The Foundation for Salvation

Elder Savva (Ostapenko) of Pskov-Caves Monastery (+1980)

 

 

Instruct me, O Lord, in Thy way, that I may walk in Thy truth.

(Ps. 85:11)

In Orthodox Christian doctrine, a special place belongs to the teaching on salvation.

What is salvation? From whom does it proceed? Why is it necessary?

To all these questions Orthodox Christians must know precise and clear answers.

Salvation is first and foremost deliverance from sin, cleansing from every impurity, deliverance from the power of the customs of the world that are contrary to the commandments of Christ, from the violence of the devil, from bondage to corruption, from the coming wrath of God and condemnation, and finally from eternal death and torment with the devil.

The salvation of man has been prepared by God from eternity. Its source is the love of God, the mercy and longsuffering of God toward the human race.

God was well pleased to save man by His Only-begotten Son, Whom we call our Savior. He is the God of our salvation, Who came into the world to save perishing man. Thus, salvation is the work of God. It has shone upon us freely, that is, as a gift.

What, then, is the role assigned to man in the work of salvation? Does man take part in his salvation or not?

Despite the fact that salvation is a pure gift of the love of God and it does not depend on the works of man, nevertheless the Lord saves a man in that case if a man has faith in Christ the Savior Who came into the world, receives with joy the good tidings, that is, the Gospel, seeks reconciliation with God in his conscience and does not wage enmity against God, prays to God for his salvation.

Here are the necessary conditions of our salvation: faith, hope, love, prayer, purity of conscience, a moral life, repentance.

I wish, beloved, to point out to you some rules which will help you to acquire a prayerful spirit and to have blamelessness before God.

The Lord does not require much from us, that is, He does not require feats that exceed our bodily strength. All our attention we must direct to the inner state of the heart, in order, with the help of God, to drive out from it all passions and to become a living temple for the Holy Spirit.

He is a stranger to spiritual wisdom who exercises himself in bodily feats but neglects the commandments of the Lord. As in all things, so especially in the spiritual life of a man, the essence of the matter is important, not the form. The Lord said: “My son, give Me thy heart.”

In order to make our heart a pleasing sacrifice to God and to prepare our soul for eternal blessedness, we must live according to the commandments of God, fulfilling the basic rules:

1. In the morning and at night, kiss your cross with prayer to the Crucified Christ.

2. Pray: do not begin the day without prayer and do not lie down at night without prayer.

If there is no time to fulfill the prayer rule, then read the short rule of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov:

O Heavenly King — 1 time.

Our Father — 3 times.

O Theotokos and Virgin, Rejoice — 3 times.

I believe — 1 time.

3. Do not build your well-being upon the misfortune of another.

4. Have three fundamental virtues:

1. judge no one,

2. have hatred toward no one,

3. forgive everything to everyone from the heart.

The Fathers of the Holy Orthodox Church in their pious reflections thus interpret concerning the foundation for salvation:

1. One must kiss one’s cross in the morning, as soon as one awakens, and at night, when one lies down in bed, with prayer to the Crucified Christ.

On the Cross the Lord Jesus Christ left Light and Love, and from it the grace-filled rays of Light and Love are invisibly emitted. And when we kiss it, these grace-filled rays pass into our soul, heart, character, and conscience. And a man becomes sanctified, pious, and the evil force cannot harm him.

The cross must be worn on the chest, for in whatever the Lord finds one, in that He will also judge him.

Kissing your cross at night, do not forget with all sincerity and contrition of heart to repent of those sins into which you have fallen during the past day.

A few moments of warm repentance—and you are cleansed by the Holy Spirit from every impurity, made whiter than snow, and you will be united with Him, as with the Father and the Son.

2. To have firm faith in God and in the Providence of God. Whatever may happen to us in life, to accept everything as from the hand of God for our own benefit: to endure sorrows, illnesses, injustices, slanders, reproaches with good spirit; in all this not to be grieved, but to rejoice and to thank God for His saving Providence, that the Lord loves us and sends us a redeeming cross for our sins: “Whom I love, I chasten,” says the Lord.

3. To confess Christ openly—this is a great virtue! How many such Christians there are who say: “I believe in God,” but in deed, do not believe. How many mouths grow mute when it is necessary to defend in society the glory of God and His saints! The enemy strives only for this: to extinguish faith in the heart and to bring into oblivion all the truths of Christianity. Therefore, we see people who are Christians only in name, but in deeds complete pagans.

Not to be ashamed to make upon oneself the sign of the Cross correctly, for by the correct Cross we overcome the evil force: “Being guarded by the Cross, we oppose the enemy, not fearing his cunning and snares…”. Not only venerate the image of Christ God, but also the image of His Cross, because it is the sign of Christ’s victory over the devil and over all the host of opposing forces, for which reason they tremble and flee when they see it depicted.

Many ignorant ones, waving their hand over their face, making a show as though they are crossing themselves, labor in vain, because they do not depict upon themselves the proper, true Cross. At such waving the demons rejoice; but those who cross themselves properly, correctly folding the three fingers of their right hand and placing their hand upon the forehead, and upon the abdomen, and upon the right shoulder and then upon the left—the Angels, seeing the proper depiction of the Cross, rejoice; and then the guardian Angel rejoices and helps us.

Thus, let us cast aside false shame, false fear, and openly and wisely, with discernment, let us confess Christ and follow after Christ. By this Christians are distinguished from pagans, sectarians, the faint in faith—that they openly, yet wisely, confess Christ. And “whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels” (Mk. 8:38).

4. To observe the fasts, bodily and spiritual, according to the Church Typikon: the Great Fast, the Apostles’ Fast, the Dormition Fast, the Nativity Fast, and also to observe the fasting days: Wednesday and Friday. For the sick and the elderly, the bodily fast is relaxed.

5. To do good deeds for one’s neighbor with love and to avoid evil deeds.

To consider lost that day on which one has done not a single good deed for one’s neighbor or has done evil to one’s neighbor. In no way to build one’s well-being upon the misfortune of another. To repay evil with good; to pray for all and to desire salvation for all.

6. To pray. And one must pray without distraction—so that with the word of prayer and the prayerful thought there is joined also the prayerful feeling. Sometimes in prolonged prayer only one minute is truly pleasing to God and constitutes true prayer and true service to God. The chief thing in prayer is the nearness of the heart to God, attested by the sweetness of God’s presence in the soul.

Do not begin the day without prayer and do not go to sleep without prayer; pray also before the daytime rest (sleep). During the day compel yourself to unceasing prayer: keep in the heart and in the mind the Jesus Prayer or “O Theotokos Virgin, Rejoice…,” and also constantly and everywhere reflect on God—this too is reckoned as prayer. If we do not lose prayer and reflection on God, then no enemies will be fearful to us, neither sorcerers nor magicians, for with us are the Lord and the Mother of God: “Even if I descend into hell, since Thou, O Lord, art with me, my heart shall not fear.”

Strive daily, whoever can, at least a little to read the Psalter, the Apostle, the Gospel.

He who has time for prayer, it is praiseworthy to fulfill the full rule with canons, prostrations, akathists. It is very beneficial to daily read the rule of the Theotokos—150 prayers per day “O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice…”. This rule may be read also without prostrations, and even while walking; for the sick—sitting or lying down.

Very many have come to know by experience the great benefit from the fulfillment of the rule of the Theotokos.

We pray to the All-good and Most Pure Mother of God, and she prays for us. We glorify her—higher than every glory, and she prepares for us ourselves eternal glory. We say to her often: “Rejoice!”, and she asks of her Son and God: “My beloved Son! Give them eternal joy for greeting me with joy!” (Archpriest [St.] John of Kronstadt).

If strong fatigue has overcome you, then before sleep read at least a short prayer, but do not indulge laziness.

If there is no time to fulfill the full morning or evening rule, read at least the four principal prayers (the rule of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov).

7. To have three fundamental virtues:

1. Judge no one.

2. Have hatred toward no one.

3. Forgive everything to everyone from the heart.

And this means—to assimilate the commandment of Christ concerning love: “To love God with all the heart, with all the soul, and with all the mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself” (Matt. 22:37–39).

8. To confess one’s sins frequently and to partake worthily of the Holy and Life-giving Mysteries of Christ.

For the fulfillment of this small rule the Lord will not deprive us of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Russian source: Источник: Бисер духовный: Воспоминания духовных чад. Собрание духовных творений. Проповеди и наставления. Молитвы на всякую потребу, by Schema-Igumen Savva, Kovcheg, Moscow, 2003.