Christianity - What it means to me
What is Christianity? We may ask people what their religion is, and they may say they practice Christianity. They may say they are Catholic, Methodist, or some other denomination. What does this mean? Are they practicing Christianity? When I was younger, I didn’t know what any of these “religious” terms meant. Honestly, I’m still confused about the different denominations of Christianity, where they came from, their differences, their similarities, etc. I personally am a member of a Methodist church; however, I don’t’ consider myself a Methodist. I am simply a Christian, a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. Of course you would then say that I am practicing the religion of Christianity. While this is true in a sense, Christianity isn’t so much a religion to me. My pastor always likes to use the phrase, “It’s not about religion, and it’s about a relationship with Jesus Christ.” It took me a while, even after I started practicing Christianity, to truly think of my beliefs in that respect, and not so much as being religious.
So what is Christianity? The essential beliefs of Christianity are:
1)That there is one God in the form of three distinct persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, otherwise know as the Trinity. God is eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, righteous, holy and he loves us. God created the universe and all the living creatures in it.
2)The Bible is God’s Word. It the source of knowledge about God and is the guide for our lives.
3)Man is a physical and spiritual being who was created in God’s own image. Because of the sin of man, we have lost fellowship with God.
4)Jesus Christ, who was fully man as well as fully God, was sent to save us from our sins. We believe that Jesus was born to a virgin, died on a cross for our sins, and physically rose from the dead. We believe that one day he will return to this world and deliver his people.
5)We believe that the belief in Christ and accepting Him in our lives as our Savior is the only way to Heaven after death on this earth and to avoid eternal judgment and suffering in Hell.
6)We believe that the church is ordained by God and headed by Christ. The church is for all believers for worship, fellowship, spiritual growth, support, and to evangelize to the world the good news of Jesus Christ.
Christianity may sound very complicated, and well, “religious”, but it is so simple. You may say that you believe in God, and you may have actually learned about Jesus. Most all people know the general story of Jesus’ life. History books and other religions, such as Islam, speak of Jesus. Everyone acknowledges that he was a man that lived 2,000 years ago. But knowing about Jesus and believing that he was a real live person once isn’t enough to make you a believer. You have to believe all essential beliefs of Christianity listed above, and you have to want and desire to have a relationship with Him. We all go through difficult times in our lives–deaths of loved ones, addictions, depression, illnesses, lost jobs, failed marriages, the list goes on. How often during these times in our lives have we felt all alone? In fact, we aren’t alone. Jesus is always there waiting for us to reach out to Him. His greatest desire if for us to know Him. That is simply what Christianity is. Ask Jesus into your heart today.