#fatheralexander

With the exception of Rome which separated in 1054 to become the Catholic branch of Christianity, all of these churches were - and still are - united in faith, doctrine, Apostolic tradition, sacraments, liturgies, and services; and constitute the Orthodox Church. Teachings come from two sources: Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition (within which the scriptures came to be). 

Teachings

God the Father - fountain head of the Holy Trinity and is Three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - eternally sharing one divine nature

Jesus Christ - the Second Person of the Holy Trinity; he became man and is thus both fully man and fully God. His coming was foretold in the Old Testament. He is the heart of Christianity, and so the Orthodox Church gives more attention to knowing him that to anything or anyone else.

Incarnation - Jesus Christ coming “in the flesh”; By His Incarnation, the Son forever possesses two natures in His one Person. Limitless in His divine nature, he became man and experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, temptation, and ultimately death. He redeemed human nature. Without The Incarnation, there is no Christianity.

The Holy Spirit - one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. Given to Christ as a gift to the Church to empower, place God’s love in our hearts, impart spiritual gifts. It is given through chrismation (anointing with oil) and baptism. We grow in our experience of the Holy Spirit for the duration of our physical lives.

Sin - meaning “to miss the mark”. We sin whenever we fall short of God’s purposes for us, leading to our spiritual death.

Salvation - the divine gift through which we are delivered from sin and death, are united with Christ, and brought into His eternal kingdom. It involves three steps: 1) repent, 2) be baptized, and 3) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It requires faith in Jesus Christ, and continued, active participation in the faith.

Baptism - how we are united to Christ; initiates the process of salvation. In baptism, we experience Christ’s death and resurrection and are truly forgiven of our past sins. Baptism is practiced by full immersion.

New Birth - the receiving of new life and gaining entry into God’s kingdom and His Church. In other words, during baptism, we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are raised with him.

Justification - means that in Christ we are forgiven and made righteous. Not a once-for-all guarantee of eternal salvation. It is a living, day-to-day reality, where we actively pursue a righteous life in the grace and power of God.

Sanctification - being set apart for God. We are called to be saints and to grow in the likeness of God, have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible - the divinely inspired Word of God. The Old Testament tells the history from Creation through the Age of the Prophets. The New Testament records the birth and life of Jesus Christ and the writings of His Apostles. The Scriptures are at the heart of Orthodox worship and devotion.

Worship - the corporate rendering of praise, glory and thanksgiving to God. Consummated in intimate communion.

Liturgy - term to describe the form of the Church’s corporate worship. Refers to the eucharistic rite instituted by Christ at the Last Supper.

Eucharist - the center of worship. In the Eucharist, we partake mystically of Christ’s Body and Blood, which impart His life and strength to us.

Communion of Saints - refers to the fact that those Christians who have died remain a vital part of the Church, alive in the Lord, present and surrounding us during worship.

Confession - the admission of known sins before God. Orthodoxy practices confession before a priest as well as in private to the Lord. One of the most significant means of repenting.

Discipline - to maintain purity and holiness in the Church and encourage repentance, discipline in the form of excommunication (hopefully temporary) may be required. Always performed with compassion to help bring a needed change of heart - never as a punishment.

Mary - called Theotokos (”god-bearer”). She is blessed. She lived a chaste and holy life, and is highly honored as the model of holiness.

Prayer to the Saints - it is encouraged because physical death is not defeat, and we do not cease to be part of the Church just because we are no longer of the physical realm. So we pray to the Saints, seeking their prayers and support, just as we ask Christian friends on earth to pray for us when the need arises.

Apostolic Succession - an authoritative apostolic succession passed down from generation to generation dating back to the original Apostles who founded the Churches - actual lineage, showing how its clergy were ordained by those chosen by the successors of the Apostles chosen by Christ Himself. Indispensable factor in preserving Church unity.

Councils of the Church - calling of councils to settle problems. May be local, regional, or Ecumenical (applying to the whole Church). Aware that God has spoken through the Ecumenical Councils, the Orthodox Church looks to them in particular for authority in regard to faith and practice.

Creed - living confessions of faith, of what we believe. The most important is the Nicene Creed, which was the product of two Ecumenical Councils in the 4th century. Creeds give us sure interpretations of Scriptures against those who would distort them.

Spiritual Gifts - among the gifts are apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, pastoring, teaching, healing, helps, administrations, knowledge, wisdom, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

Second Coming - Orthodox Christians believe Jesus Christ “will come again to judge the living and the dead,” and that His “kingdom with have no end.” There is no attempt to predict when it will happen, but only rather an encouragement to live in such a way that we will be confident before Him when He does come.

Heaven - the place of God’s throne, beyond time and space. The abode of God’s angels and the saints. The architecture of an Orthodox Church building is designed to participate in the reality of heaven and the Eucharist is heavenly worship.

Hell - a place of eternal torment for those who willfully reject God.

I had never heard of it, of course, but I found this explanation:

Oh? Interesting.

I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.” (Psalm 82:6)

As the booklet asks, How can human beings be gods? But as it quickly explains, it’s through the concept of theosis, the understanding that human beings can have such a real union with God and become like God to such a degree that we participate in the divine nature. Now, there is a stark line between ‘being gods’ and being ‘like’ God. Theosis is not a situaiton of merging with some divine force to become a god ourselves. We are not ontologically equal with God, nor do we merge or co-mingle with His being; but he allows us to know Him intimately through his energies. We achieve this union through  perfection of holiness, the continuous process of acquiring the Holy Spirit by grace through ascetic devotion. Some may understand it as sanctification, or mortificaiton.

There are many references to theosis in the bible:

2 Peter 1:3-4

Philippians 2:12-13

John 10:34-36

Psalm 82:6

Acts 17:28-29

Ephesians 1 (v.3, 4, 5, 6-7, 9, 10, 13, etc...)

As mentioned, I have embarked on a daily challenge of learning; and the topic of choice for the next 30 days is the Orthodox Faith. For the past 2 years, I have been on a journey of faith that has slowly culminated in my discovery and subsequent sense of belonging in Christian Orthodoxy. Last Sunday, I was baptized, though it really only served to demonstrate that despite how far I have come, there is still so much to learn. “A person without faith is like a blind man”. Five years ago, even two, I would have disagreed with this. I knew my goals - for the most part - and was content with my atheistic views. But I didn’t know how much I was missing until I had embraced it. “Faith gave [me] spiritual vision...to understand the essence of all that surrounds [me]: how and why everything was created, what is the goal of life, what is right and what is not, and ultimately what one must strive towards.”

This is reflected in the Creed, the Symbol of Faith. Since the beginning, the Creed has been used to remind ourselves of the principles of Orthodox Faith. It begins with “I believe...”, to demonstrate that the essence of religious convictions hinges on our acceptance of God-given truths. Of course, these truths aren’t necessarily easily accepted, and I have a long way to go. There are still doubts and what-ifs and what-about-this’s to contend with, but there is always a response to every question, a rationale for every statement, and the more I experience and pray, the clearer the truths become and the more I marvel at how it took so long for me to arrive to this point.

In this particular article - of which this reflection references - Father Alexander goes on to explain each component of the Creed, what we as Orthodox Christians believe in according to the Creed. Ultimately, we believe in one God, perfect, good, timeless, without beginning or end, all-powerful, and all-wise. And we believe in the Holy Trinity, that the one true God has appeared to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; one in essence and indivisible. We believe that God created Heaven, and then our physical world from nothing. 

Evil appeared in the world from misuse of the free will God gave man and angels. The Devil and demons were once angels that rebelled against the Creator and were cast out of Heaven, and formed their own kingdom called “hell”, and have since tempted man to sin, enemies of our salvation.

We believe that Lord Jesus Christ is God who took on flesh through the Holy Spirit and came down from Heaven for our salvation. Through his teachings, example, and miracles, he taught us what we should believe in order to achieve life everlasting. Through his death, he defeated the Devil and redeemed us of our sin; and by His Resurrection laid the path for our own.

We believe the Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. And that in the sacrament of Baptism, the believer is forgiven of all sin committed prior; and that through Chrismation, the believer receives the grace of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not guarenteed, however, and it is possible for one to fall out of faith and out of salvation should they turn away from faith or refuse to repent. In Holy Communion, during Divine Liturgy, the communicant receives the Body and Blood of Christ through a Divine Mystery.

It was this Creed that I spoke last Sunday during the sacrament of Baptism, and through intellectually I understand and believe, I still endeavor to understand it on a more spiritual level, and that many years will pass as my faith continues to strengthen.