Orthodox View of Salvation

I would now like to share with you how the Orthodox Church understands salvation. This is at the heart of everything we believe and practice, and I hope you will see that it is very much in line with the Scriptures.

Salvation is a gift of God through Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot save ourselves. It is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are given new life and forgiveness of sins.

Salvation is more than a single moment—it is a life with God. In the New Testament, salvation is described in different tenses: 1) we have been saved (Ephesians 2:5), 2) we are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18), and 3) we will be saved (Romans 5:9–10). This shows that salvation is not just a one-time event, but the whole journey of living with God—past, present, and future.

Faith and works go together. We believe, as the Bible teaches, that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Good works do not replace faith, and faith does not remove the need for a life of love and obedience. Instead, faith is the root, and works are the fruit. Jesus Himself said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

We are called to grow in holiness. The Orthodox Church teaches that salvation is about becoming more like Christ. Saint Paul says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Another verse says, “We all ... are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is why we speak of salvation as a process of healing and transformation, not just forgiveness.

The Church is the place where salvation is lived. The Bible shows that baptism unites us with Christ. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ... so that we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). In Holy Communion, we are nourished by Christ Himself (John 6:53–56). Through prayer, worship, and the sacraments, we receive God’s grace to help us grow in faith and holiness.

Salvation is the hope of eternal life with God. Jesus said, “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). At the end of time, Christ will return, and those who belong to Him will share in His Kingdom forever (Revelation 21:3–4).

The Orthodox Church understands salvation as both a gift and a journey. It begins with God’s grace, received in faith, but it continues as we live in Christ, are changed by Him, and grow in love until the day we see Him face to face.

With love in Christ,
Fr. Charles

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