I can see now why Orthodox Christians regard the other "Christians" as imposters and I can also see how, once the church has meddled in the "official" doctrine there's no end to it as we see, for example, with the Zionistic Scofield Bible and with homosexuals and women being ordained as priests.
In this you are quite correct. Once you deny the universal tradition which serves as the basis for the belief of the Church, there is no end to the splits, divisions, arguments, and changing of doctrines to suit one's self.
True Orthodox Christians are very jealous of Holy Tradition, and will zealously defend the teachings passed down to us by our forefathers.
Christ's Church does not need reforming. Christ set it up perfectly at the start.
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 1.3)
The Faith was delivered perfectly once to the saints nearly 2,000 years ago. Nothing was lacking in Christ's Church and no secret doctrines needed discovering by innovative-minded people.
What is needed is to preserve the traditions that were given by Christ to the Holy Apostles, not invent some new-fangled doctrine or interpretation that no one had held before.
The Papists changed or perverted the traditions, much like the Pharisees had done.
Protestants developed an irrational and thoughtless response to these false traditions introduced by the Papists. Over time many of them have denied Holy Tradition all together. They have thrown out the baby with the bath water so-to-speak. Others have simply replaced false Papist doctrine with their own man-made traditions.
When Martin Luther became disillusioned with the new and innovative traditions of the Papists (he was right about that much), he was in contact with the Orthodox. Instead of returning to the bosom of Holy Church and her God-ordained traditions, he chose to follow a different path.
"Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." (Acts 20:30)
Instead of humble submission to the true Church, Martin Luther spoke perverse things so that he could draw away disciples after himself, and make his name great.
Well people still call themselves Lutherans to this day, testifying of themselves that they follow Luther and not Christ. |
