When it comes down to it; what is Christianity about?

 

When it comes down to it; what is Christianity about?

A Christian should consider the Bible as absolute. That makes sense, as it is considered a holy book, inspired and written according to the will of our Creator. The Bible is filled with many verses, but some should be considered fundamental to the Christian faith. These verses immediately indicate the main and most important motivation a Christian should have.

One such verse is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

An equally important and fundamental verse is Mark 12:30-31: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

Here we have the first indication of what the main theme of the Christian religion is about. This is also confirmed in the writings of Apostle Paul to the congregation in Corinth. The fourth word in John 3:16 is "loved," and the first word of Mark 12:30 is "love." The importance of love is once more emphasized in 1 Corinthians 13:13, which states: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

In 1 John, we are again informed about love. Reading this book of the Bible makes it very clear; for a Christian, love is not optional but a mandatory requirement. John even makes the following statement in 1 John 4:8: "Whoever does not love does not know God." When one looks at this statement, there can only be one conclusion: a Christian should love because God is love.

Yes, you guessed it: love is the key. This is certainly confirmed when we look at the sacrifice made by our Lord and Savior. Let it be crystal clear: Lord Jesus had the power to say no to the cross. Imagine if He would have said: "Father, I refuse this cup." Nobody could have forced Him. Please remember that a host of angels was ready to minister to the Lord and would have dealt with anyone who tried to force our Savior against His will.

Why then did He accept being crucified? May I suggest it was love? The name of our Lord can be spelled with four letters: L O V E, and that is Christianity. Oh, you expected a long and incredibly difficult explanation? Sorry, but the basic explanation is and always will be love.

Love for God, love for creation, and love for all living beings, be it human or animal.

If one studies the Bible, it will become clear that the word "love" is mentioned many times in both the New and Old Testaments. The word "love" appears approximately 442 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. It is not without reason that we say: The Love of God.

May love be in your heart and may it guide you through your days.

Thank you for reading this article.


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