The dogma of salvation in Christ is the central dogma of Christianity, the heart of our Christian faith. We call Christ Himself our “Savior” and in our Symbol of Faith we confess our belief in the One Lord Jesus Christ Who became man for the sake of our salvation. By these words the Eastern Church teaches that the salvation of the human race is achieved by the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ, Who said about Himself, “the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45).
Why do we call Christ “the Savior”? We can also ask: what is salvation? Salvation from what? If we are talking about salvation, someone must be in danger. The answers that the Eastern Church gives to these questions are tied to its teaching on Theosis, the process of personal transformation that helps humans actualize their ability to be more like God.
The truth of the matter is that it is beyond the ability of humans to come to this understanding of life by themselves. History bears witness to the fact that although God has constantly attempted to communicate this idea to humans, it seems that humans were unable to come to this conclusion by themselves. So God came in the Person of Jesus in human history to actually serve as a model for humans. What did God come to model? How to live this earthly life so that we might develop our ability to be more like Him, like His children.
God knew that only through personal change could humans come to freely know, love and serve Him. God does not want from us “forced” love – love that is expressed in obedience to a set of laws out of fear of punishment. God freely loves us. He calls us to freely return His love, knowing that in that process we will begin to truly understand the great love He has for us.
Although there are many aspects and ideas about salvation, it can be seen as the help that God actually gives humankind by having come into our world and being a model for us with respect living this present earthly life. Further, salvation also involves the fact that He found a way to actually continue His presence in our world in the Eucharist. His support for us is ongoing and current. It is not just something that He gave in the past. Rather, He is with us, as He said, until the end of time, supporting and helping us bring about personal transformation. Salvation, in my humble estimation, is something that we can and are really experiencing right now and not something in a time to come!