God Really Exists

INTRODUCTION

The following provides an overview of the key principles of Christianity and Christian Life. Please note these principles are not intended to be legalistic rules, but rather they are intended to provide an overview of beliefs and behaviors that flow naturally from God's Word and the heart of the converted believer. A variety of references are provided for those interested in a deeper level of understanding of each of these topics. One great reference that provides extensive detail on this topic is the book Christianity According to the Bible by Ron Rhodes ( See https://tinyurl.com/yckkyp34 ). You can also review detailed Blogs on the Blog page of this website on many interesting and critical topics. It is our hope that this overview will both enlighten and inspire your Christian journey.

God Really Exists

SIN

Sin fundamentally impacts our relationship with God
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral laws of God in act, attitude, and/or nature.
The world is sinful and fallen, and there is a continuous spiritual war between the Devil and his demons – who are constantly trying to corrupt us - and God and the forces of good.
There is no man that does not sin, none.
Sin separates us from God.
Believers sincerely repent for their sins with actions and not lip service. What’s in your heart is most important, not legalistic rituals.

SALVATION

Salvation is by Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone, not by works. Once a person exercises saving faith in Jesus Christ, he or she is forever in the kingdom of God.
As noted previously the gospel is as follows:

(a) God loves us greatly, and everyone matters to God;

(b Alll men are sinners, and the penalty for sin is death as God cannot be in the

presence of sin;

sins and earn our salvation by substituting our sin with his death and crucifixion.

Christ rose from the Dead and began a new kind of human life with perfect

a body that was no longer subject to weakness, aging, death, or decay.

(d)Truly accepting Christ and believing in the gospel of Christ results in the forgiveness

of our sins and justification with God as well as eternal salvation. At the moment of our

belie,f we are adopted as sons and daughters of God.

3. Justice will prevail in the end. Not accepting Jesus results in eternal damnation in Hell.

PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN LIVING

Always do the right thing and be an example of Godliness to others.
Be Trustworthy - Always tell the truth.
Always be humble, the way of humility leads to real advancement. Do not care about earthly honors and position, be a humble servant.
Love and embrace all others regardless of ethnicity or anything else, including our enemies and those who appear unlovable. Forgive others without limit, no matter what someone has done.
Treat others with the respect and consideration you appreciate receiving.
Be a "people helper" every chance you get, including helping the poor, the disadvantaged, the hungry, and all those who are hurting. Make time to help others in need, including listening to their needs and providing comfort, encouragement, and love. Don’t be too busy for others.
Do not be too busy making a living and being too occupied in the world that you forget to make a life and focus on things from above.
Do not be angry, hypocritical, judgmental, prideful, or covetous. Do not use harsh words or have angry reactions with others.
Marriage and fidelity are until death.

TRULY BELIEVE IN AND STAND WITH JESUS CHRIST

Always build your life on Jesus's wise words - abide in and do your best to obey His words. Live His words, do not just read them or provide lip service.
Prioritize and worship the one true God, not materialistic things that will disappear when we die. Prepare as if Jesus's second coming is imminent and focus on the things from above.
The Christian goal is to keep God's commandments. The greatest commandment is to love God first and most and to love all others as you love yourself.
Develop and build a deep, trusting personal relationship with Jesus. Pray often, persistently, and regularly. Remember to pray humbly and with confession, repentance, thanksgiving, praise & worship for the Lord, and make requests regarding important matters in your life.
Always trust in God & God’s plan for all things, especially when we encounter tribulations in this life – which everyone does. This brings peace & joy and helps us mature our faith.
Openly and proactively stand for Christ. Be part of the great commission to spread the word.

GOD'S WORD & CHURCH

The Bible is fully inspired by God, is inerrant, and reflects God’s word to us. To disobey or disbelieve them is to disbelieve or disobey God. It is your final barometer of truth.
Becoming a Christian does not mean all will be easy. In fact, God often uses trials and tribulations to bring about good and advance our sanctification in Christ and the Kingdom.
The church is the community of true believers for all time. There is the visible church on earth, and the invisible church is the spiritual condition of people’s hearts.
While many Christian principles are agreed upon as good, both within and outside Christianity, they are impossible to achieve without Jesus. He anticipates we will fall short without Him and desires to provide us with hope and to know us, thus making the impossible possible.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD

God is an invisible spirit.
God has amazing capabilities that are above our understanding. He is sovereign, all-knowing, unchangeable, omnipresent, eternal, and omnipotent. God can do absolutely anything and is not limited in any way.
God is also Wise, Truthful, Good, Loving, Holy, Righteous, Just, and wrathful toward sin. He has adopted all Believers as his children, loves them, and is watching over them always. Nothing can separate the Believer from the love of God.
God consists of three persons within the one God – the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. It is mind-blowing, but the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit were not created – they always were and always lived in a loving relationship and perfect harmony. The God Jesus reveals is, first and foremost, a Father. “I am the way and the truth and the life,” he says. “No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). That is who God has revealed himself to be: not first and foremost Creator or Ruler, but Father. This is known as the Trinity and is beyond our full understanding. See https://tinyurl.com/msd4eu9m, https://tinyurl.com/ybwxng4d, and https://tinyurl.com/y4qv9qhv for more details about this important Trinity Doctrine.
Man is created in God’s image to bring Glory to God. Jesus is the advocate for every Believer and took our place for the consequences of our sins against God. Jesus suffered once and for all (1 Peter 3:18), and while he was on earth he lived a perfect life ( see https://livingchurch.org.au/jesus-lived-perfect-life-resisted-temptation/ ).
Jesus will come again - physically and visibly - to rule the earth for 1,000 years (the “Millennium Kingdom”), rid the world of evil, and restore it to the way he originally intended. No one knows when this will happen, which could be any time. At the end of the Millennium Kingdom, God will remake the heavens and the earth.
HOLY SPIRIT: It is the power of the Holy Spirit (the third person of the trinity) that dwells within each Believer and enables them to hear God when they accept Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth, including the knowledge of what is to come. In fact, the Holy Spirit moves in the Believer's mind, heart, and soul to cause them to seek God in the first place and to accept the atoning sacrifice of Christ that leads to salvation. The Holy Spirit also helps Believers in their weakness and intercedes for them. See https://tinyurl.com/vbp9d5g and https://tinyurl.com/wdxygrl. Also see 1 Corinthians 14:15 AMP; Philippians 2:13 AMP; and 1 Corinthians 12:8 AMP.

TRUSTING GOD

God is sovereign over all things, is infinite in his wisdom, and is perfect in his love. Nothing escapes his control. He uses providence over all things in this world for His glory and for the good of His children.
Our responsibility with everything is prayer and petition with thanksgiving, to present our requests to God.
You can trust in God in all circumstances, good & bad. You can count on the fact that his ultimate plan, which is often above our understanding, cannot be thwarted and is good.
God intends that we grow through the discipline of adversity as well as through the instruction of his word. As we learn to submit to the Holy Spirit, He will provide the fuel to change our behaviors and our hearts.

LIFE AFTER DEATH

Everyone will die as a consequence of sin. However, the soul, mind, & spirit of Believers continues to live for all eternity in Heaven in the presence of God in Paradise. This is by the Grace of God – his free gift to those that have faith and believe in him – and occurs immediately following death when everyone receives a first faith judgment. At this time the spirit of the Believer ascends to heaven (see Luke 16:22), and the spirit of the non-believer goes into a place of suffering forever (Luke 16:19-31).

All believers will face a second judgment seat of Christ and will be judged for their actions since becoming a Believer. This does not impact the believer’s salvation but impacts their rewards in heaven. God’s judgment is based on his standard of holiness and is absolute and unchanging. This judgment will occur at the time of the rapture of Believers just prior to the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. The rapture is that glorious event in which dead and living Believers will instantly be caught up to meet Christ in the air. The already dead Believers will be resurrected with new bodies, and then living Believers will be instantly translated into their resurrection bodies. After both groups are caught up to meet Christ in the air, they will be taken back to heaven, never again to be separated from Christ (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

The great white throne judgment awaits unbelievers of all ages. It is a horrific judgment where unbelievers are judged according to what they had done and leads to them being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). The Judge is Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:28; John 5:22-30; Acts 10:42; 17:31). Those who are judged are the unsaved dead of all ages. This judgment takes place after the millennial kingdom, Christ’s 1000-year reign on planet Earth. (Revelation 20:11).

REFERENCES

Christianity According to the Bible by Ron Rhodes

Summaries: (More info ) or complete book ( https://tinyurl.com/yckkyp34 )

The Bible from 30,000 feet by Skip Heitzig ( https://tinyurl.com/43ejd3rj )

The Key Ideas Bible Handbook by Ron Rhodes ( https://tinyurl.com/4mavw5v2 )

Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem

The Indispensable Guide to Practically Everything: Life After Death & Heaven & Hell by Bryan McAnnaly

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

The Key Idea Bible Handbook by Ron Rhodes, particularly the gospels according to Mathew, Mark, Luke & John.

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

What Happens After Life by Ron Rhodes

The Blessings of Humility by Jerry Bridges

Can We trust the Gospels by Peter J. Williams

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis