Jesus Christ

Jesus ChristJesus Christ
The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). The title "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word meaning 'anointed one'.
Christians believe that, as the Messiah, Jesus was anointed by God as ruler and savior of humanity, and hold that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept. The core Christian belief is that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.
While there have been many theological disputes over the nature of Jesus over the first centuries of Christian history, Christians generally believe that Jesus is God incarnate and "true God and true man". Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, yet he did not sin. As fully God, he defeated death and rose to life again. According to the Bible, "God raised him from the dead," he ascended to heaven, is "seated at the right hand of the Father" and will return again to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment and final establishment of the Kingdom of God.
Little of Jesus' childhood is recorded in the canonical Gospels. His adulthood, especially the week before his death, are well documented in the Gospels contained within the New Testament.

Death and resurrection of Jesus
Christians consider the resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith and the most important event in human history. Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based. According to the New Testament Jesus was crucified, died a physical death, buried within a tomb, and rose from the dead three days later. The New Testament mentions several resurrection appearances of Jesus on different occasions to his twelve apostles and disciples, including "more than five hundred brethren at once. Jesus' death and resurrection are commemorated by Christians in all worship services, with special emphasis during Holy Week which includes Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Salvation
Protestantism teaches that eternal salvation is a gift that comes to an individual by God's grace defined as "unmerited favor", on the basis of one's personal belief.

Salvation in this sense refers to God's activities in bringing humans into right relationship with God and with one another through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the belief that one can be rescued from sin and eternal death. Other concepts used in the study of how salvation is accomplished include conversion, faith, justification, regeneration, and others.

Catholicism teaches that while in most cases one must be a baptized Catholic to be saved. Catholics generally emphasize the role of works and sacraments in attaining salvation. The Catholic Church teaches that faith is important, but it also believes that salvation also requires good works and piety such as obedience to the commandments, participation in the sacraments, church attendance, doing penance and giving alms and reciting prayers.

Trinity
Trinity refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three distinct, eternally co-existing persons;

1. The Father (from whom the Son and Spirit proceed),
2. The Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and
3. The Holy Spirit.

Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead. They are distinct from another: the Father has no source; the Son is born of the substance of the Father, the Spirit proceeds from the Father.
The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" represents both the immanence and transcendence of God. God is believed to be infinite and God's presence may be perceived through the actions of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God. The distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and from the Son. Regardless of all these differences, the three 'persons' are each eternal and omnipotent.

Trinitarians
Trinitarianism denotes those Christians who believe in the concept of the Trinity. Almost all Christian denominations and Churches hold Trinitarian beliefs. Theologians beginning in the third century developed the term and concept to facilitate comprehension of the New Testament teachings of God as Father, God as Jesus the Son, and God as the Holy Spirit.

Non-Trinitarians
Nontrinitarianism refers to beliefs systems that reject the doctrine of the Trinity. Non-Trinitarians often believe in Jesus as the Son of God, and not the same as God.

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