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======Basics of Faith I - Intro.======
Monday, July 13, 2009. What are the basics of christian faith?
We are not the first people in the world thinking about this topic. In
fact, it has occupied the minds of sincere Christians since the very
beginning. What are the important pilars of faith? What is
its core? What is needed to speak of faith? What is it all about?
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When I think about the basics of faith several elements come to my
mind immediately. There are the old creeds, the professions of faith which
have been compiled by the church many times in its history, for example
the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed. These creeds range back to the
early centuries of the church and have been confirmed in the council of
Nicaea 325 AD and the Council of Milan 390 AD.
There are basic descriptions of faith in the New Testament itself!
After the death and resurrection of Jesus the apostle Peter is giving
his first sermon in Acts 2, 14-36. He explains the events around Jesus
in the light of the Jewish scriptures. His words then culminate in the
words: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for
all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.
(Acts 2, 38-39)
Also in modern times Christians have tried to summarize the basic statements
of faith. In 1952 Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
wrote down four spiritual laws, to quickly explain the principles of
Christian faith with respect to salvation. He speaks about 1. Gods love
for us, 2. the meaning and power of separation from God (sin), 3 the
role of Jesus to overcome this separation, 4. the individual relation to
God by faith in Jesus.
Introductions into faith are given today everywhere in the world. One
prominent example is the "Alpha Course". It has been started by
Revd Charles Marnham in the Holy Trinity Church in London and has
been made popular by Revd Nicky Gumbel since 1990, with more than 13 million
people worldwide which have attended this particular course within less than
20 years. The alpha course combines a relaxed setting, joint meals with
discussions and exploration of the basic parts of Christian faith.
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Exploring the basics of faith is a fascinating journey. We will take a week
to focus on the basic statements and basic facts in the life of Jesus over
the next days here in the Jesus Network. Even if you know many things already,
it is a good idea to take time occasionally to look into the basic fundaments
of your belief. If you do not know the fundaments, then this can be a great
start for you, an important turning point for your life. God is real and
Jesus is definitely the most interesting and attractive person of human history.
Everyone should have the right to get a clear picture and know him. Everyone
should have the right to get the chance of faith!
[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_i|... more texts]]