Mother of God

Two primary dogmas of the Church. She was Ever virgin and she is the Mother of God (Theotokos). The Virgin Birth is testified to by both Matthew and Luke.
But, how about the brothers and sisters of the Lord?
In the Gospels there is named four brothers (James, Joses, Simon and Jude) and three sisters. But on the account of the journey to Jerusalem there is no mention of any kinfolk and acquaintances. Then when Mary stood at the Cross she was alone and was entrusted to His disciple John. The Evangelists speak of either half brothers or cousins by using the term bother and sister which were applied to extended family members in those days.
Mary was born subject to the sin of Adam together with all mankind and shared the need of redemption. She is seen as pure from sin as the fruit of her union with her spiritual labor and the abundance of grace that was given to her.
The coming down of the Holy Spirit totally sanctified the womb of the Virgin for the reception of the Son. Upon her death tradition holds that her body was taken up into heaven. But this is not a dogma of the Orthodox Church.

What is the difference between the General Salvation and our Personal Salvation?

The Apostles teach us to distinguish between the truth of the salvation of mankind as a whole and the necessity for a personal reception and assimilation of the gift of salivation on the part of each individual, and the fact that this latter salvation depends upon each of us individually.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:12-13)

Our personal salvation consists in the attainment of eternal life in God, in the Kingdom of Heaven. We are told through Scripture, nothing unclean can enter the Kingdom of God (Eph 5:5, Apoc 21:27). Since God is known as light and there is no darkness in Him, and those who enter the Kingdom of God must themselves be sons of the Light. Therefore the entrance into it necessarily requires purity of soul, a garment of holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)

The Son of God came into the world in order to do the following:
To open the path to mankind in its entirety for our individual personal salvation.

By this means to direct the hearts of men to the search, to the thirst for the Kingdom of God, and to give help, to give power on this path of salvation for the acquirement of personal spiritual purity and sanctity.

The first has been accomplished by Christ entirely. The second depends on ourselves, although it is accompanied by the activity of the Grace of the Christ in the Holy Spirit.

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