FAITH OF THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ANTIOCH
 Chapter 1: Class 2

 

Written by: 

Chev. Dr. K. O. Mathew Konkara(Rtd Supdt of Police)

                  
 

It's history, faith and liturgy and It's position within the church history
         

How many churches did Christ establish?

How to identify the church established by Christ?

What are the characteristics and goals of that church?

 

Christ is the way, truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through him. The Holy Church is the way to receive truth, life, light, and grace from God for the salvation of all. St. Paul the Apostle says (1 Cor 12:12) that just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Therefore, from all the above verses, we understand that Christ and his bride, the Holy Church, are inseparably one.

 

"I am the only mediator; there is no salvation in anyone else" (Acts 4:12). Now, since Christ and the Holy Church are one, the meaning of the above verse is that there is no salvation except through the mediation of the Holy Church. A person may depart from the unity of the church, but that cannot destroy the one church. The church is God's chosen people (1 Peter 2:10, 8). Christ died for it, saved it, and gave it life. He makes us members of that family and saves us personally.

 

By becoming members of such a glorious church, we attain salvation and sanctification. Therefore, one who deliberately turns away from the church and its sacraments, knowing what he is doing, cannot attain God's grace and truth, just as those who were unwilling to turn to Christ when he was in the world could not attain it.

 

In the New Testament, the church refers to the group of people who are to become heirs of the kingdom to come. The church is a people created by God for himself. They are God's new Israel (Gal 6:16), a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9, 10), a royal priesthood (Ex 19:6), a holy nation (Deut 7:6), and God's own people (Mal 3:17).

 

Today, there are many "churches" and societies in the world.

 

(2) Which is the church established by Christ? We need to know its characteristics, goal, and initial activities based on the Bible.

 

The "churches" mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles were local components of the one church. The church of God in Corinth (1 Cor 1:2), the churches in Galatia (Gal 1:2), and the seven churches in Asia (Rev 1:4) were all part of the one church, not independent entities.

 

The church established by Christ has four characteristics: (1) Catholic (universal), (2) Apostolic, (3) One, and (4) Holy.

 

What is the meaning of each of these?