The basics
What is Christianity?
Christianity is not first of all a set of rules or rituals. It is good news about a person, Jesus Christ, and what God has done through him.
More than two billion people around the world call themselves Christians. They belong to many different churches and cultures, but they share a common core of belief that goes back to the first followers of Jesus. This page sets out that core as simply as possible.
There is one God, who made everything
Christians believe the universe is not an accident. It was made by a personal God who is powerful, good and loving. He is not a distant force. He knows each of us and wants us to know him.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Christians also believe that this one God exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Read more about the Trinity.
People are loved by God, but separated from him
The Bible says every human being is made in the image of God. That is why each person matters and why we long for love, meaning and justice.
God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
It also says that something has gone wrong. Instead of living with God at the centre, we have each pushed him to the edge and put ourselves in charge. The Bible’s word for this is sin. It spoils our relationships with one another and, most seriously, it separates us from God.
For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.
God came to us in Jesus
We could not find our way back to God, so God came to us. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth was not only a great teacher but God the Son, who became a human being.
The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus lived the life of perfect love for God and for other people that none of us has managed. He showed in a human life what God is like.
Jesus died for our sins and rose again
Jesus was put to death on a Roman cross. Christians believe that this was no tragic accident. On the cross Jesus willingly took on himself the consequences of human sin, so that we could be forgiven. Read more about why Jesus died.
But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
On the third day he rose from the dead. The resurrection is the reason Christians are confident that Jesus is who he claimed to be, that his death achieved what he said it would, and that death is not the end.
Forgiveness is a gift
This is what most sets Christianity apart. Being accepted by God is not a reward for good behaviour or religious effort. It is a gift, which the Bible calls grace, and it is received simply by trusting Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
Those who receive it are at peace with God. The past is dealt with, and they no longer need to wonder where they stand with him.
Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
A new life, now and for ever
Those who trust Jesus are forgiven, adopted as God’s children and given his Holy Spirit to help them change. They become part of the church, the worldwide family of people who follow Jesus.
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
They also live in hope. Christians believe that Jesus will one day return to put right everything that is wrong and to make the world new.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.
How Christians live
Christians try to live in the way Jesus taught: loving God with their whole heart and loving their neighbours as themselves. They do this out of gratitude and not to earn anything. Jesus said that love would be the mark by which his followers were recognised.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
In practice that means praying, reading the Bible, meeting with other Christians, being honest and generous, forgiving those who wrong them and caring for people in need. Christians often fail at these things. When they do, they ask for forgiveness and start again.
What Christianity is not
- It is not a way of earning God’s favour. The message is about what God has done, and not about what we must achieve.
- It is not a Western religion. It began in the Middle East, and today most Christians live in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- It is not blind faith. It rests on events that happened in history and can be investigated.
- It is not only for a certain kind of person. The invitation is open to everyone.
Where Christians learn all this
Christians believe God has spoken through the Bible, and they read it to know him better. Its central message is summed up in short statements of faith such as the Apostles’ Creed, which churches of almost every tradition have used for many centuries. Can I trust the Bible?
Christianity in the UK
Christianity has shaped Britain for more than fifteen hundred years, and its mark is on the country’s laws, calendar, language and landscape. In the 2021 census, 46% of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian. Christians here belong to many different churches, which agree on everything set out above. A guide to the main churches in the UK.
How to respond
Christianity is not only something to understand. It is an invitation to accept. If you would like to respond to this message yourself, read how to become a Christian.