About the Christian Life
There are things that we need to know about the Christian life. Let's answer some difficult questions and let's learn what's important about being a Christian.
What's the Point/Benefit of Being a Christian?
The first benefit is that Jesus gives you salvation. Through him, you have a direct entrance to heaven by accepting his sacrifice on the cross, where he paid for our sins.
By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior you place yourself under God’s direct authority and sovereignty, and you become a child of God (John 1:12)
The most important thing about being a Christian is your relationship with God. Besides this, you must seek to increase in knowledge of the Bible so you can have a good faith foundation. You also need to be part of God’s people by belonging to a local church or ministry if you can. This is where you will be able to learn the word of God and where you will experience what is to be part of the body of Christ. There you will be able to exercise the gifts of the spirit that God has given you. Also, you will be able to participate in group prayers and enjoy family activities.
Being a Christian will not end all your problems, but it will give you the means to help you deal with your everyday hardships. Getting to know Jesus will change your life, you will get closer to God, and you will experience blessings that you did not know before.
How Do I Know What is the Will of God for Me?
God gives us the freedom to choose what we want in life. Thus, it’s up to us to learn what is right and do what is correct before Him. The will of God is that we choose to do whatever is good.
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
The will of God is that we do what is good for ourselves and for others. And it is good to think and look for good things for us as long as we are not being proud and selfish in doing so. Remember that if you don’t take care of yourself, there won’t be somebody to take care of the rest. We must be responsible for our own wellbeing and that’s the will of God for us.
Besides this, God loves us and wants the best for us. Therefore, we must reach for God’s help and support with our prayers. The will of God is that we abstain from sin and from evil. The will of God is that we show love to this world. The will of God is that we forgive others their trespasses. The will of God is that we seek Him with all our hearts. God wants justice, peace, and joy in our lives. The bad things that happen in this world are not the will of God. He allows them, but His will is that sin should be eradicated from this world and that we all live in peace and harmony.
Why are there so many Denominations in the Christian Faith?
There are many denominations in Christianity because many churches differ in the set of doctrines they believe. However, all protestant and evangelical churches agree that salvation is by grace not by works. This is by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. There are other sects that should not be counted as Christians because they don’t believe in salvation by grace. Between these are the Jehova Witnesses and the Mormons. Being saved by grace means that we are saved by believing and professing that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and that is all we need for salvation.
Protestant churches were the first to emerge with the protest against the Catholic Church with Martin Luther. He founded the Lutheran Church. In the years 1600 and 1700, other churches emerged like the Methodists and Presbyterians and the Baptists. The Baptist church made a major change by baptizing believers as adults and not as babies. The Pentecostal movement started in the Azusa Street revival in 1906, where the movement of the Holy Spirit shook the nation. These are some of the major denominations, but now we have more than that. They all brought some improvement from the old doctrines, and they all used the Bible as their foundation. The difference is in how they understand some parts of the Bible. In addition, nowadays there are many non-denominational churches.
How to Choose the Right Church?
The most important thing when you choose a church is its doctrine. This is what they teach. You must make sure that what they teach will bless you and help you and your family. It needs to bring positive things to your life. Also, that is somewhere you can find the love of God and where you can experience God’s presence. A church that supports missions. Some churches also have good activities for the children and youth between others. The right church is where you will find the spiritual support you need.
At what Age can I Be Baptized?
A person should be baptized at the age when they are able to make the decision to follow Christ. Some children have enough maturity to make a decision for Christ, but most don’t. To get baptized means that you are ready to follow Jesus’ steps and that you are a believer in his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection. In addition, Jesus was baptized as an adult.
Should We Give Tithes?
In the Times of Moses, tithes were instituted over the nation of Israel where they were supposed to pay a tenth of their production to the Levites. The Levites were the priests of the temple. Also, in the book of Romans Paul says we were grafted into Israel (Romans 11:24). Thus as part of the nation of God we should pay tithes because they were paying tithes as a nation. Nowadays, as Christians, we give tithes and offerings to our local churches to support the ministries and their works.
It is important to give tithes and offerings to God because we are part of the spiritual nation of Israel (Hebrews 12:22). However, for God, there are more important matters.
One of the few verses where Jesus mentions tithing is this:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former”. Matthew 23:23
Jesus is telling us here that justice, mercy, and faithfulness are more important for God than tithing, but he tells them they should have done them together. Also, he mentions tithing as part of the Law. As Christians, we live now by grace, not by the law because Jesus changed that with his sacrifice. And let’s remember that God is love and that His mercy is forever. His justice and faithfulness bring peace and joy to the world, and to those who practice it. Tithing is important, but we should give it out of a thankful heart and not out of obligation or fear of being punished by God.
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver“. II Corinthians 9:7 NIV
We should be cheerful givers. Giving financially to God is part of our relationship with God. And God has promises and blessings for those who give with a thankful heart. He sees everything and He knows how to bless us for all the good things we do.
Can Salvation Be Lost?
Yes, salvation can be lost by rejecting it or by persistent grave sin. Also, by unforgiveness (Matthew 6:15). We are saved by grace, by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This gives us eternal life but it is something that must be maintained throughout our lives by obeying Jesus' commandments.
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," Philippians 2:12 NIV
God will forgive our sins if we ask Him to, but there are some sins that will attempt against our salvation; with these we must be very careful. Living in sins like committing murder, and certain sexual sins will lead to losing your salvation. And also blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, which the Bible says it won't be forgiven. (Matthew 3:29)
What to Do When Leaders Fail?
First of all, we need to understand that all leaders are human and they could fail. The best thing is to avoid those leaders and churches if they are sinning and the problems are serious.
Our eyes must always be on Jesus, he is the head of the church. Problems are always going to happen in any church because we are all human. In that case, we must bring healing and restoration to our brothers and sisters. We need to rebuke those sins and at the same time practice constructive criticism instead of a destructive one. If they don’t want to change their ways the best thing is to stay away from that leader or that church and find another church.