A Christian is someone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The term “Christian” comes from the Greek word “Christos” meaning “Anointed One”, referring to Jesus. Based on the Bible, here is an overview of what Christians believe:
Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior
The foundational belief of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to save humanity from sin and death. Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-23), lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8), and rose from the dead in victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
By trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and believing in His resurrection, Christians believe their sins can be forgiven and they can have a restored relationship with God (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:3). Salvation is available to anyone who repents of their sins and puts their faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, Romans 10:9).
The Bible as God’s Word
Christians view the Bible as divinely inspired by God and believe it is the ultimate authority and guide for Christian faith and living (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is made up of the Old Testament (the holy scriptures of the Jewish faith) and the New Testament, which records Jesus’s life and teachings.
Core Christian beliefs like the Trinity, Jesus as the Son of God, the creation story, the Ten Commandments, prophecies about Jesus, grace, salvation, and ethical living all originate from teachings in the Old and New Testaments. Christians seek to know, study, and follow the teachings of the Bible.
One Eternal Triune God
Christians are monotheistic, meaning they believe in one God. However, they believe God exists in three co-equal persons – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is referred to as the Trinity (Matthew 28:19).
Each person of the Trinity serves different but complementary roles. God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things. Jesus Christ is the Savior of humanity who reveals God and makes salvation possible. The Holy Spirit guides, comforts, convicts, and empowers Christians to obey God. But together they form the one true eternal God.
Virgin Birth of Jesus
As stated in Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 1:26-35, Christians believe Jesus was miraculously conceived and born to a virgin named Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit and without an earthly father. This affirms Jesus’ full divinity as the Son of God who became human while still being fully God (John 1:1-14).
Jesus’ Sinless Life
Christians consider Jesus to be the only human to live a completely sinless life. Hebrews 4:15 states that Jesus was tempted in every way as humans are yet did not sin. Through His perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law (Matthew 5:17) and thus was able to become the perfect unblemished sacrifice to atone for human sin once and for all.
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
As Isaiah 53 prophecized hundreds of years before, Christians believe Jesus willingly suffered death by crucifixion to take the punishment for humanity’s sins (Romans 4:25, 1 Corinthians 15:3). His resurrection proved His victory over sin and death, and all who believe in Him are forgiven of sin and promised eternal resurrected life (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
Salvation by Grace
According to Ephesians 2:8-9, Christians believe salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by human effort or good works. However, good works and changed character naturally flow from true faith in Christ (James 2:14-26).
Through their faith in Jesus, Christians believe their sins are fully forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14). There is nothing anyone can do to earn salvation – it is an undeserved gift from God available to anyone who repents and believes (Acts 3:19, Romans 10:9-10).
Jesus’ Second Coming
Christians believe Jesus will physically return again one day in power and glory to fully establish His kingdom on earth and rule as King (Matthew 24:30, Acts 1:10-11, Revelation 1:7). The Bible warns believers to be ready and live in purity as they look forward to Jesus’ second coming (Matthew 24:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Baptism and Communion
Two sacred practices instituted by Jesus Himself and practiced by Christians are baptism and communion (or the Lord’s Supper).
Baptism by water immersion signifies a believer’s death to their old sinful life and spiritual rebirth in Christ (Romans 6:3-4). Communion uses bread and wine (or juice) to remember and celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our salvation (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Life in the Holy Spirit
Christians believe in living day-to-day with guidance from the Holy Spirit. When someone becomes a Christian, God sends His Spirit to dwell in them and transform them to be more like Christ (Romans 8:9-11).
The Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin, teaches them, provides wisdom and discernment, produces virtues like love, joy and peace, comforts them, and gives them spiritual gifts for ministry (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Every Christian is called to live by the Spirit’s empowerment.
Prayer
Prayer is vital to Christianity. Jesus taught His followers to regularly pray to God the Father in His name (Matthew 6:9-13). Christians pray both privately and corporately for worship, confession of sins, thanksgiving, and to make requests according to God’s will (Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:16).
Prayer expresses dependence on God, allows alignment of our wills with His, and enables believers to care for one another’s needs. Christians have the privilege of approaching God’s throne of grace in prayer because of Christ’s work on the cross (Hebrews 4:16).
Evangelism
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Christians therefore believe they are called to share the gospel message of salvation with others so they too have a chance to believe in Christ.
Christians seek to fulfill the Great Commission through evangelism and missions work (Acts 1:8). They believe the eternal destiny of every person depends on their response to Christ.
Church Community
Christians do not only have a personal relationship with God, but also live out their faith alongside other believers. The Bible instructs Christians to meet together regularly for preaching, prayer, worship, building each other up, and observing the sacraments (Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:42).
Local churches are meant to serve as a community and family of God’s people who care for each other, study His Word, cultivate Christ-centered relationships, exercise spiritual gifts, and participate in God’s redemptive work in the world together.
Love for Others
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Christians are called to reflect God’s love by caring for the needy, serving others generously, practicing forgiveness, and sharing truth graciously with nonbelievers.
Jesus taught extensively about loving enemies, serving the marginalized, and putting others above yourself (Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 5:43-48). Christians strive to become more loving as they grow in Christlikeness.
High Moral Standards
Following Jesus’ example, Christians are expected to demonstrate integrity and live by Biblical moral standards. The Bible offers guidance on how to live righteously regarding money, sex, honesty, marriage, self-control, and loving all people (Colossians 3:1-17).
Whereas salvation is a free gift not based on good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), good works characterize a redeemed life in Christ. Believers allow the Holy Spirit to produce Christlike virtue in them as they seek to obey and honor God with their lives.
Eternal Life
Christians believe those who put their faith in Jesus Christ in this life will spend eternity with Him in heaven, while those who reject Christ will be separated from God’s presence in hell (John 3:36). Heaven and hell are real eternal destinations that provide either eternal blessing or eternal suffering (Matthew 25:31-46).
Christians find motivation to live wholeheartedly for Christ and share the gospel knowing their time on earth determines where they will spend eternity. Their eternal citizenship is in heaven, where they will await a resurrected glorified body (Philippians 3:20-21).
Unity in Diversity
Because being a Christian depends on faith in Jesus rather than externalFactors, Christians come from every nation, ethnicity, social class, age, and gender (Galatians 3:28). What unites them is Christ. The universal Church is meant to include diverse members united by their common salvation and new identity in Jesus.
There are also denominations within Christianity that have theological differences over non-central doctrines like baptism, church leadership, spiritual gifts, worship style, and more. Yet they agree on the core essentials of Christian faith already outlined.
Christian Living
While beliefs are essential, Christianity is also a lived faith. Bible study, prayer, community, evangelism, moral integrity, spiritual disciplines like fasting, and other hallmarks of Christian practice help foster intimacy with God and Christlike maturity (2 Peter 1:3-9).
Additionally, Christians are called to exercise self-control, generosity, kindness, compassion, and other virtues that display the work of Christ in their lives (Colossians 3:12-15). Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christians yield their lives to God’s transforming work.
So in summary, a Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and their Savior, trusts in His sacrificial death for their forgiveness of sins, seeks to live in a personal relationship with Him, and follows the teachings of Scripture as part of Christ’s Church. They seek to obey God, reflect Christ’s character, and share the gospel message with others.
