Exploring Christianity
Why Jesus?
A place to begin.
You don’t need to know all the language or have every question settled to look around. You’re welcome to read, ask, and explore.
The good news of Jesus Christ
Christianity begins with Christ.
The heart of Christianity is Jesus Christ—who He is and what He has done. The word gospel means good news. To understand why it is good, we need to begin with God and be honest about our need for Him.
01 · Our Creator
God is holy, good, and worthy.
God made us in His image to know Him, love Him, and reflect His goodness. He is perfectly holy: there is no evil or injustice in Him. We belong to Him, and He calls us to love Him and our neighbors with our whole lives.
Read: Genesis 1:1, 27 · Isaiah 6:3 · Luke 10:27
02 · Our need
Our sin separates us from God.
Sin is more than making mistakes. It is rejecting God’s authority in our thoughts, desires, words, and actions. All of us have sinned. Even the good we do cannot erase our guilt or make us righteous before Him.
God is a just Judge. We are accountable to Him, and His judgment against sin is real and eternal. We need forgiveness and a new heart—something we cannot give ourselves.
Read: Romans 3:10–23 · Revelation 20:11–15
03 · The Savior
Jesus did what we could never do.
In love, God sent His Son. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. He lived without sin, perfectly obeying the Father. On the cross, He bore the judgment sinners deserve, giving His life to save His people.
He rose bodily from the dead. Jesus is alive, reigning as Lord, and able to save everyone who comes to Him. Our hope rests in His finished work, not in our ability to become good enough.
Read: John 1:1, 14 · John 3:16 · Isaiah 53:5–6 · 1 Peter 2:24 · Romans 4:24–25
04 · Our response
Repent and believe in Christ.
Jesus calls us to repent and believe the gospel. Repentance means acknowledging our sin and turning from it toward God. Faith means trusting Jesus Christ alone to save us, rather than relying on our goodness, religious activity, or a prayer we have said.
You do not need to make yourself worthy before coming to Him. Bring your guilt and need honestly to God. Ask for His mercy, turn from sin, and trust the Savior He has given.
Repentance is not a promise that you will never struggle again. Christians still need forgiveness, correction, and grace. Salvation is God’s gift; obedience grows from the new life He gives.
Read: Mark 1:14–15 · Acts 16:31 · Ephesians 2:8–10
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”Ephesians 2:8–9 · KJV
05 · New life and lasting hope
Forgiven. Welcomed. Made new.
Through faith in Christ, God forgives our sins and counts Christ’s righteousness as ours. The Bible calls this justification: being declared righteous before God. Our peace with Him rests on Jesus.
God also welcomes believers as His children and gives them new life by His Spirit. Following Christ changes our direction: we learn to love Him, turn from sin, love others, and walk with His people in a faithful local church.
That journey is daily, and we need His grace throughout it. Our lasting hope is resurrection and life with Christ in a renewed creation, where sin, death, and suffering will be gone.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:21 · Romans 5:1–2 · John 1:12–13 · Galatians 2:20 · Revelation 21:1–4
A tract I share
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
This is a tract I hand out, published by Reformed Gospel Tracts. Its explanation of God, our sin, Christ’s saving work, and repentance and faith is a helpful companion to this introduction.
Read the tract onlineOpen one of the Gospels.
John is a helpful place to begin. Read a little at a time and ask: Who does Jesus say He is? What does He do? What does He call people to believe?
You can also read Mark for a concise account of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. Bring your questions honestly to God in prayer, and consider speaking with a Christian you trust or visiting a church that faithfully teaches the Bible.
My testimony is a personal account of why Christ matters to me. The Bible itself is where you can hear His words and learn about His life.