How to Understand Basic Beliefs and Practices
Christianity centers on a few major concepts and beliefs. First, humans began existence in harmony with God. Humans disobeyed God and were separated from Him and doomed to a life of suffering. Second, God sent His son Jesus Christ to Earth to live among humans and to share in their sufferings. Jesus offered up His own life as a sacrifice for the sins of humans. Finally, through faith and requests for the forgiveness of sins, humans can now end the separation from God because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
While Christianity is monotheistic, the Christian God is divided into three parts: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three entities combine to form the Holy Trinity.
Creation and the Universe
Christians share the Jewish belief in God’s creation of the universe in seven days. Creationism takes a variety of views. Some believe that the Earth and its inhabitants were created as they are today in seven 24-hour days. Others contend that the seven-day period is simply a story and that God also created creatures with the ability to evolve. There are many viewpoints between these extremes, many of which attempt to reconcile differences in understanding differences between religion and modern science.
According to the book of Genesis, each of the seven days had a separate purpose. On the first day, God created light. On the second day, He created the sky and water. On the third day, He created land, vegetation, and the seas. On the fourth day, He created the sun, moon, and stars. On the fifth day, He created fish and birds. On the sixth day, He created animals and the first man and woman. On the seventh day, He rested, declaring his creation to be good. The rest on the seventh day was the basis for the creation of the Sabbath in Judaism and the setting aside of Sunday as a day of worship in Christianity.
Fall of Humanity and Original Sin
A Christian belief also shared with Judaism, is that of original sin. Both faiths believe that before sin, God created a paradise for the original humans, Adam and Eve. The couple lived in this place, known as the Garden of Eden, and were provided with all they needed. However, the fruit of one tree, the one of knowledge of good and evil, was forbidden. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted the couple who ate fruit from the tree. When God discovered the sin, He banished them from the garden and cursed the man, woman and serpent to hardship for eternity, and separated Himself from them.
Ancient Israelites’ Relativity to Today’s People
When compared to the ancient Israelites, the spiritual lives of today’s Christians are very different. Ancient Israelites received atonement for sins through series of rituals and sacrifices. Also, only the highest priests were permitted to speak directly with God and then only in specific locations and after purification rituals. Christians receive atonement for all sins through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and request for forgiveness of sins. They are also permitted to speak directly with God in the time and place of their choosing.
Salvation of Christians and Nonbelievers
Christianity teaches that Jesus knew from childhood that He would die for the sins of all people. In his early thirties, Jesus was arrested and tried by the Romans and sentenced to die by crucifixion. The crucifixion of Jesus was His own symbolic sacrifice, like the sacrifices of animals by ancient Israelites, for the sins of humanity.
Christians believe the route to salvation lies in a personal acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah and true Savior. In this acceptance, an individual prays for forgiveness of past, present, and future sins and is absolved of those sins as a result of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. By doing this, Jesus has provided a path to God.
In order for nonbelievers to receive salvation, they must also have personal acceptance of Jesus. Without this, they will be eternally separated from God.
Importance of the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls
The text of Christianity is the Bible, a collection of books attributed to various authors. The Old Testament contains history and teachings of Jewish leaders and prophets leading up to the time of Jesus. The New Testament covers the life of Jesus and the beginnings of the early church. Much of the Biblical canon was approved by leaders in the 1st to 5th century with portions accepted in some sects as recently as the 17th century. There are still variations between different sects.
After years of a long-standing established canon, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the 1940s and 1950s. These documents contain text argued by most scholars to originate from an early Jewish sect. The scrolls are still being translated and digitized and may provide further insight into the Jewish and Christian religions. Controversially, many believe these scrolls can offer new insight or perhaps provide missing links to the complete history of the Bible.
Jesus’ Birth
The birth of Jesus took place in a livestock manger in Bethlehem around the 1st century BC. His birth is celebrated by Christians on December 25th of each year but it is argued that the birth actually took place in March or April. Jesus’ birth was surrounded by a number of remarkable events. The first was that His birth was a virgin birth. Second, He was visited by shepherds who were told His location by an angel. Finally, the appearance of a bright star in the eastern sky led a group of men to the child with expensive but unusual gifts usually reserved for the preservation of a body before burial. These gifts symbolized the sacrifice Jesus would endure in later life.
Atonement
Atonement, reconciliation with God, is the major theme running through Christianity. Christ’s death on the cross provided atonement for the sins of humans by transferring their sins to
Himself, thereby ending their separation from God and freeing them from the grasp of Satan.
Resurrection
According to Christian tradition, Jesus was resurrected from the dead after three days and He will return to Earth in the Second Coming to resurrect dead believers and bring them to Heaven. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus each spring on Easter Sunday.
Ascension
After the resurrection, Jesus spoke to His disciples and other faithful followers. He commanded them to go out into the world and share the message of Christianity and the path to God. This command is known in the religion as The Great Commission and was the basis for worldwide missionary work that is still carried out today. After giving The Great Commission, Jesus ascended back into heaven.
Second Coming
The Second Coming is understood by most Christians to be an unknown time in the future in which Jesus will again return to Earth. Upon His return, He will raise the dead, determine whether the living and dead spend eternity in Heaven or Hell, and will establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. Different interpretations of this event exist in some sects of the faith.
Incarnation
Incarnation in Christianity refers to the conception and birth of Jesus, a holy being, in human form. With Jesus’ birth, God became His own son and a human. In the early Christian Church, there was considerable debate as to what exactly Jesus was. Over time, the consensus has become that He was both fully God and fully man, though without sin, during His time on earth.
Rebirth
Rebirth, or reincarnation, in Christianity does not refer to a literal second birth as is seen in other religions like Hinduism. Instead, it refers to the symbolic rebirth of the spirit upon acceptance of Christ as one’s personal savior. An individual becomes new in all aspects of life, including spirituality, outlook, and behavior.
Heaven and Hell
The afterlife in Christianity consists of two places: Heaven and Hell. Heaven is the paradise in which God resides. Believers who have gone through personal acceptance of Jesus and asked for forgiveness of sins will join with God in Heaven in the afterlife. Hell is a place of eternal suffering in which Satan resides. Christians believe all nonbelievers will spend the afterlife in Hell.
