The Holy Trinity
Are God and Jesus Christ the same thing or not? According to Orthodox doctrine, God is one, but He has three Persons. These are the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. They cannot be considered separate Deities. These are independent Personalities, but They have the same nature and together are the triune God. Thus, Jesus Christ is God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity of God is reflected in the concept of the Most Holy Trinity.
Lord Jesus Christ (Byzantine mosaic)
God the Father is the Source of the timeless existence of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is also the Source of the will and action of the entire Trinity. This will is accomplished through God the Son, who is born out of time from God the Father. The Son acts through God, the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from Him outside of time. Despite the unity of command of the three Divine Hypostases, They are not subordinate to each other. They are in the unity and equality of mutual love. They have a common will, power and strength.
“Do not humiliate the Divine, do not prefer One by humiliating the Other. One is nature immeasurable, uncreated, flightless, good, free and equal. There is one God in three Illuminations, who rules the world” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations).
The doctrine of the triune God is a fundamental dogma of the Church. It was first formulated in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea in the Creed. The dogma was finally consolidated in 381 at the First Council of Constantinople. The doctrine of a single, but trinitarian God distinguishes Christianity from other monotheistic religions (Judaism and Islam). The Christian concept of a triune God is called Trinitarian monotheism.
Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) notes:
“The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a Mystery, which in its entirety will never be comprehended by the created human mind. God is known not by the mind, but by the heart, by a life pleasing to God, by the fulfillment of God’s commandments. If a person approaches God in this way, then God Himself reveals Himself in the heart of man.”
The sons of the world have spiritual questions
Although they are not yet believers or followers of Christ, they have their own spiritual questions. These questions may not be that significant to you. These are not questions from the series: “If God exists, then why is there so much evil in the world? How could God create the world in six days when science says it took 13 billion years?” These questions also exist, and they also need to be answered in due time.
The person we are talking about may have simple spiritual questions or may have spiritual disappointments. I was recently talking to a barista. And when we started talking about God, she said: “Me and God were kind of angry at each other at this point in our lives...” We talked for 15 minutes. She was outgoing and spiritually frustrated.
The woman at the well seemed a little upset when the conversation moved from her personal life into a theological discussion about where to serve God. She became disillusioned with Judaism and was in spiritual struggle. Jesus listened to her question, but instead of giving her a simple answer, He showed her a whole new world that was to come in the future.
Is Jesus God or the Son of God?
The concept of “son of God” is found in the Old Testament. This could be the name of the king or all of God's people. In the New Testament, members of the Holy Church are also called sons and daughters of God. That is, the children of God are all who are faithful and belong to Him. However, Jesus is the Son of God in a unique, unique sense. Therefore, He is called the Only Begotten (John 1:14,18, 3:16, 18; Gal. 4:4).
The above-mentioned human sons of God are His creation, as if they were adopted by God. Jesus Christ is God by nature, He is not God's Creation. He is Co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father, that is, He is on the side of the Creator, and not the creation. Two thousand years ago, in the person of Christ, the Creator came to our world. Thus He united with His creation - man. The Holy Trinity is indivisible; Jesus is both God and one of his Persons - the Son.
In the “Dogmatic Theology” of Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov it is stated:
“When we confess the Son of God as God, we mean that He is God in the proper, literal sense of the word, that is, God by nature, and not by adoption (in a figurative sense).”
Indications of the nature of the origin of the Son from the Father (birth) and their hypostatic difference are contained in the Old Testament (Ps. 2:7; Ps. 109: 1,3). In the New Testament, the hypostatic difference and at the same time consubstantiality of the Father and the Son is mentioned in the Gospels of John and Matthew (John 1:1-3; Matthew 11:27; John 14:31; John 5:17) . Christ Himself speaks of His Divine sonship, of the equality of power between the Son and the Father. And also about personal participation in the Father’s providential action (John 5:17-19; 10:36, 11:4).
From the Gospel of Luke we can learn that Jesus Christ forgave people's sins. This also points to His Divinity (Luke 5:20). The unity of the Son and the Father is mentioned in many other places in Holy Scripture (John 10:15; John 10:30, John 10:38; John 5:21; John 5:26).
Noah's son - Japheth
Before the flood, Japheth had no children, but after that he had 7 sons. His descendants populated the territory of Europe and Middle East Asia. This gives the right to consider Japheth as the forefather of the Slavic tribes that historically inhabited these lands. Jewish historian Josephus describes:
“Noah’s son Japheth had seven sons. The latter settled, starting from the Taurus and Aman mountains [northern Syria] to the Tanais River [Northern Donets], and across Europe to Gadira [southwest Spain], occupying lands encountered along the way, previously unoccupied by anyone, and gave the population their own titles."
The original place of settlement of the Japhetids was the territory of the ancient state of Urartu. Currently this is modern Armenia, eastern Türkiye and northwestern Iran.
After the flood, Noah's son Japheth and his brothers were blessed by God. Noah prophetically blessed Japheth, promising him great possessions and indicating that his descendants would dwell in the tents of Shem (Gen. 9:27).
Jesus Christ – God and man
Christ called himself not only the Son of God, but also of man (John 8:40, 12:23; Matt. 24:27, Mark 9:12). Jesus is God and man at the same time, that is, the God-man. As God, He is pre-eternally (always, outside of time) born from the Father. As a man, Christ was born from the Virgin Mary at a certain point in human history. This event was called the Incarnation. The dogma of the union of the Divine and human natures in Christ was adopted at the IV Ecumenical Council (451). It is contained in the Creed.
Christ was like a man in everything except his sinlessness. Therefore, he was both a perfect God and a perfect man.
Saint Simeon the New Theologian wrote that the Most High
“He united His entire Divine hypostasis essentially with our nature and combined this human nature inseparably with His Being and made it His own, so that the Creator of Adam Himself immutably and invariably became a perfect man” (“Collection of Creations”).
The Almighty became a man without ceasing to be God. The human and divine principles in Christ united, but did not mix. At the same time, they are inseparable - Christ is one person, not two separate ones. God became incarnate once and for all, His two natures will no longer be separated.
The sons of the world are not believers
To be fair, the woman at the well had faith in Christ, but in some aspects her faith was still different. Her faith in the coming of the Kingdom was very different from what Jesus preached, and He used this opportunity to continue communicating with her.
Many times I have tried to discern potential followers of Christ in people who already had faith. Part of this thinking comes from the idea of “low hanging fruit.” But the sons of peace are most likely to be sought among the unbelievers. Therefore, many Christians should reconsider their views on mission in order to finally begin to turn people to God.
Why did God become incarnate from the Virgin Mary
God became incarnate for our salvation. Thus, the reconciliation of man and God took place, the renewal of our nature, spoiled by the fall of Adam and Eve. V. Lossky notes that the incarnation was accomplished because man severed his connection with God through the Fall. This means that to restore this connection, human participation was necessary.
“So the death of Christ removes the barrier erected by sin between man and God, and His resurrection snatches its sting from death” (V.N. Lossky, G.V. Florovsky, “Dogmatic Theology”).
Also V. Lossky points to the humility of God, who is embodied from his own creation:
“God, at the decisive moment of the Annunciation, asks Mary for the firstfruits of His humanity, His own human nature.”
Thanks to Christ, the Incomprehensible and Almighty God became close and accessible to man. Now through Baptism we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). If Christ was the Only Begotten Son of God, then we have now become His adopted children.
Saint Gregory the Theologian says that
“God, having become man, suffers like man and becomes poor to the point of perceiving the flesh, so that we through His poverty may become rich” (“Creations”).
If Jesus were only a holy man, He would not be able to redeem mankind from death. This is only possible for God incarnate.
Jesus Christ is our Savior
The Holy Venerable Theodore the Studite spoke about Christ:
“He suffered everything as a man, but He also rose again as God, defeating the murderer of the devil and saving His beloved creation” (“The Philokalia.” Volume 4).
According to Saint Philaret of Moscow, the recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world who has sinned against the God of the world is the main strength of Christianity (“Creations”). We have never had and never will have another Savior.
Buddha, Muhammad and other religious leaders were mortal men who tried to comprehend the Almighty. Christ did not speak on behalf of God, he Himself became man as God. He is a Teacher in the exclusive, most sublime sense of the word. Christ taught not only with words, He himself was a clear example of virtue. Buddha and Muhammad led earthly lives and had families. Christ, by his human nature, was morally incomparably higher than any other teachers. Jesus Christ is God, there was not a single sin in Him. He voluntarily accepted death for our salvation, forgiving his tormentors.
The Lord preached for only three and a half years; Buddha and Muhammad did so for decades. But in depth and sublimity, the teaching of Christ surpasses any other. Muhammad had many wives. Buddha forbade his disciples to look at women. And Christianity, with its teaching about the Mother of God and marriage, elevated the status of women. The Mother of God is revered by Christians above all saints and angels. Christ, unlike Buddha, Muhammad, and Confucius, did not rely on earthly power and universal recognition. But His sermons did not just teach people the Truth. They sowed the seeds of the Kingdom of God on earth (Archpriest Alexander Men “Why is it difficult for us to believe in God”).
Noah's family
Noah was given the responsible task of restoring the human race. He had 3 sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The book of Genesis lists the genealogy of each of them. After the global flood, Noah began to cultivate the land and planted vineyards. He is considered the creator of wine and the first winemaker.
Origin of Noah: Adam - Seth - Enosh - Cainan - Maleleel - Jared - Enoch - Methuselah - Lamech - Noah.
After the flood, Noah lived another 350 years, showing his children an example of righteous living and instilling in them the love of God. As St. John Chrysostom says
“This righteous man can teach our entire race and guide us to virtue. In fact, when he, living [before the flood] among such a multitude of evil people, and not being able to find a single person similar to him in morals, reached such high virtue, then how will we be justified, who, having no such obstacles, don’t we care about good deeds?”
Prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
The Lord's Prayer (“Our Father”)
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ
Master Lord Jesus Christ, my God, who was indescribable for the sake of Your love for mankind, to the end of the ages, the Ever-Virgin Mary took flesh. I glorify Your saving providence for me, Your servant, Master; I will sing praises to You, for His sake the Holy Spirit has come into the world; I worship Your Most Pure Mother according to the flesh, who served such a terrible secret; I praise Your angelic face, as the singers and servants of Your Majesty; I honor John the Baptist, who baptized You.
God! I also honor the prophets who proclaimed You; I glorify Your Holy Apostles; I triumph and glorify your martyrs and priests; I bow to Your venerable ones and cherish all the righteous! Such and such a many and ineffable face of the Divine in prayer to the right Thy, the all-generous God, Thy servant, and for this sake I ask a petition for my sins, grant me all of Thy for the sake of the Saints, more abundantly than Thy Holy bounties, for Thou art blessed forever. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ
Master Christ God, Who healed my passions with Your Passion and healed my ulcers with Your ulcers, grant to me, who have sinned much against You, tears of tenderness, dissolve my body from the smell of Your life-giving Body, and delight my soul with Your Honest Blood from sorrow, with which I was given a drink by the enemy. . Raise my mind to You, which has been drawn down below, and lift me from the abyss of destruction, as I am not the imam of repentance, not the imam of tenderness, not the imam of comforting tears, leading children to their inheritance.
My mind has been darkened by worldly passions, I cannot look to You in illness, I cannot warm myself with tears, even love for You, but, Master Lord Jesus Christ, Treasure of the Good, grant me complete repentance, and a heart laboring to seek Yours, grant me grace Yours, and renew in me the eyes of Your image. Forsaken Thee, do not forsake me, go out to seek me, lead me to Thy pasture, and number me among the sheep of Thy chosen flock, educate me with them from the grain of Thy Divine mysteries, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints, amen.
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