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'''Christianity''' is the major world [[religion]], which importantly claims to be the only way to God.  Jesus said "No man comes to the Father, but through me."  He later proves how this is done, by resurrecting from the dead, conquering death, proving His claims to be the Son of God come to earth are true.  He then offers eternal life to the entire world as a free gift, forgiveness by God to anyone who will believe in Him.

'''Christianity''' is a major world [[religion]], which claims to be the only way to God.  Jesus said "No man comes to the Father, but through me."  According to the bible, He later proves how this is done, by resurrecting from the dead, conquering death, proving His claims to be the Son of God come to earth are true.  He then offers eternal life to the entire world as a free gift, forgiveness by God to anyone who will believe in Him.

Christianity follows the teachings of the sixty-six books comprising the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, said to be "inspired", which means God-breathed. God breathed out through His Spirit upon the authors of Holy Scripture what He wanted said.  They did not invent the writings themselves, but wrote what He wanted said. (2 Tim.3:16,17; 2 Pet. 1: 19-21).  The Old Testament has the books of God's revelations to the Jews, pointing to the ultimate revelation of God's Son come to earth in Jesus the Messiah.  Many of the Jews became believers in Jesus when they saw Him risen from the dead, or saw from Scripture how He had fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament which only the Messiah could do.  The New Testament books help give understanding of the meaning of the Old Testament books.

Christianity follows the teachings of the sixty-six books comprising the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, said to be "inspired", which means God-breathed. The creators of the bible would have people believe that God breathed out through His Spirit upon the authors of Holy Scripture what He wanted said; that They did not invent the writings themselves, but wrote what He wanted said. (2 Tim.3:16,17; 2 Pet. 1: 19-21).  The Old Testament has the books of God's revelations to the Jews, pointing to the ultimate revelation of God's Son come to earth in Jesus the Messiah.  Many of the Jews became believers in Jesus when they saw Him risen from the dead, or saw from Scripture how He had fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament which only the Messiah could do.  The New Testament books help give understanding of the meaning of the Old Testament books.

Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, begins with God's creation of the world and Adam and Eve.  They sin and rebel against God, and in that "fall" represented all of mankind; we were in their loins, so to speak, and were guilty too.  We are born guilty of sin, but then also commit actual sin and are guilty before God ourselves.  We have desperate need of God, yet our sin separates us from Him.  We are "dead in our sins and trespasses", needing to be right with God, needing His blessings and His forgiveness and mercy and love.  We cannot achieve that  

Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, begins with God's creation of the world and Adam and Eve.  They sin and rebel against God, and in that "fall" represented all of mankind; we were in their loins, so to speak, and were guilty too.  We are born guilty of sin, but then also commit actual sin and are guilty before God ourselves.  We have desperate need of God, yet our sin separates us from Him.  We are "dead in our sins and trespasses", needing to be right with God, needing His blessings and His forgiveness and mercy and love.  We cannot achieve that  

Christianity believes Jesus Christ is fully God, eternally the Son, not created, and that He added to His Divine nature that of a human, so that He at His incarnation is now fully human as well.  He was sinless, so did not deserve death Himself, and God raised Him from the dead(Acts 2:24; 10:40). Scripture also says He raised Himself from the dead.  It states also that the Spirit raised Him from the dead (Rom.8:11).  Jesus died for the sins of the world, not the Father or the Spirit.  The Spirit has specific tasks He does, pointing us to our need for Jesus Christ.  He "convicts the world of sin and of righteousness", the only righteousness being that which can be found in Jesus Christ, offered to us freely through grace, received through faith.   

Christianity believes Jesus Christ is fully God, eternally the Son, not created, and that He added to His Divine nature that of a human, so that He at His incarnation is now fully human as well.  He was sinless, so did not deserve death Himself, and God raised Him from the dead(Acts 2:24; 10:40). Scripture also says He raised Himself from the dead.  It states also that the Spirit raised Him from the dead (Rom.8:11).  Jesus died for the sins of the world, not the Father or the Spirit.  The Spirit has specific tasks He does, pointing us to our need for Jesus Christ.  He "convicts the world of sin and of righteousness", the only righteousness being that which can be found in Jesus Christ, offered to us freely through grace, received through faith.   

While size does not determine truth, for there are false religions which are large, Christianity is the world's largest religion, with over two billion members, and also happens to be true. Contradicting religious claims cannot both be true.  Most people believe there are various roads to God, and want to think all religions are equal, or equally true.  Jesus Christ claimed He alone is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (Jn.14:6), and that his teachings were the Truth and that He is the only Way to the Father. Many roads and one road cannot both be true.  Jesus' claims are proven true by His resurrection from the dead.  This proves His claims to Deity, and the truthfulness of all His teachings and doctrines. 

Christianity is the world's largest religion, with over two billion members.   Most people believe there are various roads to God, and want to think all religions are equal, or equally true.  Jesus Christ claimed He alone is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (Jn.14:6), and that his teachings were the Truth and that He is the only Way to the Father.    

Christianity has three major branches, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Eastern orthodox, all of which agree and confess the basics found in the Apostle's and the Nicene Creeds, which are short summaries of the Biblical teachings from the early Christian church.  Man-made statements are not inerrant as are the inspired Scriptures, nor are they supplemental to Scripture, and should not take away from the content of Scripture.  For the most part, all branches of Christianity hold to these creeds as being good statements of the Christian faith:

Christianity has three major branches, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Eastern orthodox, all of which agree and confess the basics found in the Apostle's and the Nicene Creeds, which are short summaries of the Biblical teachings from the early Christian church.  Man-made statements are not inerrant as are the inspired Scriptures, nor are they supplemental to Scripture, and should not take away from the content of Scripture.  For the most part, all branches of Christianity hold to these creeds as being good statements of the Christian faith:

Christians believe that [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] died for their sins and rose from the dead three days after dying. They believe this because Jesus appeared not only to the  Twelve Apostles, and to His family, but to over 500 eyewitnesses, and most of those were still around at the time Scripture was being written, and could be talked to about what they saw. (1 Cor.15:3-8).  The resurrected Jesus was seen by eyewitnesses over a 40-day period, eating and drinking with them, teaching them, showing them from the Old Testament Scriptures how He fulfilled those promises by God.  Only He in love could pay for the sins of the entire world.   

Christians believe that [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] died for their sins and rose from the dead three days after dying. They believe this because Jesus appeared not only to the  Twelve Apostles, and to His family, but to over 500 eyewitnesses, and most of those were still around at the time Scripture was being written, and could be talked to about what they saw. (1 Cor.15:3-8).  The resurrected Jesus was seen by eyewitnesses over a 40-day period, eating and drinking with them, teaching them, showing them from the Old Testament Scriptures how He fulfilled those promises by God.  Only He in love could pay for the sins of the entire world.   

Christians believe that when one accepts these ideas of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and when one turns to God in repentance for their sins and in belief towards God, that God regenerates the person, giving him a new spiritual nature, and he is "born again."  Jesus said "Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."(John 3:3).  God is so holy, and we are so sinful, we must have new, sinless natures, and the only way we receive them is when God gives them to us when we turn to Him in faith and trust, believing Jesus died for our sins on the cross, believing He rose from the dead, and that He forgives us and offers us His love, mercy, grace, and new life, a life to be with Him in eternity forever.

 

Christians believe that when one accepts these historic facts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and when one turns to God in repentance for their sins and in belief towards God, that God regenerates the person, giving him a new spiritual nature, and he is "born again."  Jesus said "Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."(John 3:3).  God is so holy, and we are so sinful, we must have new, sinless natures, and the only way we receive them is when God gives them to us when we turn to Him in faith and trust, believing Jesus died for our sins on the cross, believing He rose from the dead, and that He forgives us and offers us His love, mercy, grace, and new life, a life to be with Him in eternity forever.

Even our ability to believe is a gift from God, He says, "so that no man may boast."  All of our salvation is from Him, beginning to end, and He alone receives the glory.  We are undeserving, unable to merit His favor, but because of the atonement provided by Jesus, we are justified before the Father, and He accepts Jesus death in our place, and in turn offers us the righteousness of Christ.  He clothes us with Christ's righteousness, and sees us as holy when we are believers in Christ(Romans). We still have our old sin nature until we die, but we also have our new nature with which we trust in Christ's atonement for us.  We will sin, but the Apostle Paul says "it is no longer I who sin, but sin which dwelleth in me."  Christians try not to sin, because with this new, born again nature, we now hate to sin, and love holiness.  We want to please God, and we try to keep the two most important commandments Jesus taught:  To love God with our whole heart soul, mind, and self, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30,31).

Even our ability to believe is a gift from God, He says, "so that no man may boast."  All of our salvation is from Him, beginning to end, and He alone receives the glory.  We are undeserving, unable to merit His favor, but because of the atonement provided by Jesus, we are justified before the Father, and He accepts Jesus death in our place, and in turn offers us the righteousness of Christ.  He clothes us with Christ's righteousness, and sees us as holy when we are believers in Christ(Romans). We still have our old sin nature until we die, but we also have our new nature with which we trust in Christ's atonement for us.  We will sin, but the Apostle Paul says "it is no longer I who sin, but sin which dwelleth in me."  Christians try not to sin, because with this new, born again nature, we now hate to sin, and love holiness.  We want to please God, and we try to keep the two most important commandments Jesus taught:  To love God with our whole heart soul, mind, and self, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30,31).

Scripture says that homosexuality is "an abomination" to God (Dt.18) and is a perversion against nature(Rom.1).  Because it is God Who gives life and families and children, marriage is a holy sacrament, and families are to be desired the way He as our Creator intended for us.  So Christians understand the importance of family, of real love, and are against homosexuality, while still loving the person who struggles with the sin.  The sin is not denied, however, and the full text of Scripture is proclaimed, because it is the Word of God.  God wants what is best for His creation, but our society's depth of sinful depravity can barely recognize sin as sin anymore.  It is the duty of Christianity to preach the Law as well as the Gospel, the truth of God as revealed in Scripture.  It is not loving our fellow humans if we do not tell them the full message God has revealed in Holy Scripture.

Scripture says that homosexuality is "an abomination" to God (Dt.18) and is a perversion against nature(Rom.1).  Because it is God Who gives life and families and children, marriage is a holy sacrament, and families are to be desired the way He as our Creator intended for us.  So Christians understand the importance of family, of real love, and are against homosexuality, while still loving the person who struggles with the sin.  The sin is not denied, however, and the full text of Scripture is proclaimed, because it is the Word of God.  God wants what is best for His creation, but our society's depth of sinful depravity can barely recognize sin as sin anymore.  It is the duty of Christianity to preach the Law as well as the Gospel, the truth of God as revealed in Scripture.  It is not loving our fellow humans if we do not tell them the full message God has revealed in Holy Scripture.

   

   

God says fornication is sin, and adultery is sin.  Christians agree.  The Bible does not state when God created the world, only that He did the creating, and that Adam and Eve were in His image.  So Christians do not hold to the theory of evolution, although they have differing opinions as to the length of creation, whether it was a literal 7-day creation, or over a period of time.   

the bible says fornication is sin, and adultery is sin.  Christians agree.  The Bible does not state when God created the world, only that He did the creating, and that Adam and Eve were in His image.  So Christians do not hold to the theory of evolution, although they have differing opinions as to the length of creation, whether it was a literal 7-day creation, or over a period of time.   

All Christians believe in hell for those who do not accept Jesus Christ, because Jesus taught this.  He taught them to repent, to turn away from their sins, and to beleive in Him.  "No man cometh to the Father but by me."  If we don't want to receive God's forgiveness, His love, His mercy, His blessings, His new life, His purpose for our lives, His gift of eternity with Him, He will not force Himself upon us.  But why reject Him?  We all want and need to be loved, and only He can love us and knows us entirely. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  He knew our sin, yet loved us, and wants us to be with Him.  We have no good reason to reject Him!

All Christians believe in hell for those who do not accept Jesus Christ, because Jesus taught this.  He taught them to repent, to turn away from their sins, and to beleive in Him.  "No man cometh to the Father but by me."  If we don't want to receive God's forgiveness, His love, His mercy, His blessings, His new life, His purpose for our lives, His gift of eternity with Him, He will not force Himself upon us.  But why reject Him?  We all want and need to be loved, and only He can love us and knows us entirely. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  He knew our sin, yet loved us, and wants us to be with Him.  We have no good reason to reject Him!