«There Is No Salvation Without Christ»

Such views are not new; they have been known before. In the 19th century, St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) refuted this error in a letter, from which we will quote a few excerpts (though it is worth reading in full): «I will try to answer you as briefly as possible. Here is the true teaching on this matter–the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church: Salvation consists in the restoration of communion with God. This communion was lost by the entire human race through the Fall of our first parents... To restore man’s communion with God–in other words, for salvation–redemption was necessary... All human good deeds–weak, descending into Hades–have been replaced by one mighty good deed: faith in our Lord Jesus Christ... «You err grievously in thinking and saying that good people among pagans and Muslims can be saved–that is, enter into communion with God! You wrongly regard the opposing view as some novelty or a creeping error! No! This is the constant teaching of the true Church–both Old and New Testament. The Church has always recognized that there is only one means of salvation: the Redeemer! She has always taught that even the greatest virtues of fallen nature descend into Hades... «To acknowledge the possibility of salvation without faith in Christ is to deny Christ and, perhaps unwittingly, to fall into the grave sin of blasphemy.» This letter of St. Ignatius is well-known, though unfortunately not as widely as it should be. In conversations with supporters of the idea that non-Orthodox can be saved, I have cited it, and their reaction has been predictable: they dismiss it as the «personal opinion of St. Ignatius, not the teaching of the Church,» while equating the Church’s teaching with their own views–which directly contradict the saint’s words. This is typical of modernistic thinking: labeling everything in Orthodox teaching that contradicts the modernist’s personal opinion as a "private opinion." However, St. Ignatius himself states that he is expounding not his personal view but the teaching of the Orthodox Church. Moreover, if we turn to other Church Fathers, we find the same truth affirmed. For example, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk testifies: St. Symeon the New Theologian states: St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes: After all, if one treats the words of the Holy Fathers not as the testimony of God-seers to a truth they have experientially known, but as «just another personal opinion,» then it makes no difference whether there are one, seven, or a thousand such "opinions." To any minimally pious Christian, the idea that truth is hidden, undefinable, and unknowable must seem monstrous–yet this very idea underlies the modernist desire to reduce all Holy Tradition to «personal viewpoints of long-dead people» and Scripture to «historical perspectives, allegories, and conventions addressed to ancient, long-dead people.» Conversely, this monstrous idea inspires those who desperately wish truth to remain undefined and unknowable, for otherwise, they would have to abandon their own views that contradict the truth–the truth of which the Lord said: They love to say that it would be unforgivable presumption to anticipate God’s future judgment by claiming all non-Christians will perish–that «only God can decide.» Yet in repeating the truth expressed repeatedly in Scripture and Tradition, we are not «daring to preempt God’s judgment» but rather affirming what He has already revealed about it: If salvation were possible without Christ, then it would have been possible before Christ. But if so, why did Christ come to earth–not only come but go to His death? And why do we call Him Savior, following the Apostles and His own words? How could He say He If Christ came merely to add a new "option" to an already existing possibility of human salvation–to offer some improved version–then He is not the Savior but an "Upgrader." Yet His very name means "Savior" (Jesus = Yeshua = "Yahweh saves" ), and this name alone refutes those who think salvation can be attained without Him. It is known that when tempting Christ in the wilderness, Satan quoted Scripture. St. Ephrem the Syrian, explaining this episode, writes: The Holy Fathers unanimously taught that there is no salvation outside Christ and His Church. This is no coincidence, no mere «convergence of opinions.» The Fathers understood that admitting the possibility of salvation outside Christ and the Church would render the Incarnation, Passion, death, and Resurrection of Christ meaningless–indeed, it would strip Christianity itself of all meaning. The Apostle Paul said the same: In other words, the same Apostle Paul who said that The absurdity of this idea is self-evident. Naturally, the modernists’ interpretation not only contradicts the patristic exegesis but is directly refuted by the Holy Fathers, particularly St. Joseph of Volotsk: «The great Apostle Peter spoke these words about the righteous who lived before Christ’s Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection–those among Jews or other nations who feared God and acted righteously, who worshipped not idols but the true God, like Cornelius and his kind. But after Christ’s Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, ‘there is none other name under heaven… whereby we must be saved, except the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The Lord says in the Holy Gospel that unless one is born of water and the Spirit in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he cannot be saved–even if he were the most righteous of men. This was also testified by the Apostle Peter when he baptized the righteous Cornelius, of whom God had spoken… Now, people are pleasing to God through baptism and striving for good works; before Christ’s Incarnation, the righteous were pleasing to God through their fear of Him and righteous life… Clearly, the Apostle spoke these words about the righteous who lived before Christ’s Incarnation–those who feared God and acted righteously, not worshipping idols. Of them, Paul also said: ‘For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law… they shew the work of the law written in their hearts’ ( Rom. 2:14–15 ).» Often, proponents of the error that salvation is possible without Christ argue that there are so few Orthodox Christians in the world; thus, they claim, it cannot be that only sincere members of the Orthodox Church are saved–for that would mean very few are saved and very many are lost. But did not the Lord Jesus Christ Himself say: «For many are called, but few are chosen» ( Mt. 22:14 ), «Fear not, little flock» (Luke 12:32)? From the beginning, the Lord made clear the sad reality that many perish and few are saved. Yet, thank God, today the saved are far more numerous than those saved in Noah’s Ark during the Flood–and that Ark, as St. Philaret of Moscow noted, is a type of Christ’s Church. Moreover, supporters of this error love to speak of the unfortunate "simple" pagans, Muslims, or Catholics who allegedly had «no objective chance» to become Orthodox Christians because Orthodox missionaries never reached them. In saying this, they seem unaware of God’s Providence, which demonstrates the exact opposite: these "natives" did not become Orthodox Christians not because the Apostles failed to reach them, but because the Lord, in His foreknowledge, knew they would not heed the preaching of truth–and thus did not send Apostles to them. Their remaining in ignorance was itself an act of God’s mercy, for Thus, in the 12th century, God arranged for a German Catholic to learn of Orthodoxy–he converted and became St. Procopius of Ustyug. That same century, God gave a Volga Bulgar Muslim the same opportunity–he became St. Abraham of Bulgaria. The next century, a Mongol pagan converted and became St. Peter of the Horde. The history of the Church is full of such examples. Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) aptly writes on this subject: When examining the arguments of those who believe the unbaptized can be saved, one gets the impression they forget not only God’s Providence but God Himself. To them, a "good" person is one who does not sin against others and shows them kindness. Such a person, they claim, is thereby worthy of salvation. But even the Ten Commandments do not limit themselves to duties toward fellow men; the very first commandments concern man’s duties toward God: The answer: Not only can he–he must be, for posthumous unity with God is the logical continuation of the unity chosen in earthly life, granted only by Christ in His Church. Likewise, posthumous separation from God is the logical outcome of the separation chosen in this life–when a person preferred self-love and sin to God or the search for true God. God is the only true source of good and joy. Separation from good is torment. Those who chose to be with God and demonstrated this choice in life will be with Him eternally–in bliss and joy. Those who preferred anything else to God and did not unite with Him in the Eucharist will be eternally cut off from the source of good and joy–that is, they will abide in torment. In both cases, We must also recall another truth, eloquently expressed by Archimandrite Raphael: This article concludes with the words of two great saints of the 20th century: Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky): St. Nikolai Velimirović: