ONE GOD ONE FAITH ONE CHURCH

“There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God 

and Father of all” (Eph. 4: 5-6).

     The Orthodox belief and the dogma of the Church is that there is one God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. He is the one true God in Trinity, Father Son/Logos and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons with one nature and one essence. He is the Holy Trinity. The Father eternally begets the Son and emits the Holy Spirit. The Son is the eternal Logos of the Father who became incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and He became Jesus Christ the Godman. He founded the Church on Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ Son of God.” Being both God and man, He became the Head of the Church which is His own body. As there is one God so there is one faith in the one Church, which today is known as the holy Orthodox Church. That faith is totally directed toward the Holy Trinity.

     The one Godman founded one church, which is one holy catholic and apostolic– the Body of Christ.

In the Church where there is that one faith there is also one baptism.  This baptism is performed with three immersions and emmersions. The believer is then totally immersed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, this immersion is repeated three times. No other baptism can exist outside of the Church, for there is one Orthodox baptism done with three immersions.

     The one Faith is preserved by all Orthodox Christians wherein we worship one God in three persons, glorifying the Holy Trinity one in essence, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We sign ourselves frequently with the sign of the Cross going from the forehead to the abdomen and then to the right  and the left shoulders, having joined our thumb and next the two fingers together with the remaining two fingers pointing downward. If we bless anybody or anything, we always use the joined thumb and next two fingers and make the sign of the Cross over the person or thing. During the Divine Liturgy and during all private prayers we make the sign of the Cross on our persons. The sign of the Cross guards our souls and bodies and is an effective protection against dangers and many evils.

     When we enter or exit our cars is an ideal time to sign ourselves for constant protection and help Also before going for a walk and upon returning, for the sign of the Cross is both a protection and help at all times for everything. Also it is becomes to us a frequent spiritual reminder of him to whom we belong for we are not our own. So it  is good to use the sign of the Cross for every and any protection of person, animals or thing.

     There is one God and Father of all who we worship and reverence together with the Son and Holy Spirit, for He is one who made us and elevated us to the heights out of His goodness and love for man whom He created with His own hands. It is important to greatly honor the God who formed us and honored us first! For He is greatly worthy of all veneration and of our lasting thankfulness for His great mercy and generosity, and we can never offer enough thanks.

     We are nothing and God is everything! God is the Creator and we are created by Him. Man is so greatly honored by God that it is difficult for anyone to try to describe, for how can we compare the nothingness of man with God who is everything ? We did not even exist and God is always self existent. God is without beginning and has always existed, being perfect and the source and origin of everything good. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, filled with love and generosity. But we come from nothing and are not only made into something by God, but His plan is to make us equal to him in honor and glory! This is his plan and it is not possible for us to fully realize what this means for  it is beyond our understanding. 

     God said:  “Let us make man according to our own image and likeness.” These words should not be read over lightly. Their meaning is all important. God forms everything from nothing, and He formed man from the same source. So we are nothing but God decided to form man who would by dedicating his life become like God. This is the most beautiful thing that could ever happen! This too great to be throughly understood but is nevertheless true and accurate. No destination can be greater than to become just like God! Glory to Him may His mercy be upon us all.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

“That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, 

what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height, 

and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge 

that you may be filled with the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:18-19).

     The love of Christ is beyond knowledge and it is not possible by only reading about it and thus acquire that love. But when Christ comes and dwells within us by our decision to welcome Him then we will experience His great love which is beyond all knowledge. As one who has never tasted honey cannot have an idea of its sweetness and taste. So when Christ comes and enters the heart of a man, he by experience tastes the inexpressible flavor of Christ’s love. His love is sweet and utterrly inebriates our hearts in its embrace.

     The attempts to speak of Christ’s love are not simple to express, but many have at least made the attempt. We can see the effects of God’s great love for man in His actions which we can more easily speak about. God creates out of love, He became an incarnate man like us out of love. He underwent great suffering and much abuse out of His love for us.  His immense love discloses to us our future honor and glory which He wills out of love to bestow upon us. In the future eternal life death will not exist, but beautiful eternal life will fill its partakers with ever divine delight.

     He demonstrated his eternal love especially by his great suffering and sacrifice on the Cross. But this sacrifice perpetually continues in the entire Church of Christ, for His sacrifice was not once only, but is continuous and perpetual and is celebrated as the Holy Eucharist in the Divine Liturgy. There is nothing greater than the immense love of Christ and its delightful fragrance pours into into the souls of the faithful ones, and like a mighty river the souls delight in its great abundance.

     “That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” 

   It says: “That you may be able to comprehend”;  but how are we made able to comprehend except by our own experience the love of Christ? It is by approaching him with firm and determined faith, realizing our misery and the greatness of the God of all, who out of His extreme love bestows upon  us our spirits and our formation and existence. We live in His world, we eat His food, drink His water, we breath His air, and He continually  nourishes our bodies and souls. How can we show Him our gratitude? By honoring our Father in heaven, and keep all the commandments of His Son Jesus Christ.

     “That you might be filled with the fulness of God”, indeed for God is the our fulness and the source and originator of everything and all that we possess or ever will possess are from His bounty. If we have God and nothing else we have everything. But if we have everything else and not God we are already dying and soon will have nothing but suffering and torment, for all matter is already dead, but the spirit given by God within us is eternal life!

     The love of Christ has no bounds for it spreads over all creation filling it with beauty and happiness. When we are filled with the love of God we have everything good and beautiful and in need of nothing. God is love and He delightfully pours out His love into our hearts and souls. God is compassionate and merciful and bestows His many blessings upon our souls. God is life and  fills our souls himself who is  everlasting life. Truly we are blessed to have knowledge of God and to experience His love which is the  source of all happiness. But to really love God and bask in His love is to become filled with Him, for then our souls will become delightfully enriched.  We will be enabled to more readily observe what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height of God’s love for us?  Blessed are those who come to realize an give priority and importance to these things for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Shining over all His works is the bright and beautiful love which God bestows on His personally created man.  What honor can a man desire that attempts to substitute the honor given Him by God?