Father, What Do I Need to Do to Be Saved?

Recently, I was struggling to figure out what else I needed to do to achieve salvation. I attempted to get my spiritual father to give me an answer. Instead, he gently gave me a couple of stories. This is the common approach of wise spiritual guides in the Orthodox Church:

The first story was one about Abbot Nikon as he was approaching the end of his earthly life.

Abbot Nikon said:

"You have no reason to feel sorry for me. On the contrary, you must thank God that I have completed my earthly journey.

... Although I have done nothing good in my life, I have always sincerely endeavored to draw close to God. For this reason, I trust in God's mercy with all my soul. The Lord will not turn away from anyone who always strives to draw close to Him."  (Letters to Spiritual Children , Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev))

After wondering why he would give me this kind of answer instead of specific direction to do a or b, I realized that for Abbot Nikon, salvation was not a matter of tallying up good works or any specific action or accomplishments he made in his life, but came from his persevering in a struggle to draw near to God with total trust in His mercy. His words reminded me that the Lord does not abandon those who continually seek Him. It is the continual seeking to “draw close to Him,” believing in His loving mercy that is most important.

The second story was even a bit more difficult for me to grasp. It is one about the spiritual father of Saint Paisios, Papa Tychon: 

Papa Tychon was concerned about the salvation of one of his newly deceased spiritual sons. He prayed to our Lord for a sign that his spiritual son was in a good place. Christ appeared to Papa Tychon and said to him, “Fear not! Even if a person has sincerely requested My mercy only once in their lifetime, I will save him.”

Only once? Was he saying all that is necessary is to say “Lord have mercy”? Again, after reflecting, it is clear that Papa Tychon’s testimony is saying that salvation is not the product of external deeds alone, but the fruit of humble repentance, a heart turned toward God, and the grace of His mercy. He is not referring to homily times I say the Jesus Prayer, “Lord have mercy.” To truly seek His mercy indicates a deep faith and belief in God’s omnipotent power.

I then thought, “Isn’t this also like the thief on the Cross who saw Christ as God and cried out, “Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.” With only this, Christ promised to accept him in His kingdom. (This is also what is chanted while the gifts of bread and wine are being brought to the place on the altar as our sacrificial offering in the Great Entrance of the Divine Liturgy.) His act was one of recognizing and believing in the true nature of God and seeking His mercy.

What I learned from these stories: salvation is not something to be accomplished. It is not earned through our self-directed effort — it is received. It is God’s mercy that saves us. It’s not how many prostrations we do, how many hours of prayer we do each day, how strictly we fast. While these may in some cases be helpful, our part is to keep directing our hearts toward Him, embracing Him with love as our True God, continually repenting, seeking His mercy, no matter how many times we fall. It’s about our relationship with Him, continually seeking His help, guidance, and mercy.

The path of salvation is not about what I need to do, not any particular act or achievement like completing a checklist of virtues we find in Scripture, but a way of life based on my love of God involving:

• Continual focus on Christ – seeking Him in prayer, worship, and daily life out of love.
• Humility – recognizing that I will miss the mark, then repenting and seeking His mercy.
• Synergy – allowing God’s grace to work in me as I cooperate with His will.

With this understanding, I can have hope in my salvation, not out of fear of not achieving any goal, or any specific set of actions, but in trust, knowing that God is both all-powerful, all-loving, and all-merciful. He desires our loving union with Him.

My lesson was to keep my focus on this path. Focus on Christ, repent, seek His mercy, and never lose hope. As Abbot Nikon testified and as Papa Tychon affirmed, the Lord will not abandon anyone who sincerely seeks His mercy—even if only once.