What exactly does the Christian faith entail?

Core Message of the Bible

The Apostles' Creed contains a summary of what we believe based on God's Word. This creed originated in the 2^nd century AD. It reads as follows:

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord;
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary;
4. Who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell;
5. The third day He rose again from the dead;
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Almighty Father;
7. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit.
9. I believe in a holy, universal, Christian Church, the communion of saints;
10. The forgiveness of sins;
11. The resurrection of the body;
12. And life everlasting.

The beginning of the Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth (made out of nothing): sun, moon, stars, the earth, trees, plants, birds, fish, and finally, as the crown of creation, mankind. The purpose of creation is that everything lives to the glory of God. In the beginning, there was perfect harmony with one another: animals and humans among themselves, and humans with God (Genesis 1-2).

The first people, Adam and Eve, however, listened to the devil and disobeyed God. This caused a great separation between God and mankind. Sin aroused great anger from God. Sorrow, hardship, and even death came into the world. The Bible says that man must die as punishment for sin (Genesis 3). Not only Adam and Eve, but also all people born after them, have by nature a wrong (sinful) existence. That is why we all deserve the same punishment. The Bible speaks about this in a compelling way.

Fortunately, the Bible does not end here!
In His infinite love, God has provided a way to be saved. That way is only through Jesus Christ, God's own Son. He came to earth to restore the relationship with God for sinful people. In the New Testament, the second part of the Bible, we read about this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3 verse 16).

How can Jesus Christ be or become our Savior? This is possible by grace and through faith in Him. He willingly chose to bear the punishment in the place of sinners. He suffered and even died on the cross. His self-sacrifice was so great that He can remove the guilt of anyone who believes in Him. Jesus rose from the dead. He is the King who (now from heaven) reigns over this earth and cares for His believers. Whoever learns to believe in the Lord Jesus may therefore go free undeservedly and will no longer be punished for their sins. We call this "reconciliation with God." God still continues to save people. The Holy Spirit uses the proclamation of the Word for this purpose.