What is Christianity?
Christianity is – as the name suggests – all about Christ. There is a great deal of confusion about this these days. Many see Christianity as something less – either a worldview or philosophy, or a particular morality or code of ethics; even a set of values and traditions. Of course, Christianity has its own unique version of all of these things. But Christianity proper is something far greater.
Worst of all, many still understand Christianity as a religion whereby people might be able to win their way back into God’s good books – as if by following this religion faithfully and carefully we might impress God and win his favour.
The core of Christianity is in fact the loving rescue which Christ effected. Jesus came into this world as the very Son of God to die on the cross and rise again that we might be reconciled to God. Christianity is about salvation – the loving rescue of people who having turned their backs on God now stand estranged from him and will inevitably suffer the consequences for their rejection.
Many feel their estrangement and alienation from God but don’t know what causes it nor what can overcome it. How can I know God? How can I please him? Will he accept me? Jesus came as the fullest revelation of God himself. In his death, he reveals both the extent of the problem and God’s amazing solution.
Rather than being a series of hoops that you and I need to jump through, Christianity is in fact a message of good news about something which God himself has done. All that is wrong in the world at large and in our own personal lives, Jesus came to rescue us from.
Check out this link for Two Ways to Live that explains this well.
We believe in Jesus Christ
Faith is the critical human component in Christianity. If the claim is that in Christ God has acted to save us from our sins, we have only two options – to believe or disbelieve. Faith is really just another word for trust. Faith means taking God at his word and depending upon him.
Faith is only as good as its object. We sometimes beat ourselves up over our little faith or lack of faith. But the real power of faith comes from who our faith is in. All the faith in the world will come to nothing if it is misplaced – in fact it will only bring you to ruin. But the slightest faith in something or someone reliable, trustworthy and true will never let you down.
Of course, faith is not to be pitted against reason. It is not as if those who have faith must have thrown out the mind. Strong and sure faith is inevitably based on good evidence. But at the same time, faith deals not only in what can be seen, but beyond that into those things which cannot simply be proven and repeated. We take our beliefs very seriously. We want to do whatever we can to encourage people who share those beliefs. And we’d love to expose them for interaction with those who don’t.