This humanity, which Christ assumed and sanctified, has a cosmic dimension. Christ's victory over death grants a new life to the whole of creation. The resurrection is therefore a cosmic and very central event, and the Orthodox accordingly place great emphasis on the passion-resurrection of Christ, the paschal character of the Christian life. Salvation, in the Orthodox perspective, is not restricted to redemption in the strict sense, i.e. only freeing humanity from sin. Salvation is viewed in terms not so much of one's justification as of one's participation in the true destiny of human nature, fully realized in Christ.
Salvation is offered to all as a free gift, to be freely accepted by all.
Christians are co-responsible for the recapitulation of the whole creation for union with God. In other words, the whole of history is their responsibility, and no human situation can possibly be excluded. Consequently, the eucharist commits all to participate in history. The church is hierarchical, but one views the hierarchy in the larger perspective of 1 Cor. This eucharistic offering, as the Orthodox like to recall, quoting Chrysostom, does not end in the church building but is there to irrigate the whole of life through the faithful.