Core Principles of the Gospel: A Benchmark Analysis

Benchmark—Gospel Essentials In the last two years the world and humanity have changed dramatically. These changes have brought people closer to God as well as it has distanced others. Understanding more about the nature of God, nature of humanity, nature of Jesus, and restoration, will give those seeking answers, the understanding, and a strong foundation on the Christian Worldview. Our beliefs can influence the choices we make and how we live our lives. By understanding the Gospel Essentials, we will understand more about ourselves and our origins as well as understand others. Exploring the Gospel Essentials will give those seeking comfort, purpose, love, wisdom, and guidance a strong foundation and understanding of the Christian Worldview. It is important to arm yourself with the right knowledge about the Christian Worldview so you can make an informed decision to whether start or resume a relationship with God or walk away from it. Others are so hurt and not understanding what God all is about that they will continue to distance themselves and look for answers via other sources. Gospel Essential Beliefs Nature of God There is only one God, the creator of the universe and everything in it. According to Psalms 145 God is Eternal, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Immutable, and Incomprehensible. These characteristics of God are important to the Christian worldview as they describe one God, creator of all things which are core beliefs of the Christian worldview. Christians have a fundamental belief in God’s Triune being. The belief is that there is only one God, but He exists in three separate, independent persons. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, simultaneously existing as a distinct, unified being. All three persons of the Trinity were active in creation. Jesus, the Word, is God and has always been God. All things were made through Him and without him was not any ting made that was made (John 1:3). Nature of Humanity Humanity was Gods’ height of creation as they were created in his image giving them charge over the earth. Humankind was created to work and serve, keep the garden (Genesis 2:15), and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). We were created to love, worship God and practice obedience. “We are asked to believe, trust, and obey God even when there is not a reason to do so that we can wrap our minds around”. (The Mystery of Original Sin, pg. 41). Humanity was created in the image of God, so for humans to flourish they must see God in themselves by caring, serving, and loving each other, not follow their greed, and resist temptations and desires to sin. Nature of Jesus “Jesus reveals himself to be doing God's work as one equal to God” (BibleGateway). Jesus claimed to be the son of God. The purpose of his ministry was to preach the world of God and redeem God’s people from sin and death. He healed the sick and performed miracles showing his divinity, love, grace, and power. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus showed God’s love and grace by healing and loving the unworthy. Jesus full divinity and full humanity is important to Christianity because it supports their believe in the Trinity, being The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Jesus’ humanity gives the world someone like them that they can relate to and see themselves in, the Son of Man a relatable but perfect and sinless example to follow. His body would also get tired and hungry, showing that he was fully human. Jesus’ divinity shows the Son of God having the same nature as God. We can clearly see Jesus’ divinity in his divine birth, his ministry where he performs miracles and his power to raise the dead, his atoning sacrifice by dying on the cross for our sins and his resurrection. This divinity makes him superior to all, even angels. The resurrection is important for the Christian worldview because it proves who Jesus is. He claimed to be The Son of God, and this validates it. By rising from the dead, it shows Jesus’ divinity, non-believers became believers after the resurrection as no other human has ever resurrected. The resurrection confirmed the prophecies about Jesus’ death and resurrection. A crucifixion without resurrection would be like any other human dying and that would be the end. The resurrection reinforces that Jesus died to save us from our sins. Restoration According to the Christian worldview the solution to human problems is Jesus. Accepting Jesus into your life to be your Lord and Savior will help you overcome human problems. Having faith in Jesus and his wisdom. We must aim to be more like God and follow his principles with obedience. According to Matthew 5:44 we must love our enemies and pray for the persecutors. What role do grace, faith, and repentance play in Christian salvation? The Christian view of salvation focuses on the notion that we must have faith in order to be saved. Accepting Jesus as our Lord is not enough for our salvation. In accordance with Ephesians 2:8-10 we are saved by the grace of God, that is His gift to us. We cannot earn our salvation by our works. Repentance is something God gives; it is only possible because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. The way of salvation is the same for every person¸ it is through faith in Jesus who obeyed God's commands on humanity's behalf. Christ's death and resurrection, save us from our sins so we may gain eternal life. By repenting we turn away from sin, and faith brings us closer to God so we may reestablish our broken relationship to the original status. Salvation, repentance, and faith are a result of God transforming us. Christians believe that the transformation of self and society happens by following the Word of God. God’s word is powerful, it will fight temptation and the forces of evil. This selftransformation does not happen overnight, it is a process that takes time. Jesus is the Word of God and self-transformation emerges from an intimate relationship with Jesus. When people get to know God they will be transformed through his Word. We must trust and have faith in Jesus to transform our spirit from selfishness to selflessness. God’s Word is an essential way of grace for Christians. Through his word he gives eternal life (John 5:25, 6:63, 6:68). Christian Foundations Summarize how the concepts of the gospel essentials (nature of God, nature of humanity, nature of Jesus, and restoration) constitute the foundation of the Christian worldview. In other words, how are these concepts essential to the Christian worldview? Analysis of the Implications of the Christian Worldview Christianism influence on humanity is so that it can transform the thinking and actions of an individual repairing the broken relationship with God. Christians are distinguished by their strong views on morality, servitude, obedience, and their love for God and others. One of Christianity’s core beliefs is faith, faith is not seeing yet believing. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29 Lack of faith may be one of the reasons people find troublesome or confusing about Christianity when bad things happen such as natural disasters, death and evil is hard for them to understand how a loving, caring God allows such events. Another reason that they struggle with the idea of a God allowing evil things to happen is the lack of knowledge. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Ignorance causes confusion and division; most people are afraid of what they do not understand. It is important to have faith in the Word of God as this will strengthen you in times of doubt. Conclusion In at least 150 words, synthesize the main points, pulling the ideas of the paper together. Making God the center of all lives in everything that we do, we will find salvation. “It is only when our relationship glad obedience to God governs everything that we will be truly free”. (The Mystery of Original Sin, pg. 41).