The Lord God has always lived, lives, and will live eternally. He is one in essence but in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
God the Son is the Only Begotten Son of God the Father — that is, the only one; there is no other Son of the Father, nor can there be. He was begotten of the Father before all ages, as light is begotten from the sun. He is begotten, not made, being of one essence with God the Father, and through Him and by Him, God the Father created all things.
The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from God the Father. He is the Lord, the Giver of Life, and with the Father and the Son, He is equally worshiped and glorified, possessing the same power, glory, honor, and adoration.
The Lord God first created the invisible world—the Angels. Angels are spirits without bodies, and therefore they are invisible and immortal. All were created good and pure, and thus they loved God, glorified Him, and did only good. But one of them, the highest and closest to God, did not wish to live under God’s authority. He desired to become like God, ceased to obey Him, and enticed many other angels to do the same. For this, the Lord cast them out from His presence and deprived them of His grace and light. From that time, their minds were darkened, their hearts hardened—and they began to think and do only evil. From then on, they were called “devils.” As punishment, the Lord prepared for them the fiery Gehenna, or hell, where they will endure eternal and terrible torments.
After the invisible world, the Lord created the visible world: the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, water, trees, grasses, fish, birds, reptiles, beasts, cattle, and finally, man. All except man were created by God’s word alone: He spoke, and they came to be. But man was fashioned in a special manner: God took dust from the earth and formed his body, then breathed into it a soul created in His own image and likeness—immortal, invisible, rational, and free. The first man was named Adam.
When Adam named the animals, he saw that they approached him in pairs, and he desired a companion like himself. The Lord fulfilled his wish and created a wife from his rib, taken while he slept. The first woman was named Eve.
The Lord settled Adam and Eve in Paradise—a most beautiful garden abundant with every kind of tree and fruit. Their life there was supremely joyful and blessed. They suffered no want, for food and drink were plentiful. They required no clothing, for neither heat, cold, nor wind could harm them by God’s will. They knew no shame, being pure and innocent as children. The beasts, birds, and reptiles did not attack them but obeyed them as their masters. They knew no sickness and feared no death, for the Lord had given them the “Tree of Life,” whose fruit fortified their health and preserved them from death. Their hearts were ever tranquil and glad, for they loved one another, free from enmity, deceit, or malice.
But their greatest blessedness was that the Lord God loved them as His own children, appearing to them, conversing with them, revealing His wondrous creation, teaching them what was beneficial and harmful, and instructing them how to live in obedience to Him, striving to become like Him in love, mercy, and purity of soul.
To teach them self-restraint and greater obedience to His holy will—which leads to holiness and blessedness—the Lord God gave them a commandment: He forbade them to eat fruit from the tree called the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” declaring, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17). At first, Adam and Eve loved God with all their souls, wholeheartedly sought to fulfill His holy will, and found in this their greatest joy.
But the devil, envious of their blessedness, resolved to tempt them into evil and sin—thereby separating them from God. In the souls of the first humans, there naturally dwelled a holy desire to be like God in immortality, blessedness, love, and purity. The devil exploited this desire and deceived them, saying, “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4–5). He slandered God, and the unhappy humans believed him. From these words of the slanderer and tempter, a sinful desire arose in their once-pure souls—to become gods themselves, to live without God, and to oppose Him. Thus, they transgressed God’s commandment: they ate the forbidden fruit.
As soon as they sinned, they realized that they had not become gods. Instead, their sinful hearts conceived enmity against God and murmuring against Him. They began to blame Him for their sin and transgression. “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Gen 3:12), said Adam in his defense, forgetting that he himself had desired a wife, and God, in granting her, had only fulfilled his wish. “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Gen 3:13), said Eve, as if to imply that God Himself had created the serpent. So swiftly and profoundly had their good and pure souls been corrupted by sin!
Then the Lord pronounced His righteous yet merciful judgment upon them. So that they might learn through experience that they could not only never become gods but could not even live without Him — and thereby be drawn back to Him—He withdrew from them the gifts He had given in His love and mercy, which they had hoped to retain without Him by eating the forbidden fruit. He expelled them from Paradise, forcing them to realize that they could not create for themselves such a beautiful dwelling or such a blessed life. He deprived them of the “Tree of Life,” so that they might sorrowfully learn that by their own strength, they could neither preserve their health nor escape death. Finally, He withdrew His presence from them, so that they might comprehend with great fear and grief that they could not compel the world to obey them. On the contrary, the world now oppressed and crushed them, and without God’s instruction, they wandered like the blind: unable to discern what was beneficial or harmful, and if they learned anything, it was only after much labor, error, and suffering.
When God expelled them from Paradise and withdrew from them, they wept bitterly, grieving that they had angered God and lost immortality and blessedness. In them, repentance began to stir. The Lord God, merciful and loving, took pity on them and said: “Believe and hope: the time will come when a Son, born of a woman, will be your Savior. He will deliver you from sin and death, draw you near to Me again, and restore your lost immortality and blessedness.” And so that they might not forget this promise, but keep faith in the Savior and pray for their sins, the Lord taught them to offer animal sacrifices. By this, He revealed that the Savior Himself would be sacrificed for the sins of humanity, dying a bloody death to deliver them from God’s wrath, sin, and death.
After this, the Lord withdrew from mankind, but in His mercy, He did not abandon them entirely. He appointed guardian angels to instruct them in goodness, help them resist evil and sin, strengthen them in tribulations, and remind them of faith in the Savior.
Once God withdrew, human life became grievous and wretched. The sinful desire to live without God, to act according to their own will, and to stubbornly oppose God’s will festered in their souls like poison. Thus, their children were born with this same destructive inclination; sin passed from Adam and Eve to their offspring, and from them to all future generations. This sinful desire drove people to ignore the quiet promptings of their guardian angels and to act according to their own evil will. From this arose among them: enmity, hatred, envy, malice, pride, debauchery, deceit, theft, robbery, murder—and human life became filled with sorrow, tears, and suffering. Worse still, whereas before, by God’s command, neither heat, cold, water, nor air harmed them, now these elements injured their health, bringing sickness. Whereas the earth once yielded abundant food, now even with toil, it often produced weeds instead of grain. Whereas the beasts and all creatures once obeyed them, now they attacked them with fury. Life became a ceaseless labor of securing shelter, food, clothing, health, and safety. The devil, having gained power over their sinful souls, further entangled them in sin and calamity. He sowed discord and enmity among them, inflaming sinful desires: greed for wealth, gluttony, drunkenness, and carnal pleasures—all of which destroyed their health, multiplied sorrows and diseases, and hastened death.
Now people clearly saw how bitter and unbearable life was without God, and how cruelly they had been deceived in desiring to be gods, to live without Him, and to rely on their own strength. Therefore, they began with all their might to seek God, striving to draw near to Him for help and protection. Some remembered God’s promise of the Savior and believed that when He came, He would free them from sin, reconcile them to God, and make their earthly life better, and after death, lead them into His heavenly kingdom. These waited patiently. Others forgot the promise and sought to approach God by their own means. But their darkened, sinful minds led them astray. They began to worship the sun, moon, stars, deceased men, beasts, birds, trees, rivers, and streams as gods, crafting idols and bowing before them. Such people were called pagans. God admonished them through holy patriarchs—men who believed in the Savior—but they did not heed. Thus, in the days of the patriarch Noah, God punished their lawlessness with a flood. Yet even afterward, they persisted in idolatry.
To preserve faith in the true God and the promised Savior, God raised up a chosen people from the holy patriarch Abraham and his wife Sarah—the Hebrew nation—and gave them His holy Law through the great prophet Moses (recorded in Holy Scripture). When even the Hebrews turned to idolatry and lawlessness, God sent them prophets—Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others—through whom the Holy Spirit reminded them of faith in the Savior, taught them to serve the true God, and to live by His commandments. Yet the Hebrews heeded the prophets little and even killed some for their rebukes. Therefore, God ceased sending prophets for over 400 years before the Savior’s coming. By then, though the Hebrews retained faith in the Savior and even preached it to other nations, their faith was distorted. They imagined the Savior as an earthly king who would wage war, conquer all nations, make the Jews rulers over all, and establish an age of wealth and earthly pleasure. Few considered the Savior’s mission to deliver souls from sin and bodies from death.
Meanwhile, the pagan nations, who sought God in created things and worshiped idols, began dimly to perceive that without God’s own help, they could neither find Him nor draw near. They sensed their idols were nothing, and that unless God Himself came to save them, they would perish in strife and misery. Many recalled the ancient promise of a Savior, preserved in Hebrew tradition and Scripture. Thus, after 5,500 years since Adam, nearly all humanity awaited the Savior’s coming.
The merciful Lord, seeing that men had humbled their pride, acknowledged their wretched state without Him, retained a spark of faith in His help, and awaited His salvation, took pity and sent His Only Begotten Son to save them from sin and death and bring them into His heavenly kingdom. The Son of God descended from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, born of her as a man, taking human soul and body—thus becoming true man while remaining true God. On earth, He was named Jesus Christ.
Through His Incarnation, the Son of God Jesus Christ united divine nature with human nature in Himself, thereby granting humanity the possibility of union with Him through His human nature. Herein lies salvation. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ, loves Him, and receives His holy sacraments becomes united with Him. From Christ dwelling within, holy thoughts, holy feelings, and holy desires flow into the soul—forming a holy disposition. Through this, sinful passions and desires are extinguished, replaced by the peace and blessedness Adam and Eve knew before the Fall. By Christ’s action in the believer’s soul, one may even reach the state where “it is no longer I who live, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). Thus, through Christ’s Incarnation, believers regain here on earth the life with God that Adam and Eve lost through sin.
To draw humanity to faith in Himself—the Son of God—and unite them to Him for their sanctification and entry into the heavenly kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry at age thirty, proclaiming: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15). First, He chose twelve disciples, then seventy others, whom He sent to preach—hence they are called apostles.
Traveling through Judea, He taught the people to believe in Him as the Son of God sent by the Father to save humanity from sin and death, to redeem them through His suffering, death, and resurrection, to establish His Church, and to send the Holy Spirit from the Father. He declared that He would return to judge the living and the dead, admitting the righteous into His heavenly kingdom and casting sinners into eternal torment with the evil spirits. To become righteous and enter heaven, He commanded them to love God with all their soul and heart, obey His will, pray unceasingly, repent of sins, fear God, and be ready to die for their faith. Loving God, they must also love all people—kin, strangers, even enemies—helping them, keeping their hearts pure, pursuing righteousness, avoiding falsehood, humbling themselves through labor and fasting, being meek, merciful, forgiving offenses, giving alms, reconciling enemies, and doing unto others as they would have done unto themselves.
To confirm His divinity, the Lord Jesus Christ performed many great miracles: He healed the blind, lame, paralyzed, leprous, and demon-possessed; raised the dead (Lazarus, the widow of Nain’s son, Jairus’ daughter); walked on water; calmed storms with a word; fed five thousand and four thousand with a few loaves and fishes; and worked countless other wonders.
He rebuked the Jewish leaders—scribes and Pharisees—who taught falsely about the Messiah, distorted God’s Law, and lived impiously, warning that “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). Proud of their status and learning, they refused to acknowledge the humble Jesus as Savior and Son of God. Enraged by His reproofs, they conspired to kill Him, delivering Him to Pontius Pilate on false charges of sedition. Though Pilate found no fault in Him, he yielded to the mob’s fury, ordering Him scourged, crowned with thorns, and finally crucified.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as Almighty Son of God, could have destroyed His enemies, but in love for humanity, He willingly endured suffering and death to deliver them from God’s wrath, sin, and death. Soldiers bound Him, led Him to Golgotha, and crucified Him between two thieves. On the cross, He endured agony and died. After being taken down, He was buried. Thus, redemption was accomplished.
In death, He descended into hell and proclaimed Himself the Son of God, the promised Savior who had come to free humanity from the devil’s power, sin, and death. He led those who believed in Him out of hell into the Heavenly Father’s kingdom. On the third day, He rose from the dead, as foretold in Scripture. For forty days after His resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, explaining the mysteries of God’s kingdom and establishing His holy Church on earth—a family of believers with Himself as Head, the faithful as His children and brethren, united by divine grace.
To enable His Church’s members, despite their weakness, to attain holiness and heaven, He instituted seven holy sacraments:
- Baptism: Destroys the sinful desire inherited from Adam and Eve to live without God, replacing it with a holy longing to abide with Him, love Him as Father, and obey His will.
- Chrismation: Imparts gifts of the Holy Spirit, fortifying mind and heart for holiness.
- Repentance: Grants forgiveness to those who sincerely confess post-baptismal sins and resolve to abstain from them.
- Holy Communion: Unites the faithful with Christ’s true Body and Blood, granting eternal life if received with faith, love, and reverence.
- Matrimony: Strengthens marital love, restrains impurity, and aids in raising children in faith and godliness.
- Unction: Grants healing, relief, strength to face death, and forgiveness of sins.
- Holy Orders: Ordains pastors with grace to administer sacraments, pray for their flock, and teach righteousness.
The Lord warned: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5), and “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (Jn 6:53).
After establishing His Church and sacraments, the Lord Jesus Christ gathered His apostles and disciples on the Mount of Olives, gave final instructions, promised to send the Holy Spirit, and commissioned them to preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing and teaching them His commandments. He ascended into heaven on a cloud, seated at the Father’s right hand, whence He governs His Church. Angels proclaimed His Second Coming in glory. On the tenth day after Ascension, the Holy Spirit descended as fiery tongues upon the apostles, filling their souls.
Since then, the Holy Spirit abides in Christ’s Church—the souls of all believers—until the end of the age. He teaches them Scripture, strengthens faith, reminds them of Christ’s commandments, kindles love for God, and empowers sacraments. Through Him, the Church grows, drawing unbelievers to Christ.
When the Gospel is preached to all nations and all Jews embrace Christ, the end will come. The sun will darken, the moon fail, stars fall, and humanity tremble in terror. The Lord will send an archangel with a trumpet blast. At its sound, the dead will rise incorruptible, and the living will be transformed. Immortality, lost by Adam, will be restored. Christ will appear in glory with His angels, judge all nations, and separate the righteous from the wicked. To the righteous, He will say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). To the wicked: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41).
The righteous will enter eternal joy in heaven; the wicked, eternal torment in hell. Thus, through Christ, humanity regains immortality and blessedness lost by Adam.
Source: Ryazan. Printing House of the Brotherhood of St. Basil. 1909.
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