The Crux of Christianity

Valerie Cullers 23 Comments

christ-of-saint-john-of-the-cross[1]                                                                                 Painting by Salvador Dali.

Today begins Holy Week, the most sacred week in Christianity, the week that Christians remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. So what is Christianity about, what do Christians believe?

1. Christians believe that man is lost in sin. He cannot by his own merits enter heaven when he dies. (For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23)

2. God in his mercy sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us and pay the penalty for our sin. (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)

3. That if we come to God and confess our sins, He will forgive them. (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9)

4. That we must be born again. (Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3)

5. We must ask God for this new life and that He will give us the gift of His Holy Spirit. (And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ;and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”)

6. It is a free gift for all who will ask Him. (For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9)

This week, especially, we think of Jesus and we meditate on the price He paid for our sins. We are thankful for what He did for us and that is why Friday is called Good Friday; his death on the cross was good for the world. Sunday, the day known as Easter Sunday, is the day He rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples. We can live in victory and hope because of his victory over death, hell and the grave. This is the crux of Christianity.

May you all have a blessed Holy Week!

23 thoughts on “The Crux of Christianity”

  4. Indeed, it is the crux of western Christianity that can so easily blend in with the One World Religion under Antichrist. No mention of baptism, eucharist, or the office of the apostles. In short: the church that kept the true faith in its completeness over the centuries. No mention of carrying ones own cross either. I think among protestants this view is called: easy believism.

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    • I appreciate your thoughts. I did have a scripture with baptism in it. There were many things I could have written, but I wanted to write the basics of the faith for those that know nothing of the faith. I wrote the first few steps one would take. I did not write about the further steps one would take in the Christian life in order to live the Spirit-filled life.

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      • And that is more than most european protestants offer.. Going on ones knees. Converting to Christ. A Guideline. However I felt left alone after that. My knowledge of right and wrong increased in those months, reading scripture and listening to preachers. But i still wasn’t able to overcome sin in my life. I was really angry until i found the church…

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  6. If, by born again, you mean born from above, I agree. Many of us in the faith cannot honestly say that, at a given time on a certain date, we accepted Jesus. In my case, God has always been a presence in my spiritual life. I can point to one baptism, one confirmation, and two reaffirmations of faith in front a bishop in apostolic succession if one really wants dates, though. In sacramental Christianity salvation is a process mediated via sacraments; it is not an event.

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  7. Thank you for spelling it out so clearly.

    Once we settle in our minds exactly who Jesus is, and what he came to do, everything makes sense–especially all the craziness in the world today.

    We live in a fallen world, and we have no power to set things right. That’s why we need a Savior. That’s why Jesus came. Maranatha!

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  12. He is risen! May this truth carry us through the weeks and years to come. I pray we all learn to live in a constant reminder of the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and the saving power of faith in him. Have a blessed day sister!

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