Christianity is the world’s largest faith, with billions of believers worldwide. With that many people practicing the faith—and so many traditions and nuances out there—it can be hard to pinpoint what the core beliefs are of a Christian. While there are many different expressions, it all comes down to a few points of teaching.
At its core, Christianity is centered on Jesus – his life, death, resurrection, and what it all means for humanity. The story of Jesus is called “The Gospel,” which is a word that means “Good News.” And that Good News is how God, through Jesus, is restoring the whole world, starting with us!
Christianity will challenge you to answer the question that Jesus himself asks: “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). Perhaps understanding the question, “What do Christians believe?” will help you answer that question and respond to this good news.
So, what do Christians believe?
Here are the eight core teachings (called Doctrines) of the Christian faith:
1. The Bible is the inspired source of Good News
The Bible is a collection of 66 writings and letters. God inspired the original authors and writings to say what he wanted. The Bible is complete and does not contain errors, and it shares with us how we can live the way God originally designed us to live. When you read the Bible regularly, you are reminded of good news of Jesus and given wisdom that will help you grow.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true... 1 Timothy 3:16-17
2. God is one being in three persons
There is one true God, eternally displayed as three distinct persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We call this the Trinity. These three persons are all fully God. It’s hard to fully comprehend the nuance and miracle of the Trinity—God being fully Father, Son, and Spirit all at once!
Think about it like the sun. The sun is made of gases, is the source of light, and gives off extreme heat. All three are the sun yet all three are different from each other. It is not a perfect illustration but helps us begin to think about who God is and how he reveals himself.
Although we can’t fully comprehend God, we can get to know him more. God created all things, and even though he is holy and set apart from the world we live in, he is a good father: loving, gracious, and fair.
Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. Exodus 34:6-7
3. Humanity turned away from God
God created humans as his most cherished possession. However, humans rebelled against God, believing they could do for themselves what only God could do. This separation is called sin, and it fractured our relationship with God. It’s also why we live in such a broken world today.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks...As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Romans 1:18-25
4. Jesus is God’s son that lived, died, and resurrected
The Good News is that God didn’t leave us to clean up the mess of our sin on our own. Jesus, God's son, came to earth to heal our relationship with God. Jesus is fully human and fully God (Hebrews 1:3), has never done anything wrong, but he paid for the penalty of our sin. He did this through his life, death, and resurrection from the dead. After he rose from the dead, Jesus was seen by over 500 people and spent time being active with his followers before ascending to Heaven to be with God.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God...He existed before everything else and by him all things are held together. Colossians 1:15-17
5. Salvation is offered to us through Jesus
Like we said, sin fractured our relationship with God. But Jesus, by taking on the punishment meant for our sins and mistakes, offers us the chance to restore our relationship with God and experience the true life and joy God intended for us. All we must do is turn away from our sin, our old way of living, and trust in Jesus. Simply having faith in Jesus alone and committing to trust and follow him gives us peace with God.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21
6. We receive the Holy Spirit to help us grow and live out our faith
When you choose to trust Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. The role of the Holy Spirit is to guide you, help you grow, and help you follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit in your heart also seals you as a child of God and secures your relationship with Christ.
When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit... The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. Ephesians 1:13-14
7. The Church exists to share Good News with the world
The Church is God's family, made up of people all over the world who have trusted in Jesus as their Savior. The Church’s purpose is to continue Jesus’ work in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. This work includes the two practices of getting baptized and taking communion, fully following Jesus t in community with others, using our gifts to serve, and inviting others to follow Jesus through unity and action. All of this makes your faith stronger.
Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20
8. Jesus will return, and everything will be restored
At some point in the future, Jesus will return to fully restore everything broken by sin, bringing heaven and earth back together again—the way it was always intended to be. People who believe in Jesus will spend eternity with him, and those who do not will spend eternity apart from him. Those who have died will be resurrected and, together with all believers, will live in God’s presence forever.
We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised... while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 2 Peter 3:13-14
Knowledge isn’t a substitute for faith
Following Jesus means a lot more than just believing the right things. It means living with love, humility, and obedience to God. If you trust in Jesus, it is essential to read the Bible regularly and be part of a local church to grow spiritually. Faith is not only about belief but about practice. It’s shown in the fruit of our lives, the way we serve others, talk about Jesus, and make a difference in the world (James 2:17). Our knowledge about God should always lead to a life of faith that is shared with others!
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Jesus is central to the Christian faith - but what do we know about him? Here are 10 interesting facts.
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