Biblical Christianity for Thoughtful People
Introduction
From the very beginning, God created a world where all his creations would work in unity on earth. Everything that God created was planned out to benefit all and align with the future. God created a path for all to walk down and each step followed another for the path of life to be complete. With all that God has created, there will always be some aspects that God cannot control, such as, sinners. Taking this into account, God will always forgive those who sin, therefore, forgiveness structures that aspect of God's character, the role of the bible and church, faith, and Jesus.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. The structure of forgiveness helps build an individual and the community that they are involved in. God pushes and encourages the idea of forgiveness through Jesus and though it may be difficult for many, to become a better person and build a stronger relationship with God one must be able to forgive. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13, NIV). Through forgiveness, an individual can strengthen their love and trust for God and also be able to strengthen their relationship with themselves. Forgiveness is the underlying concept of Christianity through Jesus himself and the compensation for sin.
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God, the Creator
God is the creator of all good things within the universe. He structured each creation to benefit those who live on earth. As explained in Genesis 1-2, God created heaven and earth, sea and land, and animals and humans. This can be followed with great reasons as to why God forgives all of his creations. “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sins the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit” (Psalm 32:1-2, NIV). From the very beginning, God has hated sin, however, he loves sinners. God has already paid the price with Jesus; therefore, God’s forgiveness is seen on a very high scale. Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for those who believe to be forever freed from the guilt of sinning. Though God forgives, that does not mean that all consequences are washed away. An example of this would be the story of David, he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and killed Uriah, her husband (2 Samuel 11, NIV). Later when David repented and acknowledged his sin, that was when God forgave him for what he has done. Though God forgave, the consequences still stand and some of David’s consequences included, the betrayal of a son, Shimei’s verbal abuse, Absalom’s death threats, and physical abuse. Yet, through all of the painful events, David still worshipped and followed God’s guidance, proving that he understands his faults and accepts the decision God made following his sins.
Jesus and his Journey
Besides God has role in forgiveness, Jesus also holds a major role in the concept of forgiveness within Christianity. In the Gospel of Luke, one of God’s angels came down to Galilee where Mary a virgin lived and told her that she will be giving birth to a child named Jesus. The angel explained to Mary that this child is to be brought upon the request of the Holy Spirit and that the birth of Jesus needed to happen. As Jesus continued to grow up, he was always considered to be wise and held characteristics that would make him a great leader. Once Jesus was baptized he began his ministry, teaching those around him about God and what he was supposed to do on earth as the Son of God. While Jesus was on earth, he conducted many wonders and miracles that no one could ever imagine. Due to his kind heart and his loving nature, many new believers were gained each day. Jesus faced many difficult times and suffered too great lengths in the presence of humankind, yet he still understood Gods doing and continued to further educate others about God and explained how everyone who believes should live in accordance with God. In today’s time, the bible helps guide the message of ‘living in accordance with God’ through the teachings and stories within the bible. The Bible can be seen as a connection to other people’s lives, it includes temptation, fairness, forgiveness, faith, and trust. The Bible teaches us about God's commands and how people should include God's words in their everyday life (Deuteronomy 6, NIV).
As people continue to doubt Jesus and his abilities, Jesus never strayed away from what he believed. Two examples of someone betraying Jesus would be Judas who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Luke 22:1-6, NIV), and Simon Peter who denies Jesus (Luke 22:54-62, NIV). Yet, even though Judas and Simon Peter went against Jesus, he still had it in him to forgive them for what they have done. “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15, NIV). Does this show that if Jesus does not follow what God believes then how would anyone else be able to follow God's words? Jesus sets examples so that those who believe can follow and understand who God truly is.
Christianity
As we continue to talk about God and the Son of God, it is evident that forgiveness surrounds Christianity as a whole. Forgiveness builds the foundation for a healthy relationship and for each person to grow individually they must be able to acknowledge the concept of forgiveness and why one needs to forgive. Christianity is a community and to keep the community active, healthy, and positive one must forgive others, for God to forgive them. When we commit a sin toward our peers, we are committing a sin toward God. And because of this reasoning, we must ask God to forgive the sins that we have committed and we also have to forgive those around us. Since Christianity is a community, a place to worship, such as a church is a very important aspect of the community. “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12, NIV). A community should always be unified and a church helps with this because all members are included and if one were missing the overall structure would not be able to function properly. Like the structure of a body, if one part of the body is missing the whole body would not be able to function the way that it should. To be within the church is to serve the church and God. A church provides a place to honor and pray to God for all the goodness that he has brought into our lives. It also provides a place for us to pray for the less fortunate and those who need the grace of God.
Faith in the Lord
Though churches unify believers, there must also be faith in the Lord for Christianity to continue within the church. Forgiveness, faith, and church tie well together because to have faith, we must be able to forgive those around us and follow God's words. Yet, when faith is shown in a church it unifies each believer and their faith in the Lord. We must have faith that God will guide us toward the right path in life and that he will never abandon us. When prayers are conducted during a church service or in general, we must have faith for the prayers to be heard, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22, NIV). By having faith in the Lord, we are placing all that we believe in what he does and how he will guide us. Faith is a big aspect when it comes to worshipping the Lord because it shows that we believe in what God has to say and that we trust him with everything that we have. We put our faith in God so that he can help lead us throughout our journey on earth.
Overview
In conclusion, God created the earth so that humans can be the main rulers and with that, we guide the earth to where it is today. In the hands of God, he gave us Jesus and by the end, Jesus was sacrificed for the sins committed in the world. Yet, through God and Jesus, forgiveness was taught and shown in a way where those who believe should always be able to forgive to move on from difficult times. God will always guide our journey as long as we follow his words and live in a world where we forgive and love those around us. Forgiveness is shown in the characteristic of God and Jesus and it is also shown within the role of the bible and churches. Another aspect that ties in with forgiveness would be faith in the Lord and his son. Forgiveness is one of the main aspects that we all should live by because it will open up greater opportunities for us once we let go of the ideas and thoughts holding us back.
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