Christian Religion Research Paper

believe that Jesus, whom they called the Christ in Greek or Messiah in Hebrew, was the Son of God, both man and God at the same time. Christians eventually formulated their beliefs in the doctrine of the Trinity. The one God expresses Himself through three different natures: God the Father, God the Son (Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity, one God in three different persons, is a central mystery of the Christian faith (Martin, 56). During his time on Earth, Jesus taught in the synagogues and outdoors, healing the sick and welcoming particularly the poor and the outcast. Jesus said “he had come to establish a new Kingdom in which men’s wrongdoings would be forgiven, allowing them to achieve a new relationship with God” (Peterson, 12).

In this last supper, he warned his disciples to observe a similar meal to remember him. Jesus insinuated that his suffering, death, and resurrection would make a new agreement with God, replacing the agreement or covenant made between God and the Jewish patriarchs, Abraham and Moses. In the new agreement, God forgives the sins of those who follow Jesus and offers them eternal life with him. There are two parts of the Christian Bible: the Old Testament (the Jewish Scriptures), which depicts God’s agreement with the Jewish people, and the New Testament, which also depicts His new agreement (Martin,

These include baptism, or ritual purification with water, and communion, a rite that commemorates the Last Supper that Jesus had on Earth with his followers. The significance of baptism does not come from the symbolism of water and rather the supernatural existence of God that is introduced in the use of water as a form of sacrament. In other words, Water is a way of godly representation, a supernatural form that is one of many other forms. Therefore, using water to baptize takes away sins, sadness and death, in exchange for an everlasting life in heaven (Leith, 169). The supper of the Lord or thanksgiving is another Christian rite which was introduced by the Christ in order to eat and drink in a sense that Christians nourish themselves spiritually and get closer to God. Memorial of benefits of God is another ritual that allows us to remember the sacrifice of Jesus for the remission our sins. Christian fasting is another aspect of commitment to God and it is either public or private. It requires abstention from eating meat till the evening in a sense that it is considered a way to worship God and ask for repentance (Leith, 171). The sacrament of reconciliation, or Penance as it is known, is made for times of confession and celebration. It is the day of forgiveness where Christians are supposed to forgive each other. The sacrament of confirmation is a Christian commitment associated with offering presents to