Bible Study

If you ask someone "what is Christianity?" you'll likely get a one-line answer along the lines of "the belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins." However, it is obviously much more than this! In fact, there is so much more to it that children spend many of their growing-up years taking Sunday School classes. Later, adults often need to undertake Bible study, both to refresh their memories and to learn about things that weren't taught in their Sunday School sessions.

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As you can see, there is a lot more to being a Christian than can be stated in a single line. Here are some of the major aspects that are agreed upon by Churches York.

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The big differentiator that you'll first run into is the belief in the Christian story of Jesus Christ. In a very small nutshell, it states that God sent Jesus – His only begotten son – to Earth to both educate and save humanity. The education happened during Jesus' preaching years, which culminated in His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. This ending is extremely important, because it is what brought about the saving of humanity.

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However, it takes more than simply being a human to be Saved. It also requires believing in Jesus Christ. This goes beyond believing that he simply existed; it also requires the acceptance of his message. Of course, the next question is what that message is. This is what the majority of the Sunday School and Bible study is about.

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There are many details in the Bible, but some of them get far more attention than others. This is partly because the Old Testament was mostly deprecated by the New, and also because some things aren't all that relevant to modern life. Most of the latter details involve things like how to make wineskins and such, which just isn't done much at all anymore.

Many of the lessons of the Bible are told in parables, which are stories meant to make a point. The points aren't always immediately clear, and Bible study classes focus on providing the needed clarifications and explanations. Many things are covered, ranging from general rules about how to act to whether or not you should pay your income tax. Believers think of the Bible as a guidebook or manual to living because of this.

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This religion also has an overarching theme, which if it was simplified to its most distilled form, is to be nice. Forgiveness, non-violence, and not attacking your fellow humans are constant themes. Of course, these things are ideals to strive for. Another theme is that all humans are sinners who need forgiveness. This stems from people's inability to actually meet all of the ideals.

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Many religions will tell you to be nice, with a variety of rewards and punishments being mentioned for following or violating this rule. However, the biggest thing that makes Christianity different is its focus on the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is said to erase the sins of repentant believers. The concept of a personal relationship with God and Christ is also fairly unique, and is a big attractant to those who can't get excited about religions that talk of an impersonal and remote deity.

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This is just a quick answer to the question "what is Christianity?" Many, many books have been written to try to answer it more fully, and if you are interested in learning, it's a good idea to pick some up. The first one to get is the Bible itself. There are many, many translations of the Holy Bible, ranging from the old-English King James Version to several versions written in modern English.

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Next, go to a church like the Bible Covenant Community Church and ask about further reading material. Since you want to know more about Christianity, they will almost surely suggest that you attend some of their Bible study meetings. These take place on Sunday evenings, so they're unlikely to conflict with any other commitments you have. Over time, you'll be able to absorb the information and begin to live in a Christianlike way yourself.