with thanks to www.durham.anglican.org

God

Christians believe there is only one God, but he has three different parts: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Because they are God they are equal and have the same qualities.

When Christians think about God the Father they often think of him as the maker of the world. His power is limitless. Because he made us he deserves our worship. Christians use lots of different words to describe God: like King, Lord and Creator.

But as well as being our Creator, God is also close to us. He loves every human being with a kind of love which is hard to imagine. No one has gone too far from God to escape his love. No matter what they have done God still loves them. He is our perfect parent who takes joy and pride in us, even if sometimes we don’t deserve it.

Because God loves people so much he becomes angry when they become the victims of hatred, injustice and prejudice. For 2000 years Christians have been at the forefront of showing God’s love in the world. A huge number of charities have been started by Christians, and all over the globe Christians have been important in helping the poor and working for peace and justice.

Jesus

It is an amazing thought that God became a human baby. But this is one of the most important beliefs for Christians. It means that God understands what it is like to be human. He has experienced our weaknesses and frustrations. He has felt extreme physical pain and died in a most agonising way. He also knows what it is like to be betrayed by those he loved. He has experienced the distress of seeing loved ones suffer and die.

Because God became a human being he can sympathise with the pains we feel today. Christians believe that this can give people courage and strength. It also means that ill and disabled people have dignity because God himself took on the limitations of a human body.

Jesus’s life was marked by the compassion he showed to the disadvantaged. He spent very many hours with suffering and marginalised people. Sometimes he healed those who were ill.

The teachings of Jesus are widely seen as the wisest ever given. A lot of his words have passed into our everyday language, for example ‘Good Samaritan’. The teachings of Jesus paint a picture of human beings at their best: loving, generous, forgiving and in touch with God.

Shortly after Jesus came back from death he left the earth. He is now re-united with God the Father but carries on helping people on earth. One day Jesus will come back to the earth, but not as a baby. Next time he will come to put an end to suffering, injustice and evil, and to start a new world where God and his ways of peace and love rule.

The Holy Spirit

Living the right way is hard. Often we know deep down how we should behave, but find it difficult to do what we know is right. The good news is that God doesn’t leave us on our own.

God the Holy Spirit helps Christians to choose the right way. He helps us to resist the little voice inside us which tells us to put ourselves ahead of God and other people. The Holy Spirit also changes people, making them better and more like Jesus.

Because the Holy Spirit is God, Christians say ‘him’ rather than ‘it’. He is not a force, but a personality.

We live at a time when people can easily feel lonely. Even when they live close to lots of other people they can feel alone. Christians believe that God the Holy Spirit lives in those who follow Christ. This means being a friend of God and having him with you wherever you go.

The Bible

Christians believe that God has spoken to mankind in the pages of the Bible. The Bible was written by dozens of different people over a period of over 2000 years and in two main languages. There are 66 books in all: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. It contains lots of different kinds of writing: stories which make a point about God or life; history describing people and events which we can learn from; laws stating how people should behave, like the Ten Commandments; poetry about life and wise teaching about life, death, God and people.

Each book of the Bible was written by real people with real personalities and interests. They wrote in their own style, using their own words. Sometimes different writers will describe the same event slightly differently because they are writing for different reasons and want to mention different details. However, Christians believe that in a mysterious way God was also inspiring the writers and we can therefore trust their words as true and reliable.

When reading the Bible Christians try to understand what the words meant to the people who wrote them and first read them. Only then can we work out what God might be saying to us today.

Because all of the Bible was written over 1900 years ago we cannot expect it to give precise answers to modern problems. However, it does contain principles which always have something to say about life today. It is like a good and reliable signpost rather than a detailed map.

Following Jesus

Christians believe that following Jesus is the best way to live. They often speak about the peace they experience. This is not because Christians are better people than those who are not Christians.

Here are some things which Christians sometimes say:

• God has forgiven them for the things they have done wrong.

• Their faith gives them a sense of purpose in life.

• Things make sense because they know God is in control.

• They have confidence in the face of death because they know there is more than just this life.

To become a follower of Jesus is simple but hard!  God offers a new life and a fresh start to anyone who wants it.  All they have to do is receive it.  Then he challenges us to look at the world and live within it from a new perspective, putting his justice and kingdom at the centre of everything.

Living Our Faith

Believing in God on its own is not enough. People with a genuine faith will show it by the way they live.

Christians believe that the words and example of Jesus show us the best way to live. His way of life was all about love. His teaching can be summed up with his words, ‘Love God with all your heart, and love other people the same way as you love yourself’. This includes those who hate us and have done us wrong. This goes against our basic human impulse to place ourselves ahead of God and other people.  Jesus recognised that this is the heart of the human problem and the cause of most of the world’s suffering.

Jesus talked about most aspects of human behaviour: things like forgiveness, attitude to money, the things we say, honesty, hypocrisy, being judgemental, the abuse of children, prejudice, abuse of power, arrogance and sexual morality. Sometimes Christians wish that Jesus had made his views on some aspects of morality a bit clearer. Generally, however, he makes his point very clear.

It is the aim of all Christians to try to live up to the example of Jesus.  This is not easy, and we’re bound to fail regularly.  However, we can be sure that God still loves us and is ready to welcome us back with open arms.