ON WHAT DOES THE ORTHODOX CHURCH BASE ITS BELIEFS?

The teachings of the Orthodox Church are based on what God has revealed to humanity. Through the prophets, and then, finally and fully in his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God has made Himself and His will known to us. This divine teaching has been preserved for us in the Bible and the Tradition of the Church.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE?

Orthodoxy holds the Bible to be the divinely-inspired record of God’s revelation to us. It is the supreme authority for the Church’s teaching and for living the Christian way. However, Orthodoxy insists that the Bible must be interpreted according to the Faith as it has always been known in the Church. The Orthodox reject strange, individualistic interpretations of the Bible.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT THE CHURCH?

Orthodox Christians believe the Church was founded by Jesus Christ to be the presence of the kingdom of God on earth. It is the conviction of the Orthodox that their Church is the very Church founded by Christ. The church is the body of believers who are united in Jesus Christ, and share “one Lord, one faith, one baptism…” (Eph. 4:5). This unity of faith and life is found in the Orthodox Church.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT GOD?

Orthodoxy upholds the historic Christian understanding of God; first, as the personal, infinite, eternal, unchangeable Being who is the source of all that exists; and, secondly, as the Holy Trinity: God the Father with His only-begotten Son and Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are clear that Jesus and the Holy Sprit fully share the Divine Nature of the Father. Thus the classic Christian statement of the Holy Trinity is “There is one God in three persons.”

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?

In Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God took on the fullness of human nature (see John 1:1,14). Thus the Orthodox believe, following the Scriptures and the Councils of the early Church, that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. Orthodoxy also holds to the biblical doctrines that Jesus was virginally conceived, worked many divine miracles, was crucified, died, physically rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from which he will come to judge the living and the dead. The Orthodox Church teaches that through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has done all things necessary to save humanity from sin, death, and hell. He is thus the unique Savior of the world.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT THE HOLY SPRIT?

The Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit is fully personal and fully divine. He is sent into the world to see that the Father’s will is accomplished in all things. Through Him, the world is ordered, the prophets speak divine mysteries, Christ becomes incarnate and is revealed as the Son of God, and the faithful are filled with the life of God. Orthodoxy holds that the Spirit was given to the Church once and for all on the day of Pentecost, and continues His ministry of sanctifying God’s people in the Church to this day.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT SALVATION?

The Orthodox believe that salvation comes through union with Jesus Christ, which is effected in us by the Holy Spirit. We are united to Christ by faith, expressed in baptism, and continually realized in the eucharist. Orthodoxy also holds that true faith in Jesus necessarily includes commitment of one’s whole life to Him; in a word, repentance. In the Orthodox view, the new life in Christ that is begun in baptism is meant to be an unending growth of participation in the divine life.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE SAINTS?

The Orthodox Church teaches that the Virgin Mary was granted a role far above that of any other creature: to give birth to God in the flesh. Thus she is given the title “Theotokos,” meaning “God-bearer.” She was the first to personally accept Christ and, therefore, is the supreme model of Christian faith. The depth of her union with her divine Son is beyond comprehension. This mystery is continually celebrated in the services of the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy holds that the departed saints have a glorified existence in intimate union with Christ. There they intercede for us continually, and we may profitably ask their intercessions.

WHAT DO THE ORTHODOX BELIEVE ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

The kingdom of God is where God is perfectly worshiped, and His will is perfectly known and accomplished – where God reigns. It exists in heaven and was inaugurated on earth in Jesus Christ. The presence of the kingdom continues to be manifest in the Church. At the second coming of Christ, it will be finally and fully established on earth as all evil and rebellion will be eradicated, and heaven and earth fully united. Then the entire universe will be transfigured by the glory of God.