Loving union with God: this was the state in which Adam and Eve were created. It is the intent for which they were designed. It is the order in which they are to live. It is the beauty of their createdness, the beauty of being human. And so, loving union with God is the design, intent, order and beauty of Adam and Eve's creation.
This loving union was given to them when God breathed His Spirit into them. What beauty! What love! Adam and Eve had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and it was the Holy Spirit that gave them life, real life. When Adam and Ever fell and were exiled from the paradise of joy, the Holy Spirit left them and so they experienced death inasmuch as they were separated from Life Himself.
Throughout the Old Testament, God would pour His Spirit for a time and a purpose on certain people to accomplish a certain task, mostly on priests, prophets and kings. At times, He would allow His Spirit to come upon artists and craftsmen, such as Bezalel and Oholiab to make and to teach. But in all cases, the Holy Spirit was never permanently residing in humans.
And as seen previously, the Orthodox understanding of salvation is that God's desire was to completely heal and restore us to our original state. Through His Virgin Birth, His incarnation, His baptism, His death and resurrection, His Ascension, each of these were salvific works to restore us. Finally, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was finally and completely given to the Church, we see the restoration of humanity's original design, intent, order and beauty.
In receiving the Holy Spirit, humanity now can live out its purpose freely and completely, that is, to pursue loving union with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who communicates to us the lordship of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of adoption by which we cry out Abba, Father!
St. Paul goes on to say that we don't even know how we ought to pray, but this Holy Spirit Himself helps us in our weakness. The Holy Spirit Himself makes intercessions for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Such is the intimacy of loving union that we now have in the Holy Spirit. Salvation, therefore, is the complete and total healing of the human person in our loving union with the Holy Trinity. And we await joyfully when this union will be ever more fulfilled as we see Him face to face in His Eternal Kingdom.
Glory to God forever. Amen.