Christianity 101

CHRISTIANITY 101:  Christianity is a religion of salvation via a personal relation, not of self-realization, merit, appeasement or of passing intellectual or cultural fashions.  Biblical salvation is by God’s grace alone (Eph 2:8,9).  It is pure gift that begins, progresses and ends with the other-centered love of God (Isa 54:10).  Biblical Christianity centers around creation and the Creator’s (Jn 1:1-3) incarnation, life, death, resurrection and High Priestly mediatorial ministry (Heb chap 4-9).  The actions of the man Jesus the Christ, the second person of the Godhead, who buy choice was gifted by the love of the Father to the human race to extinguish the guilt from sin accrued.  Christianity enters humanity through the Son of God’s condescension, divine-human life, death and resurrection personally received by faith, and through trust in God, continues its transforming work in harmful, hurtful humans as broken but trusting individuals allow God’s Holy Spirit to make them whole.  Biblical salvation is God’s supernatural work through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit without a thread of human contribution.  Jesus’ death on the cross broke the power of Satan and paid all entitled wages humanity has earned from Satan (Ge 2:17; 3:1-6; Ro 6:23; Rev 20:10) because of their sin, reconciling humanity back to God.  Romans 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2 and 4:10 reveal clearly that Christ atoned, meaning expiated:  extinguishing the guilt accrued.  Reconciliation is actualized when the sinner accepts it by faith.  Jesus’ resurrection conquered what the Bible calls the second death (Jn 5:29; Rev 20:6,14; 21:8) for those who enter into communion with Him by faith.  God sent and sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within them (Ps 51:10) to heal their inward brokenness via the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) making them holy/whole, via His internalized selfless love – once again in the image of God (Ge 1:26,27).  That atonement was activated “from the foundation of the world”  (Rev 13:8; 1 Cor 2:2,7,8; Acts 2:23; 1 Pe 1:19,20; Isa 54:10, Gal 3:8 2 Tim 1:8,9; Titus 1:2 Col 1:15; Mt 25:34; Eph 1:3-6; 3:11,12) since God speaks and it is done (Ps 33:9) even before accomplished in earthly temporal time (thus giving all humanity, past, present and future a level playing field).  Underlying all of this is the reality that humans are indeed badly broken by sin (selfishness), and sins (the harmful actions of selfishness), a result of defection from God.  This inward corruption brings harm that mars, yea destroys the image of God in us.  We are guilty by choice and behavior and deserve the wages we’ve earned.  Sin is an irreducible reality.  It is a falling away from our intended trusting purity and other-centered selfless love – the image of God – toward a harmful, hellish diminishing of all existence – of hiding then running from God (Ge 3:8; Ps 23:6).   Biblical Christianity reveals our human condition is helpless apart from God’s intervention of giving each individual a personal free choice to be pulled out of the bottomless pit of sin.  The Bible is overwhelmingly plethoric in revealing God’s great unbroken, unbelievable, everlasting love; harshly realistic about our fallen condition; and full of hope in God’s forgiveness and freely given overcoming power to defeat selfishness, deceit and it’s sure sequel of the permanent second death by what Jesus the Son of God, the Son of Man has done, and is now doing as our mediator against accusations of the Devil in heaven’s court (1 Tim 5:24; Dan 7:13,14; Ez 9:6; Rev 22:12; Heb chapters 4 through 9, Lev 23:26-32;16:29-34; Zech 3).  

With all this said and done, the bottom line is that Christianity or salvation is not a certain belief or set of beliefs, not a belonging, not a state, not purchased, not earned via accomplishment or merit, not an event, not even an isolated choice but a turn and a walk, a graciously capacitated growth in becoming Christ-like, being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory (Ro 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Pe 1:3-12), back into the image in which we were created.  

Said another way, true Christianity, thus salvation involves individual choice, intent and commitment leading to action, faithfulness and growth divinely empowered by the Holy Spirit’s infusion of selfless love in all its virtues into our hearts and lives, gracefully engendered and supplied by beholding and asking of Him as long as our life’s duration affords (Acts 16:31).  Christianity graciously, personally offers salvation from the guilt of harmful thoughts and ways, salvation from the powerful draw of self-centered thoughts and ways, leading to salvation from the presence of harmful thoughts and ways with the words: “ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD” (Mt 25:21,23).