Yuh gotta have FAITH...

(Denne siden på norsk)

But faith in what? Or who?

People have all kinds of strange ideas about what Christians believe. Not surprising, perhaps, since we sometimes seem unwilling to agree on what we do believe in. But that's really only on the surface. All Christians are basically in agreement about the fundamentals - and in particular about mankind's relationship to God. Relationships are really at the heart of what Christianity is about: Relationships between people, and people's relationship to God. The Bible's main purpose is to show how the relationship between God and mankind has developed, as people have come to understand more and more of God's revelation. And it looks at human relationships in the light of that understanding.

Broken relationships

It's no secret that many of the problems that people have struggled with through the years result from the poor quality of our relationships. Whether we hurt each other on purpose or through carelessness, we are all experts at making our relationships more difficult. On a large scale, this leads to the horrors of war and racial violence. On the personal level it leads to quarreling, bitterness and broken families. Jealousy, revenge, gossip, exploitation, apathy about other people's difficulties and pain - this is what the Bible calls "sin", just as much as murder or theft. Just look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus chapter 20), and you'll see how much the Bible emphasises interpersonal relationships.

And the reason these relationships don't work, according to the Bible, is that our relationship to God doesn't work either. Because we don't give God the place in our lives that he ought to have, everything else gets out of synch. If we can't see our fellow men through God's eyes, then we can't hope to relate to them as we should.

That doesn't mean that people can't do anything good. When the Bible says we are "created in the image of God", then that must mean that we also have some of the qualities that God has. Of course people can love each other, feel pity, act generously. But in us, these good qualities are mixed up with other things - selfishness, pride, selfrighteousness. We each have a mixture of good and bad qualities - but the one thing that applies to us all is that no person is purely good, as God is.

So the question is: How we can we re-establish these broken relationships? How can we come in contact with God again?

Reconciliation

The answer that Christianity gives to that question in quite simple: Jesus.

Jesus was the perfect man, the very ideal of how people could be if we lived in perfect harmony with God. For that reason he is our most important example, and every Christian's aim is "to be like Jesus". But Jesus was much more than just a good man. We believe that in Jesus, God himself came into our world. He knew that mankind could never reach him - and therefore he came down to us. And that is how Jesus, through his life, his death and his resurrection, made possible a reconciliation between God and mankind. A re-establishment of the broken relationship - so that people again could live in harmony with God and each other.

But for this reconciliation to take effect, each individual person has to accept it. Those who choose to live without God, are not forced into a relationship they don't want. Either in this life or the next. But it is God's desire that all people should experience his love and care, now and in eternity.

As you've probably noticed, we are members of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army's goal is to demonstrate the love of God both in word and action. We want to communicate the "good news" about Jesus, so that many more will accept God's offer of reconciliation; and we want to care for those who need practical help. If you want to know more about what we believe, take a look at these sites:

Basics: My personal take on some of the basic beliefs of Christianity.
Salvation Story: The Salvation Army's international handbook of doctrine, in Adobe Acrobat format.

And don't hesitate to get in touch - even if you don't agree with us!