Orthodox Reflections

Part VI of the Western Series

How Western Beliefs Changed the Original Gospel Message

… Love, Faith, Works and Destiny …

Irene Polidoulis MD

with the blessing of her spiritual father

As taught by Christ, the Apostles and the early Church Fathers, Salvation and Deification require the salvific synergy of faith, good works and God’s grace. Love and humility are also necessary, as this is the frequency in which God works (St. Paisios, 20^th century). We also need to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The Orthodox understanding of this type of worship means with a sincere heart, with honour and gratitude, not by merely following outward rituals or traditions, but grounded in the truth of God’s word. No human being except the Godman, Jesus Christ, has the perfection of these virtues, but it is not their perfection that leads us to salvation; it is the sincere struggle for their acquisition. Because of our fallen nature, this struggle needs divine grace and assistance to succeed; and according to Orthodoxy, this necessary helping hand is found in all its fullness in the Orthodox Church. For this reason, the Church is also called:

The Ark of Salvation

With Christ at the helm, and His mother, the Theotokos as our Protectress, this Ark stays the course towards the Heavenly Kingdom.  Like Noah’s Ark, the Orthodox Church (Greek: Εκκλησία, Ecclesia) gives refuge to anyone who wishes to enter. When the rains come and the floods rise, she may be buffeted by the winds of change and attacked from all sides by the antichrists of the ages, but she, herself, does not change, except to grow, because she is guided by the Holy Spirit of Truth, which leads her into the fullness of truth, preserving the unity of the faith and guarding her against heretical innovations. This Ark will arrive at its destination, intact, upright, and in all glory.  As the carrier of the fullness of Truth, the Ark of Salvation is the most sure-footed path to union with God. However, the Orthodox Church is neither a guarantor for salvation, nor a judge of who will be saved. She is a hospital, which nurses, heals and nourishes the soul. Our spiritual healing that leads us to our ultimate destination also depends on us as individuals, according to how we use our gift of freedom.

If Orthodoxy has the fullness of truth, then what is truth? When Pilate asked this of Christ (John 18:38), he was expecting to hear some new ideology or abstract idea. We, too, think that truth is a ‘what.’ Most people don’t realize that Truth is a Person, a ‘Who.’ Jesus taught openly, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father [and therefore His Kingdom] except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus Christ is also “the Word [of God that] became flesh” (John 1:14). Therefore, “if [we] abide in [His] word …[we] shall know the truth, and the truth [Jesus] shall make [us] free [from sin, death and the devil]” (John 8:31-32). His word is true because He is Truth. How does this Truth, Jesus, free us from sin, death and the devil? It is by His teachings and His sacrifice that we are freed, but our freedom also depends on how we respond to and participate in His great plan for us, which in turn depends on our desire for and understanding of His Truth.

To have the fullness of Truth means to have the fullness of Christ. It’s like having a full cup of water with which to quench our thirst, rather than just one drop; or a full loaf of bread with which to satisfy our hunger instead of just one crumb. It is much better to have the whole truth that God revealed to Man* rather than just a part of it.

Love and Works

The Truth of God, who is Jesus Christ, explained that Love is a Work. He told us that the “…first of all the commandments is … you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…’  And the second, like it, is … ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:29-31). Therefore, one criterion Jesus will use to judge the nations at the final judgment, will be based on this commandment to love.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life [emphasis mine].  (Matthew 25:31-46)

In Orthodoxy, God’s Love is one of His uncreated energies. Energy implies action or movement. Therefore, love is not simply an emotion, a noun, but an action, a verb, which is a deed or a work. It requires work to do good deeds of love: to feed, to water, to clothe, to visit, and otherwise help the needy. Doing something requires work. God, as the second person of the Holy Trinity, worked hard for us. He did the work of love for us when He prayed, when He fasted, when He walked to various towns and climbed hills and mountains, when He wrought miracles, and every other way He suffered in the spirit and in the flesh until He died on the Cross for us. This was hard and thankless work. If we are to become godlike, we need to do works of love for Him, and for others, even unto death, if that is what is required of us.

But Jesus did not say that only those who die for Him will be saved. He said that those who love Him by loving others will be glorified; and He could not be more clear that a strong criterion for our salvation at the final judgment will be the work of love. He was also most clear that everyone, even “the least of these,” the most down-and-out “dregs” of society, are icons of Christ, for they, too, are made in His image, according to His likeness. “…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  God does not need anything from us, but others do. For our benefit, we need to do works of love for them, in the same way as we would do them for Christ. In short, good works are the fruit of love and they are necessary for our salvation.

Faith and Works

Good works are the fruit of love, but also the fruit of faith. The Western Reformers – Martin Luther, John Calvin and others – rejected the Eastern Church’s teaching that both faith and good works are needed. They declared that Man is saved by faith alone (sola fide), but nowhere does the New Testament (NT) say that we are saved by faith alone. We are saved by faith, but not faith alone.¹ The Western Reformers also asserted that faith is an irresistible gift from God for those who are predestined for His Heavenly Kingdom. In Orthodoxy, faith, which arises in the human heart, is nurtured and made possible by God’s grace. It is both a gift and a human response. This gift of faith is not imposed by God but offered to everyone. His gift of faith needs our free will and cooperation to want it, to accept it and to help it grow. ^ Orthodoxy teaches that man is saved by faith and by the Grace of God, but the necessary fruit of faith (and love) is good works. In other words, faith and good works go hand in hand.² This is supported by many Biblical verses in Holy Scripture:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works [of love], is dead [emphasis mine] (James 2:14-17).  

That good works are the necessary fruits of faith, is also emphasized in these verses:

You shall know them by their fruits [works, emphasis mine]. (Matthew 7:16)

 This means that a person’s works is an indicator of their faith.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar [emphasis mine]? (James 2:21)

Abraham’s deed (work) of sacrificing his son was the fruit (and proof) of his faith (trust) in God, and God did not let him down.

 For by grace you have been saved through [because of] faith. And this [your faith and your salvation] is not your own doing; it is the gift of God [see ^], not a result of [your] works, so that no one may boast [emphasis mine].                                                                     (Ephesians 2:8-10)

The Calvinists defend their position by stopping here, but continuing, we read the following:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which [workmanship – us] God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them [in good works, emphasis mine]. (Ephesians 2:8-10)                                

According to the Orthodox understanding, salvation is made possible by the unity of grace, faith and good works. The elements that comprise this triad are not equal. God’s grace is uncreated and infinite, whereas our faith is limited but can grow. Good works flow out of an authentic faith. They cannot earn us salvation, which is a pure gift from God, but they are the proof of our faith and love. Faith alone, without good works “is dead,” and good works alone also fall short because no matter how many good works we do, they cannot save us without God’s grace.  This is because regardless of our good works, we still sin, and we still need redemption from these sins, our evil works. This Redemption comes from God’s forgiving grace. The Holy Fathers say that if only good works were needed for our salvation, Christ did not need to come down from Heaven and redeem us, since we could just redeem ourselves through our own good works.Good works are a necessary expression of faith, but we still need God’s grace for our salvation, so that our good works do not become a cause for us to boast. If only good works were needed for our salvation, they could easily lead us to the deadly sin of pride and no salvation.

In addition, there are different types of works: good works that stem from faith, love and humility and works of the law. The following passage was written by the Apostle Paul to defend the Church in Galatia against the Judaizers, who sought to impose Old Testament (OT) laws upon the Gentile Christians:

… a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified [emphasis mine]. (Galatians 2:16)

Here, works of the law refers to a legalistic salvation by adhering to specific observances of the Mosaic code of the OT, particularly the circumcision and dietary laws. Even perfect adherence to all the OT Mosaic laws does not save us from sin, death and the devil. Hence, these laws cannot “justify” or save us. The OT Patriarchs, such as Abraham, who believing in God, walked in faith, and whose faith was “credited to [them] as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4, Galatians 3, James 2:23) still died and went to Hades where they awaited the fulfilment of God’s promises – Christ’s first coming at His Incarnation and His second coming at the Last Judgement and the Resurrection of the Dead.

“These [OT saints] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them …”  (Hebrews 11:13)  

God’s purpose behind the law of circumcision was a prophetic call to “circumcise the foreskin of the heart” (Jeremiah 4:4, Deuteronomy 10:16, Leviticus 26:41, Colossians 2:11) through repentance. It was also a physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants, a mark of belonging to God’s people. A piece of flesh was removed to symbolize a commitment to God rather than to the sinful desires of the flesh. The Law of Circumcision was part of God’s Oral Covenant with Abraham, which was His Second Covenant. His First Covenant was with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: had they chosen to perfect themselves in humility and love, expressed as obedience to God, they would have eternally lived with Him in peace, harmony and happiness, bypassing sin, death and the devil. The Third Covenant was God’s Written Covenant with Israel, The Ten Commandments, given to the Israelites at the foot of Mt. Sinai, on the day that marked the Jewish Pentecost. Israel, God’s chosen people, was the only nation that worshipped the One, True God. If they persevered in this faith without capitulating to the lusts of idolatry and the flesh, God would in turn preserve them in the new, fertile land He promised them, with many descendants, peace from their enemies, freedom and prosperity. However, even perfect adherence to the works of the Law (circumcision, The Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Laws) did not restore Man to his original state in Eden by addressing or solving the problems of sin, death and the devil. That is, not until God’s Fourth and Final Covenant, The Blood Covenant, which He made not only with the Jews, but also with the rest of Humanity, * through Jesus Christ.

Only The Blood Covenant destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil, justifying Mankind* through the salvific synergy of God’s forgiving grace, coupled with our faith that brings forth good works of love and humility. After Christ’s First Coming, all previous Covenants which are prophetic “types” became obsolete. The Apostle Paul explains to the Judaizers and to the Gentile Christians, that it made no sense to return to the works of the law, which stemmed from an obsolete Covenant:

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming … when I will make a new covenant … not according to the covenant I made with their fathers … after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts [instead of stone tablets]; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people … I will be merciful [forgiving] to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more [having forgiven them].”

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete… [emphasis mine]            (Hebrews 8:7-13)

Because we still sin, only the forgiving grace of God can save us when we have a faith that also bears fruit by way of good works of love and humility.

In Orthodoxy, “justification” is not a once-and-for-all legal act, like the Protestant belief that once saved, always saved. It is part of the ongoing journey of sanctification (purification) towards Theosis. This journey is not a static, juridical event, but a dynamic process, where sanctification (purification), justification (righteousness) and Salvation/Theosis are inseparable. (see Part IV – Are You Saved?)

Faith alone (sola fide), is again dealt with by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, where he explains how our works will be tested by fire:

…. No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man build [a work] upon this foundation [of Christ] with gold, silver, precious, stones, wood, hay, straw; each one’s work shall become clear: for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire [emphasis mine] (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

What is the interpretation of these words of the Apostle? Note that the word work is in the singular, denoting a lifetime of work to build on the foundation, which is Christ. Most Christians will agree that the gold, silver and precious stones, represent good work; the wood, hay and straw represent evil work; and fire represents the divine fire of God, which can also be hell fire (see Part XI).

 Beyond this, there is divergence in interpretation. Many Protestants who believe in “faith alone” (sola fide) interpret the last part of this verse to mean that if anyone’s evil work is burned up, he will suffer the loss of the work, but he himself “shall be saved” from the fire of hell. This interpretation ignores the phrase that follows, “yet so as through fire.” Other sects interpret this to mean, “barely saved from the fire of hell,” but if one is “barely” saved, this means that good works count for something, and sole fide does not suffice. The Roman Catholics interpret the phrase “yet so as through fire” to mean “purgatory,” but the idea of purgatory did not emerge in the West until the 12^th century and did not exist at the time St. Paul was writing to the Corinthians. Below is the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom (4^th century), an important early Church Father:

 The building [verb]… is about actions [works] … if faith had been the subject of these sayings, the thing affirmed is not reasonable. For in the faith all ought to be equal, since “there is but one faith” (Ephes. iv. 5) but in goodness of life it is not possible that all should be the same. Because the faith is … the same in all those who truly believe. But in life there is room for some to be more diligent, others more slothful … that some should have done well in greater things, others in less; that the errors of some should have been more grievous, of others less notable. On this account he saith, “Gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble – every man’s work shall be made manifest” – his conduct [works]; that is what he speaks of here – “If any man’s work abide which he built thereupon, he shall receive a reward; if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss.” … And … he saith, “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor” not according to the result, but according to “the labor [the effort of the work]” …

 …If any man has an ill life with a right faith, his faith shall not shelter him from punishment, his work being burnt up. The phrase, “shall be burned up,” means, “shall not endure the violence of the fire.” But just as if a man having golden armor on were to pass through a river of fire, he comes from crossing it all the brighter; but if he were to pass through it with hay, so far from profiting, he destroys himself, besides; so also, is the case in regard of men’s works. For he does not say this as if he were [speaking] of material things being burnt up, but with a view … of showing how naked of all defence he is who abides in wickedness [evil works]. Wherefore he said, “He shall suffer loss:” … here is one punishment: “but he himself shall be saved, but so as by fire;” … here is a second [punishment]. And his meaning is, “He himself shall not perish in the same way as his works, passing into nought [annihilation], but he shall abide in the fire [of hell].

“He calleth it, however, “Salvation,” [which] is the cause of his adding, “so as by fire:” since we also used to say, “it is preserved in the fire,” when we speak of those substances which do not immediately burn up and become ashes. … [therefore], do not … imagine that those who are burning pass into annihilation. And though he calls such punishment “Salvation”, be not astonished… [emphasis mine]. (St. John Chrysostom, Homily IX, 1 Cor. iii. 12–15)

In other words, when the evil work is annihilated by the fire, the doer of this work is saved from the same annihilation that will burn up his works, but he will not be saved from the fire itself. Being saved from annihilation, he remains in the fire of hell.  Whether one interprets the phrase “yet so as through fire,” to mean “barely saved” from hell fire, or “remaining in hell fire” the same conclusion is drawn – “sola fide” without good works is spiritually dangerous because good works are necessary for one’s salvation.

The Holy Fathers of the East have a simple, yet excellent way of explaining the necessity of both faith and good works: Just having faith, meaning a belief in God, does not suffice because the devil also believes that God exists – and does not love or obey Him. In fact, his relationship with everyone is terrible because he also hates Mankind* and works hard to destroy him. His hatred of God and all others produces only evil works, and his outcome will be eternal perdition.

What about good works done without faith? Orthodoxy teaches that this approach lacks the fullness of the spiritual life in Christ. The Orthodox Church entrusts such cases to the mercy of God, for He alone searches the heart and knows the mysteries of each soul. Still, there are faithless people who do not love God or confess Jesus as God, but do good works for philosophical reasons, for self-esteem, social approval, personal advancement, or to make up for a sinful lifestyle or other bad deeds as a “backup plan” in case God does exist. Doing good works as a backup plan wrongly assumes that one will be judged solely based on one’s works. As was discussed in Part IV, this presupposition is based on the Western understanding of divine justice as a juridical set of scales. According to the “scales,” provided one does more good deeds than bad deeds, one is “safe.” However, good works do not erase sins, which need to be forgiven by God’s grace through the Sacrament of Repentance and Holy Confession. Again, according to the Holy Fathers, if good works was all that was needed for our salvation, Christ did not need to come down from heaven to save us. We could all just do good works and save ourselves.

Then there are those who demonstrate faith and good works, even to the point of prophesying and doing miracles of healing, but instead of being motivated by genuine love for God or their fellow man, they are motivated by mammon, pride or personal ambition, or they live hidden lives of immorality. Some may even preach a different gospel, altering or falsifying the teachings of Christ, who warned:

 Beware of false prophets [heretics], who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves … by their fruits you will know them …  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  (Matthew 7:21-23)                                                                           

For the sake of the faithful, God’s grace is at work even in the unworthy, like Judas Iscariot, who did miracles of healing in Jesus’ name when the Apostles were sent out two by two (Mark 6:7-13, Luke 10:1). All the while, however, he was a thief (John 12:6) and in the end he became the son of perdition because he betrayed the love of God for the love of money (John 17:12). The same end will be met by false prophets and other imposters who deceive the faithful by doing many wonders in the name of Jesus, but do not personally follow or teach the real Jesus.

 Faith and Love

Just as faith by itself, without good works is dead (fruitless), in like manner, faith without love is also dead (fruitless).

…if I have a faith that I can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1)

and

 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ [with the lip service of love] shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does [committedly, continuously, not just once] the will [works] of My Father in heaven [emphasis mine]. (Matthew 7:21-23)

 If God is True Love, how can we approach Him without works of love? Works of love are “walking the talk,” which shows that our feelings are sincere. If we want sincere relationships, why wouldn’t God want the same? Christ complained, saying,

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  (Matthew 15:8)

 Again, it is no wonder that the first and greatest commandment is to…

 …love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…And…your neighbor as yourself   (Matthew 22:36-39)

In these verses, love does not mean mere sentiment; it means an action, a work – a sacrificial act – and the Lord who loves us, also expects us to work at loving Him in return, both in a direct relationship with Him, by living a Liturgical and Sacramental life, and indirectly, by loving others at least as much as we love ourselves, because they, too, are in the “image” of God. This is not because God needs our love. We need to love Him because doing so keeps our spiritual eyes, our focus, on Him. The more we focus on Him and the good of others, the less we look inward, injuring ourselves with self-centred sins, and the more we progress towards Theosis.

Because love can be a hard virtue to cultivate, Saint Nicolai Velimirovic, often called the “new John Chrysostom,” offers this practical advice:

Faith is the foundation of love. Constantly keep the faith and constantly keep the seed of love which faith carries within itself, so that it may germinate and bring you joy. Because faith by itself, without love, is cold and joyless.

But if love grows cold in you, not bearing the fruit of joy, simply keep the faith and wait.

Keep the faith at all costs. And wait, even for years, until love sprouts from your faith. If you lose love, you lose much, but if you lose faith, you lose everything. If you lose love, you lose the fruit from the tree; if you lose faith, you kill the tree itself.

If a bad year of harvest comes and the field does not produce a good crop, the owner patiently cultivates [works] it with double diligence. The neighbours may say, “Just sell the field.” Yet the cultivator remains quiet and works. If the field does not produce the next year, the cultivator increases his diligence with triple effort. The neighbours may shout this time, “Sell it for God’s sake.” Yet the farmer remains silent and labors. And when in the third year the field brings forth a good crop, the joy of the cultivator is threefold. Then the neighbours must remain silent, while the farmer rejoices. If he sold the field in the first year, what would he have rejoiced over? Keep the faith [emphasis mine]! ³  (Saint Nikolai Verimirovic 1880-1956)

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Total Depravity & Predestination

In Orthodoxy, good works are needed for our salvation because they are the fruit of faith and love. Faith alone (sola fide), was the belief of the Western Protestant Reformers, such as John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), who were influenced by Augustine’s earlier idea of the total depravity of Man. This theory means that after the fall, all humans came under “a harsh necessity of committing sin.” Because they have no free will and are only capable of sin, their actions, or works, have nothing to do with their salvation. Mankind became too depraved to be capable of anything good. Therefore, faith had to be a gift from God for select individuals, who were “chosen” by God for salvation, so that not all of Humanity* would be eternally lost. This idea is known as double predestination, where everyone is predestined by God before birth, to have faith or not, and to enter either Heaven or eternal Hell.^{4, 5}

Orthodoxy maintains that Man is not under a harsh necessity of committing sin but has a tendency to sin. Contrary to Luther, Calvin and other Reformers, Man also has the willpower and the initiative to be saved by participating in his own salvation. In his book, Surprised by Christ, My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity, the late Rev. A. James Bernstein, a convert from Judaism to Orthodoxy, explains how the metaphor of the damaged eye helped him understand the difference between the Eastern and Western views:

 The total depravity model views the Fall as having destroyed man’s spiritual eye so that he is no longer capable of having any spiritual sight whatsoever. His only hope is to be given a completely new eye from God. God unilaterally decides who is given a new eye and who is not. This is called double predestination, as God alone decides who will be given faith and go to heaven, and who will not be given faith and will go to hell…In the Orthodox view, the Fall damages the spiritual eye but does not destroy it. We are not totally blind, because having been created in the image and likeness of God, we still retain free will and some degree of desire for God. Faith remains within us, though it may be the size of a mustard seed. Having faith is not an all-or-nothing issue. Just as differing levels of fallenness exist, so do varying degrees of faith. (Rev. A. James Bernstein)⁵

In his most famous book, The Orthodox Church, the late Bishop Timothy Kallistos Ware (1934-2022), an Anglican convert to Orthodoxy, writes:

[The Orthodox Church] cannot agree…that humans are under ‘a harsh necessity’ of ‘committing sin’, and [that] ‘human nature was overcome by the fault into which it fell and so came to lack freedom.’ The image of God is distorted by sin but never destroyed; in the words of a hymn sung by the Orthodox at the Funeral Service: ‘I am the image of your inexpressible glory, even though I bear the wounds of sin.’ And because we still retain the image of God, we still retain free will, although sin restricts its scope. Even after the Fall, God takes not away from man the power to will – to will to obey or not to obey Him [emphasis mine]. (Bishop Timothy Kallistos Ware)⁵

Likewise, in the words of St. John of Kronstadt,

Never confuse the person formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him; because evil is but a chance misfortune, an illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God, and this remains in him despite every disfigurement [from sin].  (St. John of Kronstadt,19^th century Russia)

In Orthodoxy, Christ died for everyone because He wants all to be saved, not a select few. This means that two energies are needed for man’s salvation: God’s grace and Man’s free will. After the image of God in Man – the soul – was wounded by the Fall, the gift of the Holy Spirit (forgiving grace) fused with Man’s free will (the initiative to cultivate his gift of faith), enable him to do good works (such as following God’s commandments) and be saved. In Orthodoxy, participation in the Holy Mysteries – Baptism, Chrismation, Holy Confession and especially the Eucharist – is essential for abiding in Christ and receiving the grace necessary for the spiritual healing of our wounded souls and our transformation to godlikeness (Theosis).

Grace

According to Orthodox teaching, predestination is incompatible with Holy Scripture and the salvific role of Jesus, who “leave[s] the 99 sheep in the wilderness, and go[es] after the one which is lost until he finds it” (Luke 15:4). The Orthodox Church also rejects the total depravity theory. One Eastern Father, St. Irenaeus, understands Humanity as having fallen from a state of undeveloped capability, his original state being like one of spiritual childhood, innocence, and simplicity joined to moral purity. Man was to gain God’s likeness through a gradual process. He does not view Man’s fall as a full-blown rebellion, but more like an impulsive desire to grow before his time. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve’s strength of free will was such that they had all the means to resist temptation if they wanted to, for the image of God in them had not yet been marred as it is in us. After the Fall, the human mind or “nous” was not destroyed but darkened, the human will power was not lost but weakened, and the conscience was not annihilated but dulled, so that humans could no longer hope to achieve God’s likeness on their own, without God’s grace.⁵

Before the Fall, man’s conscience was pure and clear, easily discerning good and evil. After sin, it became mixed with the darkness of the passions, so that one’s own will and self-love now speak louder than God’s law. Yet through repentance and the grace of Christ, it is illumined again [emphasis mine]. (St. Theophan the Recluse – The Path to Salvation, Part I, ch.3)  

After the Fall, Humanity still had some good potential.  God’s “image” in Humanity was distorted but not destroyed. Man was still in the “image” of God but not according to His “likeness” as before. There is still hope for this, however, through Jesus Christ, for God is Love. He created man in His goodness and has never left him, nor will He ever leave him without His love. God’s grace is always available to Man if Man asks for it. As the “firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18), the Godman, Jesus, completed the reopening of Humanity’s path to Theosis (God’s “likeness”) with His Incarnation, His Death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and finally, His Ascension. This brought Him to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, as not only God, but also as the first truly Human being, having fulfilled Man’s true destiny in the place of Adam.

We all have enough freedom to take an interest in God, to follow God, to obey God, to love God, to heed God’s voice in their conscience – or not. Even in a fallen world where circumstances may limit personal freedom, there is never a “no choice” situation concerning God. God can, but will not, frighten anyone into submission and obedience to Him because that would be coercion. It would not be the way of Love and Freedom. God profoundly respects the complete freedom He has given Man, to accept or reject Him, and He never interferes with it, even though it nailed Him to the Cross, or brings some of us to Hell. Orthodoxy is faithful to the idea of synergy between Man and God and rejects any interpretation of the Fall that allows no room for human freedom.

In the Orthodox Church, when Man freely chooses to seek out God and follow Him by loving God and neighbour with faith and good works of love and humility, worshiping God in spirit and in truth through a sacramental and liturgical life, then God’s grace forgives and sanctifies the individual, healing him and progressing him from God’s image to God’s likeness in Theosis.

The Church’s role, however, is not to guarantee salvation, nor to judge who will be saved. Because “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), the Church is a spiritual hospital that nurses and heals the soul. Even the most pious still need God’s forgiving grace, which is free for the asking. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James:2), and with this in mind, the holy Elders, and even many lay people, continually ask, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” (the Jesus Prayer).** The continuous work of this hesychast** prayer, which is an expression of faith and humility, combined with the most profound work of love – the genuine forgiveness of one’s enemy – generates the frequency of love and humility, in which God works. This is why in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “… and forgive us our trespasses as we also forgive those who trespass against us [emphasis mine].” All these things that the Orthodox believer does in perpetual hope for his salvation, are works that Christ has revealed to us by His own example, so that even if we incline towards Him through these works with faith and love, He will bestow His salvific grace upon us.

Recall the thief on the cross who asked Christ to remember him in His kingdom. He had led an evil life. Yet, towards the end, he finally heard Jesus knocking and opened the door of his heart. He did not tempt Jesus to save them all from the cross, like the other, unrepentant thief. He asked Jesus to save him from his sins by remembering him in His Kingdom. This thief repented and confessed the sins of his past life, while accepting his own crucifixion as a just sentence. He also publicly acknowledged Jesus as God. His faith, humility, true repentance and public confession in his final moments, may have been the only good works he ever did, but according to the Orthodox Church, he was the first to enter Paradise.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our [evil] deeds [works]; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  (Luke 23:39-43)

This is the gift of grace, which is free for the asking. No one can be saved without it.

Contextual vs Selective Theology

So far, we have seen how a disconnect from Holy Tradition risks the introduction of human rationalism, and the dangerous interpretation of Scriptural texts in isolation from, rather than in context with, the whole of Holy Scripture. These disconnects lead to a type of “selective theology,” which in turn lead to misinterpretations, misunderstandings, contradictions and “a different gospel” from the one given to us by the Lord.

Our adherence to Holy Tradition protects us from “a different gospel – which is no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-9). Holy Tradition, which is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church, expediates the salvific synergy of God’s grace with our faith, good works, love, and humility, as taught by Christ, the Apostles and the early Church Fathers. Together with the Church, the Holy Spirit leads us into the fullness of grace and truth, which is Christ, preserving the unity of the faith and guarding our spiritual growth against the heretical teachings of “different gospels.” ^{2, 6, 7}

To be continued with Part VII – Papal Apostasy, Power, Wealth and Schism…

 Footnotes

• The terms Man, Humanity, Mankind are used interchangeably and in the plural sense to mean both the masculine and the feminine together. The terms he, him, his also denote the singular feminine unless otherwise stated in the text. These terms will be used in this manner throughout all Parts of this Series.

** The Jesus Prayer, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” has gained high esteem in the Orthodox Church, as a way of cleansing and opening up, first the mind and then the heart. Those who diligently practice the Prayer first acquire the Prayer of the Mind or the Noetic Prayer and then the Prayer of the Heart. The Prayer of the Heart is the Unceasing Prayer that the Apostle Paul advocates when he says, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and an important element in Orthodox spirituality. In the Orthodox Tradition, the Jesus Prayer is recited repeatedly by monastics (and lay people), while observing Hesychasm (from the Greek: Ησυχία (Hesychia), meaning “stillness or tranquility”). This practice began in the Egyptian desert, as early as the 5^th century. Elements of the Jesus Prayer first appeared in Holy Scripture, including the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke18:9-14), and then in a letter written by St. John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.). Hesychasm may involve specific body postures and a deliberate breathing pattern (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,” while inhaling; “have mercy on me a sinner,” while exhaling; in repetition). This pattern of breathing, while ignoring the senses, helps acquire “tranquility” of the heart and progresses the prayer from the mind to the heart, where it eventually becomes automatic and unceasing.

To be continued with Part VII – Papal Apostasy, Supremacy and Infallibility…

References

1. The Orthodox Study Bible, Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s World, Old & New Testaments, texts & exegesis Pg. 1591,
2. Fr. Constantine Matthews Protopresbyter, Eastern Orthodoxy Compared, Her Main Teachings and Significant Differences with Roman Catholicism and the Major Protestant Denominations. Pg 79-80
3. Saint Nikolai Velimirovic, Come Alive in God! Words for Christian Living, Translation, Introduction and Notes by Daniel M. Rogich, First Hesychia press Edition, August 2021, Canton, Ohio. Pg 20
4. George Nicozisin, The Orthodox Church: A Well-Kept Secret, A Journey Through Church History Pg 100-110, 103-107
5. A. James Bernstein, Surprised by Christ, My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity, 2008. Pg 20-221
6. Matthew Steenberg, Irenaeus on Creation: The Cosmic Christ and the Saga of Redemption (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2008).
7. Fr Aidan Kimel, St Athanasius: The Fall of Man into the Body, Eclectic Orthodoxy, April 5, 2013, accessed July 25, 2018, https://afkimel.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/st-athanasius-the-fall-of-man-into-the-body/