The VOICE OF THE LORD - www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr
WHERE DOES SALVATION COME FROM?
The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, touches, among other things, on a chief spiritual issue that should concern all of us who wish to live in Christ. From this arises the knowledge through which the Kingdom of Heaven is attained. It is the matter of human salvation and the way in which it is achieved.
Just as in our time, so too in the early Apostolic years, many Christians believed that the salvation of the soul was the result of strict adherence to the Law that God gave to people. They thought it depended on meticulous engagement with the formalities of Christian life. A blind attachment to these, however, leads one away from the essence and the real truth. Paul sets things in their proper place and teaches that the salvation of the soul is the fruit of genuine and tangible faith, cut off from hypocrisy and falsehood, distant from the captivity of rituals – a faith that does not delight in display, but warms the hearts of people and directs them toward the love of God.
The observance of the commandments
Let us see how this faith is understood according to theOrthodox perspective. First of all, as absolute trust in the will of God, the proof of which is the precise observance of His commandments. “Without the observance of the divine commandments, man does not progress even in a single virtue,” according to Abba Agathon. It is God who strives for the good of His creations, as long as they are given to Him without hesitation and doubt, with absolute trust in His choices and in His criteria. God opens paths, provides intellect and discernment to all so that they may distinguish between good and sinful, and accordingly walk through this life. Above all, He is the One who always offers Himself as an example of a humble, innocent, loving, and selfless life.
Love for God
Faith is also understood as love toward the person of God. This love transcends the framework of meaningless theorizing or hypocritical ideology when it is verified in the face of every human being, who is the living image of God. A characteristic quote from Saint Maximus the Confessor is: “He who loves God cannot help but love every person as himself.” The wholehearted love of a person toward God is an expression of gratitude for all that He has granted, for joys and successes, for life and its blessings, but also for afflictions and trials, which serve as purification of the soul for those who accept them as a visitation from God.
Ecclesiastical life
Faith is also understood as consistent and systematic participation in the life of the Church, which the Lord entrusted for the cultivation of spiritual life and the ontological union with Him. The sacred Mysteries (Sacraments) are what ensure uninterrupted communication between man and God; they sanctify and cleanse fallen man. They guarantee a smooth and safe journey through the paths of life and serve as a foretaste of the heavenly joy which God has promised to the citizens of His Kingdom.
Let us reflect on the above, considering the measure and quality of our faith. If we are followers of scholasticism, let us strive to free ourselves from it, as it is foreign to the Orthodox understanding of faith and ecclesiastical life. If we are attached to ritualism, whether willingly or unwillingly, let us realize that the salvation of our soul has to do with something deeper and more essential: with the degree of our active faith in our God-Man Lord, which radiates through our trust in His will and the application of His commandments, through our infinite love for His person, and through our conscious participation in His Mysteries.
Archimandrite E. Oik.
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