Christianity: Major beliefs

Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived in the Middle East, in the 1000s CE. He travelled around sharing a message of love. He taught people to love God, and love each other. But for most Christians, Jesus is not only a great teacher from the past; he is also the Son of God.

Jesus was sent to Earth by God to complete a great mission. To understand Jesus’ mission, we first need to rewind, to the time of the first people on Earth. According to Christian belief, the Devil tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God — and they did. For the first time ever, wrongdoing — sin — entered the world. Christians believe that Adam and Eve’s sin affects their descendants, all the way down the ages.

Every person carries sin with them, and this sin keeps them separate from God. This is where Jesus’ mission comes in. Jesus lived a perfect life, free from sin. Nevertheless, many religious people of the time hated Jesus and his teachings. They saw them as a threat to their religious traditions.

Eventually, these people killed Jesus, by hanging him on a cross. Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice for humankind’s sin and it fulfilled the mission for which God sent Jesus to Earth: it restored humankind’s relationship with God. It is through Jesus’ death, Christians believe, that people can receive forgiveness from God and join with him in Heaven when they die. Most Christians believe that, three days after his death, Jesus returned to life and later rose up to Heaven. They believe that Jesus will return to Earth at some point – in the Second Coming.

At this time, God will reward those who were faithful to him and the whole universe will be made perfect. God the Father, and Jesus, his Son, are two important parts of Christians’ belief in God. But there is a third: the Holy Spirit. Some Christians consider the Holy Spirit to be God’s power in action. The Holy Spirit was with Jesus while he was on Earth, and the Holy Spirit empowers Jesus’ followers today.

Together, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit make up the Trinity. The Trinity is three equal figures united in one God. Some Christians disagree with the idea that God exists in this way. They place more value on one part of the Trinity. But all Christians believe in just one God.

To read about the teachings of Jesus, along with accounts of God’s power, and instructions on how to live, Christians turn to their holy book: the Bible. The Bible is made up of two parts. The first part is called the Old Testament. It contains writings originally written in Hebrew, mostly, over a period of about one thousand years before Jesus came to Earth. The second part is called the New Testament.

It contains stories about the life of Jesus, letters between his followers, and other writings by early Christians. Let’s recap. Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Most also believe that Jesus is God’s Son, sent to Earth to sacrifice his life on the cross. Jesus’ death grants people forgiveness for their sin and the path to Heaven.

Christians who believe in the Trinity believe that God exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And Christians find the basis for their beliefs written in their holy book: the Bible.