Category Archives: What Christianity Is

What Christianity Is

What does it Mean to be “Born Again”?

The term, “born again”, comes from the book of John in the Bible.  Nicodemus, one of the rulers of Israel (religiously speaking, since Israel was under Roman rule), comes to Jesus by night, because the official stance of the Sanhedrin (religious rulers) is that Jesus is a dangerous blasphemer, and anyone found consorting with him would be excommunicated.

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus tells him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Nicodemus then has the same question that we started with – what do you mean by “born again”?

Jesus answered him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Spiritual Experience?

So, Jesus is saying that not only are you born in the flesh, but you must be born in the Spirit as well if you want to enter the kingdom of God. Does this mean we have to have a “spiritual” experience? Any kind of spiritual experience?  Today, people sometimes consider themselves “spiritual, but not religious”. That could mean pretty much anything. Many times that means they are seeking “enlightenment” and some kind of spiritual experience.

Jesus, however, is talking about being born of the Spirit of God. This is something only God can do. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us, to change the disposition of our hearts and make us alive spiritually. We did not choose to be born the first time, and we do not choose to be born of the Spirit – some believe that God does it when we profess faith in Jesus Christ and choose to follow him. Some believe that we have to be born again in order to make that choice (i.e. God has to give us the Spirit before we can have any desire for God).

Sometimes, this is an earth-shaking experience. Paul was blinded by a great light on the road to Damascus. John Wesley speaks of how his heart was “strangely warmed”. Some people know the exact day and hour that they were reborn. But for others, it is just a realization that God is real and a desire to know him. Whatever form this rebirth may take, it is when the Spirit of God enters your heart and opens your eyes to the things of God.

What Christianity Is

Why do I need “Saved”? From What?

Christians tend to talk about being “saved”.  You might well ask – “saved from what?” Why do I need “saved”? 

It all starts in the Garden of Eden…God tells us that he created human beings to live in relationship with him. And, originally – we did. Adam and Eve talked with God and visited with him “in the cool of the evening”. But then the deceiver, Satan, entered the picture. He tempted Adam and Eve, telling them that God was holding out on them. He told them that if they disobeyed God, they would know good and evil and be like God.  They bought it – and the rest is history.

After the apple…

Unfortunately, they found out that even though they did learn about evil, they did not become like God. They actually became more like Satan, who had also rebelled against God. And learning about evil did not equip them to become wiser, it made them slaves to evil. From that point on, they were hooked – they were unable to resist evil. If someone told them not to do something, what do you think they did? That very thing!  And we’ve been wired that way ever since. If you have children, you know this for a fact – whatever is forbidden becomes irresistible. This constant desire to do things our way, to rebel against God’s authority, is called “sin”.  Now, when Adam & Eve rebelled against God, it ruined their relationship with God – and consequently, ours as well. We have rebelled against God, and justice demands our punishment. But God has a plan to reverse that…

God’s Plan

Picture yourself visiting a state prison.  The heavy metal door clangs shut behind you as you enter Death Row.  The man you are going to visit has committed a heinous crime.  On top of that, he is surly and rude.  He has no remorse – he doesn’t even act like he thinks he did anything wrong.  Yet, as you visit him, you are filled with love and compassion for him.  You decide you don’t want him to die; you want to give him the chance to live a better life.  But what can you do?  He is guilty – a crime has been committed and someone has to pay.  You decide in order to satisfy the law, you will pay the price for him.  So, you accept his sentence and he is set free.

Who would set a murderer free and die in his place?  What kind of love is this that would sacrifice everything for someone so totally unworthy? Yet that is exactly what Jesus did for us.  Just as that Death Row inmate was guilty of a terrible crime, so are we guilty.  We may not think we have done anything so “bad”, but our sin (rebellion) has separated us from God just as much. And the wonder is…Jesus did not hesitate to die in our place.  Such is the love of God. He took our punishment so that we could be set free (saved) from the power that sin has over us, and we could live in relationship with God again.

That’s not just good news, that’s amazing, wonderful news!

What Christianity Is

Christianity and other religions

There are many different religions in the world, and all of them have certain core beliefs and reasons for being in existence. I have provided a matrix of all the differences for twelve of the major religions in the Resources section of this website.  But, let’s cut to the chase…

Seeking God

In every religion (except Christianity) people are seeking God’s acceptance, or enlightenment, or seeking to become a god, by their own efforts.  And in every case, there are specific things which they must do in order to reach God, become God, or be accepted by God. Christianity differs from all of them in one aspect, which is the key to understanding Biblical Christianity.  Christianity is the only religion where God himself does what is necessary to bring people to him. 

That’s crazy, right? It’s hard to believe that God would lower himself to accommodate us.  But, conversely, can we really reach God by being good enough? 

Think about the best things you can do.  If you are like me (and I suspect we are all this way), even the good things I do are tinged with pride or ulterior motives.  You may say that people are basically good and it is outside influences that create the bad, but have you really looked at human nature? 

I have a granddaughter that is a very sweet girl, but she wishes she were a “hooligan”.  Somehow, it seems more attractive to her to be a hooligan than a sweet girl.  But isn’t this how we all are?  The naughty appeals to us more than the good.  A good person is a “goody two-shoes”, and a hooligan is “cool”.  Why?  Why is one of the first words from a baby, “mine!”?  Why is it when we make a new year’s resolution to do something good (i.e. eat better, exercise, whatever…) it is impossible to keep? Because we are attracted to behavior that is not good for us.  It’s in our spiritual makeup.

Christianity addresses this problem at the source.  We are not able to reach God because we are separated from God by our rebellious nature.  But – and here’s the really GOOD NEWS – God loves us and want us to be able to live with Him.  He had a plan to accomplish this from the very beginning. Yes, He actually loves YOU and ME!  The Bible tells us this throughout. 

A Few examples of God’s love for you

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them…The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:7, 18)

He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”  (Isaiah 25: 8-9)

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine…Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it? (Isaiah 43:1,13)

Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands… (Isaiah 48:15)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38-39)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1John 4:10)

Relationship

Christianity is not really a “religion” because religions are all about what we do. Christianity is a “relationship” instead because it is all about God wanting to be in relationship with us. Huge difference!

The Church

What is the Church?

What do you think of when someone uses the word “church”?  Do you think of your grandma, or your mother? Do you think of a place that is supposed to be full of good people, but is really full of people just pretending to be good? Or, do you just yawn? Most people think of what their experience has been with what they call “church”.

But if the Church is supposed to be about God, what does God, or His word, have to say about it? What does the Bible say about the Church?

Built on the Rock

Matthew 16:18 says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”  This is Jesus speaking.  He has just asked his disciples who they think he is, and Peter has just answered that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God. Jesus tells him that flesh and blood did not reveal this to him, but the Father in heaven.  The name Peter means “stone” and many times people think that Jesus is building his church on Peter, but “this rock” Jesus is referring to is the statement of faith, that Jesus is God and Messiah.  He says that the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.  That’s a pretty powerful statement! Gates are a defensive weapon, which means the church is on the offense against the gates of Hell. 

Does that mean Christians should be pushy and aggressive in their zeal to “win converts”? No, Jesus did not condemn people, but invited them to follow him. Christians are to do the same. But the Church is on the offensive against spiritual forces of evil. We’ll talk about that in another article.

Wheat and tares

Also in Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who sows some good wheat (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), but an enemy comes and sows tares (weeds) among the wheat.  That is an allusion to the fact that the church will be full of righteous people (people who are right with God) and people who don’t know God. They may look righteous, but they aren’t.  God will sort them out in the end.

It is not up to any of us to judge whether someone is a “true” Christian or not. We are not infallible – God is the only one who can judge that.

Loving each other

After Jesus is raised from the dead and ascends into heaven, the church starts its work.  The book of Acts is an account of the early church. Acts 2:42-47 says “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” This was not a commune, but rather, people putting others before themselves and sharing as others had needs. 

You may never have seen a church like that, but they do exist! When Christians have the Spirit of God they love each other, and are glad to share with each other. There should never be those in need within a church body. And besides sharing, they enjoy each other’s company, and accept each other just as they are. That’s a really hard thing to do because we are all at different places in life and carry different baggage. In fact, it’s impossible for us to do without God’s help. But the Spirit of God in you connects with the Spirit of God in me and enables us to love each other anyway! What an awesome mystery!

Body of Christ

The apostle Paul, in several of his letters (Romans 12:5, I Cor 12:12, Col 1:24), speaks of the church as being the body of Christ, where all members have different gifts and purposes, but all being part of the same body (like your ear and your foot have different uses, but both are important to the body).

Sometimes people can feel like they have nothing to offer God. But God has given everyone their own gifts to use in service to him. Some may be high profile and others may be more humble, but they are all essential!

Bride of Christ

John the Baptist said (John 3:28-30): “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, I have been sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”  The church is called the bride of Christ in a number of places in the Bible.

It’s weird to think of Christians as being the “bride” of Christ, but the Bible uses that terminology a number of times to symbolically represent the union of Jesus with his Church. It even talks about a huge wedding feast that takes place in Heaven when the Church is united with Jesus! (see Revelation 19) I can’t wait!

Called out of darkness

Peter, in his letter to the Christians that had been scattered because of persecution, writes: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1Peter 2:9-10)

We are all called out of darkness and into the light – we have all rebelled against God. But we can all be part of his plan to put things right again and we can have a relationship with the God of the universe!

Not a club

The Church of Jesus Christ is not a building.  Neither is it a club.  It is not people who just meet together because they have similar political views. It is not even people who meet to discuss theology.  It is the Bride and Body of Christ Himself.  The purpose of the Church is to disciple, fellowship with, and care for one another, so that each one can walk with Christ in the work that He has prepared for them.

I know that is not the first impression a visitor may get from a church service, but that is what the Church is all about.  Churches are made up of imperfect people, and even some people who don’t know Jesus. But Jesus has given us His Spirit to guide us and teach us all things (John 14: 26), so be careful to find a church that is fulfilling its purpose – where the Bible is taught and their love for each other is evident.

Jesus

Who is Jesus, Really?

There are a lot of books written about Jesus.  Some say that Jesus never claimed to be God.  They say that he only said that he was a son of God, which could be any of us. Some say that Jesus is God. Which is really true?  How can we know?  To find out what Jesus really said about himself, the only thing we have to go by is the Bible, which is the only book that actually claims to have the words of Jesus, while he was alive on earth. So what does the Bible have to say? 

Actually the Bible shows who Jesus is in at least three ways.  Jesus said in plain words who He is, Jesus spoke with authority, and the early scriptures (Old Testament) predict his coming and indicate who he is. Here are some quotes from Jesus, as quoted from the Bible:

Jesus’ words about himself

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”  (John 6:38)

“Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’  ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham?’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!'”  (John 8: 54-58)

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10: 28)

“I and the Father are one.”  (John 10: 30)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11: 25-26)

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him’.”  (John 14: 6-7)

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’  Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?'”  (John 14: 8-9)

\We have seen some of his own comments above. Here are a few of the ways that He spoke with authority, revealing His deity:

Jesus shows his authority

“Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ Then the man got up and went home.”  (Matthew 9:2-7)

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'”  (Matthew 16: 13-19)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”  (Matthew 25: 31-32)

“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”  (John 5:21)

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”  (John 5: 26-27)

Jewish scriptures predict Jesus

Lastly, the Old Testament predicts Jesus’ coming, throughout the entire scripture.  Here are just a few:

For dogs have surrounded Me: The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. The look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

(Psalm 22:16-18) [written by David about 1000 years before Jesus]

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

(Isaiah 53) [written by Isaiah about 740 years before Jesus]

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

(Isaiah 9:6-7) [written about 740 years before Jesus]

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. 

(Micah 5:2) [written about 735 years before Jesus]

Actually, the entire Old Testament points to Jesus through types, prophecies, stories and poetry.  Jesus did, in fact, claim to be God.  That is why the religious leaders of the day crucified Him. They understood exactly what He was claiming. 

The bottom line is that Jesus is the Messiah longed for by the Jews, the culmination of God’s plan to bring us out of rebellion and back into relationship with him – the Salvation of the world!

But the most important question is – Who is Jesus to you?