Prayer "I believe in one God ..." - a symbol of the Christian faith

Without prayer, the spiritual life of a true Christian is impossible. There are among them those that every true believer should know from childhood. This is the symbol of faith - the prayer "I believe in one God ...". Its value for believers can not be overestimated.

One of the main Christian prayers

The prayer "I believe in one God ..." sounds in all the churches during the Liturgy. She is included in the compilation of compulsory morning and evening prayers. Together with other major Christian chants, it is pronounced before the reading of the akathists, canons, the Gospel and other holy writings. Its text is divided into 12 parts, each of which carries its own meaning, reminding Christians of the basics of their faith. The prayer "I believe in one God ..." is included in any Orthodox prayers. It is considered one of the strongest and most effective among other Christian texts.

The Meaning of the Creed

The words of the prayer "I believe ..." contain all the basic postulates of the true faith of Christians. First, it is a recognition of the triune of the Lord. The first part deals with the God-father, the progenitor of everything that exists in our world. From the second to the seventh, the Son of God is glorified - Jesus Christ, sent by the Father to the earth for the redemption of the sins of mankind. Here, his earthly path is briefly described. The eighth part is dedicated to the third incarnation of the Lord - the Holy Spirit. In speaking of this prayer, the Christian affirms his faith in the triune God.

Further, the creed symbol contains four other postulates of Christianity. It deals with the recognition of the authenticity of the church, purified by Jesus. Cathedral, that is one for all peoples and times. Apostolic and true, because it was the apostles of Christ who brought to us the authenticity of its postulates and foundations.

The tenth part of the prayer refers to Baptism, the sacrament of the birth of a person for spiritual life, during which the original and other sins are washed away. Spiritual generation, like physical birth, can occur only once.

Next, we are talking about the resurrection of the dead, which will occur during the second coming of Christ before the Last Judgment.

In the last part of the prayer there is an assertion about the future immortal life of true Christians after the Last Judgment. It ends with the word "Amen", which in the translation sounds like "Truly so", once again affirming the truth of all that has been said.

True prayer goes through the heart and is therefore understandable to every layman. This is also the prayer "I believe". The text in Russian practically does not differ from the Old Slavonic one. Therefore, the creed is understandable without translation.

History of prayer

It was drafted and adopted at the meeting of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, held in 325 and 381 respectively. First, its first seven parts were approved, and then all the rest. The cathedrals were held in Nicaea and Constantinople (Tsaregrad). That is why the prayer "I believe in one god ..." is called Nike-Tsaregradskaya. By adopting the symbol of faith, the spiritual fathers affirmed the truth of the doctrine of the Triune Lord, putting an original point in the discussions on this matter.

The prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

The inviolability of the symbol of faith was recognized by Russian saints, confirming its importance for all lay people. The prayer "I believe in one god ..." is included in the so-called short prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov. Recall that the saint recommended during the day (in the morning, in the afternoon and before going to bed) three times to say the prayers "Our Father" and "Theotokos, Devote, Rejoice" and once the symbol of faith. In addition, before lunch, read a short prayer, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner," and after dinner, "Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner." Observance of this rule is obligatory for all believers, who care for the salvation of their soul.