The Beliefs of Orthodox Christianity Part 1

The Beliefs of Orthodox Christianity Part 1


1.
 conforming to established doctrine especially in religion b : conventional


OBJECTIVES (What we do hope to do in this Study):

To analyze critically the concept of "religion" as commonly understood in Western societies.

To be introduced to a number of "religious" traditions other than evangelical Protestant Christianity.

To develop skills as an empathic interpreter of "religious" traditions other than one's own.

To gain a clearer understanding of the impact of "religious" convictions and practices on everyday      life.

To gain an appreciation for the diversity present within "religious" traditions, as well as across them.

To gain a clearer understanding of some of the distinguishing features of the world's "religious"            traditions.

To gain a clearer understanding of some of the similarities among many "religious" traditions.

Having accomplished the above, to see one's own "religious" tradition with a new perspective and renewed appreciation.

NON-OBJECTIVES (What we do not plan to do in this Study):

To resolve difficult and important questions about the relationship between Christianity and other "religious" traditions.

To develop apologetic strategies for demonstrating the superiority of Christianity to other traditions.

To develop strategies for evangelizing those from other "religious" traditions.

In these studies we will focus on some of the major religions of the world.




The Basic Beliefs


For over two thousand years, the Christian Church has  held certain beliefs vital to ones faith.




While there is some doctrinal disagreement within the the three branches of Christendom -Roman Catholic,Eastern Orthodox and Protestant-there is a general agreement among them as to the essentials of faith.


We can find them in the:
Apostles' Creed1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:


1.
Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman official who gave the final order for the crucifixion. According to the gospels, he actually believed that Jesus was innocent, and wanted to save him, but was pressured into ordering his death by the Jewish religious leaders and a disorderly crowd of spectators.


5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
1l. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

God is the creator of all things whose fullness is beyond all human conceptions.

Trinity : God has revealed himself as three distinct persons of the Father,Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus : Is the Promised Messiah, conceived of the Holy spirit; born of the Virgin Mary. He died for the sins of all mankind. He was crucified, died ,buried for the sins of mankind. He was resurrected on the third day and ascended into heaven, to return to establish the Kingdom of God.


The Holy Spirit is our Comforter promised by Jesus Christ,which lives inside of us, guiding us in all truths to salvation.

The Bible is the inspired , infallible and authoritative Word of God

Salvation is the deliverance from bondage of sin, our atonement to God with assurance of eternal life, coming from a voluntary sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary for our sins.

Repentance: All humanity may receive salvation by Jesus, and be forgiven of their sins If they repent of their sins and confess their sins, and surrender their life to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Grace: is free, unmerited gift of eternal life which God gives to those who have a change of heart and start a new life in Christ.

Christianity: Christians are people acting in faith who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and in whom the Holy spirit lives inside creating a new birth and life. The new birth lives a different life following the footsteps of Christ and shows Christian fruits of the Holy Spirit as evidence.

Baptism is an outward expression and testimony of our life surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ; being symbolic of Jesus' death,burial and resurrection.

1. Doctrine of Authority

When it comes to a matter of final authority there is an agreement among the major branches of Christianity with regard to the divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments.

However, the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox branches of the church go somewhat beyond the Bible as to their source of authority.

Roman Catholic

The historic Roman Catholic Church accepts the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God. Further they consider church tradition just as authoritative as the Scriptures.

Eastern Orthodox

The historic Eastern Orthodox church also accepts the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired revelation.
To this they add their church tradition as equally authoritative.

Protestant

The Historic Protestant church holds that Scripture alone is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice.

The Doctrine of God is the same in all three branches of Christianity.

One of the most misunderstood ideas in the Bible concerns the teaching about the Trinity.

The Bible teaches that there is one God and only one God.

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Isa 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

However, even though God is one in His essential being or nature, He is also three persons.

Gen 1:26  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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Gen 3:22  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us

Gods plural personality  is alluded to here, for he could not be talking to angels in these instances, because angels could not and did not help God create.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ , not the angels , created all things.

John 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

In addition  to speaking of God as one, and alluding to to a plurality of God's personality, the Scriptures are quite specific as to naming God in terms of three persons.

There is a person whom the Bible calls the Father, and the Father is designated as God the Father.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Bible talks about a person named Jesus, or the Son, or the Word, also called God.

Jesus was also calling God His own Father, making himself equal with God.

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
There is a third person mentioned in the Scriptures called The Holy Spirit, and this person-different from the Father and the Son-is also called God.

Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

The facts of the biblical teaching are these:
There is one God.
This one God has a plural personality.
This one God is called the Father, the Son,the Holy Spirit, all distinct personalities , all designated God.


The person of Jesus Christ

Over 2000 years ago, Jesus asked His disciples the ultimate question: "Who do you say I am?

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Central to the Christian faith is the identity of its founder, Jesus Christ, and it is of monumental improtance to have a proper view of who He is.

Jesus Was Human

The Christian church has always affirmed that, although He was super-naturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, God in human flesh, Jesus Christ was also fully man.
The teaching of the Scriptures is clear with regard to His humanity.

He grew intellectually and physically

Luk 2:52  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man

He desired food

Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

He needed sleep

Mat 8:24  And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

He Cried

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.

He died
Therefore, it is made plain by Scripture that Jesus was genuinely human. He possessed all the attributes of humanity.

Has anyone ever heard the phrase or even said that I'm only human?

Jesus of  Nazareth was a man but He was more than just a man. He was God in Human Flesh.

While the scriptures clearly teach He was  a man, They likewise make it clear that he was God.

Not part man and part God, But fully man and fully God.

Next week we will continue to study the attributes of the Divinity of Jesus.


Trivia

What religion believes that 144,000 people will go to Heaven and the rest will just vanish?

Who is the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints?