The Original Christian Faith: What's True?

what is the true original christian faith

The original Christian faith is a complex topic that has been debated by theologians, historians, and Christians themselves for centuries. At its core, Christianity is a monotheistic religion that focuses on the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah, sent by God to save the world, and that his crucifixion and resurrection offer the forgiveness of sins. While the religion originated with a small group of adherents, it has since become the most widely practised religion globally, with over two billion followers.

The interpretation of Jesus' teachings and the organisational structure of the religion have evolved and diversified over time, leading to the formation of various denominations within Christianity. These include Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, each with its own unique beliefs, traditions, and worship practices. Despite these differences, the core of the Christian faith remains centred around Jesus Christ and his teachings.

The question of which denomination represents the true or original Christian faith is a matter of ongoing debate, with each denomination claiming to be the sole inheritor of Jesus' authority and teachings. Ultimately, the true nature of the original Christian faith may be unattainable, as it is based on interpretations of historical events and texts that are open to individual and communal interpretation.

shunspirit

The Holy Trinity

The Bible speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as distinct persons. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world, He cannot be the same person as the Son. Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father, the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world. The Holy Spirit must, therefore, be distinct from the Father and the Son.

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons. These persons are co-equal and co-eternal, each fully God, yet there is only one God. The three persons of the Trinity are not independent individuals but are a form of personal existence other than a difference in being. They are relational, with each person having a distinct centre of consciousness and regarding themselves as "I" and the others as "You".

The doctrine of the Trinity developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. The New Testament established the basis for the doctrine, with passages such as the Great Commission ("Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit") and the apostolic benediction ("The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all"). However, the explicit doctrine of the Trinity was not formulated until the early Christians and Church Fathers attempted to understand the relationship between Jesus and God in their scriptural documents and prior traditions.

The high point of these conflicts was the Arian controversy in the early 4th century. Arius sought to maintain a formal understanding of the oneness of God and disputed the sameness of essence of the Son and the Holy Spirit with God the Father. It was not until later in the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons by theologians such as St. Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers (St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus).

shunspirit

The Gospels

Each of the four gospels offers a unique perspective on the life and teachings of Jesus. They include stories of his birth, miracles, parables, and sermons. They also contain accounts of his crucifixion and resurrection, which form the basis of Christian belief.

Can Aelfgar Be Trusted as a Loyal Ally?

You may want to see also

shunspirit

The life and teachings of Jesus

The story of Jesus' birth, as told by Luke and Matthew, intertwines the ordinary and the miraculous. According to these traditions, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, to Mary, a young unmarried virgin, and Joseph, her betrothed, a carpenter from Nazareth. Luke's account, familiar to Christians worldwide, tells of how the couple travelled to Bethlehem for a census and, finding no room at the inn, stayed in a stable. Jesus was born that night, his first bed a manger filled with hay. Nearby shepherds, tending their flocks, heard angels singing and hurried to see the newborn child. Matthew's Gospel mentions nothing of the stable or the shepherds but tells of wise men or astrologers from the East, guided by a star, who brought gifts to honour the child. Mark and John omit the birth story, with Mark beginning his account with the baptism of Jesus, and John with the creation of the cosmos.

There are few records of Jesus' childhood, except for Luke's account of the twelve-year-old Jesus teaching rabbis in the temple in Jerusalem. All four Gospels, however, speak of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. Historians estimate Jesus to have been around thirty years old at his baptism. It was a time of political turmoil and religious expectation, with many Jewish movements anticipating the coming of the Messiah. John the Baptist was one such preacher, calling for repentance and transformation while baptising thousands in the Jordan River. According to Mark's Gospel, when Jesus emerged from the water, the skies opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon him, with a voice proclaiming, "You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased."

Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry, during which he preached, taught, and performed miracles. The Gospels describe Jesus healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. He attracted large crowds as he travelled throughout Galilee, accompanied by a diverse group of followers, including fishermen and women.

Jesus' message was one of repentance, turning to God, generosity, forgiveness, love, and justice. He is portrayed as a powerful teacher, often using evocative parables to convey his message. One such parable tells of a man who is robbed and beaten, and left on the road. Many pass him by without offering help, including respected members of his community. The one who finally stops to help is a Samaritan, considered a foreigner and an outsider. Through this parable, Jesus emphasises that the commandment to 'love your neighbour as yourself' transcends ethnic and religious barriers. Indeed, in his ministry, Jesus crossed social barriers, mingling with the ostracised and marginalised, including tax collectors, adulterers, sex workers, the disabled, the poor, and the sick. He warned against judgement and encouraged people to recognise their own imperfections before condemning others.

Jesus taught that the expected Kingdom of God was near but that it would not be an earthly political kingdom. Instead, it would be a new reign of justice and liberation for the oppressed, with the poor, the rejected, and the outcasts taking precedence over the wealthy and powerful. He likened the coming of this kingdom to a tiny mustard seed, growing and creating a new flourishing reality from within. Jesus' disciples and followers began to speak of him as the long-awaited redeemer, the Messiah, who would bring about this kingdom.

Jesus' death and resurrection are central tenets of Christian faith, although the specific interpretations of these events vary across denominations.

shunspirit

The nature of God

God is described by Christians as omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient, just, eternal, transcendent, and immanent. God is all-powerful, as evidenced by the creation of the world and the resurrection of Jesus. God is all-loving, as evidenced by the sacrifice of his son for humanity. God is all-knowing, and knows the inner thoughts of every person, as well as all that has happened and will happen in the future. God is fair and just, forgiving those who ask for forgiveness. God is eternal, with no beginning or end. God is transcendent, existing outside of worldly constraints and physical laws. God is immanent, acting in history and continuing to be active in the world today.

shunspirit

The Church

The essence of Christianity revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe God sent his son Jesus, the messiah, to save the world. They believe Jesus was crucified on a cross to offer the forgiveness of sins and was resurrected three days after his death before ascending to heaven.

The Holy Bible includes important scriptures that outline Jesus’s teachings, the lives and teachings of major prophets and disciples, and offer instructions for how Christians should live. The Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament, which is also recognized by followers of Judaism, and the New Testament, which was written after Jesus’s death.

The first church organized itself 50 days after Jesus’s death on the Day of Pentecost—when the Holy Spirit was said to descend onto Jesus’s followers. Most of the first Christians were Jewish converts, and the church was centered in Jerusalem. Shortly after the creation of the church, many Gentiles (non-Jews) embraced Christianity.

The symbolic birth of the Christian church is marked on Pentecost, a festival that celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples and the beginning of the church’s mission. The members of the early Christian church believed their mission to be nearer its end than its beginning. In daily expectation of the imminent Second Coming of Christ, the faithful prepared themselves for his kingdom and, by urgently preaching his gospel, sought to bring others into the redeemed community.

The early Christians thought of themselves as a redeemed community, promised eternal life in Christ and pledged to live a holy life in expectation of the end of this world, which might come at any moment with the return of Christ as judge. They were simultaneously charged to preach the gospel to the world, and this created a tension not easy to resolve. On the one hand, it seemed necessary to separate themselves from a society that was not only, by Christian standards, immoral but also riddled with pagan practices. On the other hand, Jesus had mixed with publicans and sinners, and evangelization was a plain duty.

The early Christian community faced persecution by both Jewish and Roman leaders. In 64, Emperor Nero blamed Christians for a fire that broke out in Rome, and many were brutally tortured and killed. Under Emperor Domitian, Christianity was illegal, and if a person confessed to being a Christian, they were executed. In 303, Christians faced the most severe persecutions to date under the co-emperors Diocletian and Galerius, which became known as the Great Persecution.

When Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, religious tolerance shifted in the Roman Empire. In 313, Constantine lifted the ban on Christianity with the Edict of Milan. He later tried to unify Christianity and resolve issues that divided the church by establishing the Nicene Creed. Many scholars believe Constantine’s conversion was a turning point in Christian history.

Christianity is broadly split into three branches: Catholic, Protestant, and (Eastern) Orthodox. The Catholic branch is governed by the Pope and Catholic bishops around the world, while the Orthodox branch is split into independent units, each governed by a Holy Synod. There are numerous denominations within Protestant Christianity, many of which differ in their interpretation of the Bible and understanding of the church.

The core of their faith is centered around the life and teachings of Jesus.

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Reviewed by
Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment