What is a Christian?

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. He/she is someone who admits that they are imperfect and have selfish tendencies, who understands that by their own efforts they can’t make right what they have done wrong, and who is grateful to God for sending Jesus, His Son, to take the punishment that they deserve by dying in their places, and then rising to life again a couple of days later.

How do I Become a Christian? 

You become a Christian by deciding to put your trust in the saving work of Jesus on the cross:
1. You admit that you are a sinner (you have turned away from God) who cannot put everything right by yourself.
2. You accept that Jesus died in your place (and that you needed him to).
3. You ask God to forgive you (feeling very sorry).
4. And you decide to follow the example and teaching of Jesus from now on.

If you like, you can use the following prayer to help you:

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the good news that God loves us so much that he ‘took on flesh’, sending his one and only Son Jesus to earth to die in our places, taking the punishment that we deserve for our selfishness, so that we might be forgiven:

‘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.’ John 3:16

What is Sin?

‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ Isaiah 53:6

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is a man who was born about 2000 years ago, and who died about 32 years later, in Israel.

He was a Jewish man, born in the town of Bethlehem, who grew up in Nazareth and died the painful death of crucifixion on a cross in Jerusalem, and was then raised to life ‘on the third day’ afterwards. His first name, Jesus, means ‘God saves.’ Christ is not a name but a title, which means ‘messiah’ or ‘anointed one’.

The Jewish Scriptures promised that the Messiah would deliver his people, which is what Jesus did when he died on the cross, giving himself in place of all who would believe in him, as a sacrifice.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Spirit which came over his mother Mary (Luke 1:35). Mary was unmarried and a virgin. She later married Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph.

The Bible teaches that Jesus was no ordinary man, but he was God-in-the-flesh. God had already revealed himself in part through the Old Testament Scriptures, but because of His great love for us He chose to personally make himself known to us by coming to earth Himself (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus Christ is the revelation of God to mankind here on earth.

‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ John 1:14

‘For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.’ Colossians 2:9

What is God Like?

The Bible teaches that God is the creator of the universe, He is inherently good, and He is totally just. He is kind, forgiving, and gracious and He desires the best for each of us. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. 

He knows us better than we know ourselves.  

Because God is inherently good, He desires that we are treated well and that we treat others well.

And because He is good, He is just, and His justice demands that all that is not good (done either to us or by us) be punished.

And because God is good, He loves us so much that as well as prescribing punishment, He steps in to take that punishment on our behalf.

God is a self-revelatory God. He didn’t leave us with no idea about who he is, but gave us glimpses of himself in the Scriptures, and then showed us what he was like more fully through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).

What is the Church?

Today Christians often meet together on Sundays in a building which they call ‘the church’. Really, though, the word ‘church’ refers to a group of Christians who meet together regularly to worship God, to pray, learn from the Scriptures and enjoy each others’ company. Christians meet together in church buildings, in school halls rented out on Sundays, in each others homes, or even sometimes in the park! The real church is not the building, but the people themselves.

What is the Bible?

The Bible is the written Word of God. It is a document that was written by the hand of many men, but inspired by God. Its purpose is to teach us about God and about how to live a godly life:

‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ 2 Timothy 3:16,17 

The Bible was written over a period of thousands of years, and consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament (written before the birth of Jesus) begins with narratives about the earliest people, and continues with the story of God’s dealings with the people of Israel. It comprises 39 individual books of history, prophecy and wisdom. 

The New Testament (written after the birth of Jesus) contains 27 individual books, including the four Gospels (narratives about the life of Jesus), the Epistles (letters of encouragement and instruction to the early Christians) and prophecy. 

We believe that the Bible in its original language is the infallible Word of God, and the morality of all our actions and motives must be weighed against it. However, translations of the Bible are not infallible and subject to human error, which is why different translations vary in their expressions.

What is Prayer?

‘Prayer’ means spending time talking to and listening to God. When we pray, we tell God how we feel and what we are worried about, and we ask for his help. We thank him for things we are happy about and we compliment him on his holiness and on all that he has done that is beautiful and good. We read a passage from the Bible and reflect on it, listening to what God might say to us through the passage.

Often people shut their eyes when they pray so that they can concentrate better, and sometimes they kneel to show humility towards a holy God. You can pray without doing this, though, wherever you are and at any time of the day.

What is the Trinity?

The word ‘Trinity’ means ‘threeness’. Christians believe that there is one God who exists in 3 persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three persons exist in total unity, or tri-unity, because they are all God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is not stated, but suggested in the New Testament. The first Christians adopted this doctrine for the following reasons: 

• Jesus often insinuated that he was divine, yet he spoke of God –the creator and ruler of the universe - as being his Father. He suggested that he himself was God, yet talked of his Father God as being a separate person  
• Jesus’ disciples understood from his words and his actions that in Jesus God was present with them, yet God was also ruling from heaven. Jesus was God, yet God was not limited to the person of Jesus
  
• Later, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They understood that the Holy Spirit was the presence of God with them, yet God was not limited to the Holy Spirit. 

These facts led to a belief that God must exist in the form of three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), each of which are wholly God in themselves, but none of which is God in His entirety. Whilst reigning from heaven, God has chosen to reach out to us on earth by revealing himself to us in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and by the presence of His Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, or the breath of God. The Holy Spirit is both the source of and sustainer of all life. He was there both before and during Creation (Genesis 1:2, 2:7).

In the Old Testament a select few people were filled with the Holy Spirit (mainly the prophets) and these people were able to perform miraculous healings, and speak on God’s behalf to the people of Israel, as a result. One of the Old Testament prophets, Joel, promised that there would be a time when all people could be filled with the Holy Spirit, having dreams and visions and prophecies (Joel 2:28-29). After Jesus went up to heaven his disciples experienced this for the first time. It was the festival of Pentecost, and they were praying together when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke prophetically in languages they had never learnt (Acts 2).

John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptise people with the Holy Spirit. He meant that they would be immersed in the presence of God. When Christians experience this they have a feeling of great peace, joy, and an awareness of being greatly loved by God.

What is Baptism?

When someone gets baptised they are immersed in water. It is a symbolic ritual which represents the washing away of their sins, and their faith in Jesus. It reminds them of the death of Jesus (as they go into the water) and his resurrection (as they come out of the water). 

Baptism had become a public sign that you were a follower of Jesus.

How Do I Get to Heaven?

No-one is allowed into heaven unless they are spotlessly pure, or they would ruin it. That rules us all out, as even our good works are tainted (Isaiah 64:6). This means that even people who look really, really good compared to everyone else won’t make it, as compared to God even they look grubby. We can’t earn ourselves a place in heaven.

Aren’t All Religions Equal?

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except through  me.” John 14:6 

If this is so, then talking about the equality of different religions is missing the point. The major religions have many similarities, and each has very positive aspects, but on the major points such as what God is like and how to get to heaven, they differ. If it is on the essential points that they differ, we shouldn’t be asking if they are equal or not, but which one enables us to know God.

Why is There So Much Suffering in the World?

God created a perfect world in which there was no suffering. Man, animals and the environment lived in harmony with one another. Man was at peace with God because he was obedient to God.

But because God wanted us to have choice and free will he gave us the possibility of disobeying him. We did disobey Him, and as a result we lost peace with God and with each other. Interpersonal suffering is the result of this. The environment started to become unbalanced. Natural disasters are a result of this.

God could have abandoned us to the consequences of ignoring Him. Sometimes when bad things happen we have the impression that He has done nothing to help us and that He doesn’t care. However, He did do something about it long ago. He came down to earth in the form of His Son Jesus and suffered with us and for us, finally suffering the most horrendous of all deaths at the crucifixion. The Bible says that Jesus suffered much and endured every single kind of temptation (Hebrews 4:15). This means that he understands the pain that you are experiencing and accompanies you through it (Hebrews 2:18). And when he died, he took the consequences for all the pain that you have inflicted on others, and for all the pain that has been inflicted on you, making it possible for your relationship with God, and your relationship with others, to be restored.

On earth the consequences of mankind’s disobedience to God will persist, but an end to suffering will come when you arrive in the new heaven or new earth that God is planning.