What do Christians believe?

Ever wondered where everything came from? Why are we here? As Christians we believe that the world and everything in it is no accident, that it’s not a consequence of chance or millions of years of evolution. We believe that an awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God created it all (Genesis 1 [show] [1:1]In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2]The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3]And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [4]And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5]God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [6]And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." [7]And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. [8]And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. [9]And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. [10]God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. [11]And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. [12]The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13]And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. [14]And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, [15]and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. [16]And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. [17]And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18]to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19]And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. [20]And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." [21]So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22]And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." [23]And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. [24]And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. [25]And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [26]Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27]So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28]And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [29]And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30]And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. [31]And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (ESV)
), and because of that he knows about each and every one of us from the inside out (Psalm 139 [show] [139:1]O LORD, you have searched me and known me! [2]You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. [3]You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. [4]Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. [5]You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. [6]Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. [7]Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? [8]If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! [9]If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [10]even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. [11]If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," [12]even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. [13]For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. [14]I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. [15]My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. [16]Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. [17]How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! [18]If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. [19]Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! [20]They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! [21]Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? [22]I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. [23]Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24]And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
). He even knows how many hairs are on our head, and he values every single one of us. We’re his pride, his joy.

And what’s even more amazing is that this God wants to get to know us, to be involved in our lives (Revelation 3:20 [show] [20]Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (ESV)
). We can have a relationship with the creator of the universe, we can come to him with all our troubles, problems and questions.

God wants the best for us, for you, and he has given us a way of living that leads us into a perfect relationship with Him. I’m sure you’ve heard of the 10 commandments, and the other rules God gave us in the Bible (Exodus 20 [show] [20:1]And God spoke all these words, saying, [2]"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. [3]"You shall have no other gods before me. [4]"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. [5]You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6]but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. [7]"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. [8]"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9]Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, [10]but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [11]For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. [12]"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. [13]"You shall not murder. [14]"You shall not commit adultery. [15]"You shall not steal. [16]"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. [17]"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." [18]Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off [19]and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." [20]Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." [21]The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. [22]And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. [23]You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. [24]An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. [25]If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. [26]And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.' (ESV)
). These include things like don’t steal, don’t lie, or cheat, or kill. Imagine a world where we all stuck to those rules, wouldn’t it be fantastic?

But there’s a problem. You see, unfortunately for us, we have all decided that we know better, that we don’t need to stick to God’s guidelines. This is called “sin”, and the Bible makes very clear that we’ve ALL done it (Romans 3:23 [show] [23]for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (ESV)
). Because we believe that God is perfect, that there’s no bad in Him at all, then even if we’ve only done one, very small bad thing, it is enough to separate us from Him. The perfect God cannot have a relationship with us because of our sin, our imperfection.

I think we’d all agree that if we are wronged, if someone does something bad to us, we would like to see justice done, that that person should be punished. Well, God is the same. Because we have wronged Him with our disobedience and sin, God has created a punishment for us called Hell (Romans 6:23 [show] [23]For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
). Now this might sound cruel, but God has to be just.

Now here comes the good news! Because God loves us, and he doesn’t want to punish those he created to have a loving relationship with, he came up with a rescue plan. He sent someone else to take the punishment for our sin, to be our substitute. God sent his only son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16 [show] [16]"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)
). Jesus was both God and man, and he lived the perfect life. You can read all about him in the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He did many amazing things, such as heal the sick, raise the dead back to life, and ultimately, gave his life to save us.

In dying on a cross, Jesus took upon himself the sins of the whole world (Matthew 20:28 [show] [28]even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (ESV)
). And when he rose again, he proved that he had defeated sin and death, and that we could live eternally with Him (John 3:16-18 [show] [16]"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17]For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18]Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)
). He is still alive today, and you can get to know him. We can worship him, talk to him, and involve him in our lives. He can be your friend, help you through tough times, guide you through life, and show you how to live life to the full (John 10:10 [show] [10]The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (ESV)
).

So how do you come to know this God, and his son Jesus, to accept what he has done for you, and begin to live life as a Christian?

Well, here are three easy steps for you to take:

Firstly, ADMIT that you are far away from God. Tell Him that you are sorry for having lived this way and have decided to turn away from all that you have done wrong. If specific things come to mind then apologise for these things.

Secondly, COMMIT yourself to Jesus, trusting in who he is and what he did on the cross. Receive his promise of forgiveness for yourself – thanking him for it and believing you have started a brand new life.

Thirdly, SUBMIT your life to Him, day by day. He’s the boss and he wants to change you into the person he wants you to be. He will give you the Holy Spirit who will live in you with power. God has a future and purpose for you as part of his family - the church.

If you want to talk to someone about this in more depth please come along to one of our meetings or call the office. We also recommend you do an alpha course, where you can discover more about Christianity and ask any questions you might have. Jubilee Church runs a course, or if you live too far away you can find one near you by visiting the alpha website.

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