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Religion remains a significant part of the life of people around the world, despite atheism’s growth in popularity over the past decades. Christianity is a religion that is espoused by more than a billion people. As a result, there are numerous Christian denominations, the key beliefs of which often vary. Every person chooses their religion and denomination based on the worldview they adhere to; therefore, it is essential to have a complete understanding of one’s religion’s key doctrines. In my view, the core beliefs of Christianity include the idea that there is one God and he is the creator, that Jesus is the Savior, that God can redeem, and that Jesus will return.
God is the central figure of Christianity and thus plays a major role in the spiritual and physical life of every person. Essentially, Christians believe that there is only one God, which means that their religion is monotheistic (Myers & Noebel, 2015). As it is stated in the Bible, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (New International Version, James 2:19). As a result, people who espouse the Christian faith cannot simultaneously believe in multiple gods. At the same time, it is important to note that God, according to the Christian tradition, has three coeternal and coequal divine persons (Warkentin & Sawatsky, 2018). Specifically, there are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Such a phenomenon is called Trinity, and it constitutes one of the key doctrines for the majority of Christians. Finally, in Christianity, God is also considered the only creator who was solely responsible for the creation of the world, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (New International Version, Genesis 1:1). Thus, the first Christian belief is that there is only one God who is simultaneously the creator and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Another key Christian postulate is that Jesus is the Savior. In other words, Christians believe that Jesus willingly gave up his own life in order to save people from their sins. In fact, the name of Jesus itself points to the claim that he rescued people. Jehoshua is the Hebrew version of the name Jesus, and it has the meaning “Jehovah saves.” Thus, Jesus hung on the cross and died to bring salvation from sins and wrath. The idea of Jesus being the Savior stems from the belief that God does not tolerate sinners. At the same time, God was ready to accept the sacrifice of his own son as a replacement for the punishment of people (Myers & Noebel, 2015). Additionally, it is essential to remember that Jesus is the only Savior, which means that there cannot be another person able to sacrifice themselves for everyone’s salvation. As stated in the Bible, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (New International Version, 1 John 1:7). Therefore, the recognition of Jesus as the Savior is the second basic belief in Christianity.
The third concept which is characteristic of Christianity is the idea that God can redeem. Essentially, Christians believe that God can deliver them from their sins (Myers & Noebel, 2015). The need for redemption arises from the fact that people are sinful and they frequently violate God’s laws. All people sin, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (New International Version, 1 John 1:8). In other words, in Christianity, people who state that they do not sin actually lie in the eyes of God. The correct behavior which is expected from every Christian is being able to confess to their sins and ask for atonement. At the same time, as mentioned above, Jesus has already saved all people from sin through his blood, therefore, they do not need to commit any sacrifices themselves to gain redemption. Instead, people need to trust in the sacrifice of Jesus and repent of their sins, thus, they will be able to seek salvation from damnation.
Finally, one of the core beliefs of Christians is that Jesus will return during the second coming. Specifically, Jesus will be resurrected, and those people who died in Christ will have their souls united with a body. All Christians who will be alive at the time of the second coming will not die and will be changed to be like Christ (Brown & Feener, 2017). The expectation of such events is the key motivation for all Christians to maintain a holy living, and it is a source of comfort. At the same time, no one knows the time when Jesus will return. “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (New International Version, Matthew 24:44). Thus, the return of Jesus constitutes another essential belief of Christians.
Every religion relies on a set of beliefs, and in the case of Christianity, these are monotheism, Jesus as the Savior, God’s redemption, and the second coming. Essentially, Christians believe in one God who is also the sole creator of the world. Additionally, God can redeem people despite their sins because Jesus sacrificed his life for them. Christians also believe that the second coming will take place at some point in the future.
References
Brown, B. & Feener, M. (2017). Configuring Catholicism in the anthropology of Christianity. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 28(2), 139–151.
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. (2015). Understanding the times: A survey of competing worldview (5th ed.). David C Cook.
New International Version. (2011). Biblica. Web.
Warkentin, B. & Sawatsky, A. (2018). Points of discourse: Reconciling Christianity and social work through critical theory. Social Work, 45(2), 57–67.
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