Question 62 – What exactly is Christianity?

Christianity is one of the main world religions that believes in one God who distinctively manifests himself as a person (he is personal) and who is worshipped by his followers. The origin of Christianity goes back to Palestine (approximately 2,000 years ago) and is closely connected to Judaism. What is being dealt with in essence is a continuation of Judaism as God announced in the Bible through his prophets from the very beginning.

The love of God to mankind is the fundamental supporting column in Christianity. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, was willing to go to the very extreme place of sacrificing himself.

He sacrificed himself so that we would not be judged and damned by God because of our rebellion. He sacrificed himself so that we could live a meaningful life in the presence of the Giver of life himself both on the earth and in eternity to come. The Bible is the source and pointer for every true Christian. In it, God reveals himself, who he is, who we are, where we originated, where we are heading, and what we can do with all of this information. If we were to introduce the Christian faith in points, we could express it in the following way:

We believe:

1) in the existence of one God who exists in three persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).

2) in the fact that God created the universe and everything in it, including mankind, by his power and that he desires to live in a personal, caring relationship with mankind.

3) that God inspired the Bible and that it is fully trustworthy. It is the highest authority in subjects dealing with faith and the way of life.

4) in the universal/comprehensive sinfulness and guilt of fallen mankind. This makes humanity the subject of God's anger and condemnation.

5) in the substitutional sacrifice of God's incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, as the only one and sufficient basis of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and its eternal consequences.

6) in the justification of the sinner only by the grace of God, through faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.

7) in the renewing, regenerating, and sanctifying work of God, the Holy Spirit in those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

8) in the universal priesthood of all believers who form the universal church, the body, whose head is Christ and who is bound by his commandment to preach the gospel to the whole world.

9) in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory. At that time, he will bring to completion the history of mankind and a new life will start.

At this point I would like to say that I will, more or less, be reflecting my opinion and standpoint in this section of the book. Personally, I belong to the Protestant tradition of Christianity which means that the one and only source and authority for instruction and practice is the Bible.

Some churches (for example the Roman Catholic and Orthodox) have tradition alongside the Bible as a source of authority. Simply put, it includes teaching based on decrees of church councils, scholars, and dictates of the popes. They believe that the Holy Spirit did not finish his revelation of truth with the Biblical canon but has continued it through the church which has been authorized to form new dogmas and doctrine.

Protestants fundamentally disagree with this position and approach and regard many dogmas based on the above-mentioned tradition not only to be unbiblical but also against biblical teaching. However, my purpose is not to tackle Christian theological disagreements, nor is it to point out the false teachings of other churches here. The questions will determine the answers, so it may not be possible to look at various theological positions. Above all, I want to point out what the Bible says, and unless it is necessary, I will not comment on the teaching of other streams of Christianity. Nevertheless, allow me to react in brief to many preconceptions concerning Christianity and outline what it is not at this time.

Christianity is not:

• a collection of commands and prohibitions
• about going to church and saying memorised prayers
• about gathering property and gaining power
• about misusing one's position whatsoever
• a system of teachings that a person must keep in order to reach God
• about a hierarchy of priests, pastors, or about any other kind of religious leadership
• about scaring people with hell and a life of fear before a strict God
• boring or irrational, nor is it only for old or simple people

Summation

Christianity is a religion professing and praising the one and only God who created the universe and all that is in it, and who created mankind for his glory. The central theme is God coming to fallen mankind and offering them a preciously bought freedom and eternal life in his presence.