What Christians Believe

What Christians believe
“When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  
While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.  
Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  
And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” 
                                                                         Luke 24:50-53
What an incredible moment in history. Jesus had rose from the dead and had walked the earth. He had been seen by many people and now scripture records he was taken up to heaven.
This is an event no other religion in the world has ever claimed about their founder.
Jesus died, was buried, descended into hell, rose to walk on this earth again and ascended into heaven.
Jesus told his disciples,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.  
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  
You know the way to the place where I am going.” 
                                                           John14:1-4
It is a place all believers will go in due time. Nothing can separate us from that. Not all the persecution in the world.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,
“Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 8:34-39
In short no matter what happens to us as Christians we win.
It is this hope of eternal life that propels Christians to this day.
We have a message for the world.
That message being one of the love of God who reached down to his creation. To mankind and said I love you.
Through Jesus God truly understands what man is going through that is why he can judge us fairly.
Jesus who is God incarnate experienced all that there was to be a man. He knew what it was like to be tempted.
Jesus knew what it was like to do the mundane things in life. To walk along a dusty road, to feel the sun and the rain.
He knew what it was like to be loved. He understood the power of his fame. What it was like to have large crowds all around him.
Jesus also understood what it was like to be falsely accused of something he didn’t do. What it was like to feel the lash of men who hated him and put him to death in a most hideous way.
Yet while on the cross in agony he still said,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 
                                                                                       Luke 23:34a  
The last recorded words of Jesus before going to heaven were,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                Matthew 28:18-20.
The way to heaven Jesus speaks about is simple,

Christians believe
Christians believe It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                     John 14:6
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
  John 3:16,17.
  Christians believe the word of Paul to the Romans,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” 
                               Isaiah 64:6
  John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
       1 John 1:9,10.
Salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                  Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
           Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
Think about it.