What is Christianity?

 

Christianity Made Simple

--by Robert Arvay

Christ is a word meaning, “Anointed One.”  Jesus, the anointed one, was born in the year, One (1) in the city of Bethlehem, Israel, on Christmas Day, that is, Christ Mass Day.

His birth, death and His resurrection from the dead are the central miracles of the Christian faith, and are described in detail in the Bible, New Testament, which begins with The Book of Matthew.

The birth of Christ

Jesus’s mother was named Mary.  She was a virgin when, it was announced to her by the angel, Gabriel, that she would bear the Son of God.  Jesus was conceived in her womb, not by any man, but by the Holy Spirit of God, in the miracle known as the Immaculate Conception.

Jesus is both fully man, and fully God.

The death of Jesus

At age 33, Jesus was put to death under Roman law by being nailed to a cross.  This was the most brutal and painful form of death.  Jesus’s death is the reason why the Cross is the most recognized symbol of Christianity.  By means of this death, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. 

In the Old Testament of the Bible, it is explained why blood sacrifice is the necessary means of washing away sin.  The ceremony of the sacrificial lamb is found there.  Jesus, then, was sacrificed for us, so that we could be spared from eternal Hell.  He is therefore sometimes referred to as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

The Resurrection of Jesus

The miracle of the resurrection of Jesus, His being raised from the dead, is the central fact of Christianity.  Indeed, the Bible tells us that if Jesus is not the resurrected savior, then all of Christianity is false.

After His death on the Cross, on the date known as Good Friday, Jesus’s dead body was placed in a tomb.  In accordance with Jewish Law, as ordained by God, and because the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, Jesus’s body could not be further scented with the customary oils until the end of the Sabbath, and His corpse lay unattended until the third day, the morning of Easter Sunday.  When the tomb was visited for this purpose, it was found that Jesus was not there.  An angel of God informed the small group of women who were in attendance, that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

For the next forty days, Jesus appeared in various places, to various people, both in His physical form, and in His spiritual form.

The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

After the forty days, yet another miracle occurred.  The physical form of Jesus left this earth, and ascended into Heaven.  This seems impossible, but the ascension must not be thought of in physical terms.  It was a spiritual ascension, in which the spiritualized body of Jesus was seen to rise above the clouds and disappear.  One might think of it somewhat as crossing into a different dimension of existence.  As with other miracles, we cannot understand it, but what is important for us to know is that at this moment, Jesus is in heaven, both in His physical and spiritual forms.

Our most cherished expectation is that upon our death, we will meet Jesus there.

What it means to be a Saved Christian

Jesus paid the price for our sins.  He saved all of humanity, everyone.  Yet, there are people who reject this salvation, thereby rejecting the forgiveness of their sins.  No sin can enter into the perfection of Heaven.

When people ask, what must I do to be saved, the words of Jesus are that, for man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

We need do nothing to be saved.  There is nothing we CAN do to be saved.  Jesus did it all.

To be a Christian is to be grateful to God.  As a result of this gratitude, we love God with all our heart and soul.  We praise His name, and we seek to serve Him in every way we can, not because He needs us, but because we need Him.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we do not add to what Jesus did, but we do place our souls under His eternal care and protection, assuring forever that we will never reject the sacrifice that He made for us.  We can formally accept Jesus through prayer, simply confessing to Him that we are sinners, that we are saved by His death on the Cross, and that we could never earn His forgiveness, which is necessary for us to get to heaven.  Please pray to Him right now.

Once one has accepted Jesus as Savior, we begin to notice a powerful change in our lives.  We notice that we have a hunger for His Word.  The entire world becomes new to us.  We feel in our souls His power and His love.  We seek to please God.  We develop a Servant Attitude, not expecting any reward, but being grateful for everything we have.  We do not live a life of pleasure and ease, but we find that we can overcome our difficulties and endure our pains because He is with us, always and forever.

Jesus will return to Rule the World Forever

There will come a time, we do not know exactly when, in which the world will fall under the rule of evil.  Christians and Jews will be persecuted.  The planet will be at the brink of utter destruction, because evil is destructive.

At just the right moment, Jesus will return to earth in both His physical and spiritual form.  He will remove all evil from earth, forever.  He will bring with Him all of us who love Him, and we will live in peace, love and joy, with Him, for all eternity.

You have begun the Journey.  Revel in it.

Now that you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you are upon a lifelong journey that, although it will have its difficulties, you will travel it with confidence in the outcome.  You have a hunger to learn more.  You may choose to begin by reading the Bible, for example beginning with the New Testament Book of Matthew.  You may seek the fellowship of other Christians, perhaps in a church that teaches what the Bible actually says (beware of false churches that preach immorality).

Most of all, you will pray frequently to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, and you will notice an ever-increasing change in your life.

You are a child of God.  He will never forsake you.

 

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