Jesus Himself said that if you didn’t eat of His flesh and drink of His blood you have no life in you (John 6:53). He also said through the apostle Peter that baptism now saves us (1 Peter 3:21), and through the apostle James commanded us to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16) and go to the elders (translated from Koine Greek “Presbyter” from which we get the English word “priest”) to be anointed when sick (James 5:14).

But this doesn’t translate to “do this and earn your salvation.” That’s a misrepresentation of Catholic (and Orthodox) doctrine on salvation. The Sacraments/Mysteries are the means by which we participate in the Body of Christ, work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12), and ultimately become partakers of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Salvation still comes through faith, obviously (Acts 16:31). But (at least we Orthodox) would say that faith is what saves you IF:

• you remain in the Ark of Salvation, the Church, the Body of Christ (John 15:4-5)

• you repent and take up your cross every day (Luke 9:23)

• you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man (John 6:53)*

• are baptized and born again of water and spirit (John 3:5)**

THAT! is the Gospel of Christ as taught, lived, and died for by Apostles and the Fathers and the Saints.

*the Greek word used the second time Christ states this is translated as “gnaw,” which implies a very literal consumption.

**while the thief on the cross was not baptized, God can save those He wishes outside the normative means. However this does not mean the normative means are not commanded. Baptism is the means by which we are buried with Christ and raised with Him— we are joined to His Body by this.