Salvation in the Orthodox Understanding (5) – The Sacraments Necessary for Salvation
The Conditions of Salvation Through the Blood of Christ
There are sacraments that may not be personally necessary for your salvation. You may not marry, although you are the fruit of a marriage. You may not suffer from an illness that requires the Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick, and you may not become a priest, although you need the Sacrament of Priesthood to provide you with the work of the Holy Spirit through the sacraments that are personally necessary for your salvation. You undoubtedly need the Sacrament of Baptism, which we have discussed. You also need the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Holy Spirit (Chrismation), the Sacrament of Repentance, and the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion). We shall now discuss the importance of each of these sacraments individually.
The Sacrament of Holy Chrismation:
When Peter called the Jews to Baptism, he said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). What, then, is this gift of the Holy Spirit? Is it necessary for our lives and for salvation? What is its importance, and can we be saved without it?
It is absolutely impossible for us to be saved without it, because our entire spiritual life consists of our will responding to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. If we do not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, then our entire life is in vain and leads to destruction. Concerning this grace that we have received through the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation, we continually cry out and say, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit away from us.” Otherwise, we would perish.
Our spiritual life does not depend at all on your human strength; rather, it is a fellowship with the Holy Spirit, as we shall explain in the chapter devoted to spiritual struggle and grace.
The Sacrament of Holy Chrismation is therefore essential. The Apostle John spoke about it, saying, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.”
“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true” (1 John 2:20, 27).
To understand the importance of the Holy Spirit for your salvation, let us ask a question: Can you live a spiritual life without the work of the Holy Spirit within you? Can you walk along the path of salvation without the work of the Holy Spirit accompanying you? It is impossible. Therefore, the anointing is necessary.
That is why the Apostles were concerned with the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers. Initially, they received it through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands, before Chrism was used.
We see this clearly in the account of the faith of the people of Samaria, where this gift was considered the completion of faith and Baptism. The Bible says, “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14–17).
Thus, Baptism alone was not sufficient for the people of Samaria; they also had to receive the Holy Spirit.
The same can also be said about the faith of the people of Ephesus.
When Paul went there, he found some disciples. He said to them, “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2–3). They had been baptized only with the baptism of John. When Paul spoke to them, they “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them.”
Through Baptism, we share in Christ’s death and receive adoption as children of God. Through the Holy Spirit, we live the life befitting us as children of God. Both are necessary for our salvation.
The Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion)
To understand the importance of receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord, it is sufficient, for the sake of brevity, to recall Christ’s words:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:53–58).
Here we see that eternal life is connected to receiving the Body of the Lord, to the extent that whoever does not partake has no life, meaning that he perishes. After this, can you still ask whether Communion is necessary for salvation?!
If we are Orthodox and believe in the Orthodox faith, then we believe what we say in the Divine Liturgy concerning the Body of the Lord that we receive:
“It is given for us for salvation, the remission of sins, and eternal life for everyone who partakes of it.”
Would anyone ask, “Is salvation possible without Communion?” I say no, it is not possible, because the Body of the Lord is given for us for salvation, the remission of sins, and eternal life for everyone who partakes of it.
How, then, can we explain this theologically?
Baptism has saved you from original sin, and this is the first salvation you received. Baptism has made you a child of God and made you worthy of receiving the merits of the Blood. However, you sin every day and need your sin to be washed away by the Blood. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Therefore, you sin every day and need the Body of Christ, which was sacrificed for you. You need the Holy Sacrifice as atonement for your sins. And what is the Holy Sacrifice in the Sacrament of the Eucharist other than the continuation of Christ’s Sacrifice? Therefore, you cannot be saved from your sins without it.
This is the Sacrament that is given for us for salvation and the remission of sins. Through it, we also abide in the Lord, as He said.
Someone may come to you and say, “Do you want to be saved? Throw yourself at the feet of Christ and say to Him, ‘Accept me, Jesus!’” My brothers, these words require practical steps to put them into effect.
Do you want Christ to accept you? There is a path of salvation through which He accepts you: You die with Christ and are buried with Him through Baptism, and He accepts you. You are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and He accepts you. You eat His Body and drink His Blood so that you may abide in Him, and through this He accepts you. You confess your sins, and He accepts you. This is the practical path through which the Lord accepts you. But to ask Him to accept you without walking along the path He has established is inappropriate.
Likewise, we say the same about the expression, “Surrender your life to Jesus”! How easy it is for someone to utter such words, and how difficult it is to put them into practice! Do you think surrendering one’s life is an easy matter?! All our spiritual struggle is centered on this expression: “Surrendering one’s life”! Through it, a person surrenders his will to the Lord, surrenders his heart and emotions, surrenders his determination, and surrenders his thoughts. In other words, he performs deeds befitting repentance.
And since we are speaking about the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we must precede it with a discussion of the Sacrament of Repentance.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III — Al-Keraza Magazine, Ninth Year, Issue 9, March 3, 1978.
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