Section Four
Chapter Fifteen
Facts About
Christianity
One God, The Holy Trinity
A Christian is one who believes in one God
who has no equal in glory or in authority.
It is natural to believe in one God since
the universe itself has no need except for one, almighty,
omniscient God, the God of love and justice. In fact, Christ
confirmed that God is one God and so did all the disciples and
apostles who wrote the New Testament books as they were moved by
God’s Holy Spirit. Christ said, "The Lord is one" in Mark 12:29.
James, the apostle, said, "You believe that there is one God.
You do well" (James 2:19), and Paul, the apostle, said, "For
there is one God" (I Tim. 2:5). There are clear evidences of the
oneness of God in Christianity.
As to the subject of the Trinity, it is a
different issue that does not contradict or disprove the fact of
the absolute oneness of God since the Trinity explains and
clarifies the nature of this oneness of God. It is
impossible to believe that the oneness of God is an abstract as
is the oneness of material things such as a pen or a chair. It
is certain that the oneness of God is a universal, comprehensive
oneness.
Regarding the number, it is absolutely
sure that our God is one with no partner and no one equal to
Him. God can never be three gods or the third of three gods, God
forbid. This one God is alive in His Holy Spirit and not dead.
He is speaking in His Word (Logos) and reasoning in His Wisdom.
Christ is called, "The Word of God" (John 1) and "The Wisdom of
God" (Proverbs 8). The fact that man himself is a body, a
reasoning soul, and a spirit does not disprove that he is one
and not three! Just so, God is one but He has a Spirit and a
mind; i.e., understanding and wisdom.
In fact, the existence of this one God is
of His own doing; i.e., spontaneous—that is why we call him "The
Father". He is alive in His own Spirit who is called "The Holy
Spirit". This great one God is reasoning in His Wisdom and
speaking in His Word who is called "The Son." "The Trinity" is 1
x 1 x 1 and not 1 + 1 + 1.
What Does The Term " Son Of God" Mean?
As Christians, we say that Christ is God
the Son and this expression has a simple, spiritual meaning (not
a carnal, physical one) since it is impossible to conceive that
God has a wife. God chose to incarnate Himself in Jesus who
said, "A body You have prepared for Me" (Heb. 10:5). The
expression, "Son of God", means that Christ shares the spiritual
nature and character of God.
It is obvious that Christ led an
absolutely perfect life, which is why no one can object to the
statement that Christ has the character and nature of God. As
evidenced early, Christ never sinned, has never yielded to the
temptations of Satan, nor has God ever said to Him, "I have
taken away your sins that have bent your back" as Muhammad
claimed that God said to him.
In addition to that, He was born of a
virgin and He ascended to heaven as the living Lord. What a
wonderful life is His! Moreover, His life was unusually great
and His miracles were amazingly wrought. His authority extended
even to the realm of nature as it was claimed in the Qur’an in
the Table Surah 5:110 (Al-Maeda) that Christ created birds out
of clay; i.e., a living creature. Here, Muhammad inadvertently
witnesses to the deity of Christ, for who can create but God
Himself? This is a special characteristic limited to God alone
since God is the only creator. This is Christ and this is the
meaning of Christ, the "Son of God."
New Birth and
Highest Moral Standard for Life
In Christianity, you will discover
wonderful doctrines and principles that at first seem to be
unusual and difficult to understand, yet you will discover later
on how simple and practical they are. One who believes in these
precious doctrines and principles and submits himself completely
into the hands of God will have a wonderful, exciting experience
called, "being born again" (John 3 :1-18). His heart will also
be filled with inner power as well as real joy and peace, and
consequently he will experience a personal, living relationship
with God as he discovers the meaning of his own life. No longer
will he need to be frightened of eternity that comes after this
short life is over now. Death becomes "gain" as Paul the Apostle
said in Philippians 1:21.
Referring to Christ, the Gospel says,
12 But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name: (John 1:12).
Christianity teaches that when one becomes
a child of God, he experiences the new birth and the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit. So, in the new birth, God implants anew
nature into the inner being of man, a nature which man has never
had before. In addition, God sends His Spirit to indwell man’s
heart as he receives Christ into his life. In fact, one needs to
accept Christ as the incarnate Word of God who died on the cross
to save him from sins and ascended to heaven. Such a
relationship with God is man’s dire need.
In order to have spiritual union,
fellowship and love between man and his God, we must have God’s
Holy Spirit who is the agent of the new birth. Moreover, the
Holy Spirit gives us inner power and leads us into a life of joy
and happiness as well as a life of knowing God personally, not
as a master but as a father. Assurance of eternal life after
death is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the believing heart. It is
difficult to describe all the spiritual and psychological
blessings which one will experience as a result of belief in the
God of Christian revelation—accepting Christ as personal Savior.
May the reader experience all these blessings.
In Christianity, God gives man everything.
His indwelling Holy Spirit embraces him in a wonderful way even
to the extent of total union between God and man in the person
of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17). As a matter of fact, God in
Christianity is not a remote, silent God but He is a caring,
loving God who united Himself with us through Jesus Christ.
Christ is known as the Son of God as well as the Son of Man. In
taking on "the likeness of men" (Phil 2:7), He became fully man
and fully God. Through His Spirit, man is able to experience a
glorious life and every day, he can enjoy personal, inner
fellowship with God, man’s heavenly Father.
Day after day as he grows in grace and
knowledge, the Christian experiences more power in his life and
becomes able to express and convey love to all those around him.
The life of holiness and purity becomes his normal pattern of
life as well as having genuine love and inexpressible joy, even
amidst all situations and hardships (II Peter 1:3,4).
The Cross
In fact, the cross is not merely a
historic event but it is the purpose for which Christ came to
our world as He mentioned frequently, "The Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom
for many" (Matt. 20:28). So, the cross is the key to
understanding the books of the Old Testament which are full of
prophecies about the cross which were written thousands of years
before Christ—such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
It is well known that David’s psalms and
the Pentateuch were available to many people in different parts
of the world long before the coming of Christ. In Christ, the
prophecies were fulfilled, including all those concerning His
crucifixion.
8 But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. (Romans 5:8)
16 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).
The cross is the evidence that God loves
us and without the cross, we would not have comprehended the
meaning of love or recognized its standard which is to sacrifice
for those whom we love (Gal. 5:22-25). Without the cross, there
would be no perfect example to teach us the great meaning of
sacrificial living.
Not only do we have forgiveness for our
sins in the cross since Christ redeemed us and was punished for
us, but we also have power to enable us to lead a life of
wonderful ideals. The Bible says,
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified
with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)
The "old man" is that sinful nature within
us which is inclined to selfishness, egocentricity as well as
deviation from God’s love. It is only in the cross that one can
experience victory over this "old man", a corrupted heart and a
sin-driven soul.
Because He is God and man, our old nature
was crucified with Him, and we are enabled to experience
victory. Jesus was crucified as a man like us for He had
identified Himself with our humanity So we died in Him and we
rose with Him as the Bible says,
Moreover, the Bible teaches us that we are
seated with Him in heavenly places. What a wonderful high
position it is! Therefore, our behavior and conduct must be
heavenly (Col. 3:1-10).
These are profound truths of Christianity
which proclaim that the loving God indwells us and empowers us
in our daily life. Thus, our spiritual desires are fulfilled as
a result of our union with God (Eph. 5:18, Gal. 5:16). What more
does one need than union with God, receiving God’s Holy Spirit,
and being filled with Him?
My friends, in Christianity God has given
us everything, even His own Spirit (II Peter 1:3,4). We need
only to open our hearts to God’s wonderful love which was
manifested to us when He came to our world in the person of
Jesus Christ, accomplished our redemption; indwelling, enabling,
and empowering us through His Holy Spirit, equipping us through
His Word. Anyone who knows who God really is, will offer himself
to God to enjoy being present in the bosom of the loving
Father—the God of love, tenderness and compassion
Verses From
the Bible
It is time now for us to conclude this
book with verses from the Bible so that the reader may realize
that there is no other book deeper or sweeter than the Bible.
The Bible is the sole and only revelation of God in our world.
Unlike all other books, the Bible has spread to all parts of the
world in all the languages of mankind.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans
5:8)
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans
10:9)
Peace,
Joy and Pleasure Are Found in God
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul
shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with
ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
(Isaiah 61:10)
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say,
Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall
into divers temptations; (James 1:2)
A Life of Love
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say
unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be
the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he
maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew
5:43-45)
16 Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we
ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 18 My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth. ("1 John 3:16, 18)
Prayer and Fasting
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as
the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may
be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret
shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:5-6)
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the
hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:16)
A Life of Holiness
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so
be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is
written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16)
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18)
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with
her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
9 In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and
sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or
costly array; (1 Timothy 2:9)
God’s Providence
30 But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. (Matthew 10:30)
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)
With these words of this beautiful psalm,
we conclude this book. May God bless you.
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