Is it wrong for an Orthodox Christian to live like this?

Shouldn’t this be worked out in confession?

are you sure you gained the salvation already?

I think it is necessary to be accountable of course and do the best you can. I often think of the parable of the Lord and the rich young man especially the account from Matthew 19:16-26. The Lord simply told him to keep the commandments and up to verse 19, the young man could have just said, “thank you Lord.” It’s about all we can do. Gotta go, my work break is ended.

The Faceless said:

"If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?"

That sounds problematic right away, as we have no idea if we will go to Heaven, and there's nothing we can do to earn it. But I don't think of it like that. Instead, I think, "Is it possible that I would go to Heaven? Am I being my best self? Am I pleasing God? Should I do this or that, and if I did, would I have a clean conscience? Or do I know I'm wrong, that I have wronged someone, that I have displeased God, that I am wilfully sinning?" Etc etc etc. So when I say to myself, "If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?" it's much deeper than the simple question being posed.

Is it wrong to keep yourself in check by such a "code"?

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I guess the phrasing in this bothers me, but I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with evaluating all the things you're doing throughout the day to see whether they're pleasing to God or not. This brought to mind a story that I think was from the life of Saint Paisios (I could be remembering wrong!) where someone had offered him a cigarette, and he declined, and the individual began to defend smoking...and the Saint replied that he ought to say a prayer before lighting the cigarette... When the man replied that somehow it didn't feel right to pray before smoking, he stated something along the lines of it being best to refrain from things for which you wouldn't pray.

So that's sort of similar in that it's a "code" that you can use to evaluate yourself by throughout the day.

The Faceless said:

"If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?"

That sounds problematic right away, as we have no idea if we will go to Heaven, and there's nothing we can do to earn it. But I don't think of it like that. Instead, I think, "Is it possible that I would go to Heaven? Am I being my best self? Am I pleasing God? Should I do this or that, and if I did, would I have a clean conscience? Or do I know I'm wrong, that I have wronged someone, that I have displeased God, that I am wilfully sinning?" Etc etc etc. So when I say to myself, "If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?" it's much deeper than the simple question being posed.

Is it wrong to keep yourself in check by such a "code"?

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it's not necessarily wrong, and could be a great way to keep oneself in check. but this is really for your priest.

I'm afraid I know very little of the interesting Orthodox Faith. Is any degree of assurance, not a tenet? I know that in many Protestant communions, it has practically been an obsession to the point that many have adopted the "eternal security" position, well-suited to relieve the soul of any burden of concern at all. This is contended to an extent even in my own denomination, in which the traditional view is that is unwise indeed to distill one's own standing with God down to an unshakable one. For what it's worth, I find it an annoying distraction from hell itself. I have enough to occupy my poor, mortal mind with clinging to a good and merciful God and encouraging others to do the same. The universe will get along well enough if I am ultimately lost. However, I shudder at the thought of being instrumental in the undoing of another's faith. Hope this wasn't too intrusive.

David Wright said:

I'm afraid I know very little of the interesting Orthodox Faith. Is any degree of assurance, not a tenet? I know that in many Protestant communions, it has practically been an obsession to the point that many have adopted the "eternal security" position, well-suited to relieve the soul of any burden of concern at all. This is contended to an extent even in my own denomination, in which the traditional view is that is unwise indeed to distill one's own standing with God down to an unshakable one. For what it's worth, I find it an annoying distraction from hell itself. I have enough to occupy my poor, mortal mind with clinging to a good and merciful God and encouraging others to do the same. The universe will get along well enough if I am ultimately lost. However, I shudder at the thought of being instrumental in the undoing of another's faith. Hope this wasn't too intrusive.

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I personally haven't heard an equivalent to "eternal security" in Orthodoxy.

Your practice reminds me of a form of Examen. Benjamin Franklin was known to employ a similar approach for virtues.

I’ve done a modified variation but the focus wasn’t death. I meditated in the virtue and put my thoughts in writing. I began with a clear definition, the spiritual properties and vices it opposes, an overview of my adherence including strengths and weaknesses, and ended with an affirmation composed as prayer that I recited during the day for a greater measure of its presence.

I choose a different one each day. It was very edifying.

Remembering your own death and the impending judgement can be a very healthy thing if done properly. A few quotes taken from the nethersphere.

“You must not be greatly troubled about many things, but you should care for the main thing — preparing yourself for death.”
St. Ambrose of Optina.


"2. The remembrance of death is a daily death; and the remembrance of our departure is an hourly sighing or groaning.

4. As of all foods, bread is the most essential, so the thought of death is the most necessary of all works. the remembrance of death amongst those in the midst of society gives birth to distress and meditation, and even more, to despondency. But amongst those who are free from noise, it produces the putting aside of cares and constant prayer and guarding of the mind. But these same virtues both produce the remembrance of death, and are also produced by it.

11. Anyone who wishes to retain within him continually the remembrance of death and God’s judgment, and at the same time yields to material cares and distractions, is like a man who is swimming and wants to clap his hands."

St. John Climacus, The ladder of Divine Ascent.

Heaven is not nearly so much a “place” to “go to” as it is an existence that one must become capable of experiencing, in my nutshell understanding of Orthodox theology.

rusmeister said:

Heaven is not nearly so much a “place” to “go to” as it is an existence that one must become capable of experiencing, in my nutshell understanding of Orthodox theology.

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Amen! We sit with Christ in heavenly places right now. (Ephesians 2:6)

The Faceless said:

"If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?"

That sounds problematic right away, as we have no idea if we will go to Heaven, and there's nothing we can do to earn it. But I don't think of it like that. Instead, I think, "Is it possible that I would go to Heaven? Am I being my best self? Am I pleasing God? Should I do this or that, and if I did, would I have a clean conscience? Or do I know I'm wrong, that I have wronged someone, that I have displeased God, that I am wilfully sinning?" Etc etc etc. So when I say to myself, "If I died right now, would I go to Heaven?" it's much deeper than the simple question being posed.

Is it wrong to keep yourself in check by such a "code"?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't put this question away like a book on a shelf, this is important for your soul. Think. Would you go to heaven if you died right now? Let it grip your mind and keep you sober from worldly thought. Stay in prayer continually, seek the Lord with your heart in all of this.

My advice: pursue the question more, don't stop.

The Faceless said:

That sounds problematic right away, as we have no idea if we will go to Heaven, and there's nothing we can do to earn it.

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No, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, however there is plenty we can do to lose it. IMO, accessing ourselves often is crucial. We are a work in progress, and anything could happen to direct us from the narrow path to the wide road. We need only keep a sincere eye on ourselves to make sure that doesn't happen.

And you're right, we have no Idea if we're going to make it or not until that point when we die or God ends this stage of our lives all at once. But I will say, I know for certain there have been times in my life where I tell myself, nope, most likely "no", and others I've said, most likely "yes". Meaning, if we are sincere in our self assessment, we have a pretty good idea if we're on the right track or not. It's all under our control, and we should all do our best to stay on the "yes" side....a lot.

I wasn't sure exactly of your point, but hopefully, though pretty elementary, that fits enough not to be off topic.

The Faceless said:

Is it possible that I would go to Heaven? Am I being my best self? Am I pleasing God? Should I do this or that, and if I did, would I have a clean conscience? Or do I know I'm wrong, that I have wronged someone, that I have displeased God, that I am wilfully sinning?"

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Isn't asking oneself these questions and disciplining ourselves in this way at the very essence of the Christian life?

As opposed to the one and done model of Christianity that seems to be popular?

"You've got auto, home, and life insurance. Buy hell insurance today! Best of all, the premiums are free!"