What is Christianity? 1/4

TheLegalChristian
Sep 7, 2022
5 min read

Updated: Sep 9, 2022

Welcome to my first post in my new series, 'Christianity Introduced'. This is post 1/4, where we will be diving into the basics and fundamentals of the Christian faith. Enjoy!

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What is Christianity?

Christianity is centred around the birth, life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus Christ, who we believe is '...the Messiah, the Son of God' (Mark 1:1, NIV). The Christian faith is a monotheistic religion, meaning that we believe in one God (the God of the Bible), and He, 'created the Heavens and the earth' (Genesis 1:1). Central to the Christian belief is the Gospel.

The Gospel in a nutshell: Through Adam and Eve, sin entered the world (Genesis 3) and with this came a separation between God and man. Jesus came to restore this relationship by sacrificing His life on the cross for the sins of the world (John 3:16). Those who repent of their sins, put their trust in Jesus and walk the narrow path will have eternal life (John 14:6). I will be doing a separate post on this.

Essentially, Christians believe we are saved by God's grace through our faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Why you may be wondering? Love. Don't worry, if this doesn't make much sense right now, I will be doing a more in-depth post on this later on in the series.

It is the world's largest religion, with approximately 2.4 billion people who practice the faith, as of 2022. Even though there are approximately 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide, they can be categorised into 3 main branches: The Catholic, Protestant and the (Eastern) Orthodox belief.

How did Christianity begin?

Christianity began with Jesus and His 12 disciples. He was teaching them things about Heaven and how they should be and act. Christianity began to spread after Jesus died and resurrected in the 1st century CE. From now the 11 disciples, it spread pretty rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, through the likes of Paul the Apostle and other believers going to nations where the Gospel hadn't been heard yet.

In 313 AD, Constantine, the Roman Emperor, issued the Edict of Milan. This Edict essentially outlawed Christianity (even through the early persecution followers of Jesus went through) and then it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. It continued to spread to Russia and Northern Europe during the Middle Ages. The Age of Exploration saw the Christian faith spread to more corners of the world. This was a period where Europeans began to explore the world by sea, to look for wealth, new trading routes and knowledge.

The Protestant Reformation saw the Church of England break away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic church. The Protestant church was introduced and the monarch became the head of the Protestant church. Church services were no longer done in Latin, but in English. William Tyndale was the English biblical scholar, who became a martyr for the faith because he translated the Bible into the English language.

I will be doing a more in-depth post later in the series!

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Do we have a Holy book?

Yes- the Bible. The Bible is a collection of 66 books and letters, split into the Old and the New Testament. Written by a total of 40 authors from various backgrounds over a period of 1,500 years, it tells the story of God's plan for the world, His will, and His nature.

The original Bible was just available in 3 languages- Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. It can be further split into 5 sections- the Pentateuch, the Historical Books, the Poetry and Wisdom Books, the books of Prophecy, the Gospels and the Epistles.

It contains relevant topics of today, such as wisdom for hardship and trials, identity and purpose. Themes of justice and love are also entwined throughout the Bible.

I will also be posting a more in-depth post on the Bible soon!

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Do we have a place of worship?

Yes- we worship at churches. Many Christians worship on Sunday's, with some denominations, such as Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) worshipping on Saturday's.

Most services consist of singing praise and worship songs, the preaching of the Bible, prayer and taking communion. A pastor usually preaches a sermon from the Bible to the congregation. In the Catholic branch, the Pope is the head of the church. Other Christian denominations have bishops, elders, chairman's and more. We also fellowship with other people in the faith too.

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What are our core beliefs?

There are 5 beliefs that all Christians- no matter the denomination- believe in. This is basically a copy taken from www.pursuregod.org, as they summarise them in a concise way. These are:

1. The Bible is God's Word.

Christians believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, which is sufficient for we need to live the Christian life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

2. God is three-in-one (the Trinity).

Christians believe that there is one God who eternally exists as 3 persons (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit(. All 3 persons are equal and eternal. Matthew 28:19.

3. Jesus is fully God.

Christians believe that Jesus is both fully God and fully human as the second Person of the Trinity. He has always existed as God, and the world was created through Him. John 1:1-2.

4. We are saved by grace through faith.

Christians believe that every person is broken by sin and in need of salvation. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9.

5. There is life after death.

We believe that Jesus is returning in order to set up His kingdom and judge the world. Those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation will live eternally in Heaven, while others will be eternally separated from the presence of God. John 11:25-26.

Can anyone become a Christian?

Yes! Christianity is open to absolutely everyone, please don't think you're 'too sinful' to come to Jesus. He already knows we struggle a lot, and yet, He still wants to use us, me-you.

Just to add- when you hear Christians tell others about their testimony, they're not trying to say that they are better than you, by stating they no longer have a desire to do x, y or z. They are simply telling you their story of a life of transformation, by the power of Jesus.

In no way, shape or form are Christians 'perfect'. In fact, we believe no one is, (except Jesus). Like everyone else, Christians have their struggles as well-we're human too.

Hopefully this has shed more light on the faith and if this has helped you, you're more than welcome to share with others.

Until next time, be encouraged!