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 a relationship between the God-man Jesus Christ and a mere mortal Christian. Everything else - bells, buildings, church institutes - these are formal side effects. Read more about this in our article.
What is the Church in its original understanding?
The most complete concept of the Church of Christ implies a direct meeting under a single Chapter - the Lord Jesus Christ - all those who believe in Him in earth and heaven, all those who fulfill His will, abide in Him, receive Communion of the Divine Life of Christ. It is believed that dogmatic formulations, not scripture, contributed to the growth of the Church.
Jesus Christ at Calvary
Calvary is an image of suffering. It is he who explains well what the Church is. Calvary for all the time "saw" different people: warriors, robbers and so on. For a moment, it might seem that Jesus Christ himself was not there! However, it was here that He was. It was at Calvary that Christ was tortured, scolded and crucified.
What is the Church of the Earth and Heaven?
Conventionally, the Church can be divided into Heavenly and Earthly. The first is the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, as well as Christians saved from error. The second - the Militant Church, leading in the earthly world "battle with the devil and his servants."
The Church is the Body of Christ
The Church, that is, the Body of Christ, includes 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 body of the God-man is the Church itself, the unity of the Spirit that dwells in people trying to live the Holy Gospel.
What is a church as an institution?
Today, “church” is a specific community of people who believe in Jesus Christ. It has its own hierarchical component, organizational structure. In this case, the word "church" is written with a lowercase letter. These are God's churches and temples serving as the place of various sacraments, which are the basis of any religious cult.
Sacraments are physically visible signs of God's invisible grace. These are actions set by Jesus Christ designed to save people and their good. The symbolism of any Church Sacrament helps a believer to be physically aware of the Lord's love for mortal people.
In addition to the Orthodox Church, there is also the Catholic. But how do they differ? About it further.
Catholic Church. Its similarity and difference with the Orthodox
Similarity
Both churches equally recognize the seven sacraments:
- Epiphany;
- Eucharist;
- anointing;
- bare blessing;
- repentance;
- marriage;
- priesthood.
Moreover, the understanding of the meanings of these sacraments in the Catholic Church is quite similar to the Orthodox.
Difference
It between the two churches consists in the fact that certain external forms of the sacraments are historically formed in different ways. This also includes some church legal regulations.