Christian doctrine – What are the basics? It is important as a Christian to know the basic Christian doctrines in order to answer those questions that arise about why you believe what you believe. Most people who come to know Jesus know little more than the idea that they are sinners and Jesus is their Savior, but we must know more than these two truths in order to grow in our Christian walk.
The following are six of the essential doctrines that we as Christians believe.
Human Beings – We believe we are created in the image of God. In the Garden of Eden, God created the first man, Adam, who was formed from the dust of earth and brought to life by the breath of God. God also created the first woman, Eve, by taking a rib from Adam. This is creation of man, so we are all descendants of Adam and Eve.
The Bible – We as Christians believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, which came about by “God breathed”. This means that even though men, starting with Moses and ending with the disciple John, wrote the 66 books contained in the Bible, they were inspired by God and guided by the Holy Spirit to put to papyrus those truths that God wanted us to know. The Bible is the Word of God made known to us, and is good for preaching, teaching, and instructing men and women in the truth.
God – As Christians we believe in one God, but in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which we refer to as the Trinity or the Godhead. The Three Persons of the Trinity appear to work separately from each other, but when you realize that God is omnipresent, everywhere at once, you can see how He can be with us now in the form of the Holy Spirit, and as Jesus when He walked the earth, and still be in Heaven in the form of the Father.
Jesus – As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, part of the Trinity. What this means to us is that God came to this earth in the form of a man, in order to die on a cross and take our punishment. Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world because of His death on the cross. It is important to our faith that we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection, because if not for that sacrifice we would still be lost in our sin. C.S. Lewis once said that in deciding who Jesus is, you have three choices, “lunatic, liar, or Savior.”
The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Godhead or Trinity: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is fully God and comes to inhabit the believer forever when we accept Christ as our Savior, to guide us into truth, to teach us, and to help us carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ here on earth. It is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we are able to interpret Scripture and learn what God wants us to know from His Word. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to all believers. In Acts chapter 2, we see the arrival of the Holy Spirit, which is the fulfillment of both the prophecy of His arrival written in Joel 2:28-29 and of Jesus’ promise to His disciples in John 7:37-39.
We are sinners. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We as Christians believe that because of one man, Adam, sin came into this world, and as a result of that sin, death.
We may not like the idea, but each generation after Adam, up to and including ours, was born into sin. This is what we believe and hold to, and this is why God, in the form of Jesus, had to come to take our punishment on the cross.
Salvation. There is only one way to Heaven, and that is through the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that Jesus died once for all that we may be saved. The Bible says that salvation can be found in no one else and not by works, lest any man boast. This means we must, through faith and belief in our hearts of what Jesus did for us, confess our sins to Christ and offer up to Him our lives as living sacrifices, at which time we are forgiven and enter into an eternal relationship with Christ. This is the only way to salvation.
Resurrection of Christ – Establishing the Importance The apostle Paul makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthians: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. … For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone (1 Cor. 15:13-14, 19).
In fact, the New Testament insists that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ is a necessary condition of the Christian faith — no one can be saved apart from it.
This insistence is found in verses such as Romans 10:9: Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (see below). The importance of the resurrection of Christ is further demonstrated in the frequency and enthusiasm with which it is preached as the early church grows (e.g., Acts 2:31; 4:33; 17:18; 26:23). Nearly every public witness to the Gospel points to the resurrection of Christ as the hope for all who desire salvation.
So how do I become a Christian?
Here is how you can receive Christ:
1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.(Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
some information taken from http://www.allaboutgod.com/