The Basics of Christianity

Christianity is one of the world's most popular religions and has helped shape history. The word "Christian" means “follower of Christ.” Christianity focuses on the teachings of Jesus and how to follow Him in everyday life. It is a faith that encourages forgiveness, loving others, and showing God's love. It also promotes faith in a single God and rejects polytheism or atheism.

The Bible is central to Christianity, and Christians believe it is the Word of God. The Bible contains a message of salvation and tells the story of how God sent his son to earth to be the perfect sacrifice for humanity's sins. It teaches that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Christians rely on the Bible to guide them in their daily lives and help them grow in their relationship with Jesus.

During his adult ministry, Jesus built up a loyal following of followers, while making enemies among the religious and political leaders of his time. They eventually seized him and put him to death on a cross. Christians believe that his painful death was the ultimate sacrifice for humanity's sins and that he was then raised from the dead. He now lives in heaven with his Father and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that this victory over death shows how much God loves his people.

Jesus taught by example, Christianity healing the sick and telling stories, or parables, that gave his audience practical lessons about life in God's kingdom. His teaching style is often described as loving and forgiving. He urged his followers to follow his example and love God and his neighbors as themselves. This teaching is known as the golden rule.

Christians believe that Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven are the beginning of God's plan to bring peace and justice to his creation. They believe that at the end of this period, when Jesus returns, he will transform human bodies into spiritual ones and lead his kingdom on earth. Some believers believe that when they die, they will go to heaven or hell based on their actions and beliefs during this lifetime.

Some of the earliest Christian materials were written shortly after Jesus' death and burial, including accounts of his teachings in the Gospels and letters by early church leaders. The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, make up the core of the New Testament. The letters of Paul, called the Epistles, comprise another large section of the New Testament. Some of these were written by Paul himself, but many were copied and circulated by his disciples and imitators. In time, these texts were collected and published into books, which became known as the canon of the Christian Bible. Different councils over the centuries released lists of which texts should be included in this collection. These canons have served to guide the interpretation of the Bible and Christianity ever since. Today, millions of people around the world are Christians. They live in nearly every country in the world and play a major role in business, politics, education, science, art, music, literature, and other fields of endeavor.