Teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church
The Orthodox Church: A Continuity of Faith from Christ to Today
The Orthodox Church has remained true to the apostolic community established by Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. From the time of the Apostles, the Orthodox Church believes it has preserved and passed down the historic Christian faith, free from distortion or error. The Church maintains that nothing in her teachings contradicts the truth or prevents a true union with God. The ancient, timeless nature of Eastern Christianity reflects the Church's commitment to remaining faithful to the authentic Christian faith—rooted in the revelation of Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
Faith and the Church: Inseparable
In Orthodoxy, the Church and the Christian Faith are inseparable. It is impossible to truly know Christ or experience the life of the Holy Trinity apart from the Church. The Church is where the Christian Faith is both proclaimed and preserved, and it is through the Church that believers are nurtured in their faith.
Revelation: God’s Self-Disclosure
In the Orthodox Church, God is the source of faith. The Orthodox Faith does not begin with human speculation or philosophical arguments for God's existence. Instead, it begins with God's self-revelation—most fully in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Each day in the Church’s Morning Prayer, we affirm this revelation: "God is the Lord and He has revealed Himself to us." Though God’s inner being remains beyond human comprehension, He has made Himself known to us. The Orthodox Church believes that God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a profound mystery, yet one we can truly encounter.
The central teaching of the Orthodox Faith is the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity—the belief that God is One, yet exists in three distinct Persons. This experience of God is not abstract or theoretical but lived through the life of the Church, particularly through the Eucharist (Holy Communion) and the Sacraments, where believers encounter the Holy Trinity in a tangible, transformative way.
The Incarnation: God Became Man
In addition to the Trinity, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is a central truth in Orthodox Christianity. Orthodox Christians do not simply see Jesus as a moral teacher or a prophet; they believe He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man. The Incarnation means that Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human, has brought humanity into direct communion with God.
Christ is both truly God, sharing the same divine essence as the Father and the Holy Spirit, and truly Man, sharing in all aspects of human experience. Through His life, death, and Resurrection, Christ restored the broken relationship between humanity and God. As the Church Fathers succinctly put it, "God became what we are so that we might become what He is."
Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection are not just historical events; they are present realities, made manifest in the life of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church continues to experience the love of God in every age and place through the worship and sacraments.
Scripture: The Living Word of God
The Orthodox Church holds Holy Scripture in high regard, recognizing it as the written testimony of God's revelation to humanity. A portion of the Bible is read at every Divine Liturgy, and the Scriptures are treated as a living and active witness to God’s saving work.
The Old Testament (49 books) is seen as a preparation for the coming of Christ, revealing God’s relationship with Israel and pointing forward to the fulfillment in Christ. The New Testament centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early Church. The Gospels recount Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The Epistles offer guidance for Christian living, and the Acts of the Apostles details the early Church’s growth. The Book of Revelation speaks to the final fulfillment of God’s plan for the world.
Orthodoxy places special emphasis on the Gospels as they record the perfect revelation of God through Jesus Christ.
Tradition: The Living Faith Handed Down
While Scripture is treasured as the written Word of God, it is part of a broader Tradition—the living experience of God's revelation handed down through the generations. Tradition encompasses more than the Bible: it includes the Eucharist, the teachings of the Church Fathers, the writings of the Saints, the liturgies, prayers, hymns, and icons that express the Church’s faith.
This Tradition was handed down from the Apostles, defended by the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and embodied in the Nicene Creed. It is expressed in every aspect of Church life - from the liturgy to social action - and it continues to be lived out by each local Orthodox parish. The Church as a whole is the guardian and witness of this authentic Christian Faith.
Ecumenical Councils and the Nicene Creed
Orthodoxy avoids reducing its faith to a set of abstract doctrines or human-made systems. Rather, it understands that the Christian Faith points to a mystical relationship between God and humanity, one that cannot be fully captured in human language or definitions. The Church’s role is to preserve the mysteries of the faith, particularly the mystery of God’s Incarnation, which gives us new life in the Holy Trinity.
However, when heresy or false teaching threatens the truth of the Christian Faith, the Church has acted to safeguard doctrine. This is why the Seven Ecumenical Councils are highly respected in Orthodoxy. These councils, convened by bishops from all over the Christian world, did not invent new doctrines but clarified and proclaimed what the Church has always believed.
The Nicene Creed, formulated at the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), expresses the essential truths of the Christian faith. Known as the Symbol of Faith, it is recited in every Divine Liturgy and at Baptism, offering a concise summary of Orthodox Christianity.
The Nicene Creed:
I believe in One God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in One Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all worlds:
Light of Light, true God of true God,
begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father,
through whom all things were made.
For us and for our salvation,
He came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;
and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father;
and He shall come again, with glory,
to judge the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Conclusion: The Faith of the Church
The Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in the apostolic and biblical tradition. Her teachings are a living expression of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ, passed down through the centuries, and made present today in the life of the Church. From the Holy Trinity to the Incarnation, from the Scriptures to the Creed, the Orthodox Church stands as a faithful witness to the authentic Christian faith, offering believers the opportunity to encounter the living God in His fullness.
As you explore the depths of the Orthodox faith, you are invited to join the Church in worship, communion, and in living out the life of the Holy Trinity by experiencing the mystery of God inside the life of the Church.
