The Path to Salvation

1. Christian Life Begins with Zealous Desire for God.

I am come to send fire on the earth, the Saviour said, and what will I, if it be already kindled!

True Christian life. It is not enough to merely call oneself a Christian or belong to the Church. True Christian life is characterized by an ardent, active zeal to please God alone, with total self-sacrifice and hatred for anything opposing this. This zeal is like a fire that consumes the soul and penetrates one's entire being, preserving it from the corruption of sin.

Beyond outward actions. Coldly following Church rules, routine good deeds, or outwardly correct behavior are not decisive signs of true Christian life. These can be like soulless statues if they lack the inner fire of zeal. Only true zeal seeks good in its fullness and purity, fighting sin in its smallest forms and striving for perfect purity.

Source of strength. The work of piety and communion with God is laborious, especially at first. Heartfelt zeal, kindled by God's grace, provides the necessary power to undertake these labors. Without this enthusiastic zeal, serving God becomes sluggish and boring; with it, the path is full of consolation and gives wings to the spirit.

2. Baptism Plants the Seed of Grace, Nurtured by Upbringing.

If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature, teaches the Apostle (II Cor. 15:17).

New creation. Holy Baptism is the first mystery that makes a Christian a "new creature," delivering from God's disfavor, subjection to satan, and the consequences of sin. It restores the divine order within, changing the orientation from self to God and righteousness. While the power drawing towards sin isn't exterminated, it loses dominion.

Grace for infants. For infants, grace descends and produces the same result as if freedom participated, based on the condition that the child will later freely dedicate themselves to God. Sponsors promise to guide the child towards this conscious acceptance of grace and its obligations. This extends the beginning of Christian life into a period of maturation.

Christian upbringing. The crucial task for parents and sponsors is to raise the baptized child so they recognize and joyfully accept the grace within them. This involves:

• Frequent Holy Communion and participation in Church life.
• Surrounding the child with sacred images and influences.
• Parents' faith and piety creating a saving atmosphere.
• Guarding against sin taking root in bodily and soul powers.

3. Repentance: The Path Back to God After Falling.

If you have sinned, acknowledge the sin and repent. God will forgive the sin and once again give you a new heart ... and a new spirit (Ez. 36:26).

Necessary return. For the majority of Christians who lose the grace of Baptism through sin, the Mystery of Repentance becomes the essential path back to God. It is the only source of true Christian life for those who have fallen away. There is no other way: either do not sin, or repent.

Painful transformation. Repentance involves a decisive change for the better, a breaking of the will, and a turning away from sin towards God. It is characterized by extreme inner pain, like a woman giving birth, as the old sinful self is destroyed to lay the foundation for the new. This painful break reveals the true evil of sin.

Grace and freedom. This change is brought about by divine grace, which draws the sinner to God. However, unlike infant Baptism, free assent must actively participate in the act of change. The process involves stages where grace gains mastery over freedom, leading to arousal from the sleep of sin, resolving to abandon sin, and receiving power through the Sacraments.

4. Grace Awakens the Sinner, Requiring Free Will's Cooperation.

Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light (Eph. 5:14).

Divine call. Sinners are often depicted as being in a deep slumber, indifferent to salvation despite outward activity. Divine grace approaches everyone, calling them to awaken from this state. This awakening reveals their sinfulness, the danger of their situation, and inspires fear and care for deliverance.

Opportunity for change. Awakening is not the change itself, but the opportunity and call for it. Grace removes the sinner from customary bonds, allowing them to see the contrast between their sinful life and a superior divine way. If the sinner heeds this call, it is to their benefit; if not, they may fall back into deeper slumber.

Cooperation is key. While grace initiates the awakening, the sinner's free will must cooperate. For those who have fallen after a previous awakening, grace is not given freely; they must labor and seek it. This process involves opening oneself to grace by removing the coverings of self-deception, insensitivity, carelessness, cares, and scattered thoughts through self-exertion and prayer.

5. Conversion Demands a Painful Break from Sin and Self-Reliance.

When he came to himself means he has come to his senses; I will arise and go indicates he has decided to cease his former life; I have sinned is repentance...

Coming to senses. The process of conversion begins with grace-filled awakening, where the sinner "comes to himself," seeing their sinfulness and the danger. This leads to the resolve to abandon sin ("I will arise and go"). This resolve is a conclusion born from contemplating the folly and danger of sin and the value of a new life.

Decisive battle. Once the resolve is made, a fierce inner battle begins as the deeply rooted inspirers of sin (self-pity, sensuality, man-pleasing, earthliness) rebel. Tempting thoughts and desires attack, threatening to extinguish the good intention. This is a decisive struggle where the sinner must conquer their enemy within.

Self-abnegation and trust. In this battle, the soul must not rely on itself but cry out desperately to God, falling into nothingness before Him. While expecting everything from God, the sinner must still force themselves into action, opposing the passions. This self-abnegating trust in God's grace, combined with relentless effort, is the path to victory over sin's deeply rooted inspirers.

6. Ascetic Struggle: Constant Self-Opposition Against Passions.

...the kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12).

Inevitable conflict. Having resolved to live according to God's will, the convert faces the reality that their soul and body are still permeated with passions. The spirit desires good, but the flesh and soul cling to sin. This necessitates a constant struggle against the demands of the body and soul, opposing oneself in bad and forcing oneself to good.

Podvig (Asceticism). This self-opposition and self-forcing is the essence of Christian asceticism (podvig). It is a struggle with oneself, a labor and a bearing of the yoke. All saints considered pain and hard work the only true path to virtue, while ease is a sign of a false path. Zealots eagerly embrace ascetic struggles for self-correction and purification.

Beyond initial resolve. The initial resolve to abandon sin is only the beginning. The work of uprooting passions and impressing virtues requires continuous effort. This involves:

• Mortifying passionateness in all its forms.
• Raising nature to its essential purity.
• Enduring labor, sweat, perplexities, and even falls.
• Maintaining a state of perpetual beginning and ceaseless repentance.

7. Ascetic Labors Purify, But Grace Provides the Power.

I have planted, Apollos labored; but God gave the increase (I Cor 3:6).

Grace gives increase. While zeal and ascetic labors are essential, the success and fruits of these efforts do not come from the labors alone, but solely by God's grace. Just as spiritual life begins and is preserved by grace, so too is it ripened by grace. The Christian must entrust themselves minute by minute into God's hands, praying for Him to work in them.

Cooperation with grace. Man's part is to desire, force himself, and act according to his strength, but success comes when God's grace fills the powerlessness of human actions. Wishing to produce results solely from oneself stifles true, grace-filled life. True progress comes from God working in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Instruments of healing. Ascetic labors (fasting, vigils, prayer, etc.) are not ends in themselves, but instruments through which grace purifies and restores our corrupted nature. They are like a plaster healing a sore spot, channeling grace to our powers. These labors must be performed with diligence and constancy, but any progress must be attributed to the Lord.

8. Inner Work (Soberness) is Central to Spiritual Progress.

Take ye heed, watch and pray (Mk. 13:33), says the Lord.

Core activity. The most direct path to a salvific disposition and the central outgrowth of Christian life is inner work. This involves going within oneself, holding consciousness in the heart, and forcefully gathering all powers of soul and body there. This state of "being within" is achieved through attention, vigilance, and soberness.

Preserving zeal. Being within is crucial for preserving zeal because:

• Gathering powers into one point produces warmth and kindles fire.
• The gathered soul is strong and ready to act.
• Being within allows one to see and govern all inner movements.

Beyond external acts. While external ascetic labors are necessary, they are fruitless without this inner concentration and spiritual activity. Someone who ignores inner work, focusing only on external rules, delays progress and risks becoming cold and hardened. Inner work is the condition for spiritual life and the foundation for all other asceticism.

9. Dedication to God: The Key to His Indwelling and Guidance.

Do Thou, 0 Lord, do in me as Thou wilt, for I am blind and weak.

Beyond self-mastery. Having mastered oneself and resolved to abandon sin, the work is only half done. If one acts solely from this point, it is an egotistical, pagan morality. The goal is not freedom itself, but dedication of that freedom to God, so that He, not the self, acts in everything.

Condition for indwelling. The condition for God's indwelling and reigning in us is the renunciation of our own freedom and self-acting will. This decisive dedication to God, saying "Do Thou, O Lord, do in me as Thou wilt," allows God's power to enter the spirit and begin its all-encompassing work.

Ripening through experience. This act of dedication is instantaneous but ripens gradually through experience. Frequent failures despite effort, and unexpected successes without trying, teach the zealot that they are nothing and God is everything. This feeling of one's nothingness is the final point of preparation for dedication, often brought about by sorrows and providential crosses.

10. Sacraments (Confession & Communion) Nourish Spiritual Life.

He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him, says the Lord (Jn. 6:56).

Source of life. The Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion are the grace-filled means for nourishing, elevating, and strengthening spiritual life. Just as conversion is unstable without being sealed by grace, zeal and fervor are weak without renewal through these divine mysteries.

Communion with Christ. Holy Communion is the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood, given for feeding and elevating spiritual life. It is the source of true life in Christ; without partaking, there is no life in us. Frequent Communion has been considered by saints as the chief blessing and necessary for progress.

Worthy preparation. Approaching Communion requires fear, trembling, and sufficient preparation, primarily cleansing the conscience through Confession. Confession, made with hatred of sin and promise to flee it, makes the soul capable of containing God's grace. Govenie (preparation for Sacraments) involves ascetic labors, prayer, and self-examination to bring forth repentance and worthily partake.

11. Hesychia: The Path to Undisturbed Communion with God.

The hesychast is an earthly image of an angel who, with the paper of love and letters of zeal, has freed his prayer from sloth and negligence.

Inner stillness. Hesychia is a state of inner stillness where one abides alone in spirit with God, not in a forced way but freely. It is the confinement of the incorporeal being within the bodily house, having within a shrine of knowledge. This state is possible only for those who have tasted the sweetness of God and conquered their passions.

Fruit of purification. Hesychia does not attract those still troubled by passions. It is a state achieved after significant purification through ascetic labors. Attempting stillness while still passionate is like trying to cross the sea on a plank. True hesychasts are those who have united themselves to stillness to delight in God's love.

Prayer and detachment. The essence of hesychia is a completely undisturbed prayerful standing before God in the mind and heart. This requires being completely disengaged from worldly affairs and cares, as even a small care can ruin stillness. Those who practice hesychia sensibly experience undisturbed minds, pure thoughts, rapture to God, and ceaseless prayer.

12. Passionlessness: The Goal of Living Union with God.

Dispassion is the resurrection of the soul before the body.

Consummate purification. The burning of the spirit from contact with God consummately purifies a man, leading him to a state of passionlessness. This is where the material of the passions is destroyed by divine fire, and the soul is purified, causing the passions to retire completely.

Resurrection of the soul. Passionlessness is the resurrection of the soul, an exodus from the old man, where nothing of the old remains. The dispassionate person is insensitive to things that arouse passions, even when they appear before their eyes, because they are wholly united to God.

Temple of God. One who has achieved dispassion is a temple of the living God, Who directs and instructs them in all things. They have the mind of Christ, apprehend God's will as an inner voice, and are filled with flaming love. This state is the final goal of man's spiritual search, where he abides in God and God in him.

Last updated: May 20, 2025