Christian Basics

Christian Basics
The fundamentals of Christian belief
[A hilltop church in South Australia]

Biblical theology is the science of systematizing the available information about God as it is revealed in the Bible. There are numerous ways of organizing this information. The system presented here is based on the Biblical theme of the Kingdom of God, as summarized in the gospel.
The "Basics" series of studies are introductory papers on the many different aspects of the Christian faith. The series serves as an introduction Christianity and as such, may be used as a basis for belief.
The link studies in this series are designed to enable post-formatted printing in A4.

The Gospel - the good news about Jesus

The gospel is God's message to lost humanity. Its content concerns the Kingdom of God. The message states: "The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel." These words may seem strange to us, but to a Jew living in the first century, they were easily understood.
The gospel message concerns the coming Kingdom of God. God's covenant (the word refers to an agreement between two parties) with the people of Israel promised that one day he would dwell with those who seek to know him, giving them complete and eternal access into his presence. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, made this a reality for all humanity - to Jews first and then to all of us. Jesus both announced this new agreement (the gospel) and made it real for us. The Kingdom is a now reality; we are even now eternally secure in the arms of our creator God. Our security and his eternal friendship is freely ours for the asking through Jesus, by grace (as a free gift from God) through faith (a reliance on the person and work of Christ).

The gospel frames Christian belief [dandelion]

Biblical theology is best framed by the inherent structure of the gospel:

Introduction. The present state: God - person and work. Humanity - nature and sin. The creation.
The time is fulfilled. Jesus, through his person and work, prepares for the realization of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God at hand. The person of the Holy Spirit and his seven-fold work in the here and now - regeneration, mystical union, sanctification, providence, revelation, fellowship and ministry. The realization of all things in Christ's return.
Repent and believe. The necessary human response of repentance and faith, along with our journey of discipleship.