The Coptic Orthodox Church teaches that Jesus is the sole path to heaven and that God exists as one Being composed of three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Coptic Church strongly emphasizes sacraments as means to salvation through works of faith and merit, with verbal confession being an essential practice.
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God the Father
God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all that exists, including Himself as well as everything created by Him, including his Son Jesus Christ. He is an intimate God that has revealed himself through Jesus and through the Holy Spirit.
Origen was an early church theologian of note. His writings contain numerous instances in which God is referred to as Father; this concept forms the cornerstone of Christian belief and should only be addressed as such by those with an adopted spirit (Rom 8:15), “doers of righteousness” (1 John 2:29) and whom the Father has bestowed with eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Coptic Orthodox Church holds as its central belief that there is one God, made up of three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – which together constitute one Trinity that shares coequal rights with each other as equal and eternal beings who each play specific roles within God’s existence.
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most crucial and complex doctrines we must grasp to have any hope of understanding its implications and interpretation. Yet despite being around for millennia, its interpretation can remain somewhat unclear to many people today.
But in spite of all its complexity, the triune God is an easily approachable deity whom we can know and love. He is our source of salvation, as well as being an excellent Father to His children. He graciously forgives our sins while having a plan for our future; He provides everything His children require to grow spiritually mature into who He intended them to become.
As we gain more insight into each divine person, we can start to appreciate both their unity and diversity. Jesus lived His earthly life as coeternal with His Father – this concept is expressed by the creed as “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”, all three being one being but each coequal to each other.
God the Son
The Coptic Orthodox Church believes in one triune God consisting of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Additionally, they accept that the Bible is God’s inspired word and that Jesus took human form, died for humanity’s salvation and rose again after three days – eventually coming back again to judge both living people and dead people alike.
The Trinity is a core belief among Christian denominations, yet Eastern Orthodox Christians take an alternative view when it comes to understanding God and His relationship to creation.
First, the Church teaches that each divine person in the Trinity is distinct while remaining united – this stands in stark contrast with Gnostics and strict Augustinians who hold that God can change its mood or mode.
Second, the Church holds that God the Father is the architect not only of heaven and earth but of every aspect of human experience. She teaches that the cosmos has fallen not because it was created dysfunctionally but because humanity chose a path away from God by idolatrously declaring their independence from Him.
Thirdly, the Church holds that the Holy Spirit is both an angel and divine being. She teaches that He was sent by His Creator Father to remain as part of the Father-Son duality; this doctrine can be found throughout scripture as well as supported by Orthodox authors such as Saint Athanasius and Cyril.
Fourthly, the Church holds that Jesus is an ideal man who came into this world to save it. Conceived by Mary in her womb at Bethlehem and born from her at Nazareth. Before taking human form He served as Word, Wisdom and Radiance to God Himself.
The Father is the starting point of creation and the first person of the Trinity; Son follows as second; and Holy Spirit completes their divine trio, each playing an integral role and having specific relations to one another – this can be found outlined in various theological documents of the Church such as its Symbol of Faith or other.
God the Holy Spirit
Coptic Orthodox Church believes in God as Triune God; He resides in perfect unity with both Father and Son and shares their roles of creation and incarnation, filling prophets, teaching Scripture, giving spiritual gifts to Christians, and sanctifying them for service in church.
The Holy Spirit embodies holy, eternity, omnipotence and omniscience – characteristics which provide it with eternal life. Additionally, He can teach, convict of sins, counsel on matters and act as an advisor – making Him an invaluable part of everyday Christian lives that help strengthen their walk with Christ as they resist its destructive forces.
God is the source of grace to all. He provides believers with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – qualities which work to transform their lives into the image of Christ.
In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often described as a teacher (John 14:26), comforter or helper (John 16:13), source of inspiration to apostles (John 17:17) and unveiler of Scriptures and truth (Acts 10:44). Additionally referred to as the “Spirit of Truth” or the “Spirit of Christ.”
The Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation are inspired by God’s Holy Spirit and can help us better comprehend them when reading them. He serves as its author and also helps readers make sense of them while reading.
Jesus Christ
The Coptic Orthodox Church holds that Jesus Christ is God’s son and the savior of mankind, coming down to earth to die and rise again for our forgiveness of sins. They also believe He is the source of all life; Holy Spirit being his living presence here on Earth.
Coptic Orthodox Church faith is founded on Saint Mark, an apostle of Jesus. Their spiritual approach emphasizes holiness, divine mysteries and fellowship while adhering to canons of holy scriptures, creeds derived from early church fathers as well as first three ecumenical councils for guidance.
Coptic Christians have historically endured persecution at an extreme level; yet, despite this they persevered and earned themselves the name “Church of Martyrs.” At one time more than 1 million Christians were martyred due to their faith.
They believe he is the sole way to heaven, which is why they refer to him as Christ. Additionally, they hold that He was sent by His father God as an offering for humanity’s sins and asked Jesus Christ to make his sacrifice on our behalf.
These beliefs differ significantly from the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches. Whereas Catholicism holds that Christ possessed two natures (divine and human), Orthodox and Protestant churches both accept that he had both human and divine characteristics.
Contrary to other churches, the Coptic Orthodox Church believes that Jesus is both the Word made flesh (John 1) and one of two members of the Trinity.
The lives of Jesus Christ have been chronicled by many writers and are widely considered of great historical value. While some critics may point out their incomplete nature or lack thereof, these accounts still hold great importance today.
