The symbol of faith is the saving dogmas of Christianity

The symbol of faith is a solemn proclamation of the basic tenets of Christianity. In ancient times, a man who wanted to become a Christian had to openly, publicly declare what he believed in - and only after that was a baptismal ceremony.

There were different texts of the basic Symbol of Faith, there were fierce disputes over each word. To solve these problems, the so-called Ecumenical Councils were assembled , in which spiritual pastors and teachers of churches took part.

The very first was proclaimed the Nicene Creed (by the name of the city in which it was approved). At the present time, Orthodoxy uses Nike-Tsaregradsky, which only in general terms resembles the first Nicaean. The main difference is the detailed confession of the deity of Jesus Christ. Gradually, the Nike-Tsaregradsky Creed replaced and replaced all other options, and VI Ecumenical Council finally strengthened the immutable nature of this particular reading of the symbol.

"I believe" is the first word of the sacred confession. It proclaims both the common faith of the whole Christian people, and the personal involvement and responsibility of each member of the church. Conventionally, the Creed can be divided into twelve parts.

The first part proclaims faith in one Lord, who created all the worlds, visible and invisible, and has power over all of his creations.

The second part claims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, consubstantial with his Father. It was not created, but existed always, just like God the Father.

The third part professes faith in the incarnation of Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit, but is not the creation of God, because He is God himself.

The fourth part tells of the sufferings and death of Jesus on the cross. For this He came - to voluntarily accept suffering and to redeem people from the bondage of sin.

The fifth part proclaims the resurrection of Jesus after his true death.

The sixth part is the news of the ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven and the establishment of His glory in the Kingdom of God. He took the place destined for Him, at the right hand of His Father.

The seventh part is the proclamation of faith in the second coming of Jesus, who will come in the glory of His Glory to make the final judgment of the living and the dead.

The eighth part is the confession of the third divine hypostasis, the Holy Spirit. This part of the Creed created the most controversy and served as one of the reasons for the split of a single Christian church into the Orthodox and Catholic branches. The Orthodox Creed affirms that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father, and the Roman Catholic symbol is that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. This addition of ".. and from the Son of outgoing" is called a filioque. Catholics, when adding a filioque, refer to the texts of Holy Scripture in which Jesus claims that He will go, but instead of himself he will send the Holy Spirit into this world. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, explains its point of view in this way: the source of God the Holy Spirit can only be God the Father, but the Holy Spirit can also be fed through God the Son.

The ninth part is the statement of faith in the holy church, which Christ established through his apostles. The Church is not just a gathering of people, but an unseen Body of Christ, where every believer is an important part of a single Body. John Chrysostom compared the church to the ship, where the owner of the ship is God the Father, the captain is God the Son, the wind in sails is God the Holy Spirit, and all believers swim on the ship and are saved from death in a stormy sea.

The tenth part confesses the only possible baptism in life, in which a person receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The eleventh part is the expectation of a universal resurrection of the dead in the flesh for the future of the Court.

The twelfth part is the hope of eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Thus, the Creed begins with the affirmation of faith in God. It is a conscious act of giving oneself fully to God the Father, striving for life in God the Son through the Holy Spirit. A believing person turns his gaze from "this world" and seeks, first of all, the Kingdom of God, believes in its final establishment not only in Heaven, but also on earth.

Therefore, the Symbol of Faith ends with the joyous affirmation of the hope of resurrection and eternal life in God's Kingdom.

The brief prayer rule prescribes reading three times "Our Father", three times "Theotokos of the Devil, Rejoice" (or "Rejoice, Mary") and once - the Symbol of Faith. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov explained that the first prayer is perfect, because it was given to us by the Lord himself, the second prayer is the glad tidings brought from the sky by the Archangel, and the third contains all the saving dogmas of Christianity. With such a simple prayer rule, one can achieve a significant measure of Christian perfection in the world.