this is your journey
From an atheist to a believer in Jesus Christ
the way, the truth and the life
who is God?
God who is 3 in One (the Trinity) - God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Father sends the Son to the cross, the Son voluntarily accepts to lay his life as a sacrifice to empower those who believe in His name, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Trinity is co-eternally and cooperatively working in a set of living, loving relationships.
Salvation is inherently Trinitarian.
(from Wes Hoff)
we bear the image of god
To bear the image of God is not to become little gods ourselves. We were meant to govern the Earth by bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit, reflecting the character of God: righteousness, kindness, mercy, justice, love, and so on.
We go through pain and suffering to learn the knowledge of evil, and we do learn it. So that we can reject evil.
When we go to Heaven, we'll never rebel again, because we understand the concept of pain and all that came through the knowledge of evil.
(from Bryan Melvin)
Popular Misconceptions
We cannot become God, but we can
achieve theosis.
Theosis is the transformative process
of becoming holy and uniting with God,
which is the central goal of salvation in
Eastern Orthodox theology. It is also
known as "deification" or "divinization".
No. Creation and God are two separate
things, and no, the universe is not a
manifestation of God, either.
No, we didn't create God, nor is He a
figment of our imagination. He is not:
“the source energy”, “oneness”,
“the universe”. God is beyond time and
space, and He created us: the humans,
the angels, the animals, etc. There are
many false gods in the world who want
to be worshiped, but the True God is
reflected in the Bible as - The Trinity:
God the Father, God the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
No. Jesus Christ is both God and man.
He has a dual nature, and no one can
become Him or ascend into Christ's
"consciousness". Plus, Jesus was not
created like us; He is part of the Holy
Trinity, and He is God.
Yes, God has a Son and His name is
Jesus Christ.
No. Just Christianity leads to Heaven.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
No one goes to Heaven except through
Him, because of the work on the cross,
and because of His resurrection.
God forgives sin, but we must forgive
others as well. Actually, the greatest
weapon the enemy has against us is
unforgiveness.
Because we don't forgive when someone
does us wrong, we let the enemy legally
gain access to our minds.
No. God is so good that He would rather
let us have free will and decide for
ourselves to do good or bad.
People have free will, and so do angels
(good ones or fallen ones).
No. This is a story as old as Genesis.
Satan always comes as an angel of light,
bringing "enlightenment" and knowledge.
Since Jesus defeated him on the cross,
Satan's only desire is to see humankind
break away from God and be lost, because
that is the only way he can take his
revenge - by hurting what God loves the
most - his creation, us.
HOW TO START YOUR JOURNEY
WITH GOD
I advise you to seek advice from a local Eastern Orthodox church near you. This journey is not to be made alone; the church is there to give guidance, comfort, and nourishment to the soul. For someone who has never been in the church, there's a catechumen period (of instruction and spiritual preparation that can last several months or up to a year), where he/she learns about the faith and the teachings of the Orthodox church, in preparation for baptism.