Christianity

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Christianity is a belief system with one person at the center, namely Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, a Christian is someone who has repented of their sin and put their faith and trust, for all details of their life, in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Aspects of Christianity ultimately come from the entire protestant canon (Bible), but primarily the New Testament. It is currently one of the world's largest belief systems, with members all over the globe.

Christian beliefs

Theologians, over two millennia, have debated on a definitive summary of the Christian faith. While its interpretations vary drastically, probably the most commonly accepted statement of faith is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed below:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Christians and Christian denominations disagree on many points of doctrine. According to an online Harris poll from 2003[1] 99% of all American Christians believe in God, 96% in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 93% in Heaven, 93% in the virgin birth, 92% in the survival of the soul after death, 82% in Hell, 50% in ghosts, 27% in astrology and 21% in reincarnation. Note that the latter two beliefs are in opposition to the religious dogma of most Christian denominations.

Nonetheless, the Nicene-Cconstantinopolitan Creed offers a general overall picture of what Christian theology looks like, and serves as a useful outline.

Other creeds may prove helpful in research. See also: the Apostle's Creed, Athanasian Creed.

God

According to the Bible, God is the creator and sustainer of the natural universe and the unseen supernatural universe. Like we might think of another human, God has character traits and attributes that describe who he is, among which would be his sovereignty.

Some of God's other major attributes include omnipotence and omniscience. God sees all, hears all, and knows all. God is sovereign over history and deals with the nations in judgment when they transgress his law, according to the Bible.

Jesus

Christians frequently hold that Jesus is their Lord and Savior, the Son of God, the Messiah foretold by Jewish prophets, and many also believe that Jesus is the world's only hope for salvation.

Morality

The fundamental principle in Christian moral teaching is love and forgiveness, as expressed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the New Testament. Jesus summarized his teachings in two commandments from the Old Testament:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-39; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)

Constant debate has resulted as to how a person should express love for God in their moral behavior. This moral dialogue found expression in the New Testament, where the Apostle Paul addressed such controversies as circumcision (Romans 2:25-29), eating meat that was sacrificed to pagan deities (1 Corinthians 8), speculating about myths and genealogies (1 Timothy 1:3-5), and observing ceremonial dates and seasons (Galatians 4:9-11).

Regardless of a person's ethical interpretations, adherents commonly point to New Testament passages John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 as scriptural depictions of love. The former states that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." The latter characterizes love, saying "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Jesus Christ affirmed, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

Salvation

The Bible teaches that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). This is often interpreted to mean that everyone has displeased God and is now separated from him in a kind of alienation and enmity that results from the fundamental conflict between selfish human interests and God's interests (Romans 8:5-8; James 4:4).

However, Jesus offered a solution to this Biblical dilemma in that by repentance of sins and faith in him (Jesus), their sins would be forgiven. He said that "...the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." (Mark 2:10) Jesus also said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark 2:17, and "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men" (Mark 2:28)

Jesus Christ taught that "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Evangelical congregations often use the terms "saved" and "born again" interchangeably.

Born again believers are expected to continue living by Christ's teachings (John 8:31), as is appropriate for "children of Light" (Ephesians 5:8-10). Some believe that this is necessary in order to stay saved. However, this is a common misconception of the text. It is rather referring to proving that one is a child of God by their "fruit" (things that they do and how they behave). The Bible says that salvation is irrevocable and that it cannot be lost, if it was genuinely part of one's life to begin with: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39; NASB). According to the Bible, the reason it cannot be lost by natural things is because salvation was obtained through a supernatural being, namely Jesus Christ. This does not negate Jesus' human side, only that he was both one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man, according to the Bible. The Bible also makes it clear that mankind cannot earn their salvation, and that it is a free gift.

Evangelism

In what Christians sometimes call the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to preach the Gospel (literally "good news") and make disciples. The importance of preaching is later emphasized in the New Testament (Romans 10:14). Christians consequently spend a great deal of energy and money in evangelistic efforts. It should be noted, however, that Jesus Christ said it was the Holy Spirit, not people, who was sent to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness (John 16:8). Also, Christian leaders after him credited God, not people, with the growth and maturity of the Church (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). In other words, Christians are instructed to tell others about Jesus, but only God can make a change in the heart (John 6:45).

See also

Denominations

Other articles

References

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