Why Christianity?

The key to the Christian faith is the teachings of Jesus Christ. Throughout his ministry Jesus displayed a practical wisdom which has left a mark for thousands of years.

Man and Natural law

To follow Christ is to live a life in line with the natural law which is imprinted on our hearts but which we ignore so often and so subtly that we forget it exists at all.

The cornerstone of Jesus' life is love, not just for those who we are close to, but for those who hate and hurt us. This love is not easy, no-one ever claimed it was, but this love is what the world needs. If only we stopped hating those who hate us, or even just stopped ignoring those who are rejected by society, the world, our neighbours, and thus ourselves would be happier and more peaceful.

The other rock on which Jesus built his life was on that of sincerity. Jesus wanted us to truly be the men who we claimed to be. We should not give the impression of love and then hate. We should not give the appearance of purity and then defile ourselves. Such restraint, such self-command is difficult, nearly impossible, but when we try to be truly good men then we can accomplish great things.

God and Understanding our Creator

Believing in God is agreeing with a natural belief, a realisation that there is something out there greater than ourselves which we can neither see nor touch.

We can go through life quietly shutting it out for long periods at a time, but in our moments of basic instinct when faced with death or sickness, we naturally and almost without exception turn to this Being for help.

Not only did Jesus affirm that this Being exists, he also gave us the vision to see him more clearly. Jesus taught us to think of God as our Father, as a loving fair parent who watches over his dearly beloved children.

This explanation of God confirms so much of what we see around us, whether it be in the beauty of nature or in the great dramas of our own lives. When we really look at all that is good about this world we must feel that there is some caring Being watching over it, despite the best efforts of man to destroy it.

To follow Jesus is to become a child of God, not of natural descent, but as adopted sons. It confirms the natural inclination of our hearts which senses a powerful guiding hand which helps and strengthens those in need.

Judgement and Cancelling our debts

The teachings of Jesus have a depth and natural truth about them which men should ponder in their hearts. Yet there is even more to Jesus than these principles of philosophy. This is because Jesus was not just a teacher, he was and still is a mediator between man and God, because although his body was human, his spirit was divine.

When we believe and trust in his way we become part of the mystical body of Christ, all believers united, working together in a divine and incomprehensible way. This means that when Jesus' body was crucified it had a significance for all of those who follow him.

God is a loving, kind, generous Father who calls us back to Him, but it is also the role of every good Father to chastise his children. Each of us in some way deserve this discipline, in fact the punishment which we rightly deserve is more than we could bear.

Yet instead of allowing each of us to be punished for our wrongdoing, Jesus was given as a sacrifice representative of all believers. By the mystical union which all followers have in the body of Christ, Jesus' death is like a payment for the guilt of the whole body of believers.

By following Jesus we become part of this mystical body, and so all of the punishment which we should endure for our wrongdoing has already been experienced by Jesus. Without this sacrifice there is no way that we can avoid the punishment which we are worthy of.

Resurrection

While looking at the importance of his death, we should never forget that the most astounding event involving Jesus came three days after he had been killed. Throughout his life Jesus had shown a special power by which he could help and heal others but undoubtedly the greatest miracle of all was his resurrection. By rising from the dead Jesus showed that he really was the chosen one of God, the Christ.

After three days Jesus' body which had hung for hours on a wooden cross was raised to life again. His tomb was empty, and in his place an angel stood telling his followers "He has risen." Powerful Roman guards who had been told to watch his tomb were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men.

Over the next month Jesus appeared to many people. Paul, a follower of Jesus, says that up to five hundred men seen him after he was raised back to life. These men, many of whom died for their beliefs, whose entire ethos was honesty and sincerity are accurate witnesses of a truly divine event.

The resurrection is the greatest in a long line of miracles, and surely he who admits it cannot possibly deny that Jesus is the chosen one of God.

Why Christianity?

The answer to this question lies in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By following his teachings we can live the lives which God meant for us, by accepting his death in our place we cancel the debts of our sins, and by trusting in the resurrection we can stand confidently knowing that the evidence of divine power supports us.