Christianity's core beliefs are best summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5. The passage reads Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

 

In this short description, we have 4 key factors (and one side issue which I feel may be of benefit to mention.)

 

First of all, Paul makes it clear that the Gospel in which we stand is what we are saved by. This is a key difference between Christianity and all theistic religions in the world today. Every other theistic religion in the world (and even some atheistic religions) has some kind of works-based salvation. With Christianity, however, our works have no bearing on our salvation. Instead, good works come as a result of salvation. We don't do good to get saved, but rather we do it because we are saved. In Christianity, salvation is entirely through faith in Christ, according to the grace he has shown.

 

The next part is the side issue. Notice how Paul says "if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain". The reason I believe this is important, especially in the modern day, is that there are so many people out there today who claim they "used" to be Christians. According to Paul, (and also in 1 John 2:19), when you "stop" being a Christian, that means you never really were one in the first place. Those who fall away most likely never truly believed in the first place.

 

The next key element of Christianity Paul identifies is the beginning of the Gospel. It is the entire reason Christianity exists. Paul states that Christ died for our sins. This is true. If it was not true, Christianity would cease to exist. The Bible teaches that all men have sinned against our creator, and that the due penalty for those sins is death (Romans 6:23). However, God loves us, and so he sent Jesus into the world to become a human being. The method of death was crucifixion, which he was sentenced to by the Romans. This is why Christianity is usually represented by a cross. When Jesus was on the cross, he took the full punishment for sin, up to and including the thorns that God caused to grow when the first man sinned. Because Jesus took the punishment for our sins, we can now be cleared of that debt. We no longer deserve death.

 

Paul goes on to say that Jesus was buried, and that he was raised again on the third day. This is essential for many reasons, the first being that we can only be saved by believing that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9). In rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated his complete and total victory over death itself. Not only does death no longer have a hold over the believer, but Jesus also has the power to reverse it. He is capable of giving us eternal life. The Bible makes it repeatedly clear that Jesus' resurrection was physical, and this passage is just one example. In fact, here it specifically says that he appeared to Peter (Cephas), then to the 12 apostles when he rose again.

 

The final, and most crucial point Paul drives home is that Christians must believe the scriptures. The scriptures are the divinely inspired word of the Living God himself. Without the scriptures, Christianity has no foundation. In the modern world, many so-called "Christians" reject the scriptures. This passage, and many others, essentially prove that these people are not really Christians. In Christianity, the scriptures are the final authority on all matters. That is why TGK is a non-denominational website. We focus on the scriptures alone. In this section, you will find out much more about Christianity, what it is, what it isn't, and as much information as I can cram into one website.