ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Part II

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

Orthodox Christian Theology (Part II)

Along with Orthodoxia (right faith), there is Orthopraxia (right living), one cannot be separated from the other. The genuine theologians of the Church not only wrote great works on the Orthodox faith but also lived it every day. They were immersed in the faith and lived Christ, His Holy Gospel and commandments. They were endowed with the grace of the Holy Spirit Who guided, nurtured, and inspired them. A true Orthodox theologian is not who only deals with theory and scholarship but a Christ-like figure who says as the Holy Apostle Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” [Philippians 1:21]. It is not at all about the acquired theoretical knowledge accumulated in one’s mind from a prestigious university but one who lives in obedience, humility and the holiness of life. The authentic theologian is one “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” The faith is to be experienced daily and not to proudly profess it so as to impress others with our knowledge. The Holy Fathers of the Church were great theologians with profound and vast knowledge of the faith, superb teachers and preachers, persecuted and exiled, and endured suffering and hardship for the sake of Christ.

It is foolish for a Christian today to attempt to reinvent or reconstruct Christianity to his/her own image. The one and only authentic Christian Church is the Church which He Himself founded and is the Head of the Orthodox Church. It is this Church alone which has remained loyal to Him and to His Gospel. Countless Orthodox Christians were imprisoned, suffered, tortured, exiled, and died for the sake of Christ and the truth over the centuries, rather than betray Him. For the first thousand years of Christian history, the entire Church, save for the heretics, embraced and defended the New Testament Apostolic faith. There was no consequential division. This one faith, preserved through all trials, attacks, and tests, this Apostolic Doctrine was called “the Orthodox faith.”

“Doctrinal purity was tenaciously maintained, but also true Christianity is far more than adherence to a set of correct beliefs alone. The life of the Church is centrally expressed in her worship and adoration of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself told the woman at the well, “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” [John 4:23].

At the Mystical Supper, Jesus Himself instituted the Eucharist, the communion service, when He took bread and wine, gave a blessing, and said to His Disciples, “THIS IS BY BODY WHICH IS GIVEN FOR YOU; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME” AND “THIS CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD, WHICH IS SHED FOR YOU” [Luke 22:19, 21). The Church participated in communion at least each Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7, 11). From such first and second century sources as the Didach, the letters of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, and the writings of Saint Justin Martyr, we are assured the Eucharist is the very center of Christian worship from the Apostolic era on.

In Orthodoxy today, as in years gone by, the basics of Christian Doctrine, worship, and government, ARE NEVER UP FOR ALTERATION. One cannot be an Orthodox Priest, for example and reject the Divinity of Christ, His virgin birth, Resurrection, Ascension into Heaven, and Second Coming. The Church simply has NOT left the course in nearly two thousand years. It is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. It is THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH.

What then, is the Orthodox Church? It is the First Christian Church in history, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced IN UNBROKEN CONTINUITY ALL THE WAY BACK TO CHRIST AND HIS TWELVE APOSTLES. For the non-Orthodox Christians who wish to learn the essence of Orthodoxy they need simply turn to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed or the Symbol of Faith, formulated by the Seven Ecumenical Councils under the guidance and grace of the Holy Spirit.

__________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George