In this homily I want to offer a bold and uncompromising reflection on a particular statement made by St. Arseny Uralsky, a hierarch of the Old Believers’ tradition, whose teaching stands in stark contrast to the diluted religiosity of the modern age. Citing the words of the Lord from John 3:36 and Mark 16:16, St. Arseny proclaims that salvation is inseparably tied to true faith in Christ and baptism into the life of the Church. His words reject the ecumenical pretences and relativistic theologies which dominate contemporary discourse, affirming instead the apostolic truth — that outside of Christ there is no life, and that rejection of Him is not a harmless difference of opinion but a path to condemnation. True faith liberates man from death—not in metaphor or sentiment, but in reality. We will examine how this liberation is ecclesial and sacramental, grounded in the Mystery of Baptism and the obedience of faith within the ancient Apostolic Church. I hope it will help expose the false assurances of modern spirituality, the errors of sentimental universalism, and the betrayal of apostolic doctrine by those who water down the Gospel to suit modern appetites.
At the same time, this homily is meant to defend the clarity and finality of St. Arseny’s words as an act of mercy — a call to repentance, to faith, and to life. It is a summons to return to the voice of the Fathers, the confession of the martyrs, and the doctrine of Christ without compromise. For only in the true faith, received and preserved within the Apostolic Church, do we find deliverance from death and hope of the Kingdom.
St. Arseny Uralsky wrote:
“Through true faith in Christ, we are liberated from death and hope to attain eternal life and the heavenly kingdom, as He said: ‘He who believes in Me (the Son of God) shall have everlasting life, but he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him’ (John 3:36). And again: ‘He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned’ (Mark 16:16).” (Justification of the Old Believer Church)
St. Arseny speaks with the unflinching clarity that once characterised the confessors of Orthodoxy in the days before the compromise of Holy Russia. His words are not tempered by the cautious ambiguities of modern theological jargon. He speaks of true faith in Christ not as a polite assent to doctrinal concepts or an abstract philosophical agreement, but as a living, burning submission to the Only-Begotten Son of God—a submission that costs a man his pride, his independence, and his worldly affections. The saint does not seek to please ecumenical ears. He affirms that the rejection of faith in the Son is not a light misstep but a condemnation, an exposure to the very wrath of God. These are the words of the Scriptures, unvarnished and stern, yet true. John 3:36 and Mark 16:16 are straightforward declarations. They separate those who are in Christ from those who are outside His mercy, and this division is not erased by sentimentality, universalism, globalist agendas or the shallow assurances of modern religion.
St. Arseny connects true faith to liberation from death. This is certainly not some symbolic freedom or metaphorical gesture. He means actual release from the dominion of death—because death is not natural to man. Death entered through sin, and sin reigns where Christ does not. (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22) The saint is speaking of ontological liberation: a real, spiritual transfiguration that occurs when a man no longer lives for this world but for the age to come, when he unites himself to Christ through faith and baptism and obedience. However, this is not individualistic optimism, as found in the spiritual self-help books of the West. This is ecclesial. It presumes the Church, the Mysteries, the Orthodox life. When St. Arseny speaks of believing and being baptised, he does not mean the mere pouring of water or reciting of words. He means being buried with Christ in the sacramental life of the Apostolic Church. Baptism is entry into Christ’s death. Faith is its crown, not its replacement.
The second half of this quote is also vital. “He who does not believe will be condemned.” This is not a threat issued to frighten unbelievers. It is a solemn declaration that the path outside Christ leads to condemnation because outside of Him there is no life. The wrath of God is not like human anger, shifting and impulsive. It is the settled opposition of divine holiness to all that is impure, rebellious, and corrupt. God is love, but He is also holy. And He will not compromise His justice to accommodate those who despise His Son.
The modern world, including much of modernist Catholicism, emotionalist Protestantism, and contemporary Orthodoxy, recoils at this message. It prefers inclusive vagueness and flattering silence. But the saints did not speak this way. St. Arseny speaks the truth because he knows what it means to fear God and love Him. To preach Christ crucified is to draw a line — the line of salvation. And that line is drawn in the blood of the Lamb.
As Christians, we can not leave room for the neutral man, the good atheist, or the vaguely spiritual. Apostolic teachings does not appeal to those who “mean well” or follow their own path. There is one faith, one baptism, one Church, and one Lord. Outside of Him, there is no life. Therefore, some may find St. Arseny’s words to be “harsh”, but they are merciful. They are the mercy of warning, the mercy of truth. He does not soothe the conscience of the apostate or lull the indifferent into comfort. He speaks so that they may repent, believe, be baptised, and be saved. And in doing so, he bears witness not only to the Gospel of Christ, but to the faith of the Fathers, unchanged and undiluted. This is the voice we must recover. Not the voice of compromise, but the voice of the Church in the wilderness, the Church in the desert. The voice that calls the dead to life through the faith of the martyrs and the waters of regeneration. Let us not be ashamed to speak as St. Arseny spoke. For our salvation depends on it.
To conclude this article, I want to say that St. Arseny is not offering a theological suggestion. He delivers a command of Christ, echoing the voice of the Apostles and the Fathers who preached not for acceptance, but for the salvation of souls. His words, drawn directly from the Gospel, cannot be diluted without doing violence to the message of Christ Himself. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) This is the dividing line. Not academic speculation, but divine revelation. Not the product of theological councils seeking common ground, but the Word of God made flesh and preached unto all nations. In an era that is obsessed with theological relativism, where many priests, bishops, and even entire synods prefer ambiguity over clarity and diplomacy over fidelity, St. Arseny’s voice is a sharp rebuke. He exposes the liberal modernists within Christendom—those who speak endlessly of dialogue and inclusion, while abandoning the apostolic faith handed down once for all (Jude 1:3). These are the same who preach Christ without His cross, salvation without repentance, and ecclesiology without the Church. Their sermons are light shows, their theology therapeutic. They do not call men to die with Christ, but to feel better about themselves while dying in their sins.
St. Arseny speaks as the prophets spoke—without apology and without compromise. He does not seek to “reimagine” Christianity for a new generation. He does not tone down the Gospel to make it more accessible to the secular man. He simply proclaims the truth — that salvation comes only through true faith in Christ, lived and expressed in baptism, obedience, and the sacramental life of the Church. He does not flatter the heretic, nor affirm the unbeliever in his delusion. He does not sentimentalise God’s justice, nor hide the reality of divine wrath. He teaches as the Fathers taught, in continuity with the saints, with the martyrs, with the Apostles. He is a confessor of truth in an age of betrayal.
Let this be a warning and an exhortation. The modernist theologians, the ecumenical diplomats, and the liberal clergy may wear the garments of the Church, but their doctrine betrays her. They preach a different Christ—one who saves without repentance, who welcomes all paths, and who requires nothing but a vague sense of goodness. This is not the Gospel. This is not the Apostolic faith. It is a lie that leads souls to destruction. We must not tolerate their corruption. We must not participate in their conferences, endorse their documents, or imitate their empty rhetoric. We must return to the fear of God, the simplicity of the Gospel, and the ascetic struggle of our Fathers. Let the words of St. Arseny awaken us. Let them silence the false teachers and stir the hearts of the faithful. Let us teach our children, baptise our households, and stand firm in the confession of the ancient Church, even if the world and Christendom’s own hierarchy mock us.
In the end, we will not be judged by synodal resolutions, ecumenical declarations, or popular consensus. We will be judged by the words of Christ: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) May we, like St. Arseny, never compromise, never retreat, and never be ashamed of this Gospel. For it is not ours to amend. It is God’s to proclaim—and ours to obey.
May God bless you +
Fr. Charles
Bright Thursday
Hieromartyr Antipas, bishop of Pergamus
24 April 2025
