Holy Week

Originally posted by starcluster ↑

It's not so much what we do, such as obeying all the commandments, but what we become that makes us true Christians as a result of accepting and entering into the life of Christ. The good works we then do are done in love of the gift of Salvation offered by our Lord, not for the purchase of Salvation as though it were something we could buy with our works. In the Orthodoxy we strive to be as much like Christ as possible, getting as close as possible to glorification in this life. It's a beautiful concept since God always desires us to be like Christ. Of course, we can't be exactly like Christ due to our limitations, but the concept of being as close to Him is central to our motions through the Eucharist. It's hard to explain to those who haven't experienced the revelation of our Lord in His true majesty and love. When we partake of the Eucharist, we experience the real presence of our Lord, and not conduct it as though it's just symbolic and a remembrance. Of course, not all do so.

Key to all this is theosis, our personal vocation and goal of fellowship with God, also called deification. It describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each one of us is ever more united with God. It's a two way interaction, where we allow the Holy Spirit to make us grow spiritually. It's a process of being saved and redeemed. Saved from the ultimate and final death, and redeemed by the process of the work of God to repossess our original state prior to the Fall, and total glorification thereafter in the presence of God in the new heavens and new earth. In Orthodoxy, both salvation and redemption are within the context of theosis. This rich vision of Christian life was expressed well by Peter when he wrote in 2 Peter 1:4 that we are called "to become partakers of the Divine nature." Theosis is a union with the energies of God, not with the essence of God which always remains a mystery. However, the experience of the Orthodoxy testifies that this is still a union with God, initially partial but progressively getting better and better to its ultimate conclusion. It is not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the human retain their unique characteristics.

So, given we are partners with Christ in the work God is doing, we are able to answer Jesus' call to live in His glory and become glorified in body and spirit. The Holy Spirit is manifest in our lives as true believers in order to make us responsible and loving human beings, subsequently to bring our lives to perfection after the resurrection. The fruit of worship is the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul identified these as: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control." Clearly, these are the virtues of a Christ-like life. They testify to the fact that the love of God and the love of neighbour are inseparable. By entering into the life of Christ, we become the persons that God meant us to be. Let's rejoice in that journey. Glory to God.

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Thank you, Star, for such a detailed and heartfelt response. I can see that what you've shared comes from a place of deep reflection and sincere faith. I respect that, and I’m genuinely glad to hear you speak with such conviction about your journey and your relationship with God. There's a richness to what you've described in Orthodoxy—especially in the way you speak of theosis and growing into the likeness of Messiah—which is indeed a beautiful and noble pursuit.
I absolutely agree that our walk with YHWH is not simply about doing but about becoming—becoming more like Yeshua, walking in the Spirit, and bearing the fruit of that relationship. You're right to point out that salvation cannot be earned, and I’ve never claimed otherwise. It’s a gift—a priceless one that none of us could ever buy.
Where I think we still differ slightly is in how we define the outworking of that salvation. While you emphasize becoming, I still see in Scripture a strong connection between true belief and obedience. Not as cold law-keeping or earning favor—but as a loving response to grace. Yeshua didn’t just call us to follow Him in spirit—He also said:
"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)
And again, "You are My friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:14)
These aren’t burdens—they’re part of the transformation. When Peter said we are to become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), he followed that by calling us to diligently add to our faith things like virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love (2 Peter 1:5–7). That whole section emphasizes that being unfruitful or forgetful in these things can even make one blind and short-sighted, forgetting they were cleansed from past sins (v. 9).
So yes, the journey is about becoming—but that becoming requires walking. Not perfectly, but intentionally. Not to earn, but to reflect what’s already been planted within.
I also appreciate what you said about Eucharist and experiencing the real presence of the Lord. That reverence is something many have lost today. But whether through liturgical practice or simple worship, what matters most is that the life we live afterward testifies to His presence in us—by our fruits, as Yeshua said.
Thank you again for sharing so openly. I value these conversations deeply. Iron sharpens iron, and as long as we’re both pointing each other toward YHWH and His truth, I count it as time well spent. Glory to God indeed.