Human Freedom and Synergy
As taught in the Eastern Orthodox tradition
The cooperation of human will with divine grace in the process of salvation.
The question of human freedom and its relationship to Divine grace is perhaps the most defining anthropological inquiry in the history of the Christian Church. In the Orthodox tradition, this inquiry is not merely a philosophical puzzle or a legalistic debate over "merit" versus "gift." Instead, it addresses the very nature of what it means to be a human being created in the image and likeness of God. The central question this subtopic answers is: How can a finite, fallen creature participate in the life of the infinite Creator without being overwhelmed into non-existence or remaining a passive, deterministic instrument? The Orthodox answer is found in the doctrine of synergy (synergeia), a term derived from the Greek word for "working together." Synergy is the existential cooperation between the human will and the Divine energies.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the patristic distinction between the "image" and "likeness" of God and its role in human freedom.
- **Distinguish** between the "natural will" and the "gnomic will" as articulated by St. Maximus the Confessor.
- **Explain** the term *synergeia* and how it differs from both monergism and Pelagianism.
- **Articulate** the Orthodox response to the concept of total depravity using the Confession of Dositheus.
- **Trace** the relationship between Christology (the two wills of Christ) and the doctrine of human synergy.
- **Defend** the necessity of human effort (*podvig*) in the process of justification and sanctification.
- **Apply** the concept of synergy to daily spiritual practices, such as prayer and the keeping of the commandments.
- **Compare** the Eastern Orthodox view of predestination and foreknowledge with that of the Reformed tradition.
Scripture
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