What is Christianity?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
Christianity is not a set of rules to obey or a moral code to live by - it is about being reconciled back into a right relationship with the God who made you to know Him and enjoy life with Him forever.
You see, God is the loving ruler of this world. He made the world, and made you and me in His image to know Him and rule and care for the world under His loving rule and blessing.
Sadly, we have all rebelled against God. Instead of saying “Your world, your way”, we have all said “My life, my way” and try to run life without Him. It’s what the Bible calls sin. It’s a terrible way to treat our loving Creator, and in the process, we have made a mess of society, the world and often our own lives too. Because God cares about His world and you and me in it, He will not let our rebellion go on forever. God’s punishment for our rebellion is death and hell.
But because of His great love, God has done something to rescue us from our rebellion. He sent His divine Son into our world - Jesus Christ - the man who is God. Jesus lived the life that we should have, so that He could swap places with us before the judgement of God and receive the punishment that we deserve… so that we wouldn’t have to. He died on a cross, in our place. And then rose back to life to offer forgiveness for sin and friendship with God to everyone who will give up their rebellion, submit to Jesus as the rightful King of their life, and rely on His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of their sin. He forgives us, cleanses us, pours His Spirit into our hearts, gives us eternal life and adopts us into His family as loved sons and daughters forever. It’s the most incredible gift you can ever receive!
That leaves all of us with a choice to make. You can either to continue living in your rebellion towards God and keep trying to run life your own way without Him. Sadly, this leads only to death and eternal judgement. Or you can turn back to God by submitting to Jesus as the rightful ruler of your life and relying on His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sin.
If you want to be reconciled to God, then you can simply tell Him. You might like to pray something like this: “Dear God, I know I am guilty of rebelling against you and ignoring you. I am not worthy to be accepted by You. But thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place and bear the punishment that my sin deserves. Please forgive me. Cleanse me. Change me. I want to live your way, so please help me to now live with Jesus as the rightful King of my life. Amen.”
If you have meant what you just prayed, and are ready to begin living with Jesus as your King, then welcome to God’s family! It’s important for you to begin reading the Bible so you can grow in your new life as one of Jesus’ loved, saved people. You might like to start at the Gospel according to Mark. It’s also important for you to pray regularly and ask God to help you live His way and get rid of old rebellious habits that don’t please Him. And it’s important to find a local church where the bible is read and taught, Jesus is loved and proclaimed, and where you are encouraged to keep trusting Jesus and loving and joyfully following Him.
You’re welcome to come and join us here at Rockingham Church of Christ! We’d love to see you and/or hear from you!