Benchmark - Gospel Essentials

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CWV-101

March 27, 2018

Christian Wilder

Benchmark - Gospel Essentials

Billy Graham once said “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'” When people think of the Christian faith, they often think of it as having to be perfect or free of sin. However, as Graham explains, it is not always easy, and as usual, humans are far from being perfect. The truth is, for Christians, it is also being able to recognize that a communication with God is needed. Christianity is choosing to follow God and place full faith in what he can do, regardless of the situation or magnitude of the problem. It is accepting the guidance of his word and allowing him to make changes for the better, all according to his word, which is the bible. It is a type of faith that involves God, humanity, Jesus, and restoration.

God

According to the Christian belief, God is not only the creator of the whole universe, but everything living in it as well, including humanity. His physical characteristics are never described, but he is known for other characteristics that define who he is. In the bible, a book that Christians abide by, God is described as a personal and unchanging God who is kind, loving, and caring, but who is also just when it comes to those who lack in faith and decide to live against his word. He is involved with his creation, meaning that he is always there, regardless of the time and place; he is universal (Crysdale, 2015). In the book of Genesis, the immensity of God’s power is seen, even through the simple of act of speaking, when God is creating the world (Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26,29). In the Christian belief, it is also believed that God exists in three different ways known as the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

Humanity

It is the Christian belief that when God first created humanity, he created it in his image and to his likeness. It was God’s plan to make man like himself and for them to have complete authority and control over his creations, such as wild animals and livestock. According to the book of Genesis, that image was tainted by humanity when Adam and Eve, God’s first human creations, disobeyed him and ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, 1996). Through that, the fall of humanity came and sin became part of human nature. With that, the truth also came, that humanity would never be as righteous as God and much less perfect. Adam and Eve were then kicked out from the Garden of Eve and the consequences of their actions were then introduced to humanity. Because of their disobedience and choice to ignore God’s word, things came into existence, such as the separation from God, painful childbirth, and even death.

 Jesus

In Christianity and the bible, Jesus is introduced as the son of God and part of what makes up the Holy Trinity (Merrick, 2014).  He came into the world in human form, being just as powerful as God, with a sole life purpose to restore humanity’s relationship with its creator and achieve forgiveness for their sins. To save humanity, Jesus had to die at the cross, having lived a perfect life, free of sin. Jesus' identity and work is significant for the Christian worldview because it was through him that humanity could attain forgiveness from sin, rather than having to die for those sins themselves. As the bible states, God loved the world so much that he was willing to give up his only son to save them from death, which came from sin. Jesus is the example that Christians follow as to how they should live their daily lives according to the word of God.

Restoration

The Christian worldview sees the solution to human problems as a choice, a choice to form a relationship with God and establish a lifestyle according to the way God would want it: free of sin. Although it is impossible to be perfect by human nature and not sin, it is still important to try and live righteously. Faith plays a huge role in the Christian worldview, without it, there is no real way of reaching God. It is through faith and grace that salvation is received, not through simple acts or words. Faith comes from the heart, sincere, honest and real (Meyer, 2017). Christians think that the transformation of self and society happen when someone decides to make that choice to follow God and live according to his word. If someone repents sincerely and is willing to transform their life, God will forgive them of their sins and allow them to return to the right path.

Analysis

Just like with anything else, the Christian worldview can have both its benefits or strengths, as well as its troublesome or confusing aspects. The Christianity faith often influences those who choose to follow to be better people and act morally correct. It influences them to be positive, love one another, and be the change in the world. The troublesome or confusing aspect of the Christian worldview is the Holy Trinity (Cain, 2016). Often, it is difficult for the human mind to accept and understand how one God can become three, and at the same time watch over every creation. It can be difficult for the mind to fully grasp the idea that one God can be The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Another thing that can be troublesome is trying to live accordingly and having to love and accept everyone, regardless of who they are and what they do. As humans, it can be difficult to not be judgmental or fair with everyone. Through the Christian faith though, it is important to see everyone as the same and treat them as so.