Christianity Explained, 3 - The Good News
Here is the third part of the Christianity Explained study in a question-verse-answer format as described in the introduction.
Someone asks the question, and someone then reads the bible verse, ideally aloud, to then discuss the answer between them - the written answer is only read afterwards to tie together.
Question - The Name Jesus Christ is Mentioned in the Bible - What Happened Regarding Him in the Very Begining?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." - John 1:1-3
The answer to this problem of disconnection from God, our creator, is Jesus Christ, also known as the Word. Christ has always been with God as part of the Trinity, and through Himself, everything was created.
Question - What Did Jesus Christ Do That Relates to Us?
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." - John 1:14
Because our sins need dealing with, then God has provided a perfect settlement-deal for these; Jesus Christ Himself. So the Word became a human being 2,000 years ago and spent around 33 years on this earth.
Question - What Did Jesus Christ do to Then Save Us?
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" - Ephesians 1:7
He then died on a cross, which is the answer to our problem. The sacrifice and literal spilling of His blood is the perfect antidote to God’s wrath and settlement of the wages of sin and death.
Our sins and bad ways are opposite to God's purity and perfect life. There needs to be a blood-paid-price for this in God's heavenly sanctuary to deal with this - as God is just, you can't just ignore it.
Question - What Does Christ's Spilt Blood Then Provide?
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" - Hebrews 9:14
It was God’s grace and love that arranged this, which was a decision by the whole Godhead, not under compulsion. It was then specifically the death of Christ that answered our problem, as because he lived a 100% perfect human life with no sin and deviation from God’s law, He can then present Himself as the perfect sacrifice in heaven’s sanctuary.
Question - What is Christ Now Described As?
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:" - Ephesians 2: 19-21
Jesus Christ is now described as a chief cornerstone of a holy temple that we're part of as Christians. Christ is therefore now in the heavenly sanctuary at the right-hand side of the Father, as our perfect High Priest, and preparing to comes back to earth in order to bring everything to a conclusion and a new heaven and earth with Himself as the head.
A Christian is, therefore, a mini-Christ in that once they repent to get rid of their sins and believe in Christ's sacrifice, they take on this position of righteousness before God which is actually Christ's perfect righteousness. We receive this simply by faith and not by doing things, and then become a new creation ‘in Christ’.
