Q: [What is Christianity?]
A: Christianity is just another one of many religions. "They all teach
people to live a good life.”
“Christianity simply gives people a high standard of morals to try to follow.”
“Christianity means going to church occasionally and being good to your
neighbors.” Are any of these ideas about Christianity true? No! Though held by
many people, each of these thoughts is wrong. Christianity is not just one among
many religions. Nor does it simply call for a person to be good and attend
church. Christianity stands unique among all the world’s religious systems
because its founder, Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. He came to earth to reveal
God to us in human form.
This is true of no other religion. If someone walked up right now, as you’re
reading this article, and asked C. What exactly do Christians believe about
Jesus? First, Christians believe in Christmas. When Jesus was conceived by the
Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary’s womb and born nine months later, God Himself
entered human history.
Second, Christians believe in Good Friday. After three to four years of
ministering throughout Palestine, Jesus Christ told His disciples that He would
be arrested, convicted, and crucified on a Roman cross. Jesus willingly died to
bring people into a right relationship with God by paying the penalty for their
sins, granting them the promise of eternal life, making them part of God’s
family forever, and giving them free access to God through prayer.
Third, Christians believe in Easter. After three days in a tomb Jesus Christ
rose from the dead, appeared to His disciples repeatedly over a period of forty
days, then met together with hundreds of followers before ascending back to
heaven. According to a Newsweek cover story: “By any measure, the resurrection
of Jesus is the most radical of Christian doctrines. His teachings, His
compassion for others, even His martyr’s death—all find parallels in other
stories and religious traditions. But no other historical figure has ever
claimed to be God and risen from the dead.”
To truly experience Jesus Christ’s divinity, one has to believe what the apostle
Paul wrote: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...He was
buried...and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1
Corinthians 15:3-6a) and “There is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men” (1 Timothy
2:5-6a).