What is the true message of Christianity?

Intro

Series on truth

Last week

What is truth?

How is it defined, why is it important

This week

What is the true message of Christianity?

Not what is actually the message of Christianity that people misinterpret or misrepresent

But what is the message that is the truth of our world

The Gospel

Body

The message of Christianity is one that goes against a lot of cultural norms

Even in comparison to other world religions the central problems and solutions to our world from a Christian perspective are radically different.

Here’s what I mean:

In Christianity the main problem of our world is human sin. That we are all broken, rebellious people who’s natural desires are to be selfish, hurtful, and live in opposition to God. The solution to this problem in most other worldviews is that humans simply must try to be better people. To be kind, to love others, to be selfless, to care for the oppressed and marginalized. They believe that humans have everything within themselves needed to become better people and make our world a better place and please whatever god there may be. In Christianity the solution to human brokenness is found outside of humanity. What Christians believe is that left to our own devices to make decisions for ourselves, humanity cannot become better, we can’t fix the problem because we are the problem. So, in order to fix the problem of human sin, God sent Jesus (God in human form) to live a perfect sinless life so that HE could die for our sins and take the wrath and punishment we deserve. The message of Christianity is that we all deserve eternal judgement and punishment for our rebellion to God. But thankfully, because of God’s great love for us he sent Jesus to take our place so that we can be made right with God, not because of anything we have done but only because of what Jesus did for us.

In every other world religion the task of humans is to prove themselves as good enough for God to accept them, to show that they have done enough good things to earn God’s love and favor. Christianity is the only religion that God comes down to humanity to save us. God gives his love freely to us even though we don’t deserve it and there is nothing we could do to earn it.

The message of Christianity is called the Gospel

“Good News”

The Good news is that Jesus the son of God died in your place so that you can be seen as pure in God’s eyes. And Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God has power over even death.

Why is this good news?

Apart from Jesus’ sacrifice we are all condemned to death

God has offered us a way out through Jesus’ sacrifice

The Gospel isn’t very popular in our culture today for a few different reasons

It assumes that we need a savior

That we are broken sinful people who are helpless

It means that we have to submit and obey to someone other than ourselves

That we can’t do whatever we want to

That we can’t indulge in what the world has to offer

It assumes that there is only one true way to God

Which means that other people are wrong

Conclusion

The message of Christianity is that there is only one God, that humans are broken and condemned to death, that the Son of God came to die in our place and take god’s wrath on our behalf and because of that sacrifice we can have a relationship with the almighty God of the universe