The Goal of Orthodox Faith

The goal of the Orthodox faith is union with God. And, in this union, we are transformed and healed to be like God (theosis).

It differs from the Roman Catholic Church – and the churches that descended from it (Anglican, Protestant) – in its fundamental understanding of sin and salvation. God the Father didn’t send Jesus in order to save us from His own anger and punishment of us because we broke laws. God isn’t about judging us in a “legal” sense. 

Instead, sin is understood as a disease that we need to be healed of. God the Father sent Jesus to become one of us, to become a human so He would unite Himself to us in order to heal us. He sent Jesus to defeat the very things that destroyed humans – sin, death and Satan. And, He sent Jesus to set us right again into the life and work He made us for. 

It is every aspect of Christ’s incarnation, life, teachings, death, resurrection and ascension that saves us – when we unite ourselves to Him through baptism, chrismation, the Eucharist, prayer, worship and confession and when we follow His commands of how to live.

For many of us, this was really an amazing understanding.