The Parish of the Holy Cross, Shrewsbury

The Abbey Office, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury. SY2 6BS
Tel. 01743 232723 - email: Parish Office

WHAT DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE?

GOD

JESUS

Jesus was born about 4BC in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth,
both places being in present day Middle East.
He learnt his trade as a carpenter/builder.
At the age of 30 he became a teacher for three years,
until he was executed by crucifixion as a common criminal probably in 30AD in Jerusalem
Against all the expectations of his friends, he rose from death,
and this one thing compelled his followers to tell people far and wide about him.

THE CHURCH

His followers, who were all Jews at first but later included non-Jews,
formed a community known as the Church.
Its task was to continue the work he had begun.
Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in the Jewish scriptures
and therefore believe that the Church has a vital role in the unfolding purposes of God.
A person becomes a member of this community through the ceremony of baptism
by which they are 'born again' into a new relationship with God, through Jesus.

GOD AS FATHER

Jesus taught people to think of God as a loving Father -
he creates us,
loves us,
protects us,
provides for our needs
and guides us through life.
He is love. Jesus taught us to speak to him through prayer as "Our Father".
The word he uses for 'father' is 'abba' which means 'daddy.'

JESUS AS DIVINE

Jesus called himself the Son of Man, not Son of God, but he did,
in fact, claim to the divine.
He said that whoever had seen him had seen the Father.
He was the human expression of God, showing God's will for peace and healing
and showing goodness by his actions and supremely showing God's
love for the world by his death on the cross.
After his resurrection, one of his friends could say of him "My Lord, and my God".

GOD'S SPIRIT

Jesus wants his followers to know that God is with them always.
They call his presence the Holy Spirit.
God inspires them through His Spirit and gives gifts to minister His name to others.

THE BIBLE

Christians use the Jewish scriptures believing that they reach fulfilment in the coming of Jesus into the world.
They accept some of the writings of the early Christians also as scriptural
- the accounts by his friends of his teaching, death and resurrection, and letters
written by the Apostles to the first Churches.
They believe that the writers of scripture were inspired by Gods Holy Spirit,
and regard the Old and New Testaments as sufficient to contain all their beliefs.

SALVATION.

Christians believe that by dying on the Cross Jesus has won for them forgiveness from the effects of sinfulness.
They hope that beyond this life, therefore, they shall be in the presence of God and be united with our loved ones,
and that they shall find their fulfilment as human beings in the heavenly life of Eternity.

Jesus said: "For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but
have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
(St. John chapter 3 verse 16 and 17)

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