Synergism: human free will genuinely cooperates with divine grace toward theosis
Eastern Orthodox theology is firmly synergist: salvation requires the genuine cooperation of human free will with divine grace. God extends his grace to all and sincerely wills the salvation of every person, but human beings must freely choose to receive and respond to that grace. Calvinist double predestination—the teaching that God irresistibly decrees some to salvation and others to damnation apart from their own choices—is entirely foreign to Orthodox thought.
The concept of synergy (co-working) in salvation is rooted in the Greek patristic tradition, particularly St. John Chrysostom and St. Maximus the Confessor. The ascetic tradition of Orthodoxy—expressed in the Philokalia and the writings of the Desert Fathers—presupposes significant human agency in the pursuit of sanctification: watchfulness (nepsis), prayer, fasting, and sobriety are understood as genuine human cooperation with the Holy Spirit. God predestines in his foreknowledge of each person's free response; his election is not an absolute decree that bypasses human freedom.
Key Distinctions
- Election model:
- synergistic — God's grace precedes and enables response; cooperation with grace
- Double predestination:
- denied — no absolute predetermination to hell
- Free will teaching:
- free will preserved; grace does not override human response
Scripture References
Sources
- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans, Homily XVI
- Philokalia, Vol. I (St. Mark the Ascetic, On Those Who Think They are Made Righteous by Works)
- St. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua
- Orthodox Catechism (Metropolitan Philaret, 1839)