Christianity Defined

According to www.dictionary.com, these are the most common definitions of a Christian:


a) Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
b) Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
c) Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
d) Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
e) Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

a) relating to or characteristic of Christianity; "Christian rites" [syn: Christian] 2: following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ [ant: unchristian] n : a religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination [syn: Christian]
WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

a) the name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to the followers
of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were
known among themselves were "brethren," "the faithful," "elect," "saints,"
"believers." But as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name
"Christian" came into use, and was universally accepted. This name occurs but
three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary


So is this it? Is this all a Christian is? A follow of Christ and the teachings of Christ? Well, if you want the most basic definition of Christianity out there, then yes. But if you want the real answer, then no this isn't all there is.
Christianity emerged out of Judaism in 30 A.D with the death and resurrection of a Galalie Jew named Jesus of Nazareth. (For historical information on Jesus and Christianity, please visit the sister wiki The Proof) His disciples, as well as all whom He taught, were Jews under the rule of the Roman Empire. Judaism taught that there would be a time when a Messiah, a chosen one of God would come to deliver the Jewish nation, and through Israel, all the nations of the world. Jesus was later given the title Christ, which means Messiah or Chosen one. Christianity is not centered in the teachings of Jesus so much as His resurrection from the dead. As is well known in the Easter Story, Jesus was crusified on Good Friday and rose again three days later (There is discrepence amoung some whether it was the Sunday or the Monday. For the sake of Easter, it is mostly held to be the Monday, but from a historical prespective it was Sunday. That is why the Sabbath was changed for Christians from Saturday to Sunday, changing from the day when the Lord rested to the day the Lord rose. Also, in ancient days when people counted days the number of days included the same day. Ie. Friday to Sunday would be three days (Friday itself, Saturday and Sunday)), and it is that resurrection in which the Christian faith is rooted; that Jesus asserted His authority over death, rescuing us from death and bridging the gap between us and God.

Now, I know most people aren't up to snuff with Christianity 101 (you can go to Religion 101 for a more exact explanation), so I will give a quick breakdown of the religious history of both Judaism and Christianity;

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth"

Genesis 1:1. Pretty basic. God created everything; the universe, the planets and all life on those planets (trekkie here! I firmly believe in life on other planets and no, the Bible doesn't even hint at that; doesn't mean there is, doesn't mean there isn't! :p). God created all plant and animal life, last of all creating humans (again, this isn't the place for creation debate. If you wanna debate, go to The Proof) in His image. God created humans to commune with, people to share His love with and who could love Him back. Humanity was to be His caretakers of the world, cultivating the world and all the potentials both within the world and humanity (this is further discussed in the Worldview section). God only gave them one rule; not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Well, thanks to the serpent (aka. Satan, Lucifer, the Morning Star, you chose the name you prefer), Adam and Eve ate the fruit (Genesis 2-3:19). As a result, they were banished from Eden forever, their relationship with God was destroyed, as was their relationship with nature and each other (See Religion 101 for a complete explanation). Man and God can never again have the same fellowship they once did. The seed of Sin is now planted in every human being, and the effects can be seen right away in Adam and Eve's children; Cain and Abel. After Cain kills Abel (Genesis 4:5-8), his decendants continue in his path. But God didn't give up on humans; even after they fall into chaos in Noah's time, God saves Noah and his family in order to start fresh again (Genesis 6-9). But, once again humans rebel against God in buidling the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). This time God is ticked. Not only does He confuse their language, but He scatters them througout the world (Genesis 11), as He had once commanded them to do (see Religion 101 for more information). So, even though humans continue to screw up, God is patient with them and doesn't give up with them. From the beginning, He gives them hope and a promise for the future.
God then says; 'Alright, since not everyone is going to listen to me, I'll get just a small group of people and through them everyone else can come to know me' And that's just what he does with Abraham. From Abraham comes Israel, God's chosen people through which all other nations will be saved. Now, does that mean that God has give up on the rest of humanity? Nope! It just means that rather than focusing on the whole picture, He's gonna work on the the masterpiece bit by bit. So Israel is to be the priestnation, the ones through whom all nations are saved. And we see that in Jesus. Jesus comes directly from the line of David, who is a direct decendant of Abraham. Just as God promised Israel, He sent them the means through which all nations would be saved; His son Jesus, who was born as an Israelite, a Jew.

The entire foundational basic belief of Christianity can be summed up in this one verse;

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world he gave hsi only begotten Son, that whoever should believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condem the world, but to save the world through him"

So, what is a Christian? A Christian is someone who basis their beliefs, faith and life on love. A Christian is someone who believes that God loves humanity so much, that even though they continually rebel against and deny him, He still sent His son Jesus to us. It is only through the love and gift of the blood of Jesus, through God's gift of His Son, that one may be reconcilled with God. No matter the person, background, race, ethnicity, class, wealth, past (yes it is different from background), God still loves you. Only through accepting the gift of the blood of Jesus can a person be forgiven of their sins, be reconcilled with God and enter Heaven.

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"

Three words synonymous with Christianity are;
Forgiveness, Love and Hope

---

Continue to Religion 101

Back to What We Are