Christianity Simplified: The Basics of the Christian Faith for New Believers and Curious Nonbelievers

By Matthew Swihart

What is Christianity? How does Christianity differ from other religions and philosophies? What does it mean to be a Christian? How can we tell an authentic Christian from someone who just claims to be a Christian? How do you make sense of some of the comparisons and disagreements about the Bible’s many teachings?
Swihart lays out the basics of the Christian faith in plain English, avoiding the jargon common in other works by “professional Christians.” Swihart does this while addressing common misconceptions and misunderstandings about what Christianity really is and why authentic Christianity is truly for everyone.
Are you outside of Christianity wondering what all the fuss is about? Are you a new believer wondering how to navigate your own faith? This book is about you.
Christianity Simplified: The Basics of the Christian Faith for New Believers and Curious Nonbelievers, is a simple, clear, and accessible exploration that will help readers to understand Christianity, and encourage them to further explore and investigate the Christian religion and faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483578514

Book preview

Christianity Simplified: The Basics of the Christian Faith for New Believers and Curious Nonbelievers

Copyright © 2016 by Matthew Swihart

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Published by Third Day Publishing

Portland, Oregon

Printed in the United States of America

Permissions

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are quoted with permission from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996–2006 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC. All rights reserved. THE NET BIBLE®, NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION COPYRIGHT © 1996 BY BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, LLC. NET Bible® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK. THE NET BIBLE® LOGO, SERVICE MARK, COPYRIGHT © 1997 BY BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ISBN: 978-1-48357-850-7 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-48357-851-4 (ebook)

Contents

Introduction

Separating Christians from Christianity

Aren’t All Religions the Same?

What, Then, Is Authentic Christianity?

Christianity Is Divinely Inspired

Works-Based vs. Grace-Based Religions

The Bible

God

Who was Jesus?

The Holy Spirit

Angels, Demons, and Ghosts

Sin and Evil

Salvation by Grace

What If I Decide to Believe This Christianity Stuff?

How Do I Get Saved?

Prayer: Talking With God

A Final Word: A Challenge to Christians

Acknowledgments

Endnotes

Introduction

This book is intended to demonstrate how Christianity is unique among the world’s religions, what the basic tenets of the Christian faith are, and what living an authentic Christian life looks like. While this is not an exhaustive analysis of Christianity, I will address some common misconceptions about Christianity, explain what Christianity is to those who are outside of or new to this faith, and provide a baseline of clarity, so that further discussion or investigation can ensue. Consider this an introduction to Christianity.

So, who am I? I am an attorney, a martial arts instructor, a writer, and—most importantly for this book—a Christian who is completely devoted to the God of the Bible. I have engaged in daily hermeneutical study for the vast majority of my life. I learned to read by memorizing Scripture. I have brought many people into the Church, and have had the ultimate honor of leading more than a few to a personal relationship with our Lord. I have served as an apologist for several groups, including as an online missionary, where I responded to questions about Christianity from people all over the world.

But notice what I am not: I am neither a theologian nor a professional apologist. I do not speak or read Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic. I do not have a degree in theology, ministry, or philosophy. I do not preach in a megachurch, nor do I have a Christian radio show; in other words, I do not write this as a teacher or recruiter. I am not trying to coerce you to believe as I do. This is not intended to be an apologetic, evangelical, or missionary text.

Because of my position as an average Christian, my perspective is closer to that of the new Christian or seeking unbeliever, so I hope it can speak to people who might not be ready for the works and words of professional Christians. Learned theologians and respected church leaders, whom I call professional Christians, have dealt with the basic aspects of Christianity for so long that they often find it difficult to explain our faith at a level understandable to the new Christian or curious nonbeliever. That does not diminish the fact that their expertise is invaluable to the person who, after reading this book, decides to further investigate the concepts presented here.

Over the years, as I discussed and defended my faith to believers and nonbelievers alike, a recurring theme consistently arose. I came to realize that the problems people had with Christianity stemmed, not from anything wrong with Christianity per se but rather from:

misconceptions or misunderstandings about what authentic Christianity really is, as opposed to how it is interpreted and proselytized by certain groups; and/or

disgust at how select individuals, churches, or entire denominations of well-intentioned but weak or uneducated Christians have corrupted and/or misrepresented Christianity. It has been my experience that weak Christians have been, however unintentionally, just as destructive as pretenders, extremist fanatics, and fakes.

The reason for these common misunderstandings about Christianity is simple: most people only see a warped vitiation of Christianity, in the form of fanatics or fakes attempting to justify abhorrent behavior by hiding behind a mask of false Christianity. The examples are myriad: Westboro Baptist Church’s hate rallies, abortion clinic bombers, the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups hiding behind a mask of religion, the Catholic Church hiding pedophile priests, the pastor who told me I was going to hell because of the music I listened to, the other pastor who shunned and excluded a dear friend of mine because of her sexuality, and so on.

Let me be clear: these behaviors are not Christianity. They are the actions and beliefs of flawed, corrupted humans calling themselves Christians and taking Scripture out of context in an attempt to justify their own sins and prejudices, while denigrating whichever group of people they hate or fear.

Unfortunately, these abominations are the only images of Christianity many people will ever see. The most visible enemies of Christianity are often those who call themselves Christians, whose actions are anything but Christ-like. The Bible is clear that not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is going to heaven.¹

I’ve reached a point where I have stopped arguing about these bad examples and started informing people about what real Christianity is. I discovered that the correction of misunderstandings led to more fruitful discussions, when we returned to the original topic, and frequently created more interest in and respect for Christianity in the struggling Christian or questioning unbeliever.

I hope to correct some of these misconceptions with this book.

But I need your help to do so. To understand a thing, we must first put aside our preconceptions about that thing. This allows us to see a thing as it really is, rather than as we anticipate it will be. When I take a case before a jury, I tell them that I’m not there to argue a point; rather, I’m there to teach them the facts and circumstances so they can make the best informed decision they can. I ask them to set aside their assumptions and focus on what is presented as if they had never heard of these things before. Before we can evaluate Christianity as a viable religion, we must first understand what it is. And to do that, I need you to first put aside what you think Christianity is, and be open to learning what this Christian believes his religion to be. Then you can decide if and how much you agree with me.

I believe that many nonbelievers genuinely want to believe something, but get lost in the religion they are presented with, and so don’t find their way to the God, who should be the focus of this faith. It is my sincere hope and prayer that, through this short book, you will come to have a clearer understanding of what authentic Christianity is, how it is different from other religions, and why the God of the Bible is worthy of your love and devotion, even if many of his followers are not.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive study of Christianity; rather, it is intended to answer some of the basic questions I frequently encounter. I also hope that it creates many more questions—questions I hope you will find the answers to in your Bible, in your prayers, in your church, and in your fellow Christians.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in my walk with God, it’s that we are all constantly questioning and learning. Just because someone is a Christian does not mean they are perfect or don’t have questions. Rather, being an authentic Christian is admitting that we are flawed creatures who need God’s help with this dangerous, depressing, and difficult life. Increasing knowledge often serves as a platform from which to ask higher questions, and this is right and proper, as true Christianity welcomes questions. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to examine all things; hold fast to what is good.

For most of the Scriptures referenced here, the complete verses are provided in the footnotes for your convenience, so you will not need a Bible to read and understand this book. However, if you have any version of the Bible, I encourage you to look up the verses cited and dig a bit deeper into these Scriptures on your own as you go.

I have attempted to avoid controversial or denominational issues as much as possible. My goal is to lay a foundation that Christians can agree on, supported by Scripture and rational thought, rather than engaging in hot-button theological squabbles or political debates. That said, there is no way to speak about what Christianity is and is not without offending some people. To those people, I encourage you to search the Scriptures, search your hearts, pray earnestly, and follow the path that seems most correct and Godly to you.

Separating Christians from Christianity

Before we can make a proper decision regarding Christianity, or argue intelligently either for or against it, we must first understand what it means to be a Christian, and what Christianity means as a religion. One problem is that there are so many Christian denominations—different versions and interpretations of Christianity—that it can be difficult to grasp what it really means to be a Christian, or to find out who the Christian God is and what he stands for.

Much of Christian literature dealing with the subject of Christianity is bogged down with symbolism and terminology unique to hermeneutical study, and requires or assumes the reader has already obtained a certain level of biblical knowledge. This means the non-Christian cannot readily understand the religion itself, and the new Christian may become frustrated at his or her inability to comprehend or explain their new religion.

Extra-Christian literature is fundamentally inadequate, as it tends to begin with an incorrect premise: that the Christian in question is a good example of a Christian whose views on Christianity are inherently correct. This leads to the idea that the value and impact of Christianity equals the value and impact of Christians, thus leaving out any option of direct action by God, or deific intervention, which is the foundation of most religions. Extra-Christian literature focuses on Christians and their actions, and confuses this for Christianity. It comes about as the result of a lack of knowledge about what Christianity truly is, and through that, a lack of knowledge about and acceptance of the Living God. The focus of these works is improperly on the people who act in the name of Christianity. For example, we cannot evaluate Christianity by the actions of an abortion clinic bomber any more than we can evaluate Islam by the actions of a suicide bomber. Truth is never found at the fringes.

To correctly evaluate a religion, we must look first at the foundation of that religion’s belief system. Without this vital first step, there is no basis for evaluating the relationship between the individuals’ actions and the tenets of their religion.