Understanding Christianity

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If you have made it to this point on the website, we assume that you have watched the videos on the home page. If not, please go back and take a few minutes to watch the videos posted for you. 

Our primary focus for introducing these videos to you is so that you can see that none of us have lived up to the expectations that God desires for us. God's word, the Bible, calls it sin when we do not line up with His expectations.  Not only are we living contrary to His expectations, but God says that we are also actively rebelling against Him when we sin. That means that we are choosing to disobey the God who lovingly created us!  So our first step in a relationship with God is to agree with Him that we have lived in opposition to His ways.  Within each of us, we know that we have failed in this area of our lives.  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God] a liar." - 1 John 1:8,10  As pointed out in the videos, God's law requires a consequence for sin. Our wages, in other words, what we earn or deserve when we sin, is death.  Hence, we all die because we all have sinned against God!

Before we even begin to answer the question of why you need to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved, you need to understand that there is more to Christianity than has probably ever been shared with you.  We believe that once you understand the full depth of humanity's story it will not only be possible for you to have a relationship with the living God for the first time in your life, but that you also will find complete fulfillment and freedom in your life! 

Now to better understand Christianity, you will have to realize that it assumes a supernatural worldview. This worldview incorporates both a physical world where we live and exist as humans as well as unseen spiritual realms where God, angels and demons reside. These realms are intertwined and they are in constant interaction with each other. This is extremely important to grasp because you are in a spiritual battle for your soul between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers [fallen angels], against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12 Without knowing this, Christianity can be very confusing and hard to comprehend. Therefore, we want to give you a clear picture from the start so that you can see why Jesus is the most important person to ever live and why there is no hope if we don't put our faith in Him.  

If you have lived long enough it doesn't take much to see that something is terribly wrong in this world!   All you have to do is turn on the news or read the headlines.  Murder, rape, suicide, robbery, etc. are so common in our society that we accept them as normal events. Unless it personally affects us we simply read the headlines, cringe, and then move about our daily lives. However, there is one thing that all of us will personally experience and none of us will escape and that is death.  We all have the dark shadow of death hanging over our heads.  In fact, death is the greatest problem that unites every one of us on this planet!  Every one of us will die and that does include you! 150,000 people die every day. Let us say that again in case you missed it. 150,000 people DIE every day!  That would be like Fort Collins, Colorado - Savannah, Georgia - Syracuse, New York, or Charleston, South Carolina being completely removed from existence every day!   

AS YOU CAN SEE, DEATH IS THE GREATEST PROBLEM FACING MANKIND!!!   

So at what point did death become the consequence of sin and was it always meant to be this way?  If we go back to the beginning, all the way back to the first book in the Christian Bible entitled the Book of Genesis, it is clearly spelled out for us. Genesis tells us that God created the Earth and everything in it in beautiful splendor and perfection.  In Genesis, it is also stated that God created man (Adam) and his wife (Eve) to be the pinnacle of His creation. Humanity, including you and me, was the whole reason He created the Earth in the first place!  As the pinnacle of His creation, God gave man complete rulership, authority, and dominion on the earth and only two simple commands. One of those two commands included a warning. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” - Genesis 2:16-17  Here we see the consequence of death introduced to Adam and Eve should they choose to disobey God. Although this consequence did include the introduction of a physical death not yet known to man, it also included the more dire consequence of a spiritual death which is a permanent separation from God.  This eternal separation occurs after physical death and is better known as a place called HELL.          

Well, you can probably guess that Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Not only did they disobey God, but they also listened to and followed God's enemy, the fallen angel, Satan!  "Now the serpent [Satan] was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” And the woman said to the serpent [Satan], “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” Then the serpent [Satan] said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." - Genesis 3:1-6

By disobeying God and listening to God's enemy, death entered our world just as God said it would!!!  What is so heartbreaking is that it was never meant to be that way.  As bad as that is, the story doesn't get any better. Not only did death enter the world, but mankind also lost the right to have rulership, authority, and dominion over the earth. These privileges were then transferred to Satan, and as a result, mankind became slaves to him. All because Adam and Eve by their own free will chose to follow Satan instead of God. We clearly see Satan’s rule and authority over the Earth displayed in the book of Luke when he offers to give various kingdoms of the Earth to Jesus should He (Jesus) bow down and worship him (Satan)!  "And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You..; because it has been given to me and I can give it to whoever I wish." - Luke 4:6  If that's not clear enough, later in the book of John we see Jesus specifically refer to Satan as “the ruler of this world”.  John 12:31 

By the deception of Adam and Eve, Satan was installed as ruler of this world both physically and spiritually from the unseen realm. As long as he continues to keep man in a perpetual and continual state of rebellion by sinning or doing wrong, Satan will maintain his status as ruler of this world and have the ability to keep man from ever regaining his prior position. His power of influence is through temptation using the lust of our eyes and of our flesh. Satan knows that sin equals death just as God set forth in the beginning. In fact, nothing would satisfy the enemy of God more than to keep us eternally separated from our Creator. This has been Satan's goal all along.  Man has now experienced the depths of evil & death for thousands of years. What a miserable existence mankind finds itself in! By our own rebellion, we now find ourselves as captives of the enemy of God.

From the beginning, God's intention and desire has been to live in union with His creation. The book of Genesis tells us that God originally did have union with man. We see this when He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve before the fall, before their disobedience when sin and death entered the world.  Due to this disobedience, the union was broken and God was resigned to watching His enemy wreak havoc on humanity despite His love for man.  This is because God honors our free will choice of rebellion and therefore does not force Himself on anyone.  Yet BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US, God made a way of escape for mankind from Satan's grip.  The way that God did this was by sending His own Son (Jesus) from the heavenly realm to be born as a human, just like us. His Son, however, being of God Himself was able to live a perfect life without sin or rebellion, unlike us. Yet, He still experienced death.

Now Jesus died no ordinary death. His death was brutal and a death no human should ever endure, Satan made sure of that. After being whipped mercilessly by a method known as flogging, Jesus went on to endure crucifixion being nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until eventual death. But in the midst of His death and suffering, something far greater was taking place. This was God’s plan of redemption for mankind and Satan had no idea of what he was about to do by putting Jesus to death.

Since Jesus did not sin, neither Satan nor death had any authority over Him. Therefore, death could not hold Him. The Bible tells us that after 3 days in the grave, Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified body and went on to ascend to Heaven to be joined once again with His Father.  Jesus TRIUMPHED over SIN, SATAN, and DEATH!!!  Jesus had solved mankind's greatest problem, "Inasmuch then as the children [humans] have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus] likewise shared in the same, that through death He [Jesus] might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil [Satan]." - Hebrews 2:14

Scripture states that Jesus is not only the Son of God but also a part of the Godhead, comprising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, also known as the Trinity.

• "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God [the Father], and the Word WAS God. He [Jesus] was in the beginning with God [the Father].  All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made." - John 1:1-3 

The above scripture tells us that Jesus has existed since the beginning of time. It also tells us that from the beginning He was not only with God, but that He also IS God! It also goes on to tell us that ALL things were made through Him and nothing that exists since the beginning of time was made without Him. That also means that He is our Creator! Jesus confirms this when He says, "I and the Father [God] are one." - John 10:25–33

• "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him [Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers [angelic beings]. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." - Colossians 1:15-17 

Again, we are not only told that all things were created and exist through and by Jesus, but that all things were also created for Him. This includes the angels! We also learn that Jesus (the man) was and is the express image of the invisible God and that He is the firstborn over all creation (begotten directly from God the Father). 

• "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son [Jesus], and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us." - Matthew 1:23
• "who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men." - Philippians 2:6-7

When Jesus was born into this world as a man, God once again walked among us. He was fully man and fully God! 

• “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” - 1 John 4:14  The name Jesus literally means "the Lord saves". Jesus is our Savior!

Last but not least, we are told in Revelation 17:14 that Jesus is called the "Lord of lords and King of kings".  He is our Lord and King!

Just before Jesus was about to die on the cross, He said "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world [Satan] will be cast out." - John 12:31  When Jesus died the sinner’s death on the cross, a death which He did not deserve, He won. He defeated Satan and by defeating Satan, Jesus now has complete rulership, authority, and dominion both in Heaven and on Earth. In the book of Revelation, Jesus said "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death." - Revelation 1:18  Jesus did what no other human before Him ever did. He lived the perfect, obedient life out of love for His Father in Heaven and His love for us!  He gave the ultimate sacrifice to free us from bondage!  He literally laid down His life for us! "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." - John 15:13

Psalm 2 in the Old Testament of the Bible is often entitled The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom. The writers of the New Testament quote from Psalm 2 a total of 7 times which is one of the most quoted scriptures from the entire Old Testament, showing its great importance! 500 years before Jesus was born, God foretold in this very Psalm that there would come a time in the future when God's own Son would be on the earth, whom He also referred to as the Christ, the Anointed King, the Messiah, the Son of God, to rule as the King of the world!  Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy!  Jesus is Lord.  In other words, He is our Master and our King. Jesus ushering in the Kingdom of God, which is referenced nearly 100 times in the New Testament, (accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection) is in fact what the gospel or the “good news” is. He now sits on the throne as King and our Savior!

(***In fact, after the Romans crucified Jesus at the behest of the Jews, they placed a sign above Jesus' head which read, KING OF THE JEWS.***)

At this point, we would like to go into more detail using God's word (the Bible) to see the inner workings of what Jesus did for us. Scripture (the Bible) tells us that Adam was the representative of all of humanity. We are also told that when Adam sinned by disobeying God, death came not only to him but also to every human who would come after him. Why? “Death spread to all men because all sinned.”  - Romans 5:12 On the other hand, when Jesus lived a life without sin and in complete obedience to God, He broke the curse on mankind and rightfully took Adam's place as humanity's representative. Jesus was personally tempted by Satan just as Adam was in the garden. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." - Matthew 4:1 But unlike Adam, He did not disobey God! Instead, Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him…” - Matthew 4:10-11 

The Apostle John tells us, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." - 1 John 3:8 So how did Jesus destroy the works of the devil? When Satan failed in his efforts to get Jesus to disobey God and worship him, Satan set out to have Jesus killed. However, death had no legal right over a sinless man and therefore death could not hold Jesus in the grave. As we learned above in Hebrews 2:14, Jesus’ death broke the power of the devil who had the power of death.  Since Satan's power was broken, death could not hold Jesus in the grave and God raised Him from the dead!  For if Jesus had not risen from the dead there would be no proof that He actually defeated death!  "God has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." - Acts 17:31  What is so amazing is that scripture says that Jesus' resurrection from the dead was a victory celebration. Just picture a big party in heaven after Jesus has defeated the supernatural forces of evil! Jesus had made a fool of Satan and all of Heaven rejoiced.  "... having disarmed the powers and principalities [fallen angels], He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them." - Colossians 2:15  Heaven rejoiced because Jesus "rescued us from this present evil world." - Galatians 1:4

The Apostle Paul sums it up for us in his letter to the Romans, "For as by one man’s disobedience [Adam] many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience [Jesus] many will be made righteous." - Romans 5:19  Where Adam had failed, Jesus had succeeded!

Now, as amazing as all this is, how exactly does this tangibly help you? And how does Jesus make us righteous? Scripture tells us that, “for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” - 1 Corinthians 15:22  Notice how scripture uses the words "in Adam" and "in Christ". It's easy to make the connection that we are "in Adam" because we sin just like Adam AND we all die. But how do we get "in Christ" so that we can live? Scripture is saying that there must be a way to participate in what Jesus did. A way that when Jesus died on the cross you died on the cross.  A way that when Jesus rose from the dead, you rose from the dead.  A way that when Jesus ascended to heaven, you also ascended to heaven.  The good news is that there is a way.  The way is called FAITH!!! 

God honors FAITH above all things. The Bible tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]." - Hebrews 11:6 and that “the righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:17 So what exactly is faith, and why is it so important to God? Faith is complete trust and confidence in the one true living God. Saving faith then is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and your Lord, King, Master, and Savior. It is also trusting in all that Jesus did for you through His death and resurrection, having defeated Satan and the power of sin and death over you. Upon belief, God will honor your faith and He will supernaturally place you "in Christ" with the gift of His Holy Spirit living in you. "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my commandments and obey me." - Ezekiel 36:26-27 In other words, your union with God will be restored. You will be forgiven of ALL of your past sins as if you have never sinned. You will be counted as righteous and as a child of God. You will be saved from death unto eternal life.  The Bible says,  "if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord [your Master and King] and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness." - Romans 10:9-10 Then, by the power of His Holy Spirit living in you, you will be able to overcome the sin that has bound you and begin to live a life that is pleasing to Him! No wonder all of Heaven rejoiced when Jesus defeated the works of the devil!

Let's summarize what we have learned...

In the beginning, God created us to be in a relationship with Him.  However, by man's disobedience, we were separated from God and death entered the world. But God continued to love us and pursue us to the point of sending His own Son to become a man, live a perfect and sinless life, and then die a death that He did not deserve.  After 3 days in the grave, Jesus rose from the dead because death could not hold Him. In doing so, Jesus broke the curse of sin and death and freely extended eternal life to all those who believe He is God, accept His sacrifice for us on the cross, and choose to follow and obey Him.  This is our hope and this is our promise of eternal life.  We no longer have to be bound by sin nor fear death but can choose life in and through our Savior Jesus Christ.

Our faith in the one true living God and His Son Jesus Christ is important because there is no other way to Heaven.  Jesus Himself says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6  That is why what we believe matters!  No other religious leader, not Buddha, Gandhi, Muhammed, etc., lived a sinless life freeing us from the bondage of death! It is inconceivable to think that all paths lead to heaven when Jesus is the only man who ever claimed to be God and then proved it by rising from the dead! In the famous words of C.S. Lewis, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. If you believe He is Lord, then you owe Him your allegiance!!!

We pray that your eyes have been opened, that you will turn "from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that you may receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ." - Acts 26:18  God tells us in the book of Ezekiel that, " I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. Therefore, repent and live!” - Ezekiel 18:32

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