In the Christian divine service, a mention of a special category of people has been preserved, which was included in the society of believers in Jesus Christ. Until now, at the Divine Liturgy, you can hear the mention of the so-called "faithful".
In the ancient Christian Church, all believers were called faithful who were honored with the sacrament of holy baptism. However, the combination with Jesus Christ in baptism did not take place immediately after a person believed in God. First, the one who wanted to be baptized listened to the preparatory discourse, and only then received the sacrament. After baptism, a Christian was already called faithful.
The very name "faithful" symbolized the great feat that the baptized person took upon himself. He had to be faithful to God in all his everyday affairs, the faithful had to keep the Christian doctrine in purity, not deviating into various heresies. That is why absolutely every Christian was called faithful.
The faithful were given access to all church ordinances. Unlike the catechumens, who could only attend a certain part of the liturgy, the faithful were allowed to participate in the entire service.
The designation of the faithful in the ancient Church was considered an outstanding title, to which almost all Christians aspired. That is why people with conscious faith and those babies whose godparents were believers not in letter, but in essence, were allowed to the sacrament of baptism.
At the present time, the term "faithful" also refers to all who have received holy baptism. Therefore, the Church is still trying to instill in the minds of people the idea that baptism is not a formal act. It should not be performed according to some tradition because it is “so necessary”. Every Christian is called to holiness. At the very least, he should try to move along the path of moral improvement, maintaining his faithfulness to God in his deeds, thoughts and worldviews.
