What is Christianity?

Phat writes:Does a person have to know God in order to love God?

ringo writes:That depends on what you mean by "knowing" God. Do you have to know that His name is Jehovah? Do you have to know that He has a son named Jesus?

Is it possible to "know" Shakespeare five hundred years after he died?

By his works ye shall know him.

nwr writes:What is Christianity?
It's a society of pious hypocrites.Over the last few years, we have heard a continual stream of accusations that gay marriage will encourage child molesters.

jar writes:Why do you think Christianity could not exist if there was no God?

jar writes:Why do you think Christianity could not exist if there was no God?

Yet all of the evidence says otherwise.

Phat,to jar writes:Asa Creedal Christian, how do you reconcile Jesus BEFORE He was made man?

jar writes:I don't. I can't.

jar writes:I am as clueless about that as everyone else who is not creating gods.

ringo writes: I don't think the tendency to believe in gods is inherent in humans.

Somebody makes up a god and convinces others to believe in it.

Ringo writes:If you hadn't known about the mythos, would you have thought of it by yourself?

Do you think it's just coincidence that you happen to live in a Christian culture and you happen to believe in the Christian God?

I'd be impressed if God was communing with you and telling you his prophet was Mohammed.

ringo writes:I seem to recall iano saying that the best place to learn "the gospel" is in Romans.

Got Questions.org writes:The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Book of Romans. It is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. Romans 3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives. The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up where Romans 6:23 left off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

ringo writes:I've said it before and I'll say it again: I respect the New Testament more than you do. That's why I look for the gospel in the gospels instead of in Paul's commentary on the gospels.