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Faith is the revelation of things hoped for, the revelation of things unseen; faith is nothing more than believing in what we do not see. The members of the faith, composed at the Councils held at Nicaea and Constantinople, are twelve, namely: 1. I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. From this member the following doctrine is derived. God is an original Being and the guilt of all things: original, that is, having no existence from anything else and not created by anyone, but granting existence and existence to all other things. In God there is one being and nature, and there are three Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit; but these three are one. And in this Holy Trinity there is no first or last, no greater or lesser, but three Persons are whole, co-essential with themselves and equal, for which reason one must believe that there is a Trinity in unity and unity in the Trinity. In this Trinity, the Holy, Glorious God is an immaterial Spirit and not subject to any of our feelings. Therefore, one should not think so unreasonably that God is similar in composition to a human being, and that he has a head, a beard, arms and legs. He is the whole head, for everything has a beginning; the whole eye, for it sees everything; the whole ear, for he hears everything; the whole hand, for it contains everything; the whole leg, because it is everywhere. He is the Wise One, penetrating into the present and the future, into angelic and human secret thoughts, understanding thoughts from afar; Most good, in His holiness incomprehensible and unchangeable; Almighty, such a world out of nothing, and even created with a single word; He has all the perfections that are good in Himself. The designated property of God, that is, omnipotence, under the name of the Almighty is placed in this member because no creature can be called omnipotent. And this omnipotence of God must be understood in perfection, excluding any inability, for example: God cannot be angry or lie. God is called the Creator because with His one Divine word in six days He created everything visible, that is, heaven, earth, sea, air, trees, animals and man according to the flesh, as well as the invisible, that is, angels and the soul. God created man like this: dust from the earth, He created him and breathed into his face the breath of life; He created him for His glorification and inheritance of eternal life, having inscribed His image and likeness in his soul, giving him immortality, which he destroyed by his sin through the transgression of the commandment of God by eating from the commanded tree out of the desire to be God himself. And so he became completely corruptible, his body subject to labor, illness and temporary death, and his soul became angry and prone to sin. By nature, he became worthy of eternal destruction, having been condemned by the righteous wrath of God to endless torment, therefore all his descendants, like all those involved in this sin, began to be subject to it. Although God, as omniscient, knew what this man, that is, Adam, would do, he created him for this reason, that he did not want human sin to overcome His goodness and love for mankind and so that there would be an obstacle to His will. And besides, before the sun was born, God the Father determined to send His Son into the world, so that He would cleanse sin with His blood and reconcile man with Him. Adam knew about this through the announcement of the promised Seed. The name invisible refers to angels. Of these, some are good, and others are evil by their own will. There are countless good angels: only they are divided into nine faces, and these nine into three ranks. In the first: thrones, cherubim, seraphim; in the second: the power of domination, strength; in the third: angels, archangels, principalities. 2. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father in Whom all things were (Luke 2:11; 1 John 5:1; Ps. 2:7; Ps. 109:3; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:15)! This member teaches that the Son of God is the true God, begotten of the Father before all ages and now to all ages, that He is of one honor and only glorified with God the Father, and that He is the Creator of all things, time and ages (John 17:5, 8, 12; 1John 1:5). Jesus means the Savior, and Christ means the Anointed One, for in the Old Testament priests, kings and prophets were anointed for priesthood, kingdom and prophecy; that is why they were called Christs. Upon His incarnation, Christ bore three titles, for He was Priest, King and Prophet. Therefore, in the Holy Scriptures, one thing befits Him as a Priest, another as a King, and another as a Prophet (Is. 60:19-20; 1 John 5:20; John 17 3, Ps. 2:6; Ps. 109:4; Heb. 1:3). Christ is here called the Son of God, the Only Begotten in essence; those who received Him are called children and sons of God by grace, and not by nature (John 1:12; 1 Cor. 8:6). 3. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human (Matthew 1:21; John 3:17). The Son of God, for the sake of saving the human race, perished in sins, descended from heaven to earth, without changing place and without being separated from the Father, but with Him remaining one and the same God both on the throne and in Mary’s womb. He was conceived by the invasion of the Holy Spirit; He accepted true, and not apparent, humanity, and did not bring it down from heaven, but wove it from the blood of the Most Pure Virgin. He was a perfect Man, with all his parts and verbal soul, and united with the Divine. In one Person was both the true God and the true Man. Just as the Divinity did not change into humanity and was not in place of the soul, so humanity did not change into the Divinity, but both natures remained perfect in one Person with all properties except sin (John 6:38, 1:14, Matt. 1:18, 20; Phil. 2:7; Luke 20:41). From this member we also learn that the Virgin Mary is the true Mother of God; before Christmas, in Christmas and after Christmas she remained and is the Most Pure, Incorruptible Virgin, whom everyone should glorify, for she was worthy to serve such a great sacrament. Therefore, the Church composed her praise from the words of the Archangel Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth; and one must think and affirm that this praise came from God Himself. 4. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried (Matthew 27:2, 18, 24, 26, 38; John 19:5, 16–18, 28). Christ, the Son of God, for our iniquity, with which we upset and dishonored the infinite and extremely good God, according to His will, truly suffered on the cross - not in the Divine, but in the flesh; and just as He died, He also poured out His blood for everyone truly, without any sin (Luke 24:26; 1 Pet. 2:21-22). At the same time, it is necessary to know that the Divinity, according to the perception of humanity, was never separated from Him, neither during the passion or death on the cross, nor after death. Although the soul was separated from the body, the Divinity was never separated from either the flesh or the soul. Therefore, even at the time of death, the Hypostasis of Christ was one and the same. The soul of Christ, having been separated from the body, descended with the Divinity into hell to liberate the souls of the holy forefathers and to bring them to paradise, and with them the thief (John 19:40-42). The death of Christ was different from others for the following reasons: first, because of the gravity of our sins; secondly, because of the fact that she accomplished the priesthood on the cross, as on an altar, through Him sacrificing Himself to God the Father for our race, and finally, because of the fulfillment of intercession and reconciliation between God and man. Since there is also talk here about the cross, it would not be indecent to suggest something about it in this member. So, this cross must be revered and worshiped, for it contains the power given from God through the shedding of the blood of the Son of God on it, the power to drive out the devil, who, upon invoking the name of Christ, runs far away from His banner. This respect should be given equally to both the octagonal and the four-pointed, for we honor the cross not for the number of ends, but because on it was accomplished the mystery necessary for our salvation, and it was illuminated by the priceless blood of Christ. In the Old Testament there were many prototypes of the four-pointed cross, such as: the hands of Jacob, folded to bless the sons of Joseph; the hands of Moses raised to defeat Amalek, etc. The sign of the cross should be depicted with three large fingers of the right hand, folded together. For this is the order of the Council that was held in Kyiv regarding the monk Martin, and this is also stated by His Holiness Patriarch Macarius of Antioch in response to the interrogative message of Patriarch Nikon of Russia. Moreover, the hand of Andrew the First-Called proves the same thing. In addition, this arrangement of fingers is accepted throughout the East, which has four patriarchates: Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem. 5. And he rose again on the third day according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3-4). The Lord Christ, by the power of His Divinity, rose from the dead. He rose not in Divinity, but in the flesh with which he was born, suffered and died. 6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father (1 Pet. 3:21-22). Christ, with His body, through which He suffered and was resurrected, ascended into heaven as a Man and sat down at the right hand of the Father; but as God, He was always in heaven and everywhere. He has never abandoned His humanity and does not abandon it, but with it He will come to earth and judge. The humanity of Christ does not exist everywhere, so that when it is in heaven, it is not on earth. In the mysterious image found in the Divine Eucharist, the same Son of God appears on earth as God and Man, for through transubstantiation the essence of bread is changed into the essence of His honorable Body and the essence of wine into the essence of His honorable Blood. 7. And again the one who comes will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, whose Kingdom will have no end (Acts 1:11). At the time of Christ’s coming to earth, everyone at the judgment will be given an answer for their deeds, words and thoughts, and everyone will then receive the reward due to their deeds: the righteous will receive eternal blessing and the inheritance of a joyful life, and the sinner will receive a curse and receive a damned eternity (Matt. 25:13; 2 Tim. 4:1; 2 Pet. 1:11). The judgment will be twofold: special and general. The special one will be with every person after his death, for then he will see all his deeds. The general judgment will be when the whole world stands before God and where, without question, the righteous will be justified, and the sinners will be condemned forever, for then everyone’s own conscience will be for him instead of an informer. No one knows about the time of the trial, when it will take place. There are only signs of it, namely: the Gospel will be preached to all nations and there will be great wars, deaths, famines and signs in heaven. After such a judgment, the souls of the righteous and sinners will not all be in equal condition, depending on their merits and crimes. A sinful person can be freed from hell before judgment, but not on his own, but through alms taken from righteous possessions and prayers, but most of all through bloodless sacrifice. The purifying fire, the existence of which the papists claim, does not exist, has not happened and will not exist. The souls of the righteous are in heaven, and the sinners are in Gehenna, but finally, according to their deeds, both the righteous and the sinners have not yet accepted the torment, but after the judgment, united with the body, they will accept this. 8. And in the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets (Acts 19:6; 2Cor. 3:17). The Holy Spirit is God of one essence and the same glory of the Father and the Son and proceeds from one Father, as from the source and beginning of the Divinity. He is the inventor of the Holy Scriptures, New and Old, He also acted in the holy fathers at the Ecumenical Councils (Rom. 8:11; John 15:26). His gifts are considered seven, namely: 1. Wisdom, abounding in all virtues, in a pure and unflattering heart (1 Cor. 13:12). 2. Reason, consisting in the knowledge of God's will. 3. Advice that promotes the glory of God and the salvation of the soul (2 Pet. 1:21). 4. Strength, that is, vigilance in faith and strength in temptation. 5. Knowledge for teaching someone the law. 6. Piety, led by prayer and good deeds. 7. Fear of God, similar to the fear of a son before his father. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are nine: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Yes, and other virtues, as performed with the help of the Holy Spirit, are His fruits. 9. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church (Eph. 2:19–22; Eph.1:22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The Church is a collection of the faithful, and is one Catholic and Apostolic. It began in Jerusalem, therefore the Jerusalem Church is the mother of all Churches. From her the Gospel began to spread to all ends. Christ himself is the foundation and head of this assembly of God's faithful. Every Orthodox Christian must, like a true son, obey the Church in everything and fulfill her commandments, of which there are nine (Matthew 18:17). 1) pray contritely to God on Sundays and holidays and listen to church singing; 2) store posts, as well as Wednesdays and heels; 3) honor priests, especially spiritual fathers; 4) confess and partake of the Holy Eucharist four times every year; 5) for those who are not taught the Holy Scriptures, not to read heretical books and not to listen to their teachings; 6) pray for the authorities, for the souls of the dead and for the conversion of heretics; 7) keep those fasts and prayers that are established by the bishop for any reason; 8) the worldly should not take church property by force, and the spiritual should take care of decoration and all needs; 9) do not get married during Lent and do not go to games forbidden for Christians. 10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins (Eph.4:5). Here we remember the sacrament of baptism. Therefore, it would be fitting to explain all the sacraments in this way: a sacrament is the work of God, by which He bestows or signifies His grace upon us; or in other words: a sacrament is a sacred act in which, under some visible image, God’s grace is brought into the soul of a believer (John 3:5; Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38). Three things are necessary in a sacrament: first, the substance appropriate to the sacrament, such as water in baptism, bread and wine in communion; secondly, a bishop or priest, legally consecrated, and thirdly, the invocation of the Holy Spirit with the words with which the priest sanctifies the sacrament by the power of the Holy Spirit, with firm faith in the sanctification of the sacrament. The sacraments were established so that they serve as a sign of the true sons of the Church and so that everyone has an undoubted healing for the infirmities of their sins. Baptism, which washes away Adam’s forefathers’ sin, reconciles a person with God and opens the entrance to the Kingdom of God. It is accomplished with these words: “The servant of God (name of the rivers) is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” In the event of death, baptism can also be performed by a lay person. Confirmation, confirming us in faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is accomplished with the words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Eucharist, in which, under the guise of bread and wine, the true Body and Blood of Christ our God is given. It is accomplished by invoking the Holy Spirit with these words: “Lord, send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and these gifts that are set before us, and make this bread the honorable Body of Your Christ, and in this cup the honorable Blood of Your Christ, translating it with Your Holy Spirit.” The priesthood has the special power to perform the Divine Sacraments in an orderly manner. It is taught from God through the ordination of bishops and is accomplished with the following prayer: “Divine grace, which always heals the weak and replenishes the poor, prophesies (the name of the river) the most reverent deacon to the presbyter,” etc. Here, it is also worthy of note that, in addition to this mysterious priesthood, there is also a spiritual priesthood, of which all Christians are participants ( Apoc.7, 9; 1 Pet.2,9). Repentance, in which one heartily repents of one’s sins. It is accomplished through the prayer of the priest: “May our Lord Jesus Christ forgive you,” and so on. He who comes to repentance must take care that all sins committed again upon repentance are confessed before the priest humbly, reverently, truly, sincerely, with self-reproach, confessed not as before a person, but as if before the all-seeing eye of God himself, without adding or detracting from anything; he must be filled with all kinds of contrition and sadness for his sins that offended God and his neighbor. In the same way, he must accept and perform penance willingly and make a firm intention never to return to previous iniquities. A marriage that unites two persons into an insoluble cohabitation and takes place according to their own consent. Blessing of Oil, which grants remission of sins and health of the body. 11. I hope for the resurrection of the dead (John 5:28–29). There are two teachings here. The first is that the bodies of all people, both good and evil, will rise, the second is that every soul, uniting with its body, will receive a reward worthy of its deeds. In addition, we learn here that it is necessary for everyone to remember death, Gehenna, judgment and the Kingdom of God. 12. And the life of the next century. Amen (Isa. 9:6). In the next century, God's blessing will descend on God's chosen ones, and they will inherit eternal life in joy and endless spiritual joy, which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard and has not entered the heart of man. In this life, the soul will rejoice together with the body, and at the same time inseparably. There will be no other joy for the soul and another for the body, since the body will also be glorified; man will consist of a glorified soul and body, and he will then be like the angels, not needing food and drink. Joy and gladness will consist in nothing other than the sight of the blessed Trinity and spiritual praise (1 Cor. 2:9; Rom. 14:17). You might be interested in: