It is He

I am a Christian, that is, a follower, a disciple, of Jesus the Christ, the true Messiah and true King of Israel, the fulfillment of all prophets and all prophecies past, present, and to come, the Son of Man also known as true God of true God to the consternation of all who would imprison the Divine Nature in the strongbox of mere belief.

The faith I adhere to, without either fear or pride, is the faith of the Orthodox, that is, the faith of the Christians of the Seven Councils, to which faith I heartily invite everyone who seeks the true Light, the heavenly Spirit, and the true Faith. Never mind what the Church looks like in the past, present, or to come, for we walk by trust, not by sight.

This faith is not a system. It is not systematic. It does not yield itself in truth to those who would dissect it with the scalpel of mere reason. It is not constituted by the canons, or laws, that the Church has passed in its councils, but by the holy and divine liturgy, the work of the people, which is worship that instructs, transforms, even deifies the worshipers.

This is the faith of those who overcome, to whom will be granted to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God (Revelation 2:7), of those who will not be hurt by the second death (2:11), of those to whom Christ will give some of the hidden manna, and a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it (2:17).

This is the faith of those who overcome, who keep Christ’s deeds until the end, to whom He will give authority over nations, as He has received authority from the Father, and to whom He will give the morning star (Revelation 2:26-28), thus clothing them in white garments, whose names will not be erased from the book of life, but confessed before the Father and His angels (3:5).

This is the faith of those who overcome, whom Christ will make pillars in the temple of His God, who will not go out from it anymore, on whom He will write the name of His God, and the name of the city of His God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from His God, and His new name (Revelation 3:12), and to whom He will grant to sit down with Him on His throne, as He also overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne (3:21).

The faith I adhere to, without flinching or boasting, is the faith of the Orthodox, those who are called the logical  flock, those who are called saints, those whose home is not of this world but who make this world hospitable, those who seek the Kingdom and the righteousness of God before everything else, while showing mercy without stint or measure.

Glory to You, O God, for showing us the Light, which is the Light of Your Face turned towards us, full of tenderness and mercy, which is the Face of Your Only Begotten Son, who came to reveal everything about You, and to open wide the Door which no one can ever close, yes, to open Paradise to the thief, and to us. Glory to You, O God, for Your mercy.

I am a Christian, a follower, a disciple, of Jesus the Christ, who can nothing overcome but by Him who lives in me, not by my will nor my power, but by His, and by faith not by sight do I dare to have taken this road, having heard His call and, unable to resist despite my sins, gone after Him, for love responds to Love, and life to Life, and there is only one Truth: it is He.