Christianity is a human religion. The most important thing in it is a person. He is the measure of all things. And what is the Church in the true sense of the word? This is the relationship of the God-man Jesus Christ and a simple mortal Christian. Everything else - bells, buildings, church institutions - are formal by-products. Read more about this in our article.
What is the Church in its original sense?
The most complete concept of the Church of Christ implies a direct meeting under a single Head - the Lord Jesus Christ - of all those who believe in Him on earth and in heaven, all those who fulfill His will, abide in Him, partake of Christ's Divine Life. It is believed that dogmatic language, not Scripture, contributed to the growth of the Church.
Jesus Christ at Calvary
Golgotha is an image of suffering. It is he who explains well what the Church is. Golgotha has “seen” different people for all the time: warriors, robbers, and so on. For a moment it might seem that Jesus Christ Himself is not there! However, this is where He was. It was on Calvary that the tortured, desecrated and crucified Christ was located.
What is the Church on Earth and in Heaven?
ConditionallyThe Church can be divided into Heavenly and Earthly. The first is the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints, as well as Christians who have escaped from error. The second is the Church Militant, waging a "battle with the devil and his servants" in the earthly world.
The Church is the Body of Christ
The Church, that is, the Body of Christ, refers to all living and now deceased Christians who truly believe in Jesus Christ, are united with Him in the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism through His grace. All believers are members of the Body of Christ, and the organism of the God-man is the Church itself, the unity of the Spirit that dwells in people who are trying to live according to the Holy Gospel.
What is the church as an institution?
Today "church" refers to a certain community of people who believe in Jesus Christ. It has its own hierarchical component, organizational structure. In this case, the word "church" is capitalized. These are God's churches and temples that serve as a place of various sacraments, which are the basis of any religious cult.
Sacraments are physically visible signs of God's invisible grace. These are the actions established by Jesus Christ, intended for the salvation of people and their good. The symbolism of any Church Sacrament helps the believer to physically realize the Lord's love for mortal people.
Besides the Orthodox Church, there is also the Catholic Church. But how are they different? More on that later.
Catholic Church. Its similarities and differences with Orthodox
Resemblance
Both churches equally recognizeseven sacraments:
- baptism;
- Eucharist;
- chrismation;
- unction;
- repentance;
- marriage;
- priesthood.
At the same time, the understanding of the meanings of these sacraments in the Catholic Church is quite similar to the Orthodox.
Distinction
It is between the two churches that these or other external forms of the implementation of the sacraments historically develop in different ways. This also includes some church-legal prescriptions.
