The most important part of the journey of becoming an Orthodox Christian is what is referred to as theosis. This process is not a one-stop-shop or a one incident conversion, but a lifetime of evolution and transformation of a “life in Christ.”
Is the Father the source of the other two persons' being God as well? If this is so, is this not a different explanation from the Protestant and Catholic understanding of the Trinity, the main point being the energies/essence distinction? I know it’s a lot but isn’t salvation a lot?
Does an athlete need to exercise to become stronger and develop an endurance to “run the good race?” Much the same way, the spiritual, athletic needs to incorporate spiritual discipline.
However, through the father’s revelation to man (sending his son into the world) and his energies, we can understand that his intention and purpose is to save all of us, not just some of us.
Within the Christian faith, there are those who believe a doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” The anxiety of this doctrine for many is determining whether they were ever truly saved, especially for those who did not have a dramatic manifestation of a rebirth or salvation experience.
Marcus Borg, one of the nation’s leading biblical and Jesus scholars, said in a talk in Sylvania, Ohio Sept. 21 that the message of Christianity is increasingly misunderstood because core words are misused. Salvation, for example, is commonly used today to describe going to heaven. In the Old Testament, salvation was never about the afterlife but about being rescued from death or from enemies.