Orthodox Understanding of "Justified by Faith" -- Romans 5:1-11

St. Paul, in Romans 5:1–11, offers one of his clearest teachings on what it means to be justified by faith and how this justification transforms the Christian life. For the Orthodox Church, this passage reveals that justification is not a bare legal declaration but God’s real act of healing and reconciling humanity to Himself. Faith is not passive opinion but a living trust that unites us to Christ, allowing His grace to work within us.

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Peace with God (Romans 5:1)

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Having been justified” (δικαιωθέντες) shows that God is the one who acts, while we receive. Justification is God’s effective verdict that forgives, restores, and begins to heal our nature, bringing us back into communion.

“By faith” (ἐκ πίστεως) means more than intellectual assent—it is living trust, fidelity, and allegiance to Christ. St. John Chrysostom explains that true faith proves itself in love and obedience—not because works replace grace, but because grace always bears fruit.

“Peace with God” is not simply an inner feeling but objective reconciliation. Sin’s enmity is removed, and we are restored to friendship with God through Christ. This peace is sustained within the life of the Church—through prayer, the sacraments, and repentance.

Orthodox insight: Justification is healing and reconciliation. Faith is the door; grace is the life inside the house.

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Standing in Grace (Romans 5:2)

“Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

“Access” (προσαγωγή) evokes liturgical language: Christ, through His Church’s liturgy, introduces us into the King’s presence.

“This grace in which we stand” describes grace as an abiding reality, the divine energy of God in which we are firmly rooted.

“Hope of the glory of God” is not simply “going to heaven,” but the hope of theosis—participation in God’s uncreated life through union with Christ.

Orthodox insight: Faith ushers us into a continual standing within grace, shaping us toward Christlikeness, especially through the liturgy where we live this divine reality.

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Suffering and Transformation (Romans 5:3–5)

Paul writes that we “glory in tribulations,” because suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. For the Orthodox, trials are not abandonment but opportunities for formation. Ascetic struggle—fasting, vigilance, repentance—is our synergy with God’s grace.

“Hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” This is sacramental language: the Spirit given in Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist pours God’s love into our hearts, becoming the inner power of transformation.

Orthodox insight: Justification flowers into sanctification. The Spirit’s indwelling makes endurance into Christlike character.

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The Cross as Love Revealed (Romans 5:6–8)

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We did not initiate reconciliation; God did. The Cross is the supreme manifestation of divine love. Orthodox theology does not see the Cross as the outpouring of God’s wrath on His Son, but as the Physician entering into our sickness to heal us. Christ conquers death and restores us by His Resurrection.

Orthodox insight: The Cross is God’s love in action—our healing and victory, not divine anger unleashed.

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Saved by His Life (Romans 5:9–10)

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

“By His blood” recalls His poured-out life, given to us in the Eucharist. In Communion we receive the very life that justifies and heals.

“Saved by His life” shows that salvation is not only the Cross but the whole risen and ascended life of Christ, into which we enter by prayer, the sacraments, and virtue.

The Fathers describe “wrath” not as God’s emotional rage, but as the experience of resisting His love. In Christ we turn toward Him, and His love becomes light and joy.

Orthodox insight: Reconciliation through the Cross leads into ongoing salvation by sharing Christ’s risen life, especially in the Eucharist.

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The Gift of Reconciliation (Romans 5:11)

“And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

Christian assurance is not presumption but worship—boasting in God. Reconciliation is both gift and ongoing communion: it shapes our forgiveness of others, our Eucharistic life, and our belonging in the Body of Christ.

Orthodox insight: The proof of reconciliation is a life of doxology, forgiveness, and participation in the Church’s Eucharistic worship.

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Synthesis: The Orthodox View of Faith and Justification

• God acts; we receive: Justification is God’s real act of restoring us to communion.

• Faith is living trust: It unites us to Christ and bears fruit in love.

• Grace is participatory: We stand in it, are formed by trials, and are energized by the Spirit.

• Synergy: We freely cooperate, never earning salvation, but working out what God works in us (Phil. 2:12–13).

• Theosis: The goal of justification is not simply acquittal, but glory—real participation in God’s life.

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Conclusion

Romans 5:1–11 reveals that justification is not an abstract doctrine but the living reality of healing and reconciliation with God through Christ, sustained through the Spirit, and fulfilled in the Church. Faith opens the door, grace fills the house, and peace is the fruit of communion. This peace is lived out in worship, ascetic struggle, sacramental participation, and the hope of sharing in God’s glory through our union with Him.

The Orthodox Understanding of Redemption through St. Paul’s Teaching in Romans 5–8

One of the deepest questions of Christian faith is why God allowed Adam and Eve to fall and how this fall relates to His plan for our salvation. The Apostle Paul gives his most complete answer in Romans 5–8, where he moves from the tragedy of Adam’s disobedience to the triumph of life in the Spirit. Orthodox teaching sees in this passage the whole sweep of salvation history: creation, fall, redemption, and glorification.

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The Fall of Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve were created in communion with God, made “very good” (Gen. 1:31), and placed in a life of freedom, beauty, and intimate relationship with their Creator. Yet they were not created as perfected beings; rather, they were called to grow into maturity, to freely choose God’s love.

Their disobedience—grasping at the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil—was not merely breaking a rule, but turning away from God as the source of life. The Fathers teach that the true consequence of the Fall was death: corruption entered human nature, cutting us off from God. Because we are created with a free will, we do not inherit Adam’s guilt, as in Western theology, but we inherit his mortality and corruption, which in turn incline us toward sin. As St. Athanasius says, humanity “was perishing, and corruption was prevailing against them” (On the Incarnation 4).

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Romans 5: Adam and the New Adam

St. Paul explains the Fall through Adam: “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men” (Rom. 5:12). Sin and death became a hereditary condition of the human race.

But God did not abandon His creation. From the beginning, He planned a greater work: the coming of the New Adam, Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “As through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). Christ’s perfect obedience reverses Adam’s disobedience, and His resurrection brings life stronger than death.

Where Adam’s legacy was corruption, Christ’s legacy is grace that “super-abounds” (Rom. 5:20). The Fall was permitted by God not because He willed evil, but because through it He revealed an even greater gift: salvation in His Son, a love stronger than death.

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Romans 6: Baptism into Christ

How does this redemption touch us personally? Paul answers: through Baptism. “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3). Baptism is our participation in Christ’s death and resurrection. The old man dies, and a new life begins.

The Orthodox Church understands Baptism not as a symbol but as a real union with Christ. In it, accompanied with Holy Chrismation receiving the seal of the Holy Spirit, we are reborn to a new a new life of holiness. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Salvation is thus not a legal acquittal but a transformation, a rebirth into life itself.

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Romans 7: The Struggle with Sin

Yet Paul acknowledges that even the baptized still experience inner conflict. The Law, though holy, could not heal humanity; it only revealed sin’s power. Paul describes the divided self: “The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom. 7:19).

This is the universal human experience of the passions. The Fall left us weakened, and though the Law shows the path, it cannot give strength to walk it. Paul cries out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” His answer: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24–25).

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Romans 8: Life in the Spirit

The answer to the Fall is not merely Christ’s death and resurrection in the past, but His life in us through the Holy Spirit received in our Baptism and Chrismation. “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). The Spirit fulfills what the Law could not: He heals, strengthens, and transforms from within.

In the Spirit we become children of God: “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’”(Rom. 8:15). As sons and daughters, we are heirs with Christ, destined to share in His glory. Even creation itself, subject to corruption through the Fall, awaits this redemption, groaning for the revelation of the sons of God (Rom. 8:19–21).

Paul concludes triumphantly: nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus—not death, not suffering, not any power in creation (Rom. 8:38–39). The Fall introduced separation, but in Christ, union is restored forever.

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The Meaning of the Fall in Light of Redemption

So why did God allow the Fall? The Fathers teach that it was not His will for man to sin, but in His providence He permitted it, knowing He would bring an even greater good: communion with God through the Incarnation of His Son.

As St. John Chrysostom says that Adam’s sin harmed us, but Christ’s grace has conferred on us far greater blessings than those we lost. The Fall revealed our weakness, but it opened the way for us to know God’s infinite love—a love that descends into death itself to raise us into eternal life.

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Conclusion

The Fall of Adam and Eve was humanity’s first turning away, but God’s plan was always restoration and glorification. Romans 5–8 shows us the whole arc:

• From Adam’s disobedience to Christ’s obedience,

• From slavery under sin to freedom in baptism,

• From the powerless Law to the Spirit’s transforming power,

• From condemnation to adoption,

• From corruption to resurrection glory.

In Christ, the tragedy of the Fall becomes the backdrop for the revelation of God’s boundless love. Where death reigned, now life abounds. Where sin divided, the Spirit unites. And where Adam fell, Christ raises all humanity, bringing us into communion with God—the true destiny for which we were created.

How to Properly Explain What Takes Place in Holy Communion

In the liturgical act of Holy communion the bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Christ. We must be careful not to think of this mystical event in a worldly way.

How do we best explain this mystical event that is beyond our rational understanding?

 The traditional Orthodox expressions include:

• “Changed” (metabállō / metavoli in Greek) – as in the Divine Liturgy prayer:
  “Make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ… And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Thy Christ… changing them by Thy Holy Spirit.”
  This keeps the mystery while affirming something real occurs.
• “Become” – simple and biblical (e.g., “This is My Body… This is My Blood”), without philosophical explanation.
• “Made to be” – emphasizes God’s action, not our analysis.
• “Mystically become” – used in patristic writings to stress that this is a sacramental reality, not merely symbolic.

If you want to keep the mystical sense and avoid sounding too clinical, you might say:

“In the Divine Liturgy, by the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ—mystically, truly, yet beyond human comprehension.”

What Happens our Soul After death?

“Where does our soul go after our death while we’re waiting for our judgment? 

To give an answer to this we have to begin by recognizing that much about life after death remains a mystery—especially when we try to grasp it only with our rational minds.

My spiritual teacher often reminds me: “This is God’s business.” And he’s right. We’re not capable of understanding every detail about how God works, but we are given glimpses through Scripture and the experience of the saints.

Jesus does give us a  glimpse in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. We also have St. Paul’s mysterious account of being caught up into heaven, and the highly symbolic vision in the book of Revelation.

As we grow spiritually, some things do become clearer—not just intellectually, but in the heart. Still, our focus shouldn’t rest too heavily on speculative details about the afterlife. Instead, we must ask: Am I living in a way that prepares me to be like Christ and united with Him?

We must be cautious about our curiosity about these things. The real aim is not to satisfy curiosity, but to cultivate a life that leads us to become like Christ and to enter into communion with Him—both now and in the life to come.

Let me try to give you some answers based on the teaching of the Church.

In Orthodoxy, when a person dies, it is understood that the soul separates from the body and enters a temporary, spiritual state of existence. This is not the final judgment, but rather a foretaste of what is to come.

1. The Soul is Conscious After Death

The Church teaches that the soul remains aware and conscious after death. It experiences a foretaste of either blessedness or suffering, depending on the spiritual condition of the soul.

2. Particular Judgment

Immediately after death, there is a kind of “particular judgment”—not the final judgment, but a revealing of the soul’s direction. While controversial, it is often spoken of symbolically in terms of the “toll houses” in some of the writings of saints and monastics. This imagery expresses that the soul passes through stages where its spiritual condition is revealed.

3. Awaiting the Final Judgment

The soul remains in this state until the resurrection of the body and the final judgment, which will occur at Christ’s Second Coming. At that time, soul and body will be reunited, and every person will stand before Christ. Then comes the full and eternal judgment (cf. Matthew 25:31–46).

So in summary:

• After death: the soul is separated from the body and enters a spiritual state.

• Particular judgment: the soul experiences a foretaste of heaven or hell.

• Final judgment: at the Second Coming, body and soul are reunited, and the eternal destiny is fully and finally revealed.

How about the Good Thief?

A thoughtful question to rase about the man to whom Christ said: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Orthodoxy understands this not to contradict the teaching above, but to confirm it in a deeper way.

1. Paradise is not yet the fullness of heaven.

Before Christ’s Resurrection, the gates of heaven were closed. But Christ’s death on the Cross and descent into Hades (1 Peter 3:19, Eph. 4:9–10) opened the way for the righteous to enter into Paradise. So the Good Thief was the first to enter, not because he was “extra special,” but because he truly repented and confessed Christ in the final hour.

2. “Today” means real communion with Christ.

“Paradise” in this context refers to being in communion with Christ, the beginning of that blessed state which all the righteous experience in the soul after death. So yes—the Good Thief was with Christ that very day, just as the souls of the righteous now are.

But this was not yet the final judgment or resurrection. The Good Thief, like all of us, still awaits the resurrection of the body at the end of the ages.

In Orthodoxy, death is not the end but a passage, and the Church surrounds the departed with prayer and remembrance, asking God to grant them rest and mercy. We don’t presume to know anyone’s final state, and that’s why we continue to pray for the dead.

Scriptural support for the Particular Judgement.

Let’s look at key scriptural supports for the particular judgment and the state of the soul after death:

1. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus – Luke 16:19–31

“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom.” (vv. 22–23)

• This parable clearly shows conscious existence of both souls after death.

• The rich man is in torment; Lazarus is comforted in Abraham’s bosom.

• There is a clear separation, and the state of each soul reflects their earthly lives.

• Judgment has occurred, but this is before the resurrection and final judgment.

Orthodox takeaway: This strongly supports a particular judgment—a discernment of the soul’s condition at death, resulting in a provisional (but very real) state of either rest or torment.

2. “It is appointed for man to die once…” – Hebrews 9:27

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…”

• This indicates that judgment follows immediately after death.

• Again, this does not exclude a final judgment at the end of the age—it simply shows that some kind of reckoning happens right after death.

3. The Good Thief – Luke 23:43

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

• Jesus promises immediate blessedness to the penitent thief.

• This supports the immediate experience of Paradise (communion with Christ) for the righteous, even before the final resurrection.

4. 2 Corinthians 5:8–10 – “Away from the body… present with the Lord”

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord… For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”

• Paul speaks of a post-death experience of being with Christ, while also affirming that we will all appear before Christ for judgment.

• Suggests a two-stage understanding: the soul is with the Lord after death, but the final judgment is still to come.

5. Revelation 6:9–10 – Souls under the altar

“I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain… They cried out, ‘How long, O Lord… until you judge?’”

• These are souls, consciously aware, waiting for the final judgment.

• They are in a state of conscious rest and prayer, not asleep or unconscious.

• They know that the final judgment has not yet occurred.

6. Philippians 1:23

“My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

• Again, a sense of immediate presence with Christ after death.

• Yet the final resurrection and judgment are still future.

A Simple Answer

That all said, the simple way to think about these important questions based on Orthodox teaching is as follows.

When we die, a mysterious separation takes place as the soul leaves the body. This is not always peaceful—it may involve a spiritual struggle, especially if the soul is still deeply attached to passions and sins.

 Once separated, the soul enters a spiritual realm unfamiliar to our worldly senses, and begins a mystical journey. While not universally accepted as a teaching due to its worldly flavor, some Church Fathers describe this as a passage through spiritual “toll houses,” a symbolic way of expressing how the soul encounters temptations, accusations, and memories of its sins, as well as the help of angels and the fruit of its repentance. The condition of our soul at death is important.

A soul that has come to know God—that has been healed and transformed by grace, and has learned to live in communion with Christ—will be drawn to the light and recognize its guardian angel and the presence of Christ.

A soul still bound by passions, unrepented sins, and spiritual blindness may experience this light as painful or terrifying, and may be drawn instead to the darkened spiritual realm of the demons.

In this way, the particular judgment is both God’s discernment and our own self-revealing: the soul naturally moves toward the condition it has cultivated in life.

The soul then awaits the final judgment, at which time the body will be raised and reunited with the soul, now spiritualized. Only then will each person enter into the fullness of either eternal life or eternal separation from God.

This is why the Church prays fervently for the departed, offers memorial services, and encourages each soul to prepare for death through repentance, confession, prayer, and communion. The way we live now shapes the way we will die—and the way we will live forever.

Enjoying Life Without Falling into Passion: An Orthodox Perspective

In the Orthodox tradition, Christians are often called to a life of repentance, vigilance, and asceticism. But this can sometimes leave people wondering: *Is it wrong to enjoy the pleasures of life — a good meal, a glass of wine, time with loved ones? Is pleasure itself something we must overcome?* At times, Orthodoxy can seem to paint all earthly enjoyments with a negative brush. But a deeper look reveals something more balanced and life-giving.

Creation Is Good

The Orthodox Church begins where Scripture begins: *“And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good”* (Genesis 1:31). The physical world is not evil; it is God’s creation and gift. Food, drink, beauty, music, intimacy, nature, and companionship — all are good in themselves and given to us for enjoyment.

Orthodoxy is not Gnostic. We do not believe that the body or the material world is opposed to the spiritual life. On the contrary, the Incarnation of Christ affirms that the material world can become the very means of communion with God.

Pleasure vs. Passion

The critical distinction is between pleasure and passion.

- Pleasure is a natural, holy enjoyment of what is good. It can uplift the heart and lead us to gratitude.

- Passion (pathos), as understood in Orthodox spirituality, is a disordered attachment — when pleasure becomes an end in itself or begins to dominate the will.

As St. Maximos the Confessor teaches us,  pleasure in itself is not a sin. It is the misuse of pleasure that gives birth to sin.

We are not called to reject pleasure, but to rule over it — to enjoy without becoming enslaved, to partake without excess, and always to give thanks.

Moderation and Detachment

Orthodoxy calls us to practice moderation and detachment — not because the world is evil, but because our hearts are prone to idolize its gifts. The goal is freedom: to receive and enjoy what is good without being ruled by it.

A glass of wine with dinner, shared in love and gratitude, is a gift. But when we “need” it to feel whole, or overindulge, or use it to avoid inner emptiness, it becomes a passion.

Fasting and ascetic practices train us to re-order our desires — not to kill joy, but to make space for deeper joy: the joy of communion with Christ.

Asceticism as Joyful Freedom

The ascetic life is not about rejecting creation. It is about learning to love it rightly — to receive earthly joys as reflections of the eternal joy to come. The real question is not, *Is this pleasurable?* but, *Does this bring me closer to Christ or away from Him?*

As St. Paul writes:

“Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).

Thanksgiving transforms pleasure into worship. It sanctifies enjoyment and guards the soul from slavery.

A Feast with Christ

Christ’s first miracle was at a wedding — turning water into wine, not for necessity, but for joy. The Christian life, at its heart, is not grim denial, but joyful communion. The Liturgy is a feast. The Kingdom is a banquet. The table of the Lord includes wine, bread, and shared love.

To enjoy life with thanksgiving, humility, and freedom is not a sin — it is a path to holiness.

Let every good thing draw your heart upward to its Giver. Receive it with love. Let it go when needed. This is the Orthodox way: not the rejection of pleasure, but its transfiguration.

Ancient Idols and the Holy Relics of the Saints: A Vital Difference

In the ancient world before Christ, idols were central to the religious lives of pagan peoples. These were physical images—carved of stone, wood, or cast in bronze—meant to represent gods and goddesses. More than art, these idols were believed to be indwelt by divine spirits. Through rituals, offerings, and invocations, the idol was believed to become a living manifestation of the deity it portrayed. In temples and homes alike, people bowed before these images, sought favors from them, and treated them as though they were gods in themselves.

The making of an idol was often a sacred task. Craftsmen carved or molded them in idealized human or animal forms, and priests performed consecration rituals meant to “open the eyes” or “breathe life” into the statue. Once this was done, the people no longer saw mere wood or stone, but a divine being to be worshipped, feared, and served.

This is what Scripture and the Church Fathers condemned so clearly. Not simply because these gods were false, but because the act of worship was misplaced—directed toward created things rather than the Creator. St. Paul writes that pagans “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:23). The prophets and early saints called this idolatry a deception, often inspired by demons who mimicked the divine in order to enslave human souls.

But what of the relics of the saints—bones, garments, or even the tombs of holy men and women—which Christians honor and venerate? To the outsider, this may seem uncomfortably close to idol-worship. Yet the difference is profound and essential.

First, relics are not gods—they are the mortal remains of people who lived in communion with the true God. The Church does not believe that the saint becomes divine in essence, nor that their remains are to be worshipped. Rather, we honor these relics because God Himself glorified the saints, often working miracles through them during their lives and even after their deaths. Just as the prophet Elisha’s bones once raised the dead (2 Kings 13:21), so too have the relics of Christian saints become vessels through which God heals and comforts His people.

Second, relics are not made by human hands for the purpose of worship, as idols were. They are what remains of lives wholly given to Christ—lives transfigured by divine grace. Their sanctity is not something artificially invoked, but something revealed by the fruits of the Spirit made manifest in them.

Third, the veneration of relics does not draw attention away from God, but rather points us toward Him. To honor the saint is to glorify God, who made them holy. We do not worship the creature, but we give thanks for what the Creator has accomplished through His servants.

And most importantly, we venerate relics in the light of the Resurrection. These bones are not simply reminders of past holiness—they belong to a person who still lives in Christ and will, in the fullness of time, rise again in glory. As the Church proclaims, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.” The relics of the saints are therefore not remains of a life that has ended, but sacred traces of a life that awaits transfiguration. They are signs of hope, testifying to the destiny of all who belong to Christ—that the body itself will be raised and glorified in the resurrection.-

In the Orthodox way of life, relics are not kept as museum pieces but are treasured within the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church. Churches are consecrated with relics placed in the Holy Altar, connecting every Divine Liturgy to the witness of the martyrs and the Communion of Saints. Faithful Orthodox Christians venerate relics with reverence—not as magic objects, but as tangible encounters with the holiness of God made manifest in His saints. We ask their intercessions, are encouraged by their example, and are reminded through their presence that sanctity is possible for us too. In this way, the relics become part of our journey toward Christ, witnesses not to superstition, but to the transfiguring power of divine grace in the body and soul of man.

More on Faith and Works

More on faith and works from today’s Epistle lesson:

Romans 3:28–31 (NKJV)

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

Romans 4:1–3 (NKJV)

“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

Orthodox Interpretation in Context:

1. Faith as Living Relationship, Not Mere Belief

St. Paul teaches here that justification (being made righteous) comes by faith, not by “works of the Law” (i.e., the Mosaic Law: circumcision, dietary rules, etc.). However, the Orthodox Church does not read this to mean that good works or human cooperation are irrelevant.

According to St. John Chrysostom, faith is not passive intellectual assent, but a living and active trust in God that naturally results in obedience and love. He writes:

“Faith is the root, and the root of a tree is not seen, but the fruit is seen. Let us then show forth the fruit of faith, that the root also may be manifest.” (Homily 7 on Romans)

Thus, true faith leads to good works. St. Paul himself will affirm this in Romans 6 when he speaks of dying with Christ and rising to walk in newness of life.

2. “Works of the Law” ≠ Good Works in Christ

In these verses, “works” (Greek: ergon nomou) refer not to all good works, but to the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law. The Orthodox understanding distinguishes between:

• Dead works: works done without grace, or legalistic works done apart from love or faith.
• Living works: acts of love, mercy, and obedience done in Christ, empowered by grace, as part of the synergy (cooperation) between God and man.
• Faith opens the door
• Baptism begins the new life
• Grace enables obedience and transformation

St. Cyril of Alexandria explains:

“Paul does not say that faith alone justifies. But rather that it is not by the Mosaic Law that we are justified. Rather, the Gentiles who believe are counted righteous, even though they do not keep the Law.”

So, the Orthodox teaching is clear: salvation is not earned, but it does involve our cooperation with the gift of grace.

3. Abraham: The Prototype of Living Faith

In Romans 4:1–3, St. Paul cites Genesis 15:6 – “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” But the Orthodox Church does not read this as proof of faith alone (sola fide).

As St. Irenaeus notes:

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness; and thus by faith he was justified. But his faith was made perfect when he offered his son Isaac.” (Against Heresies, 4.5.4)

In other words, Abraham’s faith was not mere belief, but a life of obedience, culminating in action. This is echoed in James 2:21–24, where Abraham’s faith was perfected by his works.

4. Justification: A Transforming Process, Not a Legal Declaration

Unlike the Protestant notion of justification as a legal declaration (imputed righteousness), the Orthodox Church teaches that justification means being actually made righteous—being healed and restored in Christ.

This is synergia: God initiates and empowers, but we must freely respond. 

St. Paul himself says in Romans 2:13:“

“It is not the hearers of the law who are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”