Jennifer Huffman
Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice
July 22, 2012
Rough Draft
The word Christian or Christianity can have many different meanings. Each denomination of Christianity may explain their religion a little different.
Depending on your denomination, there could be more or less emphasis put on the different aspects of being a Christian. There are many different claimed denominations, but the three major ones are Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Despite their differences they all have one commonality; their belief in God, and the Bible. Most people did not have the option of selecting their own denomination. They were either raised in a church by their parents or it was pre- determined by the region they grew up in. Either way, most people by this time have their own view of what it means to be a Christian. This idea or belief would represent that persons Christian Worldview. Three major themes relating to a Christian World view are Faith, Hope, and Love. The first theme Faith can be defined as loyalty, or the complete trust in
God. Faith is mentioned throughout the bible and is summarized best in Jesus’s words “ I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”(Matthew 21:21). These words are powerful and are misinterpreted often. Many people want to believe that God will grant their wishes as long as they believe. But God is not Santa Clause, and can’t be expected to grant our every wish. The theme here is that the stronger we believe, the more likely our request and prayer’s will be in line with God’s will, and they will be reasonable granted. This scripture should be persuasion to believe and have faith in God. God also says in Mark 11:22, “ Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt it in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins”. This means that through faith God will answer your prayers if you first have faith in him, hold no grudges, do not pray with selfish motives, and your request must be for the good of God’s kingdom.
These words make it obvious for God to answer our prayers, we must first start with Faith. The second theme is Hope. The word hope in the Bible means to desire something with confident expectation of it fulfillment. Hope is the firm assurance regarding things that are unclear or unknown. Hope is a huge part of being a
“righteous “ person. Hoping for eternal life, and living in joy and peace while believing. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). This is saying that the more we learn about God, and what he has done in the past, the more we should have hope and trust in him for the future. This also means that the more you learn through reading scripture the more hope you will have. This hope of eternal life is what gives peace and joy to the daily lives of Christians. The bible also says that the people that put their hope in god will be helped. One of the most known passages in the bible gives us hope without saying the actual word. “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The scripture is saying that as long as you put
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