Few things in this life come without effort to obtain these things. Our Salvation, while a gift from God, is not offered to us unless we extend some effort to show God that we love and respect Him through our intentions, and actions. Remember that Faith is the sum total of who we are, what we say, do, and believe. Thus our intentions, beliefs, and actions in this life are a mark of our Faith.

Sin is separation from God. In this condition of separation, our thoughts, actions, and desires are no longer united with God. True Humanity is as God created us- i.e. in the Image and Likeness of God. If individual Human Beings (and collective humanity as well) are separated from God, through sin, and the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, we are not truly Human. Therefore, we are not living in the Image and Likeness of God. This is the consequence of our separation from God – i.e., our sin. What are the effects of this separation? Our minds are darkened, our reasoning is cloudy, the things we desire are often perverted, our will is weak, and our actions are disoriented – in short, we go wrong. The Holy Church provides a way of healing this distortion through the Sacrament of Penance.

The unfortunate thing is that we are not able to pull ourselves out of this mucky condition of our separation without God’s help, in the form of Divine Grace. Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection restored the possibility for every human being to live, think, desire, act, and conform his will to God. We need the Holy Church to provide a way for the Divine Grace of God to come into our human existence and begin the process of Theosis.

Our participation in the Divine Liturgy is like a door to the path we take towards Salvation. The Church calls the journey (or the process) along this path Theosis. Repentance is an important element of this journey to God. Repentance is a condition which should continue always in our life as a human being. The Divine Liturgy is a vehicle for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven (even for just brief moments). If we are in the Kingdom of Heaven, we are close to God. This closeness aids us, as does the Grace God offers to us, which is offered to us through the Hand of Jesus Christ. Christ is manifested in the worshiping Church community which we often refer to as the Body of Christ. Since our Lord is no longer physically present on this earth, the uniting of human beings, and the Divine Presence of God in our worship (Jesus Christ is fully God AND fully Man), is the manifestation of the Body of Christ.

The Holy Church is the Body of Christ, and Our Lord’s Schalim, the priest, is the specific vehicle through whom the Divine Grace of God flows to His people. We need the Holy Church, and the Divine Liturgy to receive God’s Grace. As we receive this Grace, we begin to conform to the Image and Likeness of God and we continue the process to perfect this Image and Likeness. This process of restoration, receiving God’s Grace, conforming to God’s Will, and His Image and Likeness is what the Holy Church calls Theosis.

We often speak of the Sacraments as a refreshment of the Spirit of God in our human spirit. If we understand that each of the Sacraments of the Church bring God’s Divine Grace to us, we are more clearly able to see the refreshing effect to all of participating humanity. The divine Services of the Holy Church, which bring Divine Grace to us, are critical to our Salvation, and our relationship to God.