What is Christianity about? Is it really that simple?

Lately, I found myself wondering exactly what I would say to a close friend if I was to explain what the Christian beliefs are.  It is actually pretty simple to explain.

God the Creator

God is the creator, and created everything in the universe. He also created Heaven. Heaven is a real place, a place of happiness where there is no sickness and no death.

The one thing that can separate us from God

There is only one thing that can separate us from God: sin. Sin is when we do bad things. God hates sin (he does not hate us, he hates our sin) and does not want to be around it. This is a problem for us, because we all have a sin nature. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, fell into the temptation of sin. We all have that same nature, so we all sin, even though we try to be good. None of us are perfect. None of us can meet God's standards.

A path for us to be saved

While this sounds like quite a hopeless situation, it's not, thanks to God. This is why: God made a way for us to go to heaven. He made a path for our sins to be paid for. Not by us; nothing we could do ourselves would be enough to pay for our sins. But he sent his own beloved son Jesus down to earth to die on the cross, to pay the price of our sins with his blood. That's right: not with coins or with property, but with his very own blood. Wow.

Jesus really was the son of God, not just a prophet or a "good teacher". Either he really was who he said he was: the son of God or, he was a liar. He cannot have just been a "good teacher".  After he died on the cross, he appeared to witnesses later on, and then went up to heaven. So not only did he die, but he was resurrected.

Why we need to have a say in accepting this gift

When we agree to receive this free gift that Christ gave us, we get to live forever in heaven. That's not because we're good; we're not. It's because Jesus paid the price for our sins. But we need to agree to receive this gift in order to live with God and Jesus forever. All too many people say "No, I'm not interested." But why wouldn't we say yes?! It's good news, and a free gift. There's no "catch".

God does not inflict himself upon us like a crazy stalker. He wants us to make our own decisions and to have free will.

Why some people don't say yes: 

Some people fall into the trap of thinking that they are not "good enough" yet to receive the gift yet and they'll have to wait until they improve before they can accept this. It's true that we are all not good enough. We have all fallen short of the mark. But God gives this free gift of salvation to all of us, right when and where we are, because we are his children. We can't improve ourselves completely on our own anyway; we need God's help for this.

It's silly to think we need to become better before going to God, that's a bit like a sick person saying to a doctor that they're not healthy enough yet to see the doctor! We sinners need God, just like a sick person needs a doctor.

How to receive the gift of salvation

How do we receive this gift of salvation? Well, it's as simple as acknowledging that we are sinners, repenting of our sins and acknowledging that God is God and that Jesus is the son of God, and that we freely accept Jesus's gift of salvation from his death on the cross and resurrection.

We can do this by praying on our own (i.e. talking with God). If you'd like guidance, you can pray this prayer below, which happens to be used in many Christian churches, but there is no need to stick to this form:

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.

 You would also want to make sure to connect with a local church so you can be baptized as a Christian. But right now, talking with God (i.e. praying) and telling him that you accept Jesus's sacrifice on the cross so that your sins are paid for, is important.

You'll also want to get to know God better, and that's a lifelong journey! It's exciting, even if it doesn't sound like it at first. Start by reading the Bible and praying, a little bit every day. Listen to the small still voice of the Holy Spirit.

We don't become perfect in this life

We will still sin after being Christians; it's not like we become perfect. Not at all. But what happens is that our sins are forgiven.

Also, we get to know God better, which is a really big deal - he's the Creator of the Universe! The King of everything! And you, yes you, will get to know Him.

If we truly believe in what Jesus did, we would try to make ourselves more pleasing to God, so we would certainly try a) get to know God better and b) to sin less [and these two things are actually very closely related!] We should ask His help with any struggles we have, for we cannot do it all on our own, even if we try our hardest.

We are not perfect, so we will still sin (just hopefully less than before). So don't be discouraged if you are a new Christian and are having struggles! That's normal. You are still human, and you will still sin, but the difference now is that your sins don't separate you from God anymore. God has forgiven you your sins, so you'll be able to live with God and Jesus forever.

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