Abstract
This article is focused on human freedom as a necessary condition for the actualization of his essence in the projection of earthly life. Using phenomenological and exegetical methods, the author determines theological content of the essence of man in the context of the definitions of “freedom” and “predestination.” Human life on earth is framed by two states – the initial one in Paradise and the final one after gaining the Kingdom of Heaven. The essence of man in these two states is revealed in full, but life on earth is only the possibility of its manifestation through deification as the acquisition of the unity of man with God, lost in the Fall. It is through the ways of achieving this unity that the essence of man is revealed in their earthly life and the very meaning of human life. Such ways and means include: living in accordance with the commandments, accepting the will of God, acquiring the fear of God, achieving virtues – faith, hope, love, mercy, joy, meekness, repentance, goodness, humility, etc. A person can manifest and realize these means of deification only if he does them freely; they are the result of the will of man, dissolving in the will of God. The author comes to the conclusion that freedom in its connection with predestination is the most important component of the essence of man as the “image and likeness of God.”