We believe that as Orthodox Christians we work out our salvation with fear & trembling (Philipians 2:12) and those outside the church will be judged according to their conduct (Romans 2:11-16). No one is automatically saved or damned as a limited, human, intellectual approach to a strictly juridical concept of God concludes. We understand human will acting in accordance (or not) to the will of God as the lesser aspect in his will and to how He wills & cannot second guess His sovereignty (Romans 9:14-18). Regrettably, hell is eternal (as far as we know).
Still we need to also realize that with God all is possible (Matthew 19:26), pray for all (1st Timothy 2:1) with love, faith, & hope (1st Corinthians 13:13). Yes, this includes for the departed for although we do not fully know why we can also know that God has "not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead" (Ruth 2:20, yes, the book of Ruth).
St. Gregory Palamas, one of our greatest saints points out an expansiveness to the judgement of God but no denial of the eternality of hell:
St. Gregory Palamas (15th c.) preached, "When Paul writes to the Philipians he expresses the aim of this renewal more clearly, saying, "We look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may e fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20-21). As Christ died in bodily weakness & dishonor & rose in power & divine glory, so those that live like Christ are sown through death, to quote Paul again, in weakness & dishonor, & are raised in power & glory (cf. 1 Cor. 15:43). They receive a glorified, incorruptible body like Christ's after the resurrection when He became the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18) & the first fruits of them that sleep (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20). This bodily resurrection is now seen through faith & hope rather than with our eyes, not being reality yet. The soul's renewal, on the other hand, begins, as we have said, with holy baptism with the remission of sins & is nourished & grows through righteousness in faith. The soul is continually renewed in the knowledge of God & the virtues associated with this knowledge, & will reach perfection in the future contemplation of God face to face. Now, however, it sees through a glass darkly (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12)."
St. Gregory later preaches upon the general resurrection that there will be those the Lord determines as righteous among the non believers (apparently because they were in ignorance through no fault of their own):
"The dead bodies of the ungodly will also be resurrected, but not in heavenly glory, for they will not be fashioned in the likeness of the glorious body of Christ, nor will they see the vision of God promised to believers, which is called the kingdom of God. "Let thee wicked be taken away, that he behold not the glory of the Lord," as the scripture says (Isaiah 26:10, LXX). But those born & nurtured according to Christ, who, as far as they were able, attained to the measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13), will also obtain the blessing of divine radiance..."
Quotes from the section St. Gregory Palamas' homily "On Redemption" from "The Saving Work of Christ" edited by Christopher Veniamin, Mt Thabor Publishing, isbn # 978-0-9774983-5-2 pages 98 & 99. (2008).
