These pages are dedicated to learning the basics about Christianity and the End Times.

Be it known that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God, has died for all men and women who have lived since Adam and Eve were created.  For we have all sinned. Jesus Christ died and paid the penalty that we, by rights, should pay.  Jesus was the only one who could pay for them because He didn't sin - even once. 

D 1  What is "sin"? [ wu ]

  Sin is the willful act going against the will of God.  This can be from doing something that is against His will (called a sin of commission) or by not doing something that is His will (called a sin of omission).
  Jesus said that even our wrong thoughts were as if we had actually committed the sin.  So that lays much more sin upon many of us.

D 2 Am I a "sinner"?

  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood." (Romans 3:23-25a NIV)
   So, yes, I am a sinner.  We are all sinners.

D 3 What is meant by "Repent"? [ wu ]

  Repent means to change ones direction. For the Christian, it means to turn away from sin and toward God.  It means to actually change; not just the intent to change.

4 What does it mean to forgive? [ wu ]

 Forgiveness is the act of the one wronged, offended or sinned against.

It means to grant pardon or remission of an offense – in spite of their slights, shortcomings, and errors. It means to cease blaming or feeling resentment against the one who caused the offense. 

What is meant by the term "reconciliation"?

  The process by which God and man are brought together again.

 The initiative in reconciliation was taken by God.    Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

5 What is meant by the term "Remission"?

  It means to be released or set free from sin. (Acts 2:38; Heb. 9:22)

 The active nature of the word for remission in the Greek language indicates that forgiveness is more than a passive act on God's part.  Through the death of His Son, God has taken the initiative to break the grip of sin and set man free for a new way of life in God's Spirit.

D 6 What does it mean to be "saved"? [ wu ]

  If we die with our sins still to be paid for, (not forgiven for our sins) then we will be forever cut off from God.  There is no way out. We would suffer the wrath of God forever. 

  If one is "saved" then his sins are forgiven.  He is saved from having to be cut off from God. He is saved from having to suffer the wrath of God – because he would go to heaven and be with God forever.

D 7 What is meant by Salvation? [ wu ]

  Salvation means to be rescued from sin and its punishment and set free to know, love and serve God.  A person that is saved, has salvation.

 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin . . .If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34,36)

D 8 What is a Savior?

  A savior is one who "saves" others – usually from something unpleasant.  In the case of a Christian, the Savior is the one who saved us from having to be eternally cut off from God and suffering the wrath of God.  That one is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

D 9 What is a Messiah?

 The word Messiah comes from a Hebrew term that means "anointed one" – the one anointed by God and empowered by God's spirit to deliver His people and establish His kingdom.

 In Jewish thought, the Messiah would be the king of the Jews, a political leader who would defeat their enemies and bring in a golden era of peace and prosperity.

In Christian thought, the term Messiah refers to Jesus Christ's role as a spiritual deliverer, setting His people free from sin and death.

D 10 Who is Christ?

  The Greek counterpart to Messiah is "Christos", from which the word Christ comes.  Messiah was one of the titles used by early Christians to describe who Jesus was.

 Christ was a name for Jesus which showed that He was the long-awaited king and deliverer. This is why He is known as Jesus the Christ – or – Jesus Christ.

  (John 20:31, Acts 5:42, Acts 9:2, I John 2:2, I John 5:1)

D 11 What is a "Christian"?

  A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ – one who follows His teachings. That is, they believe that He is the Son of God, that He was also a man, that He died on the cross and suffered and paid for each of the sins of the world.

12 What is "Baptism"? [ wu ]

  Baptism means different things to different people. 

• The sacramental view – According to this belief, baptism is a means by which God conveys grace. By undergoing this rite, the person baptized receives Remission of sins, and is regenerated or given a new nature and an awakened or strengthened faith.  Both Roman Catholics and Lutherans have this view of the nature of baptism.
• The covenantal view – Other Christian groups think of baptism not as a means by which salvation is brought about, but as a sign and seal of the Covenant. The covenant is God's pledge to save man.  Because of what He has done and what He has promised, God forgives and regenerates. On the one hand, baptism is a sign of the covenant.  On the other, it is the means by which people enter into that covenant.
• The symbolical view – This view stresses the symbolic nature of baptism by emphasizing that baptism does not cause an inward change or alter a person's relationship to God in any way. Baptism is a token, or an outward indication, of the inner change which has already occurred in the believer's life. It serves as a public identification of the person with Jesus Christ, and thus also as a public testimony of the change that has occurred. It is an act of initiation.  It is baptism into the name of Jesus.
• According to this understanding of baptism, no spiritual benefit occurs because of baptism. Rather than producing Regeneration of faith, baptism always comes after faith and the salvation that faith produces. The only spiritual value of baptism is that it establishes membership in the church and exposes the believer to the values of this type of fellowship.

D 13 What is meant by "Belonging to Christ"?

• This is a Christian term.  It means that the person is a servant of Jesus Christ.  Therefore he is a follower. If Jesus Christ lives in us, then we belong to Him.

D 14 What is meant by "religion"?

 It is a belief in and reverence for God or some supernatural power that is recognized as the creator and ruler of the universe.  It has an organized system of doctrine with an approved pattern of behavior and a proper form of worship. The classic New Testament passage on religion is James 2:17 which says that faith divorced from deeds is as lifeless as a corpse.

D 15 What is the expected result of our sins?

 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ or Lord." (Romans 86:23)

 The death that Paul is speaking about here is eternal separation from God – and there's only one place that will qualify – Hell. 

D  16 Who is God?

 God is the creator and sustainer of the universe who has provided humankind with a revelation of Himself through the natural world and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

D  17 Who is God the Father?

 He is a part of the Godhead we term "the trinity" (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost)).   Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."  (John 10:30)

D  18 Who is The Holy Spirit?  (God the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit)?

  The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead we term "the trinity".  The Holy Spirit is the one who Jesus said He would send after He went up to heaven.  (Acts 1:4-5)(John 15:26+)

 The Holy Spirit is the one who does for us the same thing that Jesus did for His disciples. In other words, The Holy Spirit is a teacher and guide.

 We receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit may come later.

• D  19 Who is Jesus Christ? (God the Son)?

 Jesus Christ is part of the Godhead we term "the trinity". Jesus Christ is the part of God that came down to walk with His creations – us.  So we can actually say that the creator of the universe came down to walk, talk and teach His creations.

• D  What is the trinity?

The trinity is the Godhead that is the creator.  The Godhead consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  But there is only one God. It's much the same way as a 3 leaf clover. The  3 leaves of the clover are seperate but they are no less than the other.  The 3 leaves are what make it a one clover. Or moister.  It comes in the form of water, ice and steam. The 3 forms are different because they are different phisically, but they are all the same in that they are all moisture. 

• D  20 What has Jesus done for us?

 Because of God's love for us, Jesus was the part of the Godhead that came to Earth in the form of a person. He went through the whole process of being born, learning how to live and growing up to serve His father in Heaven.  Through His ministry, He taught His disciples how to live and how to understand what God meant in the old testament. At the end of His ministry, He was killed, was in the grave, but on the 3^rd day He rose again – He defeated death, and then He ascended into Heaven. 

 The death was done to pay the penalty for our sins. We are guilty of sin and, by rights, should pay for them by eternal separation from God. His resurrection was because death had no hold over Him. He was pure – free from sin. That's why He could pay for our sins. It is because of this that it is believed that Jesus went to the place of those already dead during the 3 days in the grave.  But, thank the Lord, death could not hold Him. 

• D  21 What is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is when He came back to life again.  When His disciples came to find Him on the third day, the cloths that He was wrapped in were left just as if He had disappeared in an instant.  In other words, the cloths had just dropped from around His body onto the stone where they had laid Him.

• ³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.  He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) (John 20:3-9)
• See I Corinthians 15 where Paul talks about the resurrection.

22 What is faith?

• Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV) 
• or said another way
• Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

D  23 What does it mean to be "born again"?

• ³ In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
• ⁴ "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
• ⁵ Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:3-8)

²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³ For you have been born again , not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

• "All men are like grass,  and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
• the grass withers and the flowers fall,  ²⁵ but the word of the Lord stands forever."(I Peter 1:22-25)

D  24 What is a "Born Again Believer"?

• So a "Born Again Believer" is a Christian that has received a new life through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
• ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4)  (see Romans 6 and 7 for more detail)

D  25 & 26 What must I do to be saved (from eternal damnation)? [ wu ]

• ADMIT your spiritual need. "I am a sinner."
• BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross
• RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in . . ." (Revelation 3:20)

• "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
• Pray a prayer much like this one - and mean it..

Lord Jesus,
 I know that I am a sinner.  I believe that you are the Son of the Living God and that you died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.  I believe that you then rose from the dead. Jesus, please forgive me for the sins I have committed and clean me from the inside out.  Right now, Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart and make of me a new person. 
Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for coming into my heart, 
                 Amen

27 What is the rapture?

• The rapture is that event when the believers are taken up to meet Jesus in heaven. This is believed to happen very quickly and is based on I Corinthians 15:52.
• ⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
• ⁵⁵ "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"
• ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:50-57)

28 What is meant by "speaking in tongues"?

• This term mainly came about on the day of Pentecost following Jesus' ascension to heaven. 
• When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)
• It seems like there are 2 kinds of "tongues". The one where we would speak in another language that someone would understand (like the above example at Pentecost).  The other is what Paul talked about as being a language that only God could understand.  It would lift up Paul, but no one else could understand it at all – unless the Lord gave them the interpretation of it. 
• See I Corinthians 14 for a further explanation on tongues.

29 What is the "Fruit of the Spirit"?

• ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance : against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

30 What are the Spiritual Gifts?  (I Corinthians 12:11)

or

What are the "gifts of the Spirit" ?

Spiritual Gifts  (I Corinthians 12:1-11)

• Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³ Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
• ⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
• ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers , to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (I Corinthians 2:1-11)
• ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues .                (I Corinthians 12:27-28)
• apostles
• prophets
• teachers
• workers of miracles
• those having the gifts of healing
• those able to help others
• those with gifts of administration
• those who speak in different kinds of tongues
• Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. (I Corinthians 14:12b)
• ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others , let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:6-8)
• Prophesying
  Serving
  Teaching
  Encouraging to others
  Contributing to others needs Leadership
  Showing mercy

31 What is a disciple?

 A disciple is a student, learner, or pupil.  In the Bible, it is most often used to refer to the follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus had many disciples.  These were His followers.

32 What is an apostle?

• An apostle is a special messenger of God.  It normally refers to the 12 disciples of Jesus that were with Him during the 3 years of His ministry. Paul was also an apostle – as he called himself in many of his letters. 
• It is sometimes used in a general sense of "messenger".
• ¹² The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance. (II Corinthians 12:12)

33 What is an "Elder"?  [ wu ]

• In the old Testament, an "elder" was a teacher and leaders of the people.  It was assumed that they were more wise.  They were teachers of the law.  Paul speaks to Timothy about the elders who were not only leaders, but they directed the affairs of the church and also some of them preached and taught.  The elders were taken from the people or church.  They were not people brought in for the job. In Titus 1:6+, Paul gives several qualifications for an elder. 
• Today, the term "elder" normally refers to leaders in the church. In some churches they are lay preachers.
• The elders is wise and is a leader.

34 Who is the "Son of God"?

• Jesus Christ.  The one who lived and died and rose again

35 Who are the "Sons of God"?

• In Genesis 6:1-4 The "sons of God" are referred to, but the meaning is kind of unclear. They could be fallen angels. 
  But in Galatians it is speaking of the believers in Jesus Christ.
• ²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28) 

36 What is the Apocrypha?

• A group of books written during a time of turmoil in the history of the Jewish people, from about 200 BC to about AD 100.  These books fall into 2 main divisions; Old Testament apocryphal books and New Testament apocryphal books.

37 What does it mean when the Bible calls us "heirs" of God?

• ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

38 What is "the promise" referred to?

38 What is a church?

• The church is the body of [ believers in ] Jesus Christ. This could be either the local body of believers or the whole body of believers (worldwide).

39 What is "The Great Commission"?

 Found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Luke, John and Acts also have a reference to it), this is the commissioning of the disciples (the eleven). It says "¹⁵ He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18) [Matthew 28:16-20]

[Luke 24:

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