This page is an outline of what Christians believe about God and Jesus, why they believe it, other teachings and how we should respond.
There are many different "brands" (denominations) of christianity, with three main groups: Orthodox (ancient Middle Eastern or central European churches), Roman Catholic and Protestant (many smaller and diverse denominations, including independent and house churches). This is summary of what would be common between most of the different denominations, plus my own assessment of what the scholars tell us about Jesus.
Christians believe there is one God, all-powerful, all-knowing and good, the creator of the universe and the source of all that is good. God is revealed in nature, in the Old Testament of the Bible, through people's experience of him, and supremely in the person Jesus of Nazareth, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us, but is opposed to wrong behaviour and will one day pass judgment on all people and all that is evil.
Jesus was a Jew who lived almost two millennia ago. Christians believe he was the son of God, God on earth as a human. The Christian belief in Jesus is based on the following (for more information, see Who was Jesus?):
Jesus as a figure of history
In most religions, the teaching is what is most important, and the messenger is secondary. But with Christianity, Jesus is in many respects the main message. Whether Jesus actually lived, and did and said the things recorded of him, is therefore an important question. Christians believe there is good historical evidence for the accounts in the New Testament (for a summary of what objective, expert historians conclude about Jesus, see Jesus in history).
The Kingdom of God
Jesus' main message was that, in him, God was invading history to set up his rule on earth (the Kingdom of God), to undo evil and put wrong things right. The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah (God's anointed king) to free them from bondage to other more powerful nations, so they were expecting a conquering Messiah, but Jesus had different ideas.
Jesus said God's kingdom was not external but within people, indicating he was addressing the needs of individuals, not the nation. God was not seeking to exercise power over us, but calling on people to voluntarily embrace his loving rule over them; Jesus was a "servant king".
Jesus taught that following religious rituals would not provide entry into the kingdom, for it is open to all who will accept it, and receive the offered forgiveness. And so Jesus urged people to recognise the urgency of the situation, choose to follow him in making a positive difference in the world, and start to live in a new way that he outlined.
Jesus' announcement of the coming of God's kingdom should have been really good news, for God's rule is good. Many people saw it that way, but many others, including the religious authorities, did not, and rejected Jesus. Christians believe it is still good news today.
Miracles
Miracles of healing, deliverance, and power over nature were an integral part of Jesus' mission. They are seen by Christians as a demonstration of God's rule and his compassion for hurting people. While some people say that miracles are contrary to science, and cannot happen (arguing they were only believed by superstitious people who didn't know science), Christians believe God, as creator of the universe, is quite capable of working miracles if he chooses to.
Jesus the teacher
Jesus is perhaps best known today as an innovative ethical teacher, but his teachings were not so much new as extensions of ideas in the Old Testament and contemporary Judaism. His teachings were all related to living in the kingdom of God. Some of his main emphases:
Death and life
After less than three years of public teaching, Jesus was executed for disturbing the religious status quo and offending the religious authorities by claiming to be God and forgiving people's sins. But Jesus had predicted his death and had said that his dying would be the means of opening up the kingdom and providing forgiveness - he had come, he said, "to give his life to redeem many people" (Mark 10:45). Although Christians have explained how his death achieves this in several ways, it remains somewhat of a mystery.
Jesus' followers were devastated by his execution, but three days later it all changed for them as they found his tomb empty and saw him alive - not as a ghost, but as someone who has conquered death and returned bodily to tell us. This motivated them to begin to spread the word about Jesus in Israel and then throughout the Roman empire.
Christians believe Jesus' death and resurrection are the centre of their faith, and of history.
After Jesus
After Jesus' death, christians believe that God led his followers to take the message beyond the Jewish nation to the known world. Believers, notably Paul, travelled all over the Roman empire with the message. Acting on Jesus' command to show God's love to all, they set up impressive welfare measures for the poor (not just christians, but everyone), such as food distribution, orphanages, hospitals and prison visiting. Early Christianity also emancipated women and protected women and children in a radical way for the time. Sociologist Rodney Stark credits these actions with leading to the massive growth in the church at that time.
Christians believe it is very important that each of us put our own agendas aside and get onside with God, through seeking forgiveness and following Jesus in faith. We can be part of God's kingdom, now and forever, simply by being willing.
Christians have different emphases in how to take this step, but most would involve expressing belief in Jesus, both to God and publically, asking God's forgiveness from previous wrong attitudes and actions, resolving to follow the way of Jesus, and perhaps being baptised as a sign of beginning a new life.
Believers are then part of a new community, with a whole new family of brothers and sisters, and a new way of living. They commit themselves to following his teachings, putting others before themselves and allowing God to change them and call the shots.
But believers don't go it alone. Jesus promised that God's Spirit (not just an influence, but as much God as Jesus was himself) would lead and empower his followers. He encouraged them to ask God to work on their behalf and believe that he will. They see the Bible as God's written revelation and the community of believers as support and encouragement.
It is unfortunately true that Christians haven't always lived up to these high aspirations. Human weakness, self interest, wrong thinking and the presence of ambitious non-believers in the church (when it was a powerful political organisation - a sad mistake) may be some of the causes of this.
Some other important teachings are found in the New Testament or developed since:
Is it reasonable to believe in Christianity, more reasonable that to believe anything else? Some Christians think it is unnecessary to argue this matter, but most Christians certainly think their belief is true, for the following reasons.
Most Christians, like other theists, believe that observation of the world around us points to the existence of God as the best explanation (for more on this, see Why believe?):
Jesus is the most important reason why Christians believe.
In more ways than one, the Christian faith stands or falls with Jesus. If you can believe Jesus told the truth as recorded in the New Testament, you can believe the rest. If you can't believe in him, then there is little remaining.
Most Christians also point to their experience of God as a reason they believe.
For the above reasons, Christians believe their faith is reasonable, and a better explanation of all the facts than any other.
While Christians are encouraged to "give the reason for their hope", they also believe that faith rests on more than reason alone. People respond to God's call, or not, also because of their attitude and willingness. The influence of God's Spirit is a factor. Each person has a choice and God respects that choice.
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