Christians follow Jesus Christ, a Jewish teacher from Galilee who lived about 2,000 years ago. Christ is Greek for "anointed one", Messiah. Christians believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity), and that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Their holy book is the Bible (Old and New Testaments). About 2.3 billion people worldwide are Christian; 46.2% of people in England and Wales (Census 2021).
The two great commandments
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." … "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." (Mark 12:30–31, WEBBE)
Jesus begins with the Jewish Shema, "Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Mark 12:29, WEBBE).
What Christians BELIEVE (the Creed)
| # | Belief | Key word | In a line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God the Father | Creator | One God made everything and called it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). |
| 2 | Jesus Christ | Incarnation | God's Son, "the Word became flesh" (John 1:14): fully God and fully human; born of Mary at Bethlehem. |
| 3 | Cross and resurrection | Salvation | Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday; his death and rising reconcile people to God. |
| 4 | Holy Spirit and Trinity | Trinity | God with us now; one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
| 5 | Church and Bible | Body of Christ | The worldwide family of believers; the Bible (66 books in Protestant Bibles, 73 in Catholic) inspired by God. |
| 6 | Forgiveness and eternal life | Grace | God forgives freely; the dead will be raised; life with God for ever. |
The Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed are said in churches every week: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth…" (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)
How Christian life is LIVED
| # | Practice | In a line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prayer | Praise, sorry, thank you, please; above all the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father…", Matthew 6:9–13). |
| 2 | Worship and sacraments | Sunday worship; baptism (the way in) and Holy Communion / Eucharist / Mass (bread and wine). Catholic and Orthodox: seven sacraments. |
| 3 | Love in action | The Good Samaritan (Luke 10); feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger (Matthew 25); love even enemies. |
| 4 | The Christian year | Advent → Christmas → Epiphany → Lent → Holy Week → Easter (the greatest feast) → Pentecost. |
| 5 | Life and home | Sunday, the Lord's day; baptism, confirmation, marriage, funerals; pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago, Canterbury, Walsingham, Iona. |
Good to know
- Many churches, one faith: Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican (Church of England) and Protestant (Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal and others) share the creeds and the Lord's Prayer, but differ on some teaching and practice.
- Symbols: the plain cross (resurrection), the crucifix (Christ's suffering), the fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ), the dove (Holy Spirit), bread and wine, water, light.
- Jews and Muslims will recognise much here: one God (the Shema; the Shahadah), the Ten Commandments, prayer, giving, fasting and pilgrimage. Jews regard Jesus as a Jewish teacher; Muslims honour him as a great prophet and Messiah. Each faith describes itself in its own words.
Talk about it
- Why do you think Jesus put "love God" and "love your neighbour" together?
- Why might Easter matter more to Christians than Christmas?
- In the story of the Good Samaritan, who is your neighbour?
whoisallah.org.uk · Bible quotations from the World English Bible, British Edition (public domain) · creed and prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (1662) · other writers paraphrased with references