The Christian Faith

This brief message is to reach out to those who know very little or nothing about the Christian Faith and for those who have been hurt by a church and are disillusioned and looking to understand better what the Christian Faith actually teaches.

What makes our faith "Christian" is Christ. It isn't a particular type of morality, a certain set of ceremonies, or the day of the week on which worship takes place. Each of these, in a unique and integrated way finds their meaning in the unique, historical person of Jesus Christ. The heart of the Christian Faith is Christ.

Jesus Christ is the only, eternally begotten Son of God the Father, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is One God. The Father sent the Son into creation, born of the virgin Mary as she was enabled to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the miracle of the Father's sending and the Holy Spirit's work, the Son of God was united with a human nature and with a human body as one person. Why did this happen?

God loved the world. He sent the only-begotten Son so that any person entrusting their body and soul to Him may have reconciliation with God that begins today and extends into eternity. But why did God have to love the world in this particular way?

…because humanity gave their ear and their heart to listen to Satan and made the choice to seek their ultimate identity, security and meaning in their own works rather than God's. The Scripture calls this sin. Sin is that strange, terrible detrimental "something wrong" with the human nature, responsible for everything wrong in creation ranging from the ovens of Auschwitz to the bullying child on the playground. Believing Satan's lie over God's truth did something to human nature that no one can explain. The Bible calls it sinfulness. This sinfulness is the reason we sin – say and do the things that are the exact opposite of the rectitude, beauty and love of God. Because of sin, God judges and condemns. Without someone to rescue us, we must be judged and condemned.

The mysterious wonder of Christianity is that, with inexplicable and incomprehensible love and mercy, God the Father, sent God the Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live relating to all of creation as the perfect reflection of God (doing exactly what we were created to do, but rejected). But there's more, Jesus Christ, according to the will of God the Father, bore our guilt and our condemnation. Jesus was crucified for our sins so that we may be forgiven everything and be counted perfectly righteous in the judgment of God. Jesus is our righteousness in everything pertaining to our relationship with God. God has effected reconciliation and now He calls us through the promise of forgiveness and love to be reconciled to Him, entrusting ourselves completely to the Lord Jesus Christ as our mediator.

The Father and the Son sent God the Holy Spirit into the world and He bears witness to the truth of the entire matter. The Holy Spirit gave the entire truth to prophets and apostles who wrote it all down so that we can know the truth and once more trust completely in God's work, not our own.

That, in a nutshell, is the Christian Faith. If you want to know more, come visit us at Grace Presbyterian Church, or call me, the pastor, using the contact information also listed on this web site. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever.