Christianity Explained Information

Find Christian Unity in Biblical Explanations of the Doctrines That Count!

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You have a choice to make: You can either believe the opinions of theologians, atheists, or agnostics, or you can determine for yourself what the Bible says by studying it.

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Topics

What Is Christianity Explained Information?

What Is Religion and Where Did It Originate?

Who or What Is God?

What Is Christianity?

What Is the Bible, and How Relative Is It to My Life?

Can I Understand the Bible?

What Are Messianic Prophecies?

Who Was Jesus of Nazareth, Really?

Why Are There So Many World Religions?

Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations?

What Is the Law and How Does It Apply to Me?

The Ten Commandments

What's All This About the End of the World and End-time Prophecies?

Isn't the Book of Daniel a Closed Book?

Revelation: How can anyone understand all that symbolism?

How Do I Identify a Cult?

Who or What Was Jesus' Mother, Mary?

Why Are We Here?

Where Do We Go When We Die?

Didn't Darwin Disprove Creation?

What's the Truth About Faith and Works?

Christian E-mails: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Complete Directory of Articles/Studies

Title Abbreviations for Books of the Bible

Genesis - Ge
Exodus - Ex
Leviticus - Le
Numbers - Nu
Deuteronomy - De
Joshua - Jos
Judges - Jud
Ruth - Ru
I Samuel - 1sa
II Samuel - 2sa
I Kings - 1ki
II Kings - 2ki
I Chronicles - 1ch
II Chronicles - 2ch
Ezra - Ezr
Nehemiah - Ne
Esther - Es
Job - Job
Psalm - Ps
Proverbs - Pr
Ecclesiastes - Ec
Song of Solomon - So
Isaiah - Isa
Jeremiah - Jer
Lamentations - La
Ezekiel - Eze
Daniel - Da
Hosea - Ho
Joel - Joe
Amos - Am
Obadiah - Ob
Johah - Jon
Micah - Mic
Nahum - Na
Habakuk - Hab
Zephaniah - Zep
Haggai - Hag
Zechariah - Zec
Malachi - Mal
Matthew - Mt
Mark - Mr
Luke - Lu
John - Joh
Acts - Ac
Romans - Ro
I Corinthians - 1co
II Corinthians - 2co
Galatians - Ga
Ephesians - Eph
Philippians - Php
Colossians - Col
I Thessalonians - 1th
II Thessalonians - 2th
I Timothy - 1ti
II Timothy - 2ti
Titus - Tit
Philemon - Phm
Hebrews - Heb
James - Jas
I Peter - 1pe
II Peter - 2pe
I John - 1jo
II John - 2jo
III John - 3jo
Jude - Jude
Revelation - Re

The Problem with Christianity

People like to find fault with Christianity when in reality the problem is with Christians.

The correct study of Scripture reveals a religion that is selfless and seeks to make the world a better place by spreading the love of God to all humanity and leveling the ground for all humanity by declaring the truth that we all are selfish and therefore don't always do what's right for others. By comparison to Christ, we are all sinners.

In the eyes of God, none of us has the right to feel superior to others because he counts all sin as just that, sin. While we humans tend to excuse little sins and condemn big sins, while we exalt those who can hide their sins while we villify those who cannot hide theirs, God simply regards sin as sin.

1jo 3:4

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Jas 2:10

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

But Christianity doesn't leave us there. It provides relief for our guilt and instruction on how to be ourselves while not being slaves to our baser natures.

Relief

1jo 2:1

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

It is our own ignorance and selfishness that cause us to twist scripture to our own benefit or to become victims of others who do that. Every foul and horrifying thing that has been done in the name of Christianity can be traced to personal and political agendas of people who suffer from having succumbed to the accolades of others or self aggrandizement or exaltation (the original sin of Lucifer in heaven that started this whole demonstration) or to mental disease--also a product of Satan and his evil angels.

True Christianity can cast out ignorance and selfishness and even demons. It can implant discernment so that people know whom they can trust and take advantage of the knowledge and inventions that God has given mankind the ability to develop.

The problem with Christianity is Christians who use their "saved status" as a badge of superiority over others. They forget "There but for the grace of God go I". They think that their own strength has saved them, when only one's love for God can do that. They haven't studied or choose to ignore Christ's own words:

Lu 18:11	"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
Lu 18:12	'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
Lu 18:13	"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
Lu 18:14	"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Mt 23:23

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Yes, hypocritical Christians are the problem with Christianity, not Christianity itself, and not Christ.

The same is true in Communism. The basic tenets of everyone holding all things in common and those who in need being given from those who are able to provide is good. Problems arise when some decide they don't want to provide and take advantage of the system. If one can get without giving, then what's the incentive to give? If this were a truly Christian society, the incentive would be God's teachings that work is good.

People taking advantage of communist ideals is the reason Capitalism works as well as it does. When those who provide are allowed to keep more than anyone else, they don't mind (so much) those who take advantage of the system. They, in fact, feel justified in keeping more for themselves because of those who take advangage. Once again, without the real love God can give us for each other as well as for him, a reasonable premise is degraded by the selfishness of those practicing it.

Hospitals or Countryclubs?

We like to say that Christ's churches are hospitals for sinners, not country clubs for saints. But as in all hospitals, there are those who are seeking healing and those who are just seeking to take advantage of a system.

And there's nothing we can do about it.

Mt 13:30

'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

Our only recourse is to follow the words of God and to teach them to others in the hopes that they will wake up and smell the coffee.

Ps 51:13

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

Notice it doesn't say, "I shall convert sinners to You." We don't convert sinners; Love for God does. We can only present the truth.

Lu 9:5

"And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

Who needs conversion and why?

Mt 13:15 Mr 4:12

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'

Mt 18:3

and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Ac 3:19	"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Ac 3:20	"and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
Ac 3:21	"whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Ac 3:22	"For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
Ac 3:23	'And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
Ac 3:24	"Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
Ac 3:25	"You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
Ac 3:26	"To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

How do we know when we're converted?

When the word of God is acceptable to us and our natural striving against it diminishes. To be converted and become as children means when we are willing to learn from God as very small children do from their parents. It doesn't mean we will never question or strive against the teachings. It simply means we will eventually allow God to teach us.

Ac 17:11

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

And when they found out by thorough Bible Study that what they were being taught was so, they acted on what they were taught.

Jas 1:21	Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22	But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Eph 4:17	This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
Eph 4:18	having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
Eph 4:19	who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20	But you have not so learned [from] Christ,
Eph 4:21	if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22	that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
Eph 4:23	and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
Eph 4:24	and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Eph 4:25	Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
Eph 4:26	"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Eph 4:27	nor give place to the devil.
Eph 4:28	Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
Eph 4:29	Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Eph 4:30	And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31	Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Eph 4:32	And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Hopefully unconverted people who call themselves Christians will come to know God and love him and allow him to convert their hearts so that they do not take Christ's name in vain, calling themselves Christians.

How embarrased Christ must be by those who call themselves by his name but, since they don't even know him, have no real desire to follow his teachings.

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