Two Views of the Cross Quotes

“It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2).”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“, but as our champion,”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“both classic Judaism and early Christianity saw God as present throughout Creation. Not in a merely analogical sense—“If God made this, he must be like that”—but actually permeating and pervading it. The idea is abundant in Scripture:”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“Christ frees us, not just from the penalty for sin, but from sin itself (John 1:29).”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“When we join ourselves to Christ, when we believe in him and follow him as Lord, his life flows into us like a transfusion of blood into a weak patient.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“God loves us and saves us because we are his. It’s difficult for us to grasp how absolute his side of the relationship is; he loves us even while we are sinners, and nothing can halt or deflect the force of his love. He is love, and his love fills the universe.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“C. S. Lewis wrote that we think at first God is going to turn us into a “decent little cottage,” but as deep, wrenching changes continue to be made, we realize that he is building a palace. “He intends to come and live in it himself.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“The idea of God’s “kingdom” is a weak earthly analogy for the unimaginably vast authority that underlies the universe. All of Creation is his, and he governs every atom, every star. And the energy of it is love.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“And don’t get pulled into trying to debate or refute them. Any kind of engagement with a thought can pull you into a downward slide. Just recognize them when you see them, and turn back to your constant inner prayer.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“Our goal is to learn how to resist temptation, but desperate attempts at iron willpower can produce frustration and disappointment. What’s needed is watchfulness—in Greek, nepsis. Since temptation begins with a thought, we need to start noticing the thoughts that appear in our minds, that weave around and through, seeking a weak spot. The idea is to notice them early, and shut them off. Block them before they get stronger and harder to resist.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“It is what we really are, and not a legal fiction, that will encounter the Light of Christ when this life ends. It’s what we have actually made of ourselves that will be “tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:7).”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“Death is the result of sin, not a punishment. It is a consequence.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“In Euro-American Christianity, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) means that the punishment for sin is death. It’s like saying that the punishment for speeding is a fine. But in Orthodoxy, “the wages of sin is death” means that sin is death. The two are inextricably enmeshed: sin causes death, and fear of death causes sin.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“It’s like we’re born with a memory of something we’ve never seen. We yearn to return to a place we’ve never been. We mourn that loss and seek it every day, no matter what our religion, or none.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“Undoubtedly, he suffered on the Cross, but icons don’t depict him in agony. They show him as our rescuer, the great hero of our salvation story.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“The ancient Orthodox understanding of the Cross is that Christ went heroically into the depths of Hades and destroyed its power; he rescued us and set us free. The Father forgives our sins without satisfaction, payment, or penalty. Christ offers himself to the Father as a sacrifice, not a payment.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“The love we give is often impetuous, beguiled by superficial things, and if those things alter, it could fade. Familiarity alone can be enough to exhaust our enthusiasm.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

“Christ Ransomed, Redeemed, Delivered, and Saved us from the power of Death. As long as we cling to him, repenting of our sins and resisting them as best we can, we are saved.”
― Frederica Mathewes-Green, Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West