The teachings of Jesus Christ about the church. Church: Orthodox teaching about the Church Development of ecclesiology is a pan-Orthodox task
Modern secular society has formed the opinion, taken up by neo-pagans, that the ideal of a Christian is self-abasement, passivity and lack of initiative.
In their books and articles directed against Orthodoxy, neopagans very often exploit such images, contrasting the “humble Christian” with the “free pagan.” In this regard, let us consider what the Orthodox doctrine actually says about man and his purpose, and also examine some concepts that are misinterpreted by atheists.
Is it possible to become a god?
The first lines of the Bible tell us about God's creation of our material world. The crown of His creative plan was man: “And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26–27).
A modern Greek theologian, commenting on this text, wrote: “Creation in His own image was such a gift that God endowed only with man and with no one else in all visible creation, so that he became the image of God Himself.” This gift included reason, conscience, free will, creativity, love and desire for perfection and God, personal self-awareness and everything that puts a person above the rest of the visible creation, making him a person. In other words, everything that makes a person a person is given to him in the image of God.”
In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter says the following words, addressing Christians: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...” (1 Pet. 2:9).
The Orthodox Church, unlike many other religious movements, views man as the crown of God's creation, the purpose of whose creation is very high. , who lived in the 4th century, wrote: “Know your nobility, namely, that you are called to royal dignity, that you are a chosen race, sacred and a holy language.”
Theologians today have exactly the same opinion on this issue. Missionary and theologian Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh wrote: “If you want to know what man is... look to the throne of God, and you will see sitting there at the right hand of God, at the right hand of Glory of the man Jesus Christ... only in this way can we know how great man is, if only he becomes free..."
Constant monitoring of one’s personal sins, remembering that a person is a “slave to earthly passions” protects a person from vanity and pride, that is, spiritual blindness. The Creator made man master of the Universe and subordinated all creation to him. For the sake of man and his salvation, God, the Creator of the visible and invisible world, incarnated into an earthly, material body, accepted death and was resurrected, making man capable of deification.
A person must realize all his abilities in creativity and love in order to become like God through this, for “the limit of a virtuous life is likeness to God,” as St. Gregory of Nyssa says.
“Man is a magnificent imprint of a magnificent image, sculpted in the image of an ideal Prototype,” wrote Philo of Alexandria. These words are in perfect agreement with the thought of St. Gregory of Nyssa: “The end of a valiant life is assimilation to the Divine, and therefore the valiant with all care try to succeed in the purity of the soul, removing themselves from any passionate disposition, so that with an improved life, some traits of the highest nature will be formed. ..."
Man was created by God as a free being, called to rise to the divine status bestowed by God by His grace, since man is called to realize in himself the likeness of God, literally created to become god.
wrote that man “is placed separately from all creation, being the only creature that is capable of becoming a god.”
“Man is predestined to become God... The Divine Logos did not become a God-angel, but a God-man”
According to the words of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, “God became man so that man could become god” - these words contain the entire dogmatic essence of the Christian teaching about man. The Holy Fathers especially emphasized the need to realize this. Thus, Saint Gregory the Theologian said: “If you think low of yourself, then I will remind you: you are a created god, going through the suffering of Christ to imperishable glory.” Based on the above, we agree with the conclusions of the modern theologian Father Andrei Lorgus, who, reflecting on Christian anthropology, wrote: “The path of Christian self-understanding lies not through the recognition of one’s insignificance, but through the recognition of one’s dignity, against the background of which even a small sin is noticeable.”
Asceticism is only a tool for personal ascent, but not the goal of life.
An Orthodox Christian, like an athlete in training, places himself in obviously worse conditions necessary to achieve personal perfection.
Who called whom a slave
As we see, the doctrine of human dignity and destiny in Christianity is extremely high. However, concepts such as “servants of God”, “meekness”, “fear of God”, etc. often become a stumbling block.
Speculation on this topic is widespread on the Internet in the form of numerous demotivators and discussions. Let's look at what Christians actually mean by these concepts and whether there is anything offensive and humiliating in them.
Spiritual freedom is the power of the individual over himself, over his egoism, his passions and sinful inclinations
In Christianity, they worship God, who is the Creator of the entire Universe, possessing all positive properties. He is absolute Good and Love. God endowed people with free will. The concept of freedom is fundamental in Christianity. The Apostle Paul calls: “Stand fast in the freedom that Christ has given us... You, brothers, have been called to freedom” (Gal. 5: 1-13). As religious scholar Archpriest Andrei Khvylya-Olinter writes, “Orthodoxy honors the internal freedom of will of a person, for this is a gift of God that is the cause of itself. Spiritual freedom is the power of the individual over himself, over his nature, over his egoism, his passions and sinful inclinations.”
Slavery literally means submission and loss of freedom. For example, an alcoholic or drug addict becomes so captivated by a destructive passion that he can no longer give it up on his own, although he understands that this will lead to his death. “For whoever is overcome by someone is his slave” (2 Pet. 2:19). It is from such slavery that Christianity protects.
The example of alcohol addiction is very indicative, however, passions are varied, but their effect is the same - enslavement of human freedom. To be someone's slave means complete independence from everyone else. That is why Christians call themselves “slaves of God,” recognizing the power of the Creator of the Universe Himself over themselves, but thereby becoming independent from any other manifestations that limit human freedom. In this context, the Apostle Paul says: “...just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, to do wicked works, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, to do holy works. For while you were slaves to sin, then you were free from righteousness. But now that you have been freed from sin and become slaves of God, your fruit is holiness, and the end is eternal life.” (Rom. 6:19–22).
In a personal sense, Christianity does not imply any slavery. Christ conveys to all believers a prayer in which everyone addresses God as the Father - “Our Father” (see: Matt. 6: 9-13).
Christians are children of God, which is confirmed many times in the pages of the Bible
Christians are children of God, which is confirmed many times on the pages of the Bible: “To those who believe in His name he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12); “Look what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The world does not know us because it has not known Him. Beloved! we are now children of God; but it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We only know that when He is revealed, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is” (1 John 3: 1-2).
Christ especially clearly indicates this in the words: “And pointing His hand to His disciples, He said: Behold My mother and My brothers; for whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12: 49–50). Nothing like this exists in other religions, especially among neo-pagans, who, flaunting loud phrases like “My god didn’t call me a slave,” logically receive the answer: “Of course, a tree stump doesn’t know how to talk.”
Authentic Slavic paganism had completely different ideas about the gods, who were worshiped with slavish humiliation and reverence. A modern apologist cites several historical evidence confirming this: “The Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan at the beginning of the 10th century describes the veneration of gods by the Slavs as follows: “So, he approaches a large image and worships it... He never ceases to make requests to one image, then to to another, asks for their intercession and humbly bows before them.”
And here’s how the German “Tale of Otto of Bamberg” describes the reaction of the Western pagan Slavs of the 12th century when they unexpectedly saw a man with a shield, dedicated to god war to Yarovit, who was not allowed to be touched by anyone: “At the sight of the sacred weapons, the residents in their village simplicity imagined that it was Yarovit himself who appeared: some fled in horror, others fell prostrate to the ground.”
The Slavs experienced fear, humiliation and complete dependence at the sight of their idols. It is not surprising that Christianity was accepted so easily and freely by our ancestors.
A few words should also be said about slavery as a social phenomenon. Since ancient times, it has been quite commonplace that a person can be in a position of powerless property of another person. In antiquity, slavery was widespread. Slavery existed in pre-Christian times among the Slavs, contrary to the opinions of atheistic Soviet historians, who mistakenly linked the emergence of the slave system among the Slavic peoples with the beginning of Christianization.
Christianity has never openly opposed this fundamental phenomenon ancient world. However, it was Christianity that destroyed its ideological basis with the words of the Apostle Paul: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus; all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no longer Jew or Gentile; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28). Literally this means that the slave and the master are the same and are brothers in Christ. Therefore, it is not surprising that slavery, with the gradual Christianization of popular consciousness, came to naught in all countries. And it flared up again with the departure from Christian morality, as, for example, happened in Rus' during the reign of Peter I and Catherine II, when serfdom took on monstrous forms.
An army without fear or reproach
Now consider what Christianity says about fear and courage. Such a concept as “fear of the Lord” also, as a rule, causes bewilderment. wrote: “Whoever fears the Lord is above all fear, he has eliminated and left far behind him all the fears of this age. He is far from all fear, and no fear comes close to him.” Believer, loving God, is not afraid of Him, but does not want to move away from him, to lose communion with God. Holy Scripture says the following: “He who fears is not perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
“Demons consider the timidity of the soul to be a sign of its complicity in their evil.”
But regarding cowardice and timidity, the holy fathers spoke very impartially: “Cowardice is an infantile disposition in an old, vain soul. Cowardice is a deviation from faith, in anticipation of unexpected troubles... He who does not have the fear of the Lord is often afraid of his own shadow,” wrote St. John Climacus. Blessed Diadochos of Photikius said: “We who love the Lord should wish and pray so that... we may not be involved in any fear... because... the demons consider the fearfulness of the soul as a sign of its complicity in their evil.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse warns: “Your fears are the enemy’s trick. Spit on them. And stand courageously."
Evagrius of Pontus calls for courage: “The point of courage is to stand in the truth and, even if confrontation is encountered, not to deviate towards what does not exist.” And Abba Pimen wrote: “God is merciful to those who carry a sword in their hands. If we are courageous, He will show His mercy.”
From the life of St. Basil the Great we know his conversation with the prefect Modest. After many convictions to renounce Orthodoxy, Modest, seeing the saint’s inflexibility, began to threaten him with deprivation of property, exile, torture, and death. “All this,” answered Saint Basil, “means nothing to me: he does not lose his property who has nothing except these old and worn-out clothes and a few books, in which all my wealth lies. There is no exile for me, because I am not bound by place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and wherever they send me will be mine. What can torment do to me? I am so weak that only the first blow will be sensitive. Death for me is a blessing: it will sooner lead me to God, for whom I live and work, and to whom I have long been striving.”
Elder schema-abbot Savva (Ostapenko) answered the question: “What passions are the most destructive for modern man? - answered: “Cowardice and timidity. Such a person always lives a dual, false life. He cannot complete a good deed; he always seems to maneuver between people. The fearful one has a crooked soul; If he does not overcome this passion in himself, then suddenly, under the influence of fear, he may become an apostate and a traitor.”
Christians are called to sacrifice themselves without fear for the sake of their neighbors: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Following it, Christian warriors were distinguished by their special courage and perseverance, often saving their comrades at the cost of their lives.
Among the saints Orthodox Church There are a huge number of warriors who, through their deeds and exploits, have shown how Christians fulfill the commandment to protect their neighbors. Everyone knows Saints Demetrius Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky, Ilia Muromets. But there were a great many great warriors who achieved holiness.
For example, Saint Mercury of Smolensk, who lived during the time of the Mongol invasion, at the command of the Mother of God who appeared to him, went alone to the enemy camp, where he destroyed many enemies, including the giant Tatar military leader, who instilled fear in everyone with his strength. Single-handedly, Saint Mercury put the entire Tatar camp to flight, but he himself was killed in an unequal battle.
Saint Theodore Ushakov, personally commanding the Russian fleet, won many victories over the Turks, who at that time had a fleet that was several orders of magnitude stronger and more numerous. All of Europe feared his victorious fleet, but he himself remained alien to pride and vanity, realizing how little a person can do without the help of God.
Saint Michael the warrior was born in Bulgaria, he served in the Byzantine army. During the war with the Turks, Saint Michael inspired the entire squad with his courage in battles. When the Greek army fled from the battlefield, he fell to the ground and prayed for the salvation of the Christians. Then he led his soldiers against the enemy. Having burst into the middle of the enemy ranks, he scattered them, brutally striking the enemies without harm to himself or his squad. At the same time, a thunderstorm suddenly arose to help the Christian soldiers: lightning and thunder struck and terrified the enemies, so that they all fled.
Images of meekness
Neopagans love to post photographs on their Internet resources Orthodox people kneeling in churches - in their opinion, this is the apotheosis of self-abasement; usually in the comments they start talking about slave psychology, etc. It is not clear why neo-pagans claim that this reverence for God extends to other relationships.
However, for example, the word “Islam” literally translates as “submission”, and Muslims do not even kneel during their prayers - they lie prostrate, but among the neo-pagans there are no daredevils to tell Muslims to their faces about their “slave psychology”. And although Muslims are very militant, Orthodox Russia has defeated Muslim states many times. Orthodox Christians are called to fulfill the commandment: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone” (Matthew 4:10). The Orthodox reverence the Almighty Creator, recognizing His boundless Greatness, but this commandment does not apply to anyone other than God.
A modern parish parable tells: “A boorish-looking young man comes into the church, approaches the priest, hits him on the cheek and, smiling maliciously, says: “What, father?! It’s been said: if you hit the right cheek, turn the left one too.” Father, a former master of sports in boxing, sends the insolent man into the corner of the temple with a left hook and meekly says: “It is also said: with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you!” Frightened parishioners: “What’s going on there?” The deacon is important: “They interpret the Gospel.”
This story serves as a good illustration of the fact that, without knowing the essence of Christian teaching, one should not make bold generalizations. These words of Christ simply abolished the ancient law of blood feud and reminded us that it is not always necessary to retaliate for evil with evil. I would also like to especially note that although atheists and neo-pagans are very fond of throwing snippets of quotes from the Bible at the Orthodox, demanding their literal understanding, Christian teaching about the Holy Scriptures it speaks of something completely different. The Holy Scriptures should be understood only in the context of the interpretations of the Holy Fathers. Saint Gregory of Nyssa wrote on this subject: “The interpretation of what is written that appears at first glance, if not understood in its proper sense, often produces the opposite of the life revealed by the Spirit.” Therefore, one must “revere the authenticity of those who are testified by the Holy Spirit, remain within the boundaries of their teaching and knowledge,” and the Fifth-Sixth Trullo Council of 691–692, in its 19th canon, decided: “If the word of Scripture is examined, then not otherwise They do not explain it except as the luminaries and teachers of the Church expounded in their writings.” Therefore, non-believing interpreters of the Bible are not a decree for Orthodox Christians at all.
Now let's look at such Christian virtues as meekness and humility. IN modern society these words evoke a disdainful grin, although in fact there is nothing shameful in these concepts, just the opposite. Meekness is the opposite virtue of uncontrollable anger and rage. A meek person never loses inner peace, does not allow emotions to overwhelm his mind, and is distinguished by self-control and composure. It is not surprising that many holy warriors were involved in this virtue. For example, King David, the famous Old Testament commander, was of a very meek disposition. The holy Emperor Constantine, the founder of Constantinople, who won a considerable number of battles, also possessed meekness. And the Orthodox Church calls Saint Nicholas “an image of meekness,” who beat a heretic who blasphemed God.
Humility is the opposite virtue of selfishness and pride: it defeats self-obsession
The concept of “humility” also causes a lot of misunderstanding. In our opinion, a very accurate definition was given by the Orthodox apologist Sergei Khudiev: “Humility is not the downtroddenness of a person who has nothing better left; this is a voluntary preference for the will of God, a willingness to serve, sacrifice and give instead of demanding service for oneself, being exalted and taking. This is a virtue opposite to selfishness and pride. Humility overcomes self-obsession.”
Modern patrolologist and apologist priest Valery Dukhanin notes: “Genuine humility, meekness, and goodness are not weakness of character; on the contrary, it is the ability to control oneself, one’s passions and feelings, which presupposes internal strength and willpower. On the one hand, this is the ability to control one’s own anger so as not to throw it out without reason. And on the other hand, the ability to give the enemy a worthy rebuff when you need to protect your loved ones.”
So, we examined the Christian teaching about the destiny of man, analyzed the concepts of Christian ascetic thought and some passages of Holy Scripture, consciously or unconsciously distorted by neo-pagans. Christianity demands a lot from a person, it requires constant personal improvement, but the result of this path is disproportionately high.
Topic 1.5 Christian Church
The first community of Christ's disciples is known in history under the name "Church" (from the Greek (ekklesia (ecclesia) - a meeting, which is formed from the verb ekkalo - to call), which means a meeting of people by call, invitation. In the Septuagint, this term means a meeting of the people God, the people chosen and called to serve by God Himself.
This usage shows that the Christian community from the very beginning recognized itself as a Divine institution called to a special service.
The Church is, in the words of many holy fathers, a “ship of salvation.” In the spiritual space of the Church, a grace-filled transformation of people takes place. Through its influence the salvation of the world is accomplished.
The New Testament gives many images that reveal various aspects of the existence of the Church and its connection with Christ.
There is an idea of the Church as a hospital where suffering humanity receives healing from the Physician Christ.
Image grapevine and its branches (see: John 15:1-8) expresses the living natural unity of the members of the Church in the grace of God.
Image shepherd and flock(see: John 10:1-16) conveys the idea of hierarchy in the life of the Church and the principle of spiritual leadership.
Image building under construction(see: Eph. 2:19-22), Houses(see: 1 Tim. 3.15; Heb. 3.6) implies the integrity and inviolability of the Church.
Image marriage union(see: Eph., 5, 23; 5, 32), with which the name of the Church the Bride of Christ is associated (see: 2 Cor. 11, 2), expresses the idea of the unity of the Church in the personal aspect based on love.
The image of the Church as city of God(see: Heb. 11:10) reveals the understanding of the Church as a prototype Kingdom of Heaven on the ground.
The image of the Church as mothers of believers(see: Gal., 4, 26) indicates that, being in unity with Christ - the Second Adam, the Church gives birth to the human race restored by Him, gives birth to children of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit, just as ancient Adam through his foremother Eve gave birth to fallen humanity.
The image of the origin of the Church from flesh and bones of Christ, as the foremother of Eve from the rib of Adam (see: Eph. 5, 28-30), means by flesh and bones the suffering of the Savior on the cross.
Image heads and bodies(see: Eph., 1,22-23; 4, 15-16; 5, 23; Col., 1, 18, 24:
2, 19, etc.) is one of the most capacious Images, expressing both the idea of the living spiritual-natural unity of all members of the Church with Christ and each other, and the idea of hierarchy, the idea of preserving the personal uniqueness of all members of the Church.
It is impossible to give a comprehensive definition of the Church due to the fact that it is a creation of God, covering not only many aspects of the visible world, but also the invisible world, and has an internal unity with God. The invisible world, and especially the Lord God Himself, cannot be defined in limited human terms. That is, it is impossible to formulate an exhaustive definition of the Church in human terms due to God-humanity Churches.
However, the impossibility of exhaustively defining this or that spiritual phenomenon has never stopped theological thought. If it is impossible to dredge up the sea, this does not mean that you cannot touch it or swim in it. Both the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers contain many deep descriptions of the Church and indications of its ontological properties; There are also definitions, although not exhaustive, but undoubtedly extremely valuable. We will consider them in order to form an Orthodox concept of the Church.
Of course, the most profound in spiritual content and meaning is the definition of the Church given by the Apostle Paul: the Church is the body of Christ, every Christian is a member of this mystical body, and the head is the Incarnate Son of God Himself (cf. Eph. 1:22-23; 4, 15-16; 5, 23; Col., 1, 18, 24; Of course, the expression body of Christ here cannot be understood literally, as the human flesh of the Savior. It is a mystical spiritual organism comprising many created beings who have consciously and voluntarily become its members. On the natural plane, this unity is realized through grace or, in other words, through deification. And on a personal level, union with Christ occurs through faith and love.
Another definition of the Church that needs to be considered is that from the Long Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow, where it is said that the Church is an established society of people from God, united by the Orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the sacraments [Filaret of Moscow, St. Long Christian Catechism... - M., 2006. P. 6]. St. Filaret leads the catechumens through the external image to the inner essence, and his definition (in the strict sense of the word it is no longer his, for this Catechism has received churchwide recognition) perfectly agrees with the definition of the Apostle Paul.
Purpose and purpose of the Church
The Gospel teaches that the Son of God was sent into this world by the Father to to recover and save the lost(Matt. 18:11). Under dead here we mean all of humanity, the entire world damaged by sin. Thus, the purpose of the creation of the Church is to save people and transform the world. God saves people, but the Church is His main instrument in this great work. The Lord saves in the Church and through the Church. For this purpose, He Himself founded it, led it and gave it the indestructible power of divine grace: I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it(Matt. 16, 18). Therefore, she is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth(1 Tim. 3:15).
The saving mission of Jesus Christ continues through the Church. He saves not just individuals, but His spiritual Body - the Church: Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the Savior of the body(Eph. 5:23), therefore, in order to be saved, you need to be a living member of the Church. Here people are transformed and become suitable for eternal blissful life with God. This is a difficult and lengthy process, and spiritual life in the Church helps each of its members to become new from the old man.
It is for this purpose that the Church was founded - for continuation perfected by Christ the work of saving the human race, so that through it, through the assimilation of the fruits of the Redemption, people would find salvation. For this purpose, the Lord established sacraments in the Church - special sacred rites that sanctify the most important events in a person’s life and transform him.
The Church is the image of the Holy Trinity. In God the Trinity, the consubstantial Hypostases exist in the unity of mutual love. It is to such unity in the image of the Divine Persons that people are called in the Church, where the unity of their natural being is mysteriously combined with the personal diversity of human hypostases.
The New Testament Church in the fullness of its existence was revealed to the world on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they, endowed with grace-filled gifts, went out to preach. Therefore, the Feast of Pentecost is also called the birthday of the Church. However, the created world was already initially created dependent on the Church, where man had to be a priest before God on behalf of the entire universe. This original Church was damaged by the fall of mankind and restored through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, as stated in the Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow: In the paradise planted in the east, the first Church of the sinless ancestors was founded; there, after the Fall, a new foundation was laid for the Church of those saved in the promise of the Savior[Filaret of Moscow, St. Long Christian Catechism... - M., 2006. P. 68].
The Church is united in its essence and covers both the visible and invisible world with its influence. Moreover, through the Church, the entire created world participates in the uncreated nature of the Divine, and in this sense, the Church serves as a bridge connecting created and uncreated being.
In the life of the Church, there are two aspects of its existence - visible and invisible. Accordingly, two names are given: the earthly Church - militant (see: Eph., 6, 12) and the heavenly Church - triumphant (see: Heb., 12, 23), consisting of angels and all those who have fallen asleep in faith and repentance. It is clear that such a mental division does not mean the existence of two Churches - just as in a person we distinguish between soul and body, but do not talk about two separate beings. The Church of Christ, consisting of earthly and heavenly rational beings, is one spiritual body, has one Head, Christ, and is inspired by the same Spirit of God [Philaret of Moscow, St. Long Christian Catechism... - M., 2006. P. 63-64].
There is a basis for such a distinction in Holy Scripture. To the Apostle Peter, and through him and to all the apostles, the Lord says: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven(Matt. 16:19). That is, Christ Himself, speaking about the creation of the Church, distinguishes two aspects of its existence - earthly and heavenly.
Jesus Christ is the Founder of the Church, but this title is applied to the Savior differently than to the founders of other religious societies. If in other religions the founders were organizers and teachers, then the Holy Scriptures say that the Lord acquired for myself Church By His blood(Acts 20:28). The Christian Church is not created by teaching, not by command, and not even by the divine power of the Lord (like, for example, the Old Testament community), but is created according to Holy Scripture, from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, which became the cornerstone on which the Church is built. Therefore, Christ is not only the Founder of the Church in historical terms, not only the Teacher who brought the divine teaching about salvation, but He Himself is both the fundamental and unifying principle of the Church He created. On the personal plane, He unites all members in Himself through faith and love, and on the natural plane, He unites them through uncreated divine grace.
For Christians, the most important thing is Divine Person Christ and the possibility of personal communication with Him. The entire long history of Christological disputes is a dispute not about His teaching, but about Him, Himself, for both the perception of the teaching of Jesus Christ and the attitude towards His Church depend on how the question is resolved: who is Jesus Christ?
Because of this, Christianity fundamentally cannot be reduced to doctrine, to morality, to tradition, because in essence, initially it is not faith in doctrine, but faith in the person of the Son of God who became man. Christianity makes it possible to unite with Him in the closest inner union, to enter into direct living communication, for the Lord not only founded His Church, but also really, although invisibly, abides and will remain in it always, even to the end of the age(Matt. 28, 20).
However, meeting God and experiencing religious experience are possible only within the framework of tradition. This is due to the fact that under religious tradition Orthodoxy understands the transmission from generation to generation of time-tested principles religious life. These principles lead a person to a perfect state based on communication with God as the Source of Good, Truth and Justice. The basis church tradition is the transmission of the meaning of Holy Scripture, fidelity to Holy Tradition in the understanding of Holy Scripture as Revelation.
In this sense, the Church itself can be considered as Tradition. At the same time, Sacred Tradition is the self-awareness of the Church, unchangeable over time, which is supported not only by the existence of a written tradition of interpretation of the Bible committed by the Fathers of the Church, but also by the continuity of apostolic succession in the Church in the form of episcopal service and the immutability of liturgical life. The truth of Orthodoxy is that throughout its 2000-year history the Church has remained faithful to the understanding of the Gospel that was characteristic of Christ and his apostles. Any doctrinal or moral moment of church sermon originates in practice ancient Church, in contrast to the theological features of other Christian denominations that arise during Christian history.
Essential Properties of the Church
To understand how the Church differs from any other religious and social organizations, it is necessary to at least briefly clarify its essential or ontological properties that determine its existence.
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed lists four such properties: I believe... in the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. It is these four properties that help distinguish the true Church from all other religious communities.
The most important sources of Orthodox doctrine are the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition. Holy Scripture is the Bible (books of the New and Old Testament- which contain a description of the revelation of God). The Bible in Orthodoxy is understood only in the context of tradition, i.e. works of the Holy Fathers, in the texts of divine services, dogmatic definitions and decrees Ecumenical Councils, rules or canons of the Church. All this together is called Tradition and explains how an Orthodox person should understand all the fundamentals of faith. The entire spiritual life of Orthodoxy rests on Tradition.
The main content of Orthodoxy is faith in God the Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church teaches that God is one in Essence, but threefold in persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and all three Persons of the one God are equal in their Divine nature and reside in indivisible unity, so that no action of God is happens without the joint participation of the Three Persons of the Divine Trinity. God is the Creator of everything existing world, visible and invisible (i.e. the physical world and the spiritual world). God created the world freely, not needing creation, but out of His Love. According to Orthodox teaching, everything created was created perfect and sinless, and sin and evil appeared in the world only after the supreme angel Lucifer (Latin - Light-Bearer), possessing free will, imagined himself equal to God and, becoming proud, opposed himself to the Creator. Thus, Lucifer himself fell away from God and took some of the angels with him. Thus, evil in the Orthodox understanding is not something existing in itself, but is a distortion of the world created by God. Evil is the absence of good, a distortion of truth. The first man Adam, together with his wife Eve, were also sinless and holy from creation, but Satan deceived Eve, and through her her husband Adam, into disobedience to God, which led to the fall of the first people and their loss of holiness, and as a consequence, to no longer able to be in close proximity to God. Redemption for this original sin happened through the incarnation of God the Son from the Ever-Virgin Mary, who, being a Virgin, through the action of the Holy Spirit, conceived in her womb a son, who was given the name Jesus by birth. This is how the great mystery of the Incarnation took place. By His earthly life and suffering on the cross, Jesus Christ redeemed man from the power of sin weighing on him, and elevated the previously fallen nature of the human race above angelic dignity.
The Orthodox profess faith “in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” The Church, in the Orthodox understanding, is a divine-human organism headed by the Lord Jesus Christ, revealed in the visible world as an established society of people from God, united by the Holy Spirit, the Orthodox Faith, the Law of God, the hierarchy and the Sacraments. The founding day of the Church is the day of Pentecost - the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. Composing one spiritual body, having one Head - Christ and animated by one Holy Spirit, the Church is called United. The separate existence of local Orthodox churches in different countries, for example, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, etc., does not violate the unity of the Church of Christ, since they are all parts of the One Church. This unity is manifested in the common confession by all Orthodox Christians of the dogmatic foundations of the Orthodox Faith, in the common Sacraments of the Church, in the unity of the episcopate, in brotherly love and communication.
The Orthodox Church has a hierarchy. In the sacrament of priesthood, or ordination, a person is given grace to perform the sacraments and serve God. The highest and most important rank is the rank of bishop. The bishop represents the entirety of the Church, he heads a large church community in a certain territory (diocese), and spiritually leads the believers of his diocese. It is the bishop who performs the sacrament of the priesthood, that is, ordains clergy, while the bishop is ordained by the council of bishops. In the person of bishops, the Church preserves apostolic succession - a series of ordinations that continuously goes back to the apostles who received grace from Jesus Christ Himself. All bishops are equal in the grace given to them, but according to the degree of seniority, archbishops and metropolitans are also distinguished. The patriarch is a bishop appointed as the head of a large local church. Presbyters, or priests, the next rank of the hierarchy, perform all sacraments (except ordination) with the blessing of their bishop. Deacons do not perform divine services themselves, but assist the bishop or priest. The clergy is divided into white and black. White clergy - priests and deacons who have their own families. Black - monastics, that is, those who have taken special vows of service to God, including a vow of celibacy. Monks may not take holy orders, or they may be ordained to the rank of deacon (hierodeacon) or priest (hieromonk). The abbots of monasteries bear the rank of abbot or archimandrite. Bishops are supplied only from monasticism.
However, this church hierarchy does not imply that the highest church leadership is free from deserved criticism from all other members of the Orthodox Church. Any Orthodox Christian must absorb the spirit of Orthodox tradition. Loyalty to God is, first of all, fidelity to Tradition, fidelity to the patristic norms of spiritual life and faith. Therefore, any person who deviates from the Orthodox Faith, regardless of what place in the hierarchy he occupies, can and should be criticized by any other member of the Church. We see that this is an orientation toward fundamental internal spiritual freedom for members of the Orthodox Church. In the history of Orthodoxy there are many examples of how even the highest leadership of the Church, metropolitans and patriarchs, were subjected to the strictest criticism from other members of the Church in cases where they deviated into heresy.
The grace-filled succession of the priesthood is, as it were, visible evidence of the succession of spiritual life that we find in the Church. The continuity of spiritual life is spoken of even in the epistles of the apostles. So, for example, the Apostle John the Theologian says in his epistles that he has a lot to tell his addressees, but he does not want to write about it on paper, but wants to speak word of mouth. This continuity - the continuity of spiritual life - is observed even before today. It is expressed in the so-called eldership, when spiritual people who can occupy church hierarchy any place (they can be bishops, and simple monks, and even laymen), by the special grace of God they are leaders of spiritual life for other people, mentors. But, in turn, they themselves were taught by other confessors. And this line of succession stretches continuously from apostolic times, since every confessor, every elder has such a succession: everyone was taught the basics of spiritual life from another elder, another confessor.
Orthodox Tradition is expressed in such sources as Holy Scripture, interpretation of Holy Scripture compiled by the Holy Fathers, theological writings of the Holy Fathers (their dogmatic works), dogmatic definitions and acts of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils of the Orthodox Church, liturgical texts, iconography, spiritual continuity expressed in the works of ascetic writers, their instructions on spiritual life. The tradition of the Church is available to every person who can study what the Orthodox Church teaches, what truths it preaches, and through free choice, decide how acceptable the Orthodox faith is for him.
The most important principles of Orthodoxy are openness to all the Orthodox Faith and freedom of the human person. Orthodoxy teaches that man is initially free, and the meaning of man’s entire spiritual life is for man to gain this true freedom, freedom from passions, freedom from sins by which man is enslaved. To achieve this freedom, by Orthodox doctrine, it is difficult, this is accomplished only by a great feat. But at the same time, salvation is possible only as a free act of the person himself. The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that for salvation a person needs two things: firstly, this is the action of God’s grace, secondly, this is the free will of man, his own work. Thus, the Orthodox Church insists on the fundamentally free acceptance by man of the truths of the Gospel. The Orthodox Church teaches that freedom is the most important quality in a person’s personality. Man is, first of all, a person, and personality, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, is a great mystery, for it is the image of God within man himself. And no one can encroach on this God-given freedom to man. It is in human freedom that lies the possibility of salvation, for salvation is the improvement of man to such an extent that he becomes like God, freely accepts and chooses life according to God’s commandments. This is precisely what the salvation of man consists of, his union with God, the subordination of his will to the will of God. We find completely different teachings in other Christian denominations, where the legal understanding of salvation dominates. According to this understanding, a person’s salvation depends on whether he is able to good deeds, through faith and repentance, to appease the strict judge - God.
The Orthodox Church teaches that there are two ways to save a person. One path is the path of solitude, renunciation from the world, the monastic path. This is the path of a person’s intense struggle with sins, with vices, subordinating his will entirely and completely to the will of God. This is the path of asceticism and special service to God, the Church and neighbors. The other path is the path of service in the world. This is the way family life. The family is considered by the Orthodox Church as one of the most important institutions of social life and at the same time as a path for human salvation. In church parlance, a family is called a small church or home church. It is with the family that a person’s entry into the greater Church begins, his path to salvation. It is in the family that the basic norms of human social behavior are learned with the understanding that each member of society and each family member bears special obedience. Thus, the husband is the head of the family, and the wife is her husband’s assistant. The husband must devote all his worries and all his strength to his wife and his family. The Christian family is built on love, on the self-denial of a person, on his sacrifice in relation to other members of his family. Such is the love of the elders towards the younger, and the younger towards the elders.
The same principles underlie Christian Orthodox statehood. The Orthodox Church pays great attention to issues of state life. Once upon a time, Christianity began under conditions of persecution of the Christian Church by the Roman Empire. But even at that time, the Apostle Paul commands Christians to pray for power and to honor the king not only for the sake of fear, but also for the sake of conscience, knowing that power is an institution of God. Any power is an image of God's order on Earth, as opposed to disorder, as opposed to the kingdom of human arbitrariness. Even godless power is like that. The ideal is the Orthodox Kingdom - an autocratic monarchy. Many works of the Holy Fathers and the Orthodox Tradition contain the idea that the Orthodox Kingdom is an image of the Kingdom of Heaven. The king is the first prayer book for the entire people. The king is entrusted with power from God in order to monitor, first of all, the moral and spiritual state of his people, not allowing evil and sin to spread unhindered among the people, and taking care of the standard of living and well-being of his people.
Defense of the Fatherland, defense of the Motherland is one of the greatest ministries of a Christian. The Orthodox Church teaches that any war is evil because it is associated with hatred, strife, violence and even murder, which is a terrible mortal sin. However, war in defense of one's Fatherland is blessed by the Church and military service is revered as the highest service. The Orthodox Church glorifies many holy warriors. These are ancient warriors, primarily early Christian martyrs, and many warriors of Holy Rus', such as the holy prince Alexander Nevsky. The service of a warrior is understood as the fulfillment of Christ’s commandment: “There is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
National Russian culture is the culture of people primarily associated with the Orthodox Church. Gospel Commandments, which the preaching of the Orthodox Church brought into human life, formed the basis of all life, the entire way of life of the Russian people, which was recorded in all the features of traditional national Russian culture: songs, dances, rituals, morals. Orthodoxy is closely connected with national culture.
Purpose Orthodox life is union with God. By Orthodox Faith, this is done in prayer and in church sacraments. In the sacraments, a person can be united with God in the most intimate way. Of all the sacraments, the most important is the sacrament of the Eucharist or communion, the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, in which a person joins the Divine itself. The sacrament of baptism and confirmation is a sacrament through which a person enters the Church, becomes part of the Body of Christ, gets rid of sin and gets the opportunity to start a new life. The sacrament of marriage is a sacrament in which a person is united with another person in order to remain one union, to live as one whole, one family. In the sacrament of consecration of oil or unction for a person, forgiveness of all his sins, including forgotten ones, is requested, and a request for the cure of a person from illnesses. The sacrament of repentance is the most important in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church. In this sacrament, a person is truly forgiven for the sin he has committed, subject to sincere repentance of this sin and confession of this sin in the sacrament of confession. The sacrament of confession is also one of the most important sacraments, because it is through frequent confession of one’s sins that a person receives a grace-filled opportunity, grace-filled strength and support to get rid of, cleanse himself from sin and learn not to commit it in the future. The sacrament of the priesthood is a sacrament in which a person is taught the grace of the Holy Spirit for performing the sacraments, for performing divine services, that grace that was once taught by Christ the Savior himself to his apostles.
In prayer, a person combines with God himself, turning to him. Prayer can be general and home. In home prayer, a person faces God alone and opens his heart to Him. And church prayer is a common prayer in which all members of the Church participate, not only those who are visibly and visibly present at the divine service, but also those who are invisibly present, including saints and angels who intercede and pray with us , and the head of the Church of Jesus Christ himself. The Church teaches that prayer should be carried out in sobriety, so that it is alien to any spiritual exaltation, and the Church warns a person against delusion - a state of deceptive spirituality, when a person, believing that he has reached some special spiritual heights, thinking of communicating with angels, saints and with God himself, but in fact he pleases his own pride, his own selfishness. This is how the Church warns a person against temptations - dangerous breakdowns for the human psyche.
Where is the truth? And the truth is found in the word of God. Let's look at what the Holy Scriptures say about the Church in the New Testament.
When carefully studying this issue, one must always keep in mind that the Church of Jesus Christ is one and indivisible. It is not divided into religious groups, confessions or denominations!
But still, from Scripture, from the words of the apostles, and even from the words of Christ Himself, for example, in the book of Revelation, we hear the words about many churches: “Write to the seven churches that are in Asia.” This means that these words refer to communities, or, as they say, to local churches, to gatherings of believers in Christ at their place of residence or at the place of their meetings.
But the Church of Christ and the community (local or home) are not the same concept. The community is not yet the Church of Christ, and the Church of Christ is not a community.
In a community, people can be different, even non-believers. The Apostle Paul said: “...for faith is not in everyone” (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Just as in a flock of sheep there are goats and rams, but they are not sheep. Among the virgins, in the parable of Jesus Christ, there were wise and foolish virgins. Also, among the righteous in a community there may be unrighteous, even evil.
The Christian community is a cell of the net of the Kingdom of God, catching fish of all kinds. But only good fish are put into the vessels - the Church of Christ. They are no longer placed by people, but by the angels of God.
John the Baptist also divided Christ's wheat field into straw, which would be burned with unquenchable fire, and into grains of wheat, which would be gathered into the barn (Matthew 3:12). The granary is the Church of Jesus Christ.
Communities are organized and created by people. But the Church of Christ is formed and created by Christ Himself. Thus it is written: “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” And the apostles say the same: “The Lord added daily to the Church those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). This means that it is not people who join the Church, but the Lord Himself.
The Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth and the Lord accomplishes salvation through communities, through people, through wheat straw, for without it the grains of wheat would not grow according to the law of plant vegetation.
The Church of Jesus Christ is a mystery. Nobody knows her except God alone. And in it, in the Church of Christ, even vices and stains or any iniquities that are present in many are unthinkable. religious communities(Ephesians 5:26-27).
Now there are many communities calling themselves local Christian churches, where there is an obvious and even gross apostasy from the teachings of Christ and the apostles. By joining them, you will have to participate with them, with the apostates, in resolving community issues, sometimes in obvious deeds of untruth and even lawlessness, as members of this organization, this religious movement. You may have a different opinion, but in your presence, behind your back or on your behalf, false teachers who have infiltrated the church, hiding behind the words of the Holy Scriptures, will be able to carry out their unclean deeds, hiding behind the decision of the church or community in which you are located.
If you, as a Christian who knows the teachings of Your Teacher, try to expose apostates for their departure from the truth, you will certainly be dishonored with their slander and untruths and expelled from your midst. But the word of Christ calls and encourages you: “Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Your Christian fellowship is where there is a struggle with the flesh, with your own self, a struggle with evil, with untruth, with hypocrisy... A Christian must be a winner in the battle with temptations and sinful temptations. To the seven churches in Asia the Lord says: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne” (Revelation 3:21).
A true Christian who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ must be led by the Spirit of God, which means he must be led not by any other person, but only by the authority of the teaching of Jesus Christ, Who said about the Holy Spirit that He “... will take from Mine and He will tell you" (John 16:14).
The teaching of Jesus Christ has no dead ends. Christ teaches wisely and holyly in all matters of life, and if a Christian, seeing untruth in the community, leaves it, a wonderful opportunity opens up for him to belong to a home church, which has complete freedom of a pure, holy Christian life in Christ Jesus and begins with two or three people abiding in the Lord.
Priscilla and Aquila, who were husband and wife, had a home church. Nymphan also had a home church, Philemon also had one, today many Christians have home churches. And if homemade Christian church worries about the purity and holiness of her path in Christ Jesus, worries about preventing false and incorrect understanding of the texts of the Holy Scriptures, she, despite the distance separating her, finds the opportunity to have close living spiritual communication with the same house churches from other regions, cities and even countries.
God's peace, love and God's blessings to you!