Faith and good works
There is no problem of “faith and good works” in the spirituality of the Church. The relationship between faith and good works becomes a “problem” only when justification is understood as an outward legal process between God and man. In that case people either fear that good deeds will come between the soul and Christ or, on the contrary, they regard deeds as merits in the eyes of God. In the Orthodox view deeds are not an end in themselves for the doer, but are more like a saving instrument in the transformation of man’s corrupted nature into a “new creation.” (2 Cor 5; 17) Therefore Christ’s gospel commandments are not law but grace and mercy. They are like medicine given for our use, without which we cannot get well. Let us think of any virtue recommended to us in the Gospel: humility, for instance. How else could we grow in humility except by really humbling ourselves in practice? A prayer from Psalm 118 is often repeated in church services: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach my Thy statutes!”
Because of man’s corrupted nature, he has no other way of showing gratitude and love towards Christ than by trying to fulfill in his life the commandments which Christ has given, which work towards his own salvation. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jn 14:15) The fulfillment of these commandments of Christ which are contained in the Gospels, such as prayer, fasting, serving one’s neighbor, humility and refraining from condemning anyone else, can be seen as the leaves of the spiritual tree. The gifts of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, correspond to the fruits of the tree. (Gal 5:22) They are the signs of a purified heart. The wisdom and difficulty of the spiritual pilgrimage lie in the fact that the leaves must not be regarded as fruits nor yet can one imagine that one can bear fruit without leaves; one cannot acquire the gifts of the Spirit without effort. (The Faiths We Hold – Archbishop Paul)