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In short, Christians worship and follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth because they believe Jesus to be God, Lord, and Savior. Christians adhere to the monotheistic religion known as Christianity, founded by and based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ according to sacred Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments. Christians testify that Jesus is God’s Son and humanity’s savior. His sacrifice on the cross paid for all the sins of mankind, and only faith in Him leads to eternal life. Historic Christian orthodoxy demonstrates these truths through the significant writings from the early Christian leaders down to present-day ministers of the Word.

Etymology of the word “Christian”

‘Christian’ literally means a “follower of Christ”. The name “Christ” comes from the Greek word “Kristos,” a title that means “anointed one.” Anointing serves as part of the rite of crowning a king or commissioning holy persons for service in ancient cultures, including the Hebrews. The Hebraic equivalent of Kristos, messiah conveys “Christ” as a title, much like how we might say “King Charles” or “President Lincoln.” The Christian belief surrounding the person of Jesus, namely his divinity, as the Son of God, separates Jesus among other “christs” or anointed ones throughout history. Instead, He is the Christ, the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Thus, the title of Christ emerged as the proper name to refer to Jesus of Nazareth, such that one can say “Christ” to refer to Jesus.

The suffix –ian is a typical English suffix indicating that the name derives from the subject of its stem. Much like how an Aristotelian philosopher follows closely and mainly agrees with Aristotle, Christians then have this in mind when they refer to themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. This carries with it the implication that Christians believe Jesus is more than a good and holy man, teacher, philosopher, sage, or religious and political reformer. Christians worship Jesus as God’s incarnate Word and Son, the root of His authority and worthiness.

The History of ‘Christian’

Today’s term “Christian” carries a somewhat complex meaning. The dictionary defines a Christian as “One who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.” However, many Christians find this insufficient, as ongoing debates continue regarding whom the term applies to most authentically. As this next section demonstrates, the notion of ‘Christian’ developed over time as Christianity underwent expansion and division.

The “Proto-Christians”

Sufficient Biblical evidence argues that Christianity began in the year leading up to Christ’s birth through the persons and characters demonstrated by Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah. These faithful Jews received the messages of the Archangel Gabriel announcing Mary as the Mother of the Messiah, the Son of God, according to the prophecies of the Jewish scriptures. The unusual circumstances of Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit of the child Jesus affirms these beliefs. Their numbers slowly rose through the witness of the shepherds, the three wise magi, Simeon the priest, Anna the prophetess, and the like.

The People of the Way

Jesus and his earliest followers followed Judaism. Jesus proclaimed that He did not come to abolish the law and the prophets at the heart of the Jewish faith but to fulfill them (cf. Matthew 5:17). Christianity has its lineage in the Jewish faith and shares several commonalities. The Jewish scriptures constitute the first part of the Christian scriptures, which Christians now call the Old Testament. This common heritage means that Christians essentially share the same understanding of God, God’s providence, prayer, and the inspired teachings of God as handed down, mainly through the Mosaic law of the Ten Commandments.

The Use of ‘Christian’ in Roman Historical Writings

The term “Christian” appeared outside the Bible around the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century AD in Jewish and secular Roman contexts. The earliest reference in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews relates an abbreviated account of the Gospel narrative of the life and death of Jesus, concluding that “the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day” (18.3.3). While some scholars question the authenticity of this passage (Olson, “Eusebius”; Wallace-Hadrill, “Eusebius”), most believe it preserves an original usage of the term “Christian.”

Pliny the Younger

Around 112 AD, the Roman Governor of Bithynia-Pontus, Pliny the Younger, wrote to Emperor Trajan regarding the treatment of Christians in his jurisdiction (Letters X). He offered insights into early Christian practices and expressed confusion over Christian identity concerning their Roman citizenship and the delivery of punishments. On the one hand, Christians worship God, who is distinctly not the Emperor, otherwise living as good Roman citizens; on the other, they engage in culturally defined scandalous rituals, but in private. Pliny’s primary question is whether bearing the epithet “Christian” is grounds enough for legal condemnation. Trajan responds to Pliny with the advice to do justice where necessary but not pursue the Christians.

Tacitus

Two other early usage examples of the term are notable for their age and textual discrepancies. The Roman historian Tacitus uses the term “Chrestians” in his Annals (ca.116 AD) during his account surrounding the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. He notes how they received blame and torture for the fire in Rome, suffering similar fates as “Chrestus,” from whom the name had its origin” (15.44). Interestingly, the misspelling may refer to “Christians” and “Christus” (Andresen, Wochenschrift, 780). Scholarly consensus states that both spellings were in use at the time and considered acceptable.

Suetonius

Second, Roman historian Suetonius remarks on Christians in his work Lives of the Twelve Caesars, composed around 121 AD during Emperor Hadrian’s reign. Like Tacitus, he also commented on Nero’s persecution of Christians following the fire (Nero 16), but he also mentioned religious agitation in Rome during the reign of Claudius (Claudius 25). This unrest, over “disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,” led to the displacement of the Jews from Rome and the event Luke referenced in Acts 18:2. Scholarly consensus agrees that Christianity must be in Suetonius’ purview, regardless of the spelling (Van Voorst, Jesus, 31–32).

These secular accounts of Christianity’s early existence indicate that while Christian self-identity was reasonably stable about and in distinction from Judaism, the Romans could not make such distinctions.

Yeshua: A Different Kind of Rabbi

‘Rabbi’ is the Jewish word for a religious master and teacher. In Jesus’ time, it was common for there to be teachers of the Law. People might ask to live with and learn from rabbis to develop into good followers of the Law of God. The rabbi’s house would double as a “boarding school,” whereby closeness between the rabbi and disciples would facilitate learning the lifestyle. Jesus, however, differed in several key ways.

Through scripture, we know that Jesus was an itinerant rabbi. In reverse of the norm, He often stayed in disciples’ houses in the cities and towns He visited. Jesus did not personally own a home or property. He only carried money that was shared between the core group of the twelve disciples. Despite not owning anything himself, he maintained the status of a good citizen by paying taxes and obeying the laws of the land.

The last notable difference was Jesus’ acceptance of women as disciples. While the closest disciples of Jesus, the Twelve, were men and became leaders of the community after Jesus ascended into heaven, it was clear that there were women included among the disciples. Rabbis typically only took on male disciples, so this was unusual and perhaps even unheard of at the time. Women usually went to the temple to learn the ways of Jewish women. Some women disciples included Mary of Magdala, Martha, and Mary, the wife of Cleopas, among others.

Christianity as the New Israel

For Christians, Jesus fulfilled God’s promises and was their authoritative interpreter of the law. After Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven, the disciples of Jesus distinguished themselves from other sects of Judaism by referring to themselves as followers of “the way” (cf. Acts 9:2). In doing so, Paul affirms one of Jesus’ self-given titles, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). He also shows that their way of life was distinct from those of temple Jews of which Paul was formerly a part.

It was after conflict with other Jews who did not believe that Jesus was Christ and the acceptance of Gentiles (non-Jews) as followers of Jesus that Christianity began to define itself separately from Judaism. Scripture records the first use of the term “Christian” at the ancient Church of Antioch shortly following its establishment (Acts 11:26). It would not be until the second century A.D. when the term ‘Christian’ was conventionally and commonly used.

Early Christians

Between the time of Christ and the 200s, Christianity and the early church spread throughout the Mediterranean through the apostolic activity of the Twelve and their successors. Though their members included people of many nations and languages, they understood themselves to be a single Church. To help avoid confusion among all members concerning what they believed concerning God, their practices, and themselves as a Church, they developed a creed or symbol of the Christian faith.

The creed served as an identification and defining summary of faith among Christians. While the initiation rituals, principally baptism, formally made a person a Christian church member, maintaining such an identity carried with it an obligation. Genuine Christianity meant to believe certain doctrines and live a certain way. In other words, unless Christians generally accepted the principles enumerated in the creed, they were in danger of being a Christian “in name only,” as we might say today, meaning that one is not a faithful Christian. Part of the earlier Apostle’s Creed includes the line to believe “in the Holy Catholic Church.”

Carefully identifying Christians was critical in the Church’s first three centuries. As Christianity spread within and beyond the Roman Empire, widespread hostility existed against Christians. Until the Edict of Milan in 313 granted freedom of religious expression, most Christians operated and evangelized “underground,” both literally and figuratively, to try to avoid detection and spies.

The Patristic Era Christians

Following the Edict of Milan, Christianity spread throughout Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Russia. Church government came under the leadership of the apostles’ successors, called bishops. The Christian Church, though strained by the diversity of people of many different languages and cultural-linguistic paradigms, considered itself to be a single Church for the next seven hundred years. However, the strain would prove too great, resulting in the Great Schism in 1054.

Eastern and Western Christians

Before 1054, there were no denominations of Christians since they were all considered members of what the Nicene Creed calls “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” The two significant cultures composing the Church were the Latin-speaking Western and Greek-speaking Eastern parts. Because of specific semantic differences in their use of language and the concepts to which they referred, there came about some deep theological conflicts between the Christians of the East and Christians of the West, particularly concerning understanding the nature of God as a Trinity. This became known as the filioque dispute.

The Filioque Dispute

Filioque in Latin means “and from the Son.” In the creed, as the Church was working out what it means to “believe in the Holy Spirit,” the Eastern and Western churches came to an impasse. The Western church wanted the creed to say the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” The Eastern church, however, wanted to exclude the filioque and say the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father. The exact details of the dispute are beyond the scope of this article.

Since the sides could not reconcile their understandings of the relationship between the persons of the Trinity and the Divine essence, the Church split more or less along the cultural-linguistic lines. The split, or schism, divided Eastern, Greek-speaking Christians, and Western, Latin-speaking Christians. The Western Christians came to call themselves the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Christians called themselves the Eastern Orthodox Church. To modern ears, this may sound like theological “hair-splitting.”

Church or Churches?

The Great Schism happened because the split involved the highest authorities in the Church. Neither side had the authority to deny the authenticity of the other’s Christianity. Further, they largely believed many of the same things. Christians in the West claimed Peter to be the leader of all the disciples of Christ after Jesus and, thus, Peter’s successor to be the leader of the entire Church. The Orthodox Church, however, did not see authority over the church in the same way.

While history often points out the filioque dispute as the reason for the schism, several significant issues that the Medieval Church had as it continued to grow contributed to the divide. These issues included the failure to communicate well among its members and bishops, the questions of authority and structure within the Church, and the relationship between the formulae of faith and the understanding of them proper to Christianity from within different cultures, languages, and philosophical outlooks. Despite the existence of the two distinct religious communities, everyone regards both as Christian, and this largely continues today.

Protestant/Reformation Christians

The Minor Schism

The Roman Catholic Church carried on the Christian tradition in the West until Martin Luther’s act of nailing his 95 theses to the doors of his church on October 31, 1517, which served as the catalyst for the Reformation. Europe faced much strife at the time due to difficulties navigating the relationship between Church and state, fighting the crusades, managing the implications of discovering the Americas, and answering new questions brought about by revolutionary philosophical and scientific paradigm shifts. Again, the Roman Catholic Church had to face questions of authority, although under a different set of parameters.

The Question of Authority: Faith and Morals

The Church declared that it had teaching authority and competence over questions related to faith and morals. This was in response to Enlightenment-era developments when sciences and disciplines began separating themselves from faith. The Church conceded that it did not have the authority to declare certain scientific, philosophical, or mathematical doctrines as true or false except insofar as they have implications for the truths of Christianity. For example, it was not for the Church to say whether the sun or the earth was the center of the universe. However, the Church could deny that the universe is eternal or without a creator, as some scientists wanted to claim.

Fractalized Christianity

The concession, however, did not appease the spirit of reformation and independence that swept across Europe, leading to the Protestant Reformation. The Church of England separated from the Catholic Church, with its reigning monarch doubling as its head beginning with King Henry VIII. Figures like Martin Luther led Protestant Christians across the rest of Western Europe in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and Jean (John) Calvin in France. The Roman Catholic Church considered this a lesser schism because of the bishops’ non-involvement. The Church considered them heretical since they denied several central teachings such as that of the sacraments in general and the Eucharist in particular, the papacy and Church hierarchy, certain aspects of the canon of scripture, the communion of saints, predestination, icons, and sacramentals, and various doctrines of grace and the forgiveness of sins.

Christians Today

The Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestant or Reformed Christianity more or less make up the major categories of Christianity. There are too many subdivisions and separations within these major denominations to go into any significant detail. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single Christian denomination in the world. They commune with 22 other denominations or what it officially calls liturgical rites, a single Church united under the pope and adherence to canon law.

Following the Great Schism, Eastern Orthodoxy underwent several schisms with some branches rejoining the communion of the Western Church. The Orthodox Church is split into denominations such as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and various Slavik and Armenian communities.

Protestant and Reformed Christians split into thousands of denominations and communities. Some of the larger ones are Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Adventists. These groups have various interpretations of Jesus’ teachings and the role and structure of the Church. Still, they all generally believe in Jesus’ divinity and offer of salvation.

Questionable Christians

Two particular religions, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) and the Mormon Church, have their relation to Christianity debated based on their beliefs about Christ and the sources of their scriptures.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Jehovah’s Witness, following the interpretations of scripture by Charles Taze Russell, do not believe Jesus or the Holy Spirit to be divine. In other words, they deny widely held central Christian doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation (the belief that God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ). Sticking strictly to the words of scripture, they deny various traditional Christian celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. The only ritual observance that JWs recognize is Jesus’ memorial of the Last Supper. In sum, they see Jesus as the greatest of God’s creatures who came to share God’s message with us. They believe Jesus was sent by God and his teachings are to be obeyed and taught, but Jesus himself is not the object of worship. That is reserved for God, the Father alone in their view.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Most Christians consider Mormonism, the religion of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, to be a cult, given its dubious sources and origins. Its founder, Joseph Smith, claims that the golden tablets he found tell stories that run parallel to the Old and New Testaments (otherwise known as the Bible) and serve as an additional set of scriptures to guide the faithful. Among them are stories such as that while Jesus was performing his public ministry in ancient Israel two thousand years ago, He was somehow also present in the Americas and performing a public ministry there.

Although transcribed and published as alleged scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon, the original script was in “Reformed Egyptian,” which he alone could translate under the inspiration of the angel, Moroni. To date, no historical evidence of Reformed Egyptian has been found. Further, Moroni allegedly guards the tablets by supernatural means so that they remain inaccessible to anyone else. In addition to secretive additional scriptures, Mormon Christianity falls into disrepute because they reject the doctrine of the Trinity and much of the Early Church creeds and dogmas.

Central Christian Beliefs

The Christian Creed

The essential and central Christian doctrines are widely agreed to be those as indicated in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, formulated in 381 A.D., and reads as follows:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

The essential and central Christian doctrines are those of the Trinity, Jesus’ incarnation, death and resurrection, salvation, the inspired nature of scripture, the unity of the Church, the efficacy and necessity of Baptism, and general resurrection.

God as Trinity

Christianity is founded on believing in one true God, the creator of the universe and all living things. Christians believe God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good, and is present in all things. This God is identical to the God spoken of in the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures—the God of Jesus Christ is the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the “Most High God”; the God of Moses, Aaron, and the prophets.

Christians also believe that Jesus Christ revealed God as a Trinity (cf. Matthew 3:13-17 and Matthew 28:19), which includes God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. These three within the Godhead are of one essence but are distinct persons. The traditional catechetical formula (known as the scutum fidei or “shield of faith”) is that there is only one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each coeternal and coequal. The Father is God as the Son is God as the Holy Spirit is God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father.

This was codified at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD in the Nicene Creed. This council and others defined the parameters of Christian doctrines, including the identification of the canon (the received list of texts accepted by the Church discerned to have been inspired by God and, thus, constituting God’s word) in the Christian Bible.

Who/What is Jesus? Incarnation and Hypostatic Union

Another central teaching of Christianity is the incarnation and the hypostatic union in theological circles. It is the belief that the divine second person of the Trinity, the Son, became a human being in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and so is fully human, but He is the Son of God and so fully divine. The formula of faith in the hypostatic union is that in Jesus, there are two complete natures, human and divine, united in the one divine person of the Son. Hence, Jesus Christ is truly God and fully man.

The Gospel of the Paschal Mystery

The Paschal Mystery articulates one of the earliest Christian proclamations. The word “Paschal” comes from “Pesch,” which means ‘Passover’ (further evidence of the Jewish influence and source of Christianity). It refers to the fundamental Christian belief that through Jesus Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, God saves humanity from sin and eternal death. The prophet Isaiah foreshadows this doctrine in the songs of the suffering servant: “By [whose] stripes we are healed” (see Isaiah 53:5, for example). John’s gospel famously spells out the plan of salvation in 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” This brings about the traditional title of Christ as Savior.

The doctrine of the incarnation and hypostatic union is rooted in this plan of salvation. As St. Athanasius taught, man’s sin posed something of a “Divine Dilemma.” Only God had the power to save humanity, but God’s justice required man to satisfy the broken covenant, make reparation, and reconcile with God. The incarnation solves this dilemma. Jesus, in His divinity, has the power to save, AND, as the fully human “son of man,” he properly satisfies God’s justice by suffering death on the cross as a human being. Christians will differ in the exact role Jesus’ death assumes in fulfilling God’s justice. Is it a sacrifice of atonement, a substitution, a punishment, or all of the above? Up to this point, all Christians more or less agree that Jesus’ death is the solution to the problem posed by human sin.

The Assembly of Christ’s Disciples Through Baptism

Lastly, Christian denominations largely disagree on the nature of the Church, its hierarchy, the “dynamics” of grace, and the true nature of worship, but all Christians will agree that Baptism is a critical moment and rite in the life of a Christian. It consists of a sinner’s “washing of rebirth” to become “a new creation.” In baptism, the baptized formally becomes an actual Christian, marking them as Christ’s own. Christ Himself underwent baptism at the hands of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17, among others) and then, before ascending into heaven, instructed His disciples to “[baptize all nations] in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

For Christians, their baptism has some implications that do not apply to Christ. Christ received baptism as a sign of divine affirmation of His Sonship. For everyone else, baptism carries with it the added effect of being an act of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. By accepting and receiving baptism, one implicitly professes faith in Christ and enters into the covenantal promise to live the Christian way of life, turning away from the former life of sin, which would end in spiritual death. Followers of Christ, therefore, take seriously following Christ in baptism, spreading His teachings, and aiding the Church in its mission to baptize others. Again, denominations differ in understanding the meaning of baptism and how it is carried out. It is widely agreed, however, that baptism is an important marker for identifying a Christian.

Scripture

Another critical aspect of Christianity and a mark of a faithful Christian is the belief in the Bible as the inspired word of God. The Bible contains two distinct parts: The Old and New Testaments. Christians differ in what texts form the canon of scripture, that is, the official list of texts considered authentically inspired by God and, thus, divinely revelatory. This is important since sacred scripture is at the root of Christian belief. A different canon will ultimately result in differences in doctrines.

The Old Testament

What religiously Jewish people call the Hebrew Scriptures, Christians call the Old Testament or Old Covenant. It recounts man’s experiences of God from creation to the third Babylonian exile of the Hebrew people. Certain Orthodox Christians hold that there are 51 books, Catholics hold there are 46, and Reformed/Protestant Christians say that there are 39. In addition to all texts of the Protestant canon, the Roman canon includes the Maccabean texts 1 and 2, Tobit, Baruch, Esther, Sirach, and Judith. The Orthodox consists of all these, plus 3 and 4 Maccabees, Esdras 1 and 2, Prayer of Manasseh, and a few additional texts and chapters to shared books like Daniel and Psalms.

The New Testament

The New Testament is a continuation of the story of God’s plan of salvation reaching its climax and fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. It contains the origins, life, and teachings of Jesus and the writings of apostles that illuminate the significance of Jesus and how to live, individually and corporately, as followers of Jesus Christ. Christians believe the entire Bible is authoritative on matters of faith and practice. They also think it contains revelations of God’s will and plans for humanity.

Christian Answers To “Who is Jesus?”

Christians are largely defined by what they believe about Jesus. These beliefs, in turn, are formed by the titles used to refer to Jesus in scripture. The gospel of John makes clear from the beginning that Jesus is God’s Word, who is also God (cf. John 1). Then, Throughout the Gospel, Jesus describes himself through a series of “I AM” statements. These indicate that Jesus is applying the same name to Himself as the God who spoke to Moses in the Burning bush (Exodus 3:13-14).

Truly God

Throughout the other gospels, Jesus says and does things to indicate His divine identity. For example, he forgives people for their sins. This is scandalous to the Jewish leaders of the temple because it was clear to them that only God can forgive sins. Leaving gospel readers with a critical judgment: either Jesus is God or a blasphemer.

C.S. Lewis famously wrote in his book Mere Christianity, “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not devise any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” (end of Chapter 3). A Christian believes that He is the Lord and God (John 20:28).

Truly Man

Jesus also goes to lengths to reveal his authentic humanity by being born of the woman, Mary, referring to Himself as the “son of man,” and, even in His resurrected state, eating fish to demonstrate that he was not a mere ghost or fleshless apparition (Luke 24:42-43). It is evident in the scriptures that, at least in superficial appearance, He was completely human. Authentic Christian speech about Jesus in its myriad forms reflects the core belief in Jesus as the Most High God of Israel and the fully human Son of David as foretold by scriptures, the Messiah and Son of God (see Matthew 16:16).

The Christian Practice of Love

In addition to orthodoxy defined by church tradition and councils, Christianity also emphasizes orthopraxy. Orthopraxy strongly emphasizes the importance of love, compassion, and service to others. The Christian call emphasizes following  Jesus’ example and obeying his command to love each other as he has loved them.

A startling deviation from Jesus in His Last Supper discourses should make Christians pay attention to the fact He says, “I give you a new commandment,” wherein he goes on to say, “Love one another. As I have loved you so you should love one another” (John 13:34). This seems to be an elaboration or even a “pushing” of the greatest commandment to love God and love their neighbors as themselves as expressed through acts of charity and service, such as helping the impoverished, the sick, and the marginalized. The Christian understanding of love differs from its Jewish root since Christ calls Christians to a self-sacrificial love emulating Him. Such practice aims to foster an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus, seeking identity with Him, which spills over into life-giving love for fellow Christians and non-believers alike.

Community Aspect of Christianity

In addition to personal faith and practice, Christianity has a communal aspect. Believers gather in churches for worship, fellowship, and to share teachings and guidance. The Church is a source of support and encouragement for believers and is vital in spreading the gospel. Christians dispute the meaning of good works concerning faith and the salvation of their souls, but it is clear that the fruit of authentic faith in Jesus is good works that naturally flow from it as light and heat flow from fire. With Christ breaking ground through the Paschal Mystery, Christians ultimately strive to show the kingdom of God throughout the world.

Christianity’s many practices and rituals include individual and communal prayer, worship, and the celebration of sacraments such as communion, baptism, and Christian marriage. Christians also observe various holy days and festivals. The two principal feasts that most Christians celebrate are Christmas and Easter.

In Summary

A Christian believes and follows the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible, professing and confessing the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and eternal life with Jesus. The Christian Faith embraces truths about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit according to the Bible. Beliefs generally include the deity of Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection, and the triune nature of God. Additionally, Christians believe in God’s benevolence, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Christians gather with other like-minded believers in a myriad of cultural contexts and trust in the Bible as a guide for eternal life.

FAQ: Understanding Christianity

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