The answer
In the Theotokia (praise) of Friday, we chant the following refrain, which sums up what the Master Christ accomplished:
“He took what is ours, and gave us what is His. We praise and glorify Him, and exalt Him.”
This entails:
- a) His taking of the curse which came upon Adam on account of his fall (Gen. 3:7), carrying it on our behalf, granting that we may be made the righteousness of God (innocent) (2 Cor. 5:21).
- b) His taking of the death, of which Adam was deserving from the day of his disobedience (Gen. 2:17), and His granting us the Resurrection after He had defeated death (1 Cor. 15:26).
- c) His taking of our life, with all the weakness and leanings towards sin that it entails, and His bestowing upon us of His Holy Spirit, and the ability of being victorious over all weakness and sin (Eph. 2:6).
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 89–90.
The pages in the book (89–90)
