Christianity

Christian Distinctives.

Christianity begins with three fundamentals to existence.

1.      Life.  Most assume life, but no. Human life , chemical life, natural life, is but a minor part of life . Jesus Christ Himself is presented as the source of all life (creator and sustainer), and to a broken world of humans, He is the source of spiritual life. Often this is called eternal life, being participation in the life of God. Being born again, born of the Holy Spirit is a connection with God as children to a Father.

2.    Light.  Everyone claims to know a thing or two – sometimes what they have discovered, sometimes what they have been taught. Moses shed much light on the situation when he brought to the people the law of God. This light exposed the wrong and pointed the people away to a cure outside of themselves. When Jesus came, the light of ‘grace and truth’ pushed back the darkness. The revealing of God in mercy and grace enabled many unworthy people to press into the kingdom of God. The truth lived and taught by Jesus Christ enabled His followers to live on a much higher plane. To follow Him was and is to walk in the light.

3.     Love.  Humanity has always wanted love. Various forms of love have been tried – lustful, family, natural.  Only in God’s love can people know true love. ‘Agape’ love stands unique. It is of divine origin and able to penetrate beyond beauty, beyond worth and beyond offence. It seeks the ultimate good of the one loved.  As a Christian accepts and absorbs this unique love of God, the mind, the attitude, the heart are changed. One is then able to live life rejoicing in God’s love and to live like God.

This then becomes the spring and motive of action. This is true life being lived in the light of God, by the love of God.

JRM