A very brief Introduction to the Christian faith

Why is the world in such a mess? If there is a God, why is there so little love in the world and yet so much chaos and confusion? Many people today would like a better life; they would like the world to be a kinder, friendlier place, where love is the main focus in people’s lives. They feel let down by their Government leaders who never seem to change a thing. Who has the answers in today’s world for finding a little peace and happiness in life?
If I said to you that Jesus has all the answers, you would probably say to me: “He hasn’t done a very good job so far!”
The truth is, He has done the very best of jobs, but we keep getting in His way, we keep letting Him down -me included! Jesus gave us everything, right down to the last drop of His Royal Blood.
The reason that we are not at peace in this life is because we are all out of place. We were not created by God to live down here in this fallen world; we were created to live in Heaven with the Father-God who created us. We were created to love and be loved by God. We can never truly be happy in this life because we have a God-shaped hole in our hearts that only God can fill; we were born for better things! Until we have that complete union with God again we will never truly be happy.
One of the problems is that God desired to create children not followers; to be true children of God, He had to give us Free Will so that we could choose whether to love Him or not. We are not really God’s children if we are commanded or forced to love Him.
This is where God has a problem, how do you have children, but then give them the freedom to make their own mistakes – even if those mistakes lead them away from You and towards the path of death and destruction?
God gave mankind freedom; He then gave them the choice of how they wanted to live: Adam and Eve, His first children, were warned not to eat the fruit from the “Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.” They chose to eat and be enlightened, to have that knowledge of good and evil even though they were warned that death would follow. This was the original sin: to disobey God and choose our own path. This was known as the great “Fall.” It was not a mistake on God’s part but His way of allowing us to have a choice in who we are to be and how we are to live.
God then followed His fallen children giving them prophets, teachers, leaders and a law (the Jewish faith) to help them live better lives in their fallen state, and at the appointed time He sent His only begotten Son Jesus (the Messiah or saviour) as was prophesied, to pay the price of all the wrongs we have ever done. God is love and everything He has allowed to happen to us in the course of history has been allowed for our greater good, that one day we might return to Him and live the life we were created for, to be happy with God in His Kingdom for ever.

So why Are People Saved By Believing In Jesus Christ

Have you ever wondered why Christians believe that they are saved by believing in Jesus? Below is a very short answer to this question:
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that Jesus was with God in the beginning, and that through Him all things were made. Jesus came to earth in the form of a man to take upon Himself the punishment for our sins (since the original sin of Adam and Eve, we live in a fallen world which has wounded the nature of every human being). Christ came to restore our fallen nature and deliver us from the burden of sin and death. In suffering and dying upon the Cross for our redemption Jesus reveals to mankind God’s unconditional love for His children. The Sacrifice of Jesus was needed to appease God’s perfect Justice and to merit for us the grace needed for our salvation. The early Christians (Roman Catholics) also believe that Jesus established a Church (Matt 16:18-20) through which salvation could be brought to all the peoples of the earth and through which He gave us the Bible containing His Word.
One of the reasons we are saved by having faith in Jesus is because we recognise and accept love. Jesus is “love incarnate,” He does not obtain love, or produce it, He does not reflect or simply reveal love – He IS love! “God is love, and He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16) In believing in Jesus we believe in love, living in love - and allowing love to live within us “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (I Cor 3:16). If love lives within us then we can have no part with Satan because light and darkness cannot co-exist “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Continued on next page........