Christian Basics

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 humans have all sinned (John 3:16).  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 - not even once.

     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 became a  man and did not sin throughout His lifetime, that He died on the cross and suffered and paid for each of the sins of everyone who has lived in the world.
  • There is much more that Christians believe but that is the basics of it. All Christians do not believe all the same things.  Some believe that certain passages in the Bible mean one thing and other Christians believe that they mean something else.  However, the basic belief of a Christian is the same around the world.
  •  What is meant by "Belonging to Christ"?

  •   This is a Christian term.  It means that the person is a servant of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is living in him.  Therefore he is a follower of Jesus.  If Jesus Christ lives in us, then we belong to Him, so instead of living our lives just to satisfy ourselves, we try to live our lives according to the way Jesus Christ lived His life and by the precepts He showed His disciples.
  •  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
  •  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.
  •   What is "sin"?      (more)

  •   Sin is the act of 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 (Matthew 5:27).  So that lays much more sin upon many of us.
  •  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
    .

     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 6:23)
  • The death that Paul is speaking about here is eternal separation from God – and there's only one place that will qualify – Hell. 
  • So the payment for sin is eternal separation from God – which is Hell;  but if we recognize what Jesus did for each of us, then we will receive the gift of eternal life.  Keep in mind that Hell is not a place where you would want to go.  It is eternal torment – with no way out.
  • When we commit a wrong against someone, it is not just against them - it is against God also.  The other person may not forgive us, but God will if we ask it of Him.
  •  What does it mean to be "saved"?      (more)

  •   If we die with our sins still to be paid for, (if we are 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 a persons sins are forgiven by God then the person is "saved".   They are saved from having to be cut off from God.  They are saved from having to pay the penalty for the sins that they committed.  They are saved from having to suffer the wrath of God – because when they are saved, they would go to heaven and be with God forever.

  • So - What must a person do to be saved?

     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.
  •  What is meant by Salvation?

  •   Salvation, in the Christian context, 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 & 8:36)

     What does it mean to "repent"?    (more)

  • To repent  means to change one's direction.  It's more than just feeling sorry or changing one's mind, but it's really a change in the motivation and direction of one's life.  To the Christian, it also means a turning away from sin and a turning to God. 
  • Yes.  Christians do need to repent. 
  • If we are heading in the wrong direction, then we need to change direction.  If we are continuing in a sinful lifestyle, then we need to repent or change our ways – change our direction.
  •  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.
  • 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 separate but they are no less than the other.  The 3 leaves are what make it a one clover.  Or moisture.  It comes in the form of water, ice and steam.  The 3 forms are different because they are different physically, but they are all the same in that they are all moisture.
  •  Who is God the Father?

  • He is one third of the Godhead we term "the trinity" (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost)).  We sometimes look at the Father as being over the Son.  Although this is the way it will be at the end after Jesus conquers death (I Corinthians 15:24-28), it is not the case now.  Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."  (John 10:30)
  •  Who is The Holy Spirit?  (God the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit)?

  • The Holy Spirit is one third 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.
  • 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. 
  •  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)
  • 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 3rd day He rose again – He defeated death, and then He ascended into Heaven. 
  • His death was allowed 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.
  •  What is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ is when He came back to life again after having been dead for 3 days.    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.

     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)

     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)
  • How do I get to Heaven?

    Jesus said that He is the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  (See John 14:6

    • This verse makes it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the way to heaven. He does not just show the way; He is the way.  Salvation is having faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who already paid the penalty for your sins.  Accept that Jesus Christ did this for you, and you have salvation. Christianity is Christ. The Lord Jesus is not just one of many ways. He is the only Way. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). The way to God is not by the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, ordinances, church membership - it is through Christ and Christ alone. Today many people and religions say that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. They say that all religions have some good in them and that they all lead to heaven at last. But Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." That means that there is no other way [to the father, who is in heaven], except through Jesus Christ.

     What must I do to be saved (from eternal damnation) and go to Heaven?

    • 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

     What Is Forgiveness     (more)

  • The act of pardoning somebody for a mistake or wrongdoing. 
  • Forgiveness is letting go of a desire for reprisal for, what we feel, is a wrong committed against us.
  • Why should I Forgive?
    Who Should I Forgive?
    What are the consequences of unforgiveness?
    How do I go about forgiving another person?
    How do I go about forgiving myself?
    Is it possible to forgive God?
    How do I know if I have forgiven the other person?

 

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