Christianity 101 Topics

1. Faith in Jesus Christ

2. Love of God

3. Love Your Neighbor

4. Repentance and Forgiving Others

5. 10 Commandments

6. Lord's Prayer

7. Obedience

8. Sharing the Gospel

Faith in Jesus Christ

Faith in Jesus Christ is the most important aspect of Christianity. Jesus Christ is the backbone of Christianity and one of the defining factors that separates Christianity from other religions. John 3:16 notes "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God sent his son as a sacrificial lamb to forgive humanity's sins. The Bible provides many verses that speak for themselves regarding the importance of believing in Jesus.

Close to Jesus's death, the 12 disciples were concerned with the future and were looking for guidance and reassurance from Jesus. Thomas (one of the disciples) asked Jesus for guidance and Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6. After Jesus's death, the disciple Paul wrote "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9. Lastly, Jesus declared himself as the Lord in John 10:30 by stating "I and the Father are one."

Love God

Believing in God and having faith in Jesus are interconnected. To reinforce this, a collection of verses highlighting the significance of loving God will be presented instead of an extensive analysis of the topic.

• "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5

• "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'" - Matthew 22:37

• "We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

1 John 4:19 offers Christians a compelling reason to express their love for God. Not only did God create us, but He also extends His love to all His creations.

Love Your Neighbor

The Pharisees frequently challenged Jesus with devious inquiries. On one occasion, a Pharisee asked Jesus the following: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:36-40.

The excerpt above reinforces the importance of loving God, while also showing how important it is to love others. It is likely that you have heard the term "love thy neighbor" which is the King James Version translation of Matthew 22:39. Other references to loving others can be found in John 13:34, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 4:11, Proverbs 10:12, and more.

Repentance

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Forgiving Others

Repentance or the action of repenting simply means to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to God. Typically, repentance is used when a Christian has committed a specific sinful action and prays to God or Jesus for forgiveness.

At the beginning of Matthew chapter 4, Jesus was tested in the Wilderness by Satan. On Matthew 4:17, after casting Satan away the Bible exclaims "From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. This verse marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry and a call for people to turn from their sins and follow God.

Why is repentance necessary for Christians if Jesus' sacrifice has already forgiven their sins and saved them? The act of Jesus' sacrifice did not abolish the requirement for repentance. Hebrews 10:12-14 states "But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." This passage is important because Jewish tradition often required a sacrifice to be free of sin, but God gave us Jesus as the final sacrifice. Additionally, the apostle Paul in Romans 2:4 wrote "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome regarding judging others while humans are all hypocrites. Paul then describes how God love is intended to lead you to repent, thus showing the requirement for repentance. The requirement for repentance is seen throughout the New Testament but I will discuss this topic more in depth in the "Questions" tab.

Leviticus 19:18 is an early Old Testament example of the importance of forgiving others. "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." - Leviticus 19:18. Mark 11:25 in the New Testament states "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Finally, "'In your anger do not sin'. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." - Ephesians 4:26-27. These lines of scripture, and many more, are extremely clear about forgiveness. I added Ephesians 4:26-27 because it highlights the significance of forgiving others. By not forgiving those who have wronged us, we allow negativity and bitterness to take root in our hearts. This not only affects our relationships with others but also our relationship with God. These verses serve as a reminder of the importance of letting go of grudges and embracing forgiveness, allowing us to live a more fulfilling and harmonious life, both with others and with God.

10 Commandments

With Jesus's death and resurrection, came a new covenant. Although the 10 Commandments are in the Old Testament, Christians still follow the 1o Commandments. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus stated, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them".

The 10 Commandments appear in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall make no idols.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet.

Lord's Prayer

Before the time of Jesus, the Jewish community, particularly the Pharisees, were perceived or believed themselves to be highly virtuous due to their loud and showy prayers. Jesus told the 12 apostles that it is better to pray alone and "do not keep babbling like pagans" because God will reward those that do. There are many versions or translations of the Bible and many translations of the Lord's prayer. Although I mostly use the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible I prefer the New Matthew Bible translation but all versions have the same meaning. Ultimately, choose the translation that encourages you to pray more. Here is the excerpt from Matthew 6:9-13:

Pray therefore in this manner:

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

I won't describe each like because some are fairly evident but I will provide some explanation. Firstly, "hallowed" or to hallow means praise or to praise something, so you are praising God's name. "Forgiveness of our trespasses" establishes, again, the importance of repentance for your sins, while "forgive them that trespass against us" establishes, again, the importance of forgiving others for their sins against you. Most other versions of the Bible translate "trespasses" to "debts" but I like this version because in the current culture debts are more commonly referred to as financial debts, while trespasses are more all encompassing. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" is asking God to help us be strong in our fight against sin and lead us away from temptation. Lastly, "Amen" simply means "I believe".

While Jesus gave us the perfect prayer, it should not simply be repeated, just to say it. If you see yourself saying this prayer and going through the motions, take time to reflect on what the prayer means. To help with this I will often add short parts to the prayer. For example, sometimes when I say "Hallowed be thy name" I will say "Praise you", when I say "trespasses" I may think of my sins, or when I say "Amen" I will also say "I believe".

Obedience

Obedience is a vastly important concept in the Bible and somewhat controversial within the Christian community. Jesus, in John 14:15, says "If you love me, keep my commands." In Acts 5:29 it is noted "But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men." Now that I have established the importance of Obedience to God's commands, I will dive into the controversy or difficulty Christians face.

There are many different Christian denominations and translations and even within each denomination there may be disagreements on how to practice the Bible. One common pitfall Christians face, is "reading themselves into the Bible." This means that they impose their own preconceived ideas or biases onto the text, rather than allowing the true meaning of the scriptures to guide their beliefs and actions.

This has occurred repeatedly in history, but more recently, Churches have made efforts to be more welcoming and attract a wider audience. However, this approach has often resulted in a departure from scriptural teachings. While the Church should be compassionate, gracious, and accept all individuals, regardless of their past sin, deviating from scripture is not the solution.

Sharing the Gospel

Discipleship in Christianity is centered on love and compassion, not just knowledge and understanding of scripture. It is more important to love others and show the love of Christ than to have all the answers about the Bible. As a new follower of Christ, focus on being a disciple by spreading love and kindness to those around you.

While having in-depth knowledge of the Bible is not essential, having a strong foundation in scripture can enhance one's faith. Christians may encounter challenging questions from themselves or others, and studying the Bible can help provide confidence in addressing these inquiries. This website offers summaries of various topics in both the Old and New Testaments and provides answers to difficult questions. Utilize this resource for your own study or as a reference for others when you may not have the answer at hand.

The Bible provides many references regarding discipleship but Matthew 28:19-20 provides a quote from Jesus - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."