The Christian faith first appeared in the Middle East (in today’s Israel) and was originally embraced by a small group of Jews inspired by the preaching of Jesus of Nazareth, who came to be known as the Christ (the Anointed), and who revealed himself as the son of God.
Many centuries before Christ, rules for living in peace with each other and in harmony with God were given by God’s inspiration to the writers of the Torah, the divine revelation. The Torah consists of five books, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF THE TORAH: A COVENANT WITH THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
The Covenant is the pact between God and his people to live together in peace.
The Jewish nation and the Jewish faith are the environmental conditions under which the Christian faith came into being.
The Christian Bible includes the five books of the Torah and others in a volume often referred to as the Old Testament.
After Christ’s mission on Earth concluded, the Good News (or Gospel) was made available for anyone to read in the New Testament. The books of the New Testament, also inspired by God, record the message preached by Jesus, the history of the early church, and the teachings (in the form of letters) of its most prominent representatives.
From humble beginnings, the Christian faith spread to the then-known world and birthed a multi-faceted and international community of believers who, to this day, strive to live by the teachings of Christ contained in the New Testament. Some believers also pay close attention to scriptural interpretations, such as precepts, rules, commandments, definitions of orthodoxy, traditions, rituals, commentaries, charismatic preaching, and other renditions of the original message.
ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF THE GOOD NEWS: REDEMPTION FOR EVERY HUMAN BEING
In my understanding, Christianity is primarily about TWO RELATIONSHIPS:
1 – OF HUMAN BEINGS WITH GOD, based on a personal relationship by each of us with Christ (in some cases mediated by the clergy) and practiced by prayer.
2 – OF HUMAN BEINGS WITH EACH OTHER, practiced by following Christ’s and the church’s teachings that pertain to human relationships (the Golden Rule, and others). You will find Christ’s teachings in the New Testament.
IF we are able to establish and cultivate good relationships with God and with each other on Earth, we are promised that our eternal souls will enjoy eternal life with God in heaven. Otherwise, our souls may be forever barred from communing with God in heaven.
Faith, by definition, can only exist under two conditions: in the absence of physical evidence that God exists and in the presence of doubt. If we had direct evidence of God’s existence, we wouldn’t need “faith” but simply the acceptance of reality.
Regarding doubt, it works in a similar way to courage, which can only exist in the presence of fear. Just as courage can overcome (and coexist with) fear, faith can overcome (and coexist with) doubt.
The application of the Christian faith, i.e., when faith translates into behavior, is more problematic for human beings. We often fall short, make bad decisions, and contradict our beliefs. Reconciling with God is much easier since the advent of Christ, who brought redemption and salvation for all.
Believe it. Or not.