Man’s true nature and true life do not emanate from earthly data, but from the Triune God Himself, because man is the image of God. If we want to seek man’s true life, we must draw near to God and savor His life. Only life close to God is “natural,” that is, life that corresponds to man’s true nature. As for distance from God, it is “unnatural.”

Baptism introduces man into a spiritual arena, calling him to struggle against the forces of evil that attack him from without through his senses that generate passions. He must therefore cast aside everything that distances him from the love of God, and everything that leads him to selfish manifestations that distort the love of God and his brothers, in order to remain victorious in his battle against passions and selfish tendencies.