The Orthodox Faith
What We Believe
Orthodox Christians confess the faith once delivered to the saints — unchanged and undiminished for nearly 2,000 years. Our beliefs are not a set of abstract doctrines but the living expression of our relationship with the God who created us, redeemed us, and calls us into communion with Himself.
Part One
The Holy Trinity
At the heart of Orthodox faith is the mystery of the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is the eternal source of all that exists. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father. These three Persons are not three gods, but one God — united in essence, undivided in will, and co-equal in glory.
The Trinity is not an abstract theological concept — it is the reality that shapes every aspect of Orthodox life. We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every prayer begins and ends with an invocation of the Trinity. The very structure of the Divine Liturgy draws us into the life of the Triune God.
Part Two
Jesus Christ — God and Man
Orthodox Christians confess that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man for our salvation. He is fully God and fully human — two natures united in one Person without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation.
Through His birth, life, teaching, suffering, death on the Cross, and glorious Resurrection, Christ conquered sin and death, opening the way for all people to be reconciled to God. His Resurrection is not simply a past event but the foundation of our hope: because He lives, we too shall live.
Part Three
The Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the foundational statement of Orthodox Christian belief, composed by the first two Ecumenical Councils in 325 and 381 AD. It is recited at every Divine Liturgy.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Every line was carefully chosen to defend the truth of the faith. When Orthodox Christians recite these words, they join their voices with nearly two millennia of believers.
Part Four
The Holy Mysteries (Sacraments)
The Orthodox Church recognizes seven Holy Mysteries through which God's grace is communicated to the faithful:
Baptism — immersion in water, dying to sin and born again in Christ. Chrismation — anointing with holy oil, sealing the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist — bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. Confession — repentance and reconciliation with God. Holy Unction — anointing for healing of body and soul. Marriage — union crowned as a reflection of Christ and His Church. Holy Orders — ordination for the service of the Church.
Of these, the Eucharist holds the central place — not symbolically, but really and truly the Body and Blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Part Five
Icons and the Saints
Icons are sacred images — windows into heaven connecting the worshipper with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. The veneration of icons was defended by the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 AD), which taught that honor given to the image passes to the person represented.
The saints are living members of the Body of Christ who pray for us before the throne of God. The Church is not divided between the living and the dead — the saints in heaven and the faithful on earth form one unbroken communion, united in Christ.
Part Six
Theosis — The Goal of the Christian Life
The ultimate aim of Orthodox Christian life is theosis — union with God. Not becoming God in essence, but participating in the divine life through grace. Through prayer, fasting, the sacraments, and the cultivation of virtue, Orthodox Christians cooperate with God's grace in a lifelong journey of transformation.
Salvation in Orthodoxy is not a single moment of decision but an ongoing process of healing, growth, and deepening communion with God — deeply personal, transformative from the inside out.
"God became man so that man might become god."
— St. Athanasius of Alexandria (4th century)