Seven Essentials to the Christian Faith
1 FAITH
When a man asked Jesus what is the most important commandment, this was the response:
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40.
In addition, the first commandment of the Ten Commandments given by God says:
I am the Lord thy God, you shall have no gods before me. Exodus 20:1-3.
This is the most important part of the Christian faith. There must be faith or nothing else will work. A person must believe that God exists, that He is the Creator of all things, and that He loves His Creation. Faith causes one to want to learn more about God and this is done by seeking Him. When one seeks God, there is the realization that He is not only omnipresent but perfect and we are not perfect. We realize that we are not perfect and that we need a way to justify ourself to be in God's presence.
2 REPENT
When we realize that we are not perfect, we feel the need to repent of our wrongdoings or the things that we have done in our life that were not godly or righteous. We seek God and ask for forgiveness for our past sins and ask for guidance for the future. Asking for forgiveness is also part of the Faith. If a man believes that God forgives sins, he will seek God's forgiveness. When Jesus began to preach, He said: repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).
3 PRAY
Repentance is also part of prayer. When one seeks God, the way to seek God is through prayer. God is invisible to us, but he is there in Spirit and those of us who believe in Him can feel His presence. When one prays, God hears the prayer and when He sees faith, He gives blessings. Prayer is a sign of faith as it is a belief that God is real, He exists, He hears our prayer, and He can answer our prayer. God rewards faith with blessings. When one disciple asked Jesus, Teach us to pray, he said:
Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:1-4.
4 STUDY BIBLE SCRIPTURE
In addition to faith, repentance, and prayer, one needs to seek the Biblical scriptures for guidance in life and in the faith. God wrote the Bible scriptures and spending time reading the Bible and studying the scriptures is not only wise, it is also a sign of faith in God's Word. One would not read the Bible unless there was a belief that it is the Word of God. God sees faith and God blesses faith. God's Word is His instructions for life for us and reading and studying the Scripture gives us guidance for a more abundant and prosperous life and a stronger faith. The Bible teaches us not only how to live our lives in a Godly way, but it teaches us how to become closer to God and to experience all of His blessings that He wants us to have.
5 TELL OTHERS
If you are a believer in the Bible and the Christian faith, tell others. Don't keep it to yourself. Others may not know about the Christian faith and you can be the one who leads them to the faith. While you shouldn't pressure anyone, there are many ways to express your faith around others in a polite, friendly way without seeming to pressure someone else to believe. Through general conversation and friendliness, one can reach out to others about the Christian faith. Sharing the Faith with others is part of the Great Commission that Jesus taught to all of his disciples. Just as Jesus travelled to many places to spread the Good News of the Faith of the Gospel, He is instructing his followers to do the same. We are all called to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
6 FELLOWSHIP
In addition, to witnessing to the Faith to others, it is also important to have fellowship with other fellow believers in Christ. This fellowship helps strengthen a person's faith by working with other in the faith. Just as Jesus and the disciples had fellowship with each other, believers today should have fellowship with fellow believers. Jesus said:
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20.
7 HELP THE POOR
A large part of the Christian faith is associated with good works, such as giving to the poor. However, good works cannot create faith but rather it is the opposite: Faith causes good works. When one has faith in God and believes, that faith causes one to desire to do good works, such as helping the poor and those in need. Jesus was clear in his words in the recorded Gospels that caring for the poor is an an extremely important part of the Faith. Faith is actually the basis of all things, as faith leads to repentance, prayer, Bible study, witnessing, and finally helping the poor and those in need. Helping the poor is part of the second of the two greatest commandments: Love thy neighbor. Helping any family member, close friend, or anyone in need is part of the commandment of loving thy neighbor. James explains how faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). James also explains how a man is justified by works and not by faith only by using the example of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his child as God had commanded.
When a man asked Jesus what is the most important commandment, this was the response:
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40.
In addition, the first commandment of the Ten Commandments given by God says:
I am the Lord thy God, you shall have no gods before me. Exodus 20:1-3.
This is the most important part of the Christian faith. There must be faith or nothing else will work. A person must believe that God exists, that He is the Creator of all things, and that He loves His Creation. Faith causes one to want to learn more about God and this is done by seeking Him. When one seeks God, there is the realization that He is not only omnipresent but perfect and we are not perfect. We realize that we are not perfect and that we need a way to justify ourself to be in God's presence.
2 REPENT
When we realize that we are not perfect, we feel the need to repent of our wrongdoings or the things that we have done in our life that were not godly or righteous. We seek God and ask for forgiveness for our past sins and ask for guidance for the future. Asking for forgiveness is also part of the Faith. If a man believes that God forgives sins, he will seek God's forgiveness. When Jesus began to preach, He said: repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).
3 PRAY
Repentance is also part of prayer. When one seeks God, the way to seek God is through prayer. God is invisible to us, but he is there in Spirit and those of us who believe in Him can feel His presence. When one prays, God hears the prayer and when He sees faith, He gives blessings. Prayer is a sign of faith as it is a belief that God is real, He exists, He hears our prayer, and He can answer our prayer. God rewards faith with blessings. When one disciple asked Jesus, Teach us to pray, he said:
Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:1-4.
4 STUDY BIBLE SCRIPTURE
In addition to faith, repentance, and prayer, one needs to seek the Biblical scriptures for guidance in life and in the faith. God wrote the Bible scriptures and spending time reading the Bible and studying the scriptures is not only wise, it is also a sign of faith in God's Word. One would not read the Bible unless there was a belief that it is the Word of God. God sees faith and God blesses faith. God's Word is His instructions for life for us and reading and studying the Scripture gives us guidance for a more abundant and prosperous life and a stronger faith. The Bible teaches us not only how to live our lives in a Godly way, but it teaches us how to become closer to God and to experience all of His blessings that He wants us to have.
5 TELL OTHERS
If you are a believer in the Bible and the Christian faith, tell others. Don't keep it to yourself. Others may not know about the Christian faith and you can be the one who leads them to the faith. While you shouldn't pressure anyone, there are many ways to express your faith around others in a polite, friendly way without seeming to pressure someone else to believe. Through general conversation and friendliness, one can reach out to others about the Christian faith. Sharing the Faith with others is part of the Great Commission that Jesus taught to all of his disciples. Just as Jesus travelled to many places to spread the Good News of the Faith of the Gospel, He is instructing his followers to do the same. We are all called to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
6 FELLOWSHIP
In addition, to witnessing to the Faith to others, it is also important to have fellowship with other fellow believers in Christ. This fellowship helps strengthen a person's faith by working with other in the faith. Just as Jesus and the disciples had fellowship with each other, believers today should have fellowship with fellow believers. Jesus said:
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20.
7 HELP THE POOR
A large part of the Christian faith is associated with good works, such as giving to the poor. However, good works cannot create faith but rather it is the opposite: Faith causes good works. When one has faith in God and believes, that faith causes one to desire to do good works, such as helping the poor and those in need. Jesus was clear in his words in the recorded Gospels that caring for the poor is an an extremely important part of the Faith. Faith is actually the basis of all things, as faith leads to repentance, prayer, Bible study, witnessing, and finally helping the poor and those in need. Helping the poor is part of the second of the two greatest commandments: Love thy neighbor. Helping any family member, close friend, or anyone in need is part of the commandment of loving thy neighbor. James explains how faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). James also explains how a man is justified by works and not by faith only by using the example of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his child as God had commanded.
