Introduction
Christianity being the largest religion in the world has dominated the western culture for centuries. Christianity has shaped culture, laws, policies, people’s thoughts and nations. Christianity revolves around the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Brief History
It was founded by Jesus Christ in order to transform the way of living of the people so that they could gain eternal life. The primary sources for the details of Jesus' life are found in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which were written approximately between 60 and 90 A.D. Christianity started about 2000 years ago in Judea (present-day Israel) with Jesus Christ and His Disciples.
Their gospel message was simple: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherent.
Christian Beliefs
The core beliefs of Christianity are summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith.
Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices. Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God. That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Christians see Jesus as the source of salvation.
The holy book used by Christians is referred to as the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is used as a source of inspiration, hope and faith. It is believed to have been written by men under the divine inspiration of God. The Bible is one of the most reproduced books of all times. It is divided into 2 parts; the Old Testament and the New Testament.
It has been translated into hundreds of languages and can be found in all parts of the earth. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion. By the end of 1995, combined global sales of Today's English Version (Good News) New Testament and Bible (copyright for which is held by the Bible Societies) exceeded 17.75 million copies, and the whole Bible had been translated into 349 languages; 2123 languages have at least one book of the Bible in that language.”
Conclusion
In Christianity, there is hope; hope for eternal life, the hope of resurrection and even the hope for salvation.
Maryann Asemota
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