Breakdown of Christianity as a whole

The TRUE meaning of Christianity According to BIBLICAL Truth

History…

We see the name “Christian” first pop up in the Book of Acts. And according to the written word of GOD, it was two Disciples (Barnabas and Saul) who were first called “Christians” in Antioch. (ACTS 11:26) Therefore, we can conclude that a Christian is a Disciple of JESUS CHRIST. Now, the question is: What is a Disciple? A Disciple can be described as “A follower,” and/or “Someone who receives and professes to receive doctrine and instruction from another.” Sound familiar? So, the second question we face is, who were these particular Disciples following and what doctrine were they teaching? The Disciples were followers of JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth. And the doctrine they were teaching to others was what they witnessed first-hand from JESUS, ALL that JESUS commanded them to do, and whatever else the Holy Spirit spoke through them or led them to do. But the prominent doctrine the Disciples taught was the forgiveness of sins, or as we commonly call it, the good news… THE GOSPEL: That this JESUS, whom they followed, is the Son of GOD, sent by The Father to FULFILL a Promise and to FULFILL PROPHECIES that were PROPHESIED for many years. JESUS was sent to be the Savior of Israel, but not just Israel, also the whole world. Though prophesied for many years, many refused to believe that JESUS was truly the Savior of Israel, nor did they believe that He was the Son of God, not even religious leaders who frequently read the prophets’ scriptures. So JESUS faced much persecution, which ultimately led to HIS crucifixion on the cross, even though He was not guilty of anything. JESUS, though tempted by the devil, was sinless. Meaning JESUS NEVER SINNED, HE was PERFECT. JESUS died but was raised up from the dead on the third day, triumphing over death and hell. Because JESUS lived a perfect life, death could not hold Him. JESUS defeated both sin and death, and Him who had the power of death, the Satan (COLOSSIANS 2:15; I JOHN 3:8; II CORINTHIANS 15:54; HEBREWS 2:14). JESUS was the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. He paid the price for ALL of our sins; past, present, and future, ONCE AND FOR ALL. Now through His blood, WHOEVER BELIEVES in HIM and what He did for us shall repent and be saved, and receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life (ROMANS 10:9). This is a summary of what the Disciples taught all the nations, everywhere they went.

So what is a “Christian”?

After JESUS was resurrected from the dead, He appeared unto His disciples and gave a commandment, “Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL THE NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS that I have commanded you…”(MATTHEW 28:19-20) Therefore, Christian is a Disciple of Jesus Christ. In other words, a Christian is a BELIEVER AND FOLLOWER of JESUS CHRIST. This also means that every Christian is called to be a Disciple. Meaning that we are called to tell people about JESUS who are not of the household of Faith, and bring them into a relationship with Jesus. We also must be examples of what we preach, the Word of God. We must be examples of what it looks like to walk with Jesus, so that others can see what it looks like to experience His peace that surpasses all understanding, His inexpressible joy, and all that He has promised to those who believe. (PHILIPPIANS 4:7; 1 PETER 1:7-9; JOHN 3:16)

Christians are not perfect, but JESUS was and is PERFECT FOR US. Being a Christian means we look to and follow a perfect being (JESUS) while also serving a GOOD GOD who is so rich in love, mercy, and grace that He sent His only begotten Son(JESUS) to die for our sins. As long as we are in these earthly vessels, we will not be perfect. However, as long as we are living here on this earth and as we continue to grow, we are being transformed from one degree of glory into the Glorious image of Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. (2 CORINTHIANS 3:18; ROMANS 8:29)

So… God is who we serve, and Jesus is who we follow in seeking to live the life He desires for us to live, with our Help and guidance, the Holy Spirit.

Our Beliefs…

We Believe in God The Father, Christ The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born through a Virgin, Mary (LUKE 1:26-38). He was sentenced by Pontius Pilate without condemnation and sent to be crucified on Calvary(LUKE 23:13-25). Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, triumphing over death and hell(LUKE 24:1-7; I CORINTHIAN 15:54-57). After He arose, Jesus was seen by eleven disciples and then by more than five hundred (I CORINTHIANS 15:5-6). Then He ascended into Heaven and now He sits on the right hand of God. We also believe that Jesus will descend again at the last day to judge the world(EPHESIANS 1:20). We believe in keeping the WHOLE law, that we may preserve our bodies wholly and acceptable unto the Lord (ROMANS 12:1). While also keeping in mind that we are not saved by our works, but by God’s Saving Grace which is revealed through what Jesus did for us (ROMANS 3:24; EPHESIANS 2:8).

The Importance of The Trinity…

This topic can seem complicated, especially to those who are new to Christianity. So, to start it off, let’s use an analogy.

We, as humans, have different components that make up our being. We have our mind, our body, and our spirit. These three components all have different functions, but work together to make up one being. This is because GOD made us in His image.

As Christians, we believe in the Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, who were all present during the creation of the world. Stay with me now… Genesis 1:1-2 reads, “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth… And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” In the gospel of JOHN 1:1-2, it reads “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” And when we look at GENESIS 1:26 it reads, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our LIKENESS…’”.

Therefore, we believe that GOD is ONE BEING, compartmentalized into three persons that share in divine essence and nature. For I JOHN 5:7 reads, “For there are three that bear witness in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” The Father has His own function, The Son(the Word) has His own function, and The Holy Spirit(Holy Ghost) has His own function. But they all work together and function as ONE, GOD. Just as our mind, body, and spirit work together to make up our individual earthly being.

And WE ARE NOT God, but we are made in His LIKENESS. And if something is said to be LIKE another, it is not the exact same but similar. To illustrate being made in the likeness of God, take this example: God has power over the ALL earth, and by making us in His image and likeness, He gave us power over every other living creature upon the earth. As it reads, “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”(GENESIS 1:26).

Make sense? Please let me know in the comments! Let’s talk about it….

Our inheritance as Christians (ROMANS 8:14-18)

When we become Christians, we are adopted into the Heavenly Kingdom Family. We become joint heirs with JESUS. This is a covenant relationship. JESUS made a promise with us before He ascended into the Heavens; that He went to “prepare a place for us, so that where He is, there we can also be.”(JOHN 14:2-3) But that only comes if we hold up our part of the covenant…

We are saved by Grace alone, so our salvation is a gift. But like any gift, we must accept it. We accept the gift of our salvation through our faith. What is Faith, you may ask? (Well, that’s a whole different blog post for another day, so stay tuned <3…) To keep it simple, Faith is belief in action. We cannot only say and act like we believe and follow Jesus among other believers. We must also keep the Faith among unbelievers, even if that means being talked about, because Jesus said there will be persecution. So, if you act like you are ashamed of Jesus and deny Him before men, then Jesus also will deny you before The Father in Heaven and be ashamed of you when He comes in His own Glory, His Father’s, and with the Holy Angels (MATTHEW 10:33; MARK 8:38 LUKE 9:26.) But if we endure to the end, we shall also reign with Him in Heaven (II TIMOTHY 2:12).

If we do our part here on earth, this is the inheritance we have as Christians and children of God: EVERLASTING LIFE WITH JESUS IN HEAVEN! Even though we are saved by Grace alone, we still must make the effort to uphold His commandments BECAUSE we are saved, not TO be saved. We still have a duty to bear our cross daily and REPENT(TURN FROM) all wickedness and unrighteousness. Christians are not perfect, but we are being conformed into the perfect image of Christ Jesus DAILY.

AFTERWORD

The coming Kingdom of the LORD is SURE. And “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 PETER 3:9 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to ALL men." Titus 2:11 Therefore, ALL MEN CAN BE SAVED, but all are not willing. But prayer changes things, and I can TESTIFY that it truly does. So if you are a Disciple of Christ, commonly known as a Christian, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (MATTHEW 26:41)

The LORD’S prayer is a powerful prayer that still works and covers all things - MATTHEW 6:9-13