Our Faith

he ancient Church of Antioch, founded by the Apostles Peter and Paul, is a window into both the past and the future of the Christian faith. The very existence of this Church today, after the trials and turmoils of 2,000 years, is a testimony to the endurance of Orthodox Christianity. The love that she shares with her sister Orthodox Churches is a witness to the unity which is found in Jesus Christ.

The Orthodox Christian faith is that faith which was "handed once to the saints" (Jude 3). This faith was entrusted to apostles by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and was then handed down from one generation to the next, without addition or subtraction.

The Gospel of John ends with these words: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." In beginning to look into the Church that Jesus left in the world to be his witness one thing to remember is this, that the years are many and the subject is deep. As with the Bridegroom the same can be said of the Bride; the world itself could not contain the books that should be written about her.

There is a strangeness to the Orthodox Church because it is an organism that surpasses the constraints of time and culture. Many of the things that are seen and heard in the Church are living reflections of things which were seen and heard in ancient times. It is always a good idea to keep your focus as simple as possible, and to never stray from the simple and pure faith in Christ Our Savior. In the fourth century the Orthodox Church put forth the essence of the Faith in the following 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 worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very 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 sitteth 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, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake 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.