9. The Essential Faith
You talk about the Church as unity in the truth and love of God. What do you mean by this?
We Orthodox believe that the life of the Church is life in communion with God Himself, in the Truth and Love of Christ, by the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Christ is the Son of God. We believe that He reveals the truth about God and man. We believe that we can know this truth by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, that He gives to us.
The greatest truth shown to us by Christ is that God is Love, and that the only true way of living is by following Christ who called Himself, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Christ gave the great commandment and the great example of perfect love. Thus the greatest truth is love. This is our conclusion. And life in this truth which is love, is the life of faith, the life of the Orthodox Church.
Of course there are deviations and betrayals and sins all around. Clergy and laymen alike are guilty. But the Church itself, despite the sins of its members, is still the union with the Truth and Love of God given to men in Jesus Christ, made present and accessible in the Holy Spirit, who lives in those who believe.