The enemy of faith is our pride
The absolute necessary element for salvation is faith. Faith alone will save us, for only faith brings us into communion with God. Faith is a free gift, for nothing we can do can save us. No good works can save us. Being a good person will not save us. Only faith in Christ will bring us into everlasting life.
Our Orthodox faith does recognize, however, the importance of our cooperation with God. Salvation, as we understand the word, is the beginning of a pilgrimage that leads us to union with God. Temptation and spiritual struggle mark every day of our life, and the way we overcome the demonic powers that would bring us down is through spiritual warfare, ascetic struggle, and good works. Yet it is by God’s grace that we are able to do good works, for the Apostle Paul tells us, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).
The enemy of faith is pride, for pride destroys faith. Pride makes us believe we do not need God, and pride is what leads many into the abyss of atheism, for pride makes us believe that there is nothing beyond ourselves. Pride leads us to believe that we are all important, and that nothing exists beyond ourselves. Once pride takes hold, our heart grows hard, and faith grows cold and dies.
Repentance is the cure for pride, and only through repentance can we rekindle the grace that brings life to our faith. Humbling ourselves before God, and giving ourselves over to divine worship, brings us back into the natural relationship that was preordained for us before the fall, and faith grows as grace rebounds.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
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