Christianity in a nutshell. It’s not that Complicated

Have you ever looked at the Bible and said “Man, this is a complicated book”. After all there is teaching, history, poetry, prophecy, and all sorts of rather complex things in there. Sometimes I still feel that way, and I’ve been involved in Christian ministry for about 20 years.

When you look to people who also claim to be Christians you also find a lot of divergent views, opinions, and traditions, not to mention behaviors that can also contribute to the confusion. 

Whenever I am asked what is a Christian? Or what do Christian’s believe? I always tell people that Christianity is not religion, as much as it is a relationship. In fact it is a relationship that focuses on knowing and following Jesus Christ.  All we need to know about Jesus can be found in the Bible. Just begin reading in the New Testament, and you will learn all about Jesus life, ministry, and death. 

When it comes to demystifying what Christians believe, simply read for yourself about Jesus’ own claims and what others in the Bible said about him. 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 says, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

In a nutshell, that is the core belief of Christianity. Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices. Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God the Father. That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry in the life of the Christian by the Holy Spirit.

Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and that its teaching is the final authority (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Christians believe in one God that exists in three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

Christians believe that mankind was created specifically to have a relationship with God, but that sin separates all men from God (Romans 3:23, 5:12). Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ walked this earth, fully God, and yet fully man (Philippians 2:6-11), and died on the cross. Christians believe that after His death on the cross, Christ was buried, He rose again, and now lives at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the believers forever (Hebrews 7:25). Christianity proclaims that Jesus’ death on the cross was sufficient to completely pay the sin debt owed by all men and this is what restores the broken relationship between God and man (Hebrews 9:11-14, 10:10; Romans 5:8, 6:23).

In order to be saved, one must simply place his faith entirely in the finished work of Christ on the cross. If someone believes that Christ died in his own place and paid the price of his own sins, and rose again, then that person is saved. There is nothing that anyone can do to earn salvation. Nobody can be “good enough” to please God on his or her own, because we are all sinners (Isaiah 53:6, 64:6-7). Secondly, there is nothing more to be done, because Christ has done all the work! When He was on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). 

When it comes right down to it, Christianity in a nutshell is not so complicated at all. In fact God made the basics so easy to understand so everyone could understand what they needed to know. If you question this, simply pray and ask God to reveal Jesus to you, and start reading the New Testament, and God Himself  promises “¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13).  Try it. What have you got to lose?

Rev. Dave Smith is the Senior Pastor at Cobourg Alliance Church and would welcome your call at 905-372-2311 if you would like to discus this further. 

* Important Note: Paragraphs 5-9 were direct quotes from the excellent article "What is Christianity and what do Christians believe?" at www.gotquestions.org. Used with Permission.