The apostles and their successors devoted their lives to this basic goal of bringing man to God, and all pastors should follow it as well (3:386). While protecting others and educating them for eternal life, the pastor is at the same time obliged to watch over himself, because the fall of a pastor can have a disastrous effect not only on his personal life, but also on the entire flock. "If the lamp be extinguished, with what shall the household be enlightened? If a shepherd be stolen from a wolf, from whom shall the sheep be preserved? If a shepherd, "the salt of the earth, is overwhelmed": what kind of turmoil will there be in people? (Matt. 5:13). If the leader deviates from the way and goes astray, in what error will the travelers be?" (4:367). In this case, the fallen shepherd will contribute not to the salvation of man, but to destroy him, and thus the work of salvation of man by such a pastor will not be created, but destroyed. "For this he (the devil) is anxious to injure and infect the shepherd... infect him, so that he may not (be useful to the flock. — A.I.), but so that he himself may go and lead others to destruction" (4:102).

In his ministry, the pastor of the Church of Christ is likened to a large tree towering over the forest, which, when it falls, makes a great noise and by its fall crushes many nearby trees. The fall of the priest becomes known to many people, and this in turn serves them as a temptation and a stumbling block on the path to salvation (4:101). The fall of a pastor is regarded as more dangerous than the fall of a simple member of the Church. That is why the devil tries first of all to strike down the pastor of the Church of Christ. The saint compares the spiritual warfare of a soldier of Christ with a battle, during which the enemy seeks to defeat, to destroy first of all the commanders, after which, naturally, the soldiers become confused and lose the ability to resist the enemy, which leads them to death or capture. The enemy of the human race, the devil, pursues the same goal. All his efforts and subterfuges are aimed at seducing the pastor from the true path, at winning him over to his side with sinful charms, "so that in this way he may more conveniently be able to captivate and destroy other Christians" (4:49; cf. 4:102; 4:368).

If the devil himself cannot defeat and win over the good shepherd, then he tries to act on him through evil people, who grow like tares among the wheat and help the devil in carrying out his evil plans (4:368; 5:127). That is why such people are more dangerous "than the devil himself" (4:313). Hence, the pastors of the Church of Christ should be ready for every day in order to repel all the intrigues of the enemy. For this purpose, they must prepare themselves "to be patient ... and always, as a ship on the sea of a storm of calamity finds to await it, and finds it to bear with a patient heart. Let it be... in the image of the Chief Shepherd Himself... Who endured the cross from His people, — and the holy apostles... who "were reproached, persecuted... blasphemy, as the rabble of the world, trampled on all..." (1 Corinthians 4:12-13)" (3:387).

In addition, the pastor should arm himself against evil with the word of God and prayer, as well as with his virtuous life, which should be like the light that enlightens the universe on all days. Without a virtuous life, pastoral work will prove fruitless and will contribute not to the establishment of good morals among the worshippers, but, on the contrary, to their destruction. To teach the flock, to direct it to the saving Source of living water – Jesus Christ – can only be the pastor who imitates the Chief Shepherd in everything (3:384). The pastor should not forget that he performs his salvific work – bringing people to God – before the eyes of many people, and this obliges him to be up to his position (5:172). In addition to a holy and God-pleasing life, the pastor of the Church of Christ is required to be constantly spiritually vigilant, which will help him to discern in time the insidious plans of the evil spirit, aimed at the destruction of both his soul and his flock (4:364). If the shepherd relaxes his vigilance and through his fault even one person dies, then this alone is enough to forever lose the sight of God, because the Son of God purchased this lost sheep at the cost of His precious Blood (4:46). In this case, the careless pastor will be completely voiceless. And "then the Lord Christ will be righteously angry with the shepherd, the keeper of His house, and will judge him as negligent and unfaithful" (4:367). Then seized with shame and horror, he will hear the sentence of the Redeemer of the world: "... cast the servant into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30) (3:388). From these words it is evident what a lofty idea the Holy Father had about pastoral service. In his teachings, he advised those who accept pastoral care to examine themselves to see if they would be ready to bear all its burden, because this great work – the salvation of man – must be undertaken by people who are strong in spirit and pure in life, ready for sacrificial service to God and people. And if a person does not find this in himself, then it is better not to accept this dignity, for for negligent fulfillment of his duties the pastor will be condemned and cast into hell of fire (5:170). Pointing out the loftiness and responsibility of pastoral service in the Church of Christ and advising pastors to avoid with all diligence a vicious life, the Holy Father at the same time exhorts the laity to have obedience and love for them. The flock should look upon the priest as a messenger of God, love him as a father, take care of him and not spread false rumors, not be indignant at his mistakes and not condemn him, pray for him, since his duty is complex and responsible (3:389-390).

Thus, Jesus Christ, by His redemptive feat, presented to His Church the power and authority through the lawful hierarchy to spiritually give birth to and educate the members of the grace-filled Kingdom through the true teaching and saving Sacraments. And at the same time, He Himself is its direct invisible Guide. He, like a wise Helmsman, governs His Church and leads it to the predestined goal of salvation. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Whom the Savior of the world sent from His Heavenly Father and Who constantly dwells in this grace-filled ark, all members of the Church of Christ, through the Sacraments performed by the clergy, are cleansed from sin, sanctified and strengthened for the struggle with the invisible enemy of our salvation – the devil.

3. The Sacraments and Their Meaning

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of the faith and the Finisher of our salvation, entrusted all the means of salvation to His Church, making her a treasury of His grace-filled gifts, which are necessary in the matter of attaining the closest unity with Him. He gave the Church, as has already been said, the power and authority through a properly ordained priesthood to give birth to and bring up heirs of eternal life through doctrine and the Sacraments.

Through the divinely established Sacraments, the invisible grace of God is given to man; he receives from God everything that he needs for spiritual and moral rebirth and salvation (1:1). St. Tikhon in his works gives a brief description of the seven Sacraments, describes their content, shows their meaning and the conditions that must be observed by both those who perform and receive the Holy Sacraments. The grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit given in the Sacraments testify to God's love for man and are a healing means in the matter of his salvation. But in order for them to become truly salvific, it is necessary, in the words of the Holy Father, to observe four conditions, without which the Sacraments cannot be performed. The first condition is that the priest is properly ordained. The second is in the correct observance of the substance of the Sacrament (there must be water for baptism, bread and wine for the Eucharist, etc.). The third is in the correct pronunciation of the formula of the Sacrament. Finally, the fourth condition is that both the celebrant and the recipient of the sacrament have in their hearts a sincere desire and desire to perform and receive it (1:1–2).

Speaking about the importance and necessity of all the Sacraments in the matter of human salvation, the saint pays great attention in his works to the Sacrament of Baptism, through which the path to salvation is opened to each person and he enters into communion with the Savior of the world and His Church. Only he who has received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Name of the Holy Trinity becomes a member of the Church of Christ, becomes a relative of God and "cohabitant with the saints" (5:197). In Baptism a person is washed from the defilements of sin, dying to sin, and is quickened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore holy Baptism "is a new, spiritual, holy, second birth..." (3:234). If in bodily birth all people are born in sin, as children of Adam, then in the Sacrament of Baptism a person is born spiritually of God (2:93) and is clothed in a new Adam – Christ (3:402), Who gave to His Church this "mysterious bath of our existence, with which we are washed by defilement, and the dead are quickened, and the lost are saved, and the worn-out and decayed are renewed, and those who have been separated from God return to God... and we become heirs of His eternal Kingdom" (4:243; 3:234; 3:402). This birth is higher than natural, because in it all those spiritual forces that were in Adam before his fall are restored. According to the thought of the Zadonsk saint, here "the heart, thoughts, reason, will, desires" are purified, and man becomes a new creature in Christ (3:56; 4:296), born "from above... from God", becomes a son of God by grace (3:402).

Explaining the process of spiritual and moral rebirth in the Sacrament of Baptism, the Holy Father says that in Baptism a person "is freed from the unclean spirit and its dark power (3:38) and is betrothed "to the Heavenly Bridegroom, Christ, as pure virgins" (4:298). The Savior of the world, entering into union with the soul of the one being baptized, mortifies in it all that is old and sinful and "does not remember his former sins and iniquities, leaves him every transgression of the law, the righteous wrath that He had against him...; He strips him of the stinking rags of sin, washes him with pure water, clothes him with the beautiful purple of Christ's justification, and makes him His son" (4:32). In the Sacrament of Baptism, a person again enters into a covenant with God (3:56), receives the pledge of spiritual resurrection and resurrection (3:233), the inheritance of a future blessed life with Christ (3:56, 4:296). Only Baptism revives in man the image of God, darkened by sins after the disobedience of Adam (5:198). In this salvific Sacrament, the Lord communicates to man the original gifts, and the newborn "is enrolled in the service of Christ and promises Him to work faithfully with the Father and the Spirit, to listen to His commandments and to fulfill His commandments" (3:36). In other words, the person being baptized becomes a living part of the Church's organism, living the Divine life of Christ.

Thus, in the Sacrament of Baptism, each person is grafted into Christ like a branch to a vine, but not everyone is saved, for the reason that, although Baptism cleanses us from sin and blots out our guilt before God, so that we become justified and holy before Him, it does not eradicate our inclination to sin at all. After all, even after Baptism, a person lives in this world, which, according to the Holy Scriptures, "lies all in evil" (1 John 5:19); consequently, this evil captivates, and sometimes even leads "to a far country" (Luke 15:13) the one who is born again in the font of Baptism.

That is why the Holy Father calls all Christians to fulfill their vows given at holy Baptism. "The spiritual and new birth, in which a Christian is born by water and the Spirit," he says, "requires spiritual fruits from him. Both carnal and spiritual birth have fruits... A natural man... when he lives, he does not dwell on idle, but shows signs to his living creatures. For example, feels, sees, hears, talks, walks, eats, drinks, and so on. So it is for the new inner man, when he lives... he must show the signs of his living creatures, which befit a new spiritual birth and a new spiritual life" (3:235). Only he can abide in grace-filled communion with Christ and attain eternal salvation, who throughout his life remains faithful to his lofty calling, fights and struggles against evil. Moreover, this faithfulness to God and the struggle against evil must be resolute and self-sacrificing even unto death, and only in this case can one receive "His merciful promise according to what is said: 'Be thou faithful even unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life' (Rev. 2, 10)" (3:37). On the path leading to salvation, in addition to the flesh and worldly temptations, according to the teaching of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, the author of all evil builds his intrigues – the devil, who, although he does not have the power over God's creation that he had before the Baptism of man, can nevertheless incline the will of Christ's followers to a vicious life and thereby make them his prisoners. Hence the task of the Christian is to arm himself even more against the spirit of malice and not to weaken his podvig, but with even greater zeal to struggle against its subterfuges and to continue his march along the path of salvation (4:315). In spiritual warfare, a great deal depends on the person himself. He can either take the side of good, removing from his heart everything vicious and contrary to God, or turn his gaze to an "alien god", darkening and defiling his inner man with sinful desires and deeds. The human heart is like a vessel that can be filled with anything, both worldly whims and love for God. The Holy Father writes about Christians who have deviated to the side of sin: "Thus baptism does not benefit Christians, who turn their hearts to the world, as Egypt, and work for the lusts of their flesh, love honor, glory, riches, and the rest of the world's vanity, and all have and worship as their god. For man has all things instead of God, to which he has added his heart" (3:37-38).

Continuing his thought about sinful Christians, the Zadonsk saint, on the basis of the words of the Holy Scriptures: "And having fled from the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by these are the packs woven, overcoming me" (2 Pet. 2:20) — says that "a misguided and depraved Christian is a bitter heathen... and thus, where the unclean spirit was one, there are already seven unclean spirits living in iniquity, wherefore they are the last bitter of the first" (Luke 11:26)" (3:38). In another place, quoting the words of the Apostle Peter, he emphasizes: "For it is better for them not to know the way of righteousness, than to turn back from the holy commandment handed down to them. For a true parable will happen to them: the dog returned to his vomit, and the swine washed in the feces (2 Peter 2:21-22)" (3:38).

Thus, according to the teaching of the Holy Father, Holy Baptism can be effective and salvific only when the person who has accepted it will lead his life in accordance with the vows given to him, that is, exert all his efforts and aspirations towards a God-pleasing life, by means of which he will be able, with God's help, to defeat the devil and be forever united with his beloved Savior.