God
Orthodox: Transcendent Creator, wholly other, personal Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) who brings the universe into being ex nihilo.
Esoteric: Infinite Mind, Source of Love, wholly One; no separation, no duality. God did not create the world of perception — only Spirit is real.
Christ
Orthodox: The eternal Son, second Person of the Trinity, uniquely incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth.
Esoteric: The shared, undivided Sonship — the true Self of every being. Jesus exemplifies the Christ, but Christ is universal identity. The shared, single Self of God’s Son.
Jesus
Orthodox: The unique God-man, fully divine and fully human, whose death and resurrection accomplish salvation once-for-all.
Esoteric: An elder brother, fully awakened to his true Christ nature, who demonstrates forgiveness and defenselessness. His life is a teaching example.
Sin
Orthodox: Real rupture in humanity’s relationship with God; inherited from Adam and Eve (“original sin”) and perpetuated by human disobedience.
Esoteric: A mistaken belief in separation — an error of perception, not an ontological stain. Guilt is illusion; innocence is untouched. Sin is merely a “missing of the mark”
Atonement
Orthodox: Christ’s sacrificial death reconciles humanity to God. One must atone and accept one’s status as a fundamentally guilty sinner in order to be saved. Achieved by Jesus for us Atonement is accomplished trough the Crucifixion.
Esoteric: The undoing of error and recognition that separation never occurred. Atonement = “at-one-ment.” Accepted by us, demonstrated by Jesus. A correction rather than a payment. Atonement is accomplished trough the Resurrection.
Crucifixion
Orthodox: The central saving event, in which Jesus bears sin and conquers death. Proof of divine love, but also necessary sacrifice.
Esoteric: A teaching demonstration that attack is meaningless. Jesus shows that love cannot be destroyed and fear is powerless. A demonstration that the body and this world is not real and therefore can and will die.
Resurrection
Orthodox: The bodily rising of Jesus from the dead; empty tomb; pledge of creation’s redemption and future resurrection of the faithful.
Esoteric: Awakening of the mind from the dream of death. Resurrection = recognition of life’s invulnerability, realized in the present.
Salvation
Orthodox: Deliverance from sin, death, and hell through faith in Christ (and sacraments/Church in Catholic and Orthodox tradition).
Esoteric: The release of fear and guilt through true perception and the practice of forgiveness. Salvation is remembering innocence now, not something achieved in time.
Holy Spirit
Orthodox: Third Person of the Trinity, indwelling presence who sanctifies, guides, and empowers the Church.
Esoteric: The inner Teacher, Voice of & for God within the mind, guiding perception away from the ego toward love.
Church
Orthodox: Mystical Body of Christ, visible institution entrusted with Word, sacraments, authority, and mission.
Esoteric: Not a hierarchy, but the living community of those who accept the Inner Teacher. True Church is the shared recognition of Christ within.
Sacraments / Rituals
Orthodox: Means of grace (e.g., baptism, Eucharist) instituted by Christ, necessary for spiritual life.
Esoteric: Symbolic learning devices. Baptism = remembering innocence, Eucharist = choosing love in the present. Grace comes directly from God, not mediated.
Judgment
Orthodox: Final judgment by Christ at the end of time; eternal destiny in heaven or hell.
Esoteric: Judgment ends when we refuse to judge. The“Second Coming” is the universal correction of perception, realized moment by moment.
Heaven & Hell
Orthodox: Heaven = eternal union with God; Hell = eternal separation and punishment in a place of suffering that sinners and unbelievers are sent to.
Esoteric: States of mind. Heaven = awareness of Oneness. Hell = the state of being in the ego’s guilt and fear. Heaven is the reality right NOW; Hell is an illusion created from separation, darkness, misperception, ignorance.