisdom, wax/clay metaphor, and self-judgment through humility and repentance.
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