Jesus and Christianity
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is a real person who lived as a man in Israel about 2000 years ago. But Jesus was no ordinary man. He was, and still is, the Son of God. While he lived on Earth, Jesus expressed God’s love for people in what he said and did. He did amazing miracles that changed people’s lives for the better. Around the year AD 33, Jesus died on a cross and came back to life, before returning to Heaven. The story of Jesus is written in the Bible.
To understand Jesus and why he lived on Earth, it may help to first understand God and his kingdom. God is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it.
Who is God? What is sin?
What did Jesus do on Earth?
When Jesus was thirty-years old, he began a public ministry. He talked to people in many cities and towns about God’s love and God’s Kingdom – his way of life. Jesus wanted everyone to know of his love for them. He sat down with, talked to and cared for people of all ages and backgrounds. He welcomed people with generosity and kindness. He healed people from sicknesses, journeyed alongside them in their pain and gave them hope.
After three years of ministry, Jesus died on a cross. Jesus knew this was part of God’s plan. He willingly offered up his life to give us new life, because of his great love for us. Through his death, he took on all the pain, sin and everything that is wrong in our world, even though he did nothing wrong. Everything anyone had ever done, or would ever do wrong, was put to death with him on the cross. We couldn’t have saved ourselves, so Jesus died in our place. He saved us from separation from God and restored our relationship with him.
When we see what Jesus did for us – how he came to earth, suffered and died for our wrongs, we get a glimpse of the kind of love God has for us. He has done all he could to bring us back into relationship with himself, and this amazing love helps us to turn from going our own way, and run back to him.
Thankfully, Jesus’ death on the cross isn’t the end of the story. On the third day after Jesus was laid in a tomb, he came back to life. And his resurrection is the undoing of death and broken relationship with God. His resurrection shows that he has power over all brokenness, sin, sadness, sickness, and death. When we turn to him and believe in what he has done for us, our relationship with him is restored. Despair turns to hope when we experience the love of God that Jesus came to earth to show us. And this love is for everyone who simply believes in him.
Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection is what we remember and celebrate at ‘Easter’.
What can Jesus mean for my life?
During his time on Earth, Jesus said: “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life — life that is full and good.” (John chapter 10, verse 10, ERV).
This means that Jesus wants to take our hurts – the things that weigh us down and steal our joy – and exchange them for God’s peace, unconditional love, goodness, hope and joy. Through Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection (coming back to life), we can have a meaningful relationship with God the Father, our Creator. There is more to life than fleeting good feelings, and God wants you to experience life to the full.
What is a Christian?
The word “Christ” is often used after the name of Jesus: Jesus Christ. In the Greek (the language in which the Bible stories about Jesus were originally written), “Christ” means “Anointed One”. It refers to the fact that Jesus is both human and divine (God’s Son).
Anyone who follows Jesus Christ can call themselves a “Christian”.
“So you will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others” (Romans Chapter 10, Verses 9-10, CEV).
When we recognise our need for God to heal, restore and forgive us, and ask for Jesus’ help, we are ‘saved’. This act of ‘salvation’ is why we are called The Salvation Army.
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