1.2. If the inalienable, ontological dignity of each human person, his highest value, is raised to the image of God in Orthodoxy, then the life befitting dignity is correlated with the concept of the likeness of God, which by Divine grace is achieved through the overcoming of sin, the acquisition of moral purity and virtues. Therefore, a person who bears the image of God within himself should not be exalted by this high dignity, for this is not his personal merit, but a gift from God. Moreover, he should not justify his weaknesses or vices with them, but, on the contrary, be aware of responsibility for the direction and way of his life. It is obvious that the very concept of dignity contains the idea of responsibility.

Thus, in the Eastern Christian tradition, the concept of "dignity" has primarily a moral meaning, and the idea of what is worthy and what is unworthy is strongly connected with the moral or immoral actions of a person and with the inner state of his soul. Given the state of human nature darkened by sin, it is important to clearly distinguish between the worthy and the unworthy in human life.

1.3. A worthy life is to live according to the original calling laid down in the nature of man, created to participate in the good life of God. St. Gregory of Nyssa asserts: "If God is the fullness of goodness, and man is His image, then the image has the likeness of the prototype in order to be filled with every good" (On the Structure of Man, ch. 16). Therefore, the life of man consists in "likening himself to God in virtue, as far as it is possible for man" ("An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith"), as St. John of Damascus notes. In the patristic tradition, this revelation of the image of God is called deification.

The God-given dignity is confirmed by the presence in each person of a moral principle, which is recognized in the voice of conscience. The holy Apostle Paul writes about this in his Epistle to the Romans: "The work of the law is written in their hearts, of which their conscience bears witness, and their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another" (Romans 2:15). That is why the moral norms inherent in human nature, as well as the moral norms contained in Divine revelation, reveal God's plan for man and his destiny. They are guides for a good life, worthy of the God-created nature of man. The greatest example of such a life was revealed to the world by the Lord Jesus Christ.

1.4. A life in sin is unworthy for a person, since it destroys the person himself, and also causes harm to other people and the world around him. Sin overturns the hierarchy of relationships in human nature. Instead of the spirit ruling over the body, in sin it submits to the flesh, to which St. John Chrysostom draws attention: "We have perverted the order and evil has increased to the point that we force the soul to follow the desires of the flesh" (Discourse 12 on the Book of Genesis). Life according to the law of the flesh is contrary to God's commandments and does not correspond to the moral principle laid down by God in human nature. In relations with other people, under the influence of sin, a person acts as an egoist, who cares about satisfying his needs at the expense of others. Such a life is dangerous for the individual, society and the surrounding nature, because it violates the harmony of being, turns into mental and physical suffering, diseases, vulnerability to the consequences of the destruction of the environment. A morally unworthy life does not ontologically destroy God-given dignity, but darkens it to such an extent that it becomes indistinguishable. That is why it takes a great effort of will to see, and even more so to recognize, the natural dignity of a serious criminal or tyrant.

1.5. For the restoration of a person's conformity to his dignity, repentance is of particular importance, which is based on the awareness of sin and the desire to change one's life. In repentance, a person acknowledges the discrepancy between his thoughts, words, or deeds and bears witness to God and the Church about his unworthiness. Repentance does not humiliate a person, but gives him a powerful incentive for spiritual work on himself, for a creative change in his life, for the preservation of the purity of God-given dignity and growth in it.

That is why patristic and ascetic thought, the liturgical tradition of the Church, speak more about the unworthiness of man, conditioned by sin, than about his dignity. Thus, in the prayer of St. Basil the Great, read by Orthodox Christians before communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, it is said: "In the same way, though I am unworthy of heaven and earth, and sowing temporal life, having obeyed all my sin, and enslaved with sweetness, and defiled Thy image; but having been Thy creation and creation, I do not despair of my salvation, accursed, daring to dare Thy immeasurable mercy, I come."

According to the Orthodox tradition, the preservation of man's God-given dignity and growth in it is conditioned by living in accordance with moral norms, for these norms express the primordial, and therefore true, nature of man, not darkened by sin. Therefore, there is a direct connection between human dignity and morality. Moreover, the recognition of the dignity of the person means the assertion of his moral responsibility.

2. Freedom of Choice and Freedom from Evil

2.1. Depending on the self-determination of a free person, the image of God in a person can be darkened or manifested with greater force. At the same time, natural dignity becomes more and more evident in the life of an individual person or is erased in him by sin. The result directly depends on the self-determination of the individual.

Freedom is one of the manifestations of the image of God in human nature. In the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, "man became God-like and blessed, being honored with freedom" ("Discourse on the Departed"). On this basis, in her pastoral and spiritual practice, the Church takes care of the inner world of man and his freedom of choice.

The submission of a person's will through manipulation or violence to some external authority is seen as a violation of the order established by God.

At the same time, freedom of choice is not an absolute and ultimate value. It has been placed by God at the service of human welfare. In carrying it out, a person should not cause harm to himself and others. However, because of the power of sin inherent in fallen human nature, no human effort is sufficient to achieve the true good. By his example, the holy Apostle Paul testifies to what is characteristic of every person: "I do not what I want, but what I hate, I do. It is no longer I who do these things, but sin that dwells in me" (Romans 7:15-16). Consequently, man cannot do without the help of God and close cooperation with Him, since He alone is the source of all good.

Rejecting God and relying only on themselves, the first people fell under the power of the destructive forces of evil and death and passed this dependence on to their descendants. By abusing the freedom of choice, man has lost another freedom – the freedom to live in good, which he had in his primordial state. This freedom is restored to man by the Lord Jesus Christ: "If therefore the Son shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). The attainment of freedom from sin is impossible without the mysterious union of man with the transfigured nature of Christ, which takes place in the Sacrament of Baptism (Rom. 6:3-6; Col. 3:10) and is strengthened through life in the Church, the Body of Christ (Col. 1:24).