Christianity

Christianity

What is Christianity? Is Christianity true? Has science disproved Christianity? Is Christianity the only way to heaven? How can someone become a Christian? Do you have to believe in the Genesis creation account to be a Christian?

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Contents

What Is Christianity?

Christianity is the religion that worships Jesus as God and trusts in him for salvation from our sins. Christians trust the Bible as the authoritative source regarding his life, teachings, and saving death and resurrection.

As of 2023, around 2.4 billion people claimed to be Christians, according to World Population Review. This number includes several distinct branches, such as Catholicism, Protestantism, and the Orthodox Church. These branches have a common belief in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus. However, there are major differences of belief among these branches of Christianity.

Answers in Genesis’ beliefs are outlined in our Statement of Faith.

What’s the Difference Between Christianity and Other Religions?

Many religions believe they have a path to God. What makes Christianity different?

Christianity has a unique view of God. Only Christianity recognizes there is one God, eternally existing as three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Religions like Islam and Judaism affirm that there is only one God, but they deny the Trinity. Religions like Mormonism say that there are many gods.

Christianity is unique in recognizing Jesus’ divinity. Other religions may recognize Jesus as a prophet or exalted being, but only Christianity believes Jesus’ divine claims about himself (John 10:30).

Most religions have things that adherents must do to attempt to reach heaven, but Christianity uniquely offers salvation that we don’t have to earn and, in fact, can’t earn (Titus 3:5). The free gift of salvation through the sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus is the most important unique aspect of Christianity.

Has Science Disproved Christianity?

Many people think that science has disproved Christianity, particularly aspects of evolution. However, science is only possible with the assumption that a Creator God programmed the universe and the human mind in such a way that truth is discoverable and that the truth the human mind can discover will be constant. If the universe is the result of random, purposeless processes, there is no reason to suppose the laws of physics might be different tomorrow, and there is even less reason to think that a human mind, if it came about through an evolutionary process only interested in survival, would be able to discover any truths about our universe.

In fact, most major areas of science were pioneered by Christians who believed they were glorifying God by exploring his creation. Science is also a natural outgrowth of the dominion mandate God gave Adam in the garden to rule creation as God’s steward.

How Can Someone Become a Christian?

When we talk about becoming a Christian, we often talk about believing the gospel. The word gospel comes from the Old English meaning “good news,” and it comes from the Greek euangelion, also meaning “good news.” The gospel is the message of how Christ’s death and resurrection reconciles sinners to God.

The Apostle Paul summarized the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

1. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.

The first element that Paul spoke about requires a bit of biblical understanding. How did we become sinners in need of salvation? Paul says the Scriptures tell us, and by that, he meant what we call the Old Testament. Genesis tells us that we became sinners when our first parents, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God by eating the fruit that God forbade in the garden of Eden. Ever since then, every person without exception has rebelled against God—except Jesus. Because Jesus is God incarnate, he was conceived without the sin nature that causes the rest of us to sin. He then lived a perfectly righteous life, never sinning either by doing something he shouldn’t or by failing to do something he should. Having lived a righteous life, he died the death of a sinner in our place.

2. Christ was buried.

Jesus actually died on the cross, and he was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb sealed by a Roman seal and guarded by Roman soldiers. He didn’t swoon; he didn’t get switched out at the last minute for a look-alike. It’s important to affirm that Jesus actually died and was buried because his death is what atones for our sin.

3. Christ was raised on the third day and appeared to witnesses.

When the Bible says Jesus was raised, it means that Jesus’ physical body, the same one that was buried, was restored to life and gloriously transformed. Jesus didn’t have a special “God resurrection” because God cannot die—Jesus died a human death and was the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He appeared to his disciples and to a group of more than 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Jesus’ resurrection is so important that Paul says that if Jesus isn’t raised, our faith is void, and we are without any hope (1 Corinthians 15:12–19). This is because the resurrection of the dead indicates God’s full victory over sin.

The gospel message is simple: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). He demonstrated the love of God in that while we were sinners, he died for us (Romans 5:8). Our response to the gospel is also simple: repent and believe the gospel (Romans 10:9–10).

Do I Have to Be a Creationist to Be a Christian?

Answers in Genesis is a biblical creationist organization that affirms creation in six literal days, around 6,000 years ago according to the Bible’s timeline derived from Genesis 5 and 11, as well as other chronological indications from Scripture. While the Bible’s historical nature and accuracy are important for correctly understanding God’s nature and the gospel, it is not necessary to be a young-earth creationist to be saved.

The Bible is clear regarding how a person can be saved:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:5–13)

The amount of theological truth one must “get right” to be saved is minimal—believe that Jesus is Lord, that he died for your sins, and that God raised him from the dead. Creation is an important doctrine to explain why the gospel is necessary, but it’s not necessary to believe in biblical creation to be saved. There will be lots of people who died as theistic evolutionists, old-earth creationists, and gap theorists in heaven, and we should be glad about that! If complete theological accuracy was a prerequisite for heaven, none of us would make it!

How Can I Know I’m a Christian?

The Bible says to “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5), and it is important to be sure that we are trusting in Christ for salvation. If you have believed what the Bible says about Jesus and trust in him for the forgiveness of sins but still have questions about whether you are really saved, speaking with your pastor is a good next step. If you don’t have a local church that you attend, finding a Bible-believing church where you can learn from the Bible, fellowship and worship God with other believers, and receive counsel from a qualified pastor will be helpful. And of course, every Christian will be helped if they regularly read their Bible—God’s handbook and communication to us—and pray for his will and guidance in their life.

Christianity Topics

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  • Christian Values

    Christian Values

    What are some of the values Christians should draw from the Bible and steadfastly hold to?

  • Church

    Church

    Why are two-thirds of America’s youth walking away from the church and faith in Jesus Christ? What can be done to stop this mass exodus?

  • Gospel

    Gospel

    The message of the gospel—Christ’s death and resurrection for the salvation of mankind—is the message the world desperately needs to hear.

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