Zepfanman.com (Stylesheets Off Version)

HOW IS CHRISTIANITY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER RELIGION??

Christianity is unique because it is based on a personal love between God and people, possible only through the forgiveness shown by Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 3:20)....

.... Not based on salvation through works, religion or a certain technique, but salvation through a relationship with the true and living God!

"Go out and preach to all the world, and if necessary... use words" - St. Francis Assisi

Christianity can be boiled down into no less than four, basic, "spiritual laws."  Below are those "laws" as well as scriptural truths to support and explain what is meant.  For more of my own thoughts about religion and gender issues, check out my main Beliefs page and a subsection of Zepfanman.com: Go.to/BiblicalEquality.

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FOUR "SPIRITUAL LAWS"

1. God loves us and created you to revel in that love.

   • God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) click for more verses

2. Sin separates us from God, so we cannot know God personally or experience the Almighty's love.

   • For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin.  Through him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love.

   • Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6)

4. We can individually receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Then we can know God personally and experience a new kind of love.

   • If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally.  Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.  I open the door of my life and receive You as my personal Savior and Lord.  Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life.  Take control of the throne of my life.  Make me the kind of person You want me to be." Let me or your closest church member know if this sounds like something you are praying.  It is the most important, exciting, and life-changing decision you will ever make!   If you simply want to learn more about Christianity, I suggest reading the book of John in the Bible.  I've also linked some good Christian streaming movies for your viewing pleasure. [Background image]

Christianity is not a philosophy or a way of life but a living person... Jesus Christ   - SurfersOfFaith.com

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My Core Values (ChristianAnswers.net is a detailed source which usually coincides with my beliefs):

• Good News - I believe that, for all people, faith in Jesus Christ is our only access to the fullness of God and salvation.  The legitimacy of Jesus' claims lies in the power of his resurrection.  All have sinned (made mistakes) and our only redemption is to believe that Jesus died to take the place of all these sins!  What a gift!  "Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." ^{Rom. 6:4}  Fortunately, God alone judges us - our salvation does not depend on what other people think about us, where we go to church, what race or culture we consider ourselves to be a part of, nor the good (or bad) things we do in life.  Faith in Jesus is the only requirement.

• God(s) - I believe that there is one god whose name is Yhwh (Hebrew; often translated "LORD").  At just the right time, this same god appeared on earth as Jesus Christ.  Again, mysteriously, this same god is also active all over the world as the Holy Spirit.  These three "personalities" are usually called the Holy Trinity even though this concept is only alluded to in the Christian Bible.

• Authority - I believe in the perfect truth of the Christian Bible.   I do not believe in "literalism" (interpreting passages only explicitly), but instead that God authored every letter of the Hebrew and Greek Bible (Protestant canon) through the hands of people.  The Bible is God's living message to the world which points to Christ from beginning to end.  John 1 describes Jesus as logos (Greek; often translated "word").  The Bible also charges us to follow its teachings and to spread the gospel (the message of Christ) accordingly.

• World Philosophy - I believe in choice.  God wants everyone to have salvation, but God is also patient.  God is present in everyone's heart, but only gives salvation to those who choose to receive it.  While we clearly live in a Post-Modern world (belief that there is no one truth), I feel that if one adheres to the Christian beliefs of the Bible, that person cannot logically follow Post-Modernism.  This is a very exclusive and offensive claim to most, but again, only God can judge the inner thoughts and intentions of people. For this reason, I myself have no right to condemn or judge other people's beliefs and actions even though I claim that Christianity is the only truth.