Christianity is a doctrine that is believed to have been given by God through his son Jesus Christ. Christians follow the ways and life of Jesus Christ as their perfect example. Their way of life and judgment is drawn from the Holy Bible that contains the beginning of human existence (Jared & Lea, 2016). This book serves as a guide from their word of mouth to the actions taken. The world is changing at a fast rate and many people tend to ignore the commandments of God. They forget the teachings in the Bible and end up committing sins. This paper shows how Christianity views people behavior in relation to the Christian way and the Bible.
The Bible
Christianity is based on the Bible. This was the only intended source of guidance to humankind. The book was written by people inspired by God. Initially, there was no modern technology of viewing the scripture. Therefore, the Bible contained its original meaning without alteration. Christians were supposed to understand the intended message as passed. Traditional people keenly followed the scripture in their lives. Traditionally, sins were viewed as communal sin not personal. Their understanding was clear and strictly adhered to so as to maintain Gods will. As technology evolved overtime, people became more curious to the understanding of the message passed (Lai, 2006). They wanted Christian freedom to the deeper personal interpretation of the word in their lives. This led to justifications of wrong actions done based on how somebody relates the actions to their relation with God according to the Bible. Generally, from the commandments view, a person committing sins was a sinner and had to seek forgiveness from God. In recent times people commit sins in their daily activities unwillingly or unknowingly. Today, sins are owned by individuals not as a community. The New Testament shows that every individual should carry one’s own cross and plead to be saved by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, people defend their actions according to personal relation to God. In relation to the scripture, a sin is a sin whether big or small. One should be submissive to the word of God irrespective of personal understanding. Personal interpretation or interpretations done in various churches that do not meet the original meaning is misleading the church.
Christian Practices
The word of God clearly shows the traditions and practices that should be followed throughout the Christian life. Collective worship of God in highly appreciated through the scripture and the life of Jesus. Jesus walked into temples or gatherings to administer the word of God. Christians also follow this tradition by gathering in churches or holy places of worship. However, in some cases, people belief that one can fully be committed to serve God by worshiping alone and eliminating the Christian gatherings. They deduce this belief arguing that it’s a personal responsibility to follow Chris (Jauncy, 2018)t. Thus, private worship is okay because their heart is bonded to Jesus. Ceremonies of Holy Communion and Baptism as stated in the Bible should be done to believers. From the New Testament, Jesus was baptized and was signified as the bread of life. Majority of believers strictly follow these rituals. They strengthen their Christian faith and offer them ability to overcome temptations. Through these services, they get the deeper understanding of why Christ died and resurrected for their sake. Individually, one gives whole self to God begging for mercy for taking Christianity for granted and for the sins committed (Jauncy, 2018). Basing the understanding of the word, some rituals done recently only justify sins. Some churches baptize young children who lack the knowledge and cannot comprehend the word of God. These children are not given a chance to decide the path they wish to take in their life. Additionally, material communions are used to signify the body and blood of Jesus. This makes the actual meaning of the services tasteless. Being human, the main idea brought in such a ceremony is food rather than the fact that Jesus shed blood to bring salvation to all.
Jesus heavily depended on God through prayers. This was his main fighting tool he used to overcome temptations. It also brought him closer to his father. Christians acknowledge God as their heavenly father. The only way they get to him is by being saved through the blood of Christ. They are given a direct ticket to talk to God through prayers. This is a binding tool that enables them to settle their struggles. Christ combined prayers with fasting and this worked to his success (Paget, 2017). Christian leaders urge their followers to frequently fast. This will increase their Christian believe of the word and the teachings of Christ. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray to show the importance of prayers. The player that Christ taught his disciples is mostly recited in church gatherings or in Christian fellowships. Nowadays prayers are mainly taken to be done only by saved people. Many people judge their ungodly ways and exclude themselves from praying. They take their lives as norm that they wake up every day and meet their daily needs. This behavior is common because of forgetfulness and taking Christianity as a gift (Lai, 2006). Moreover, images portrayed in the Bible only signified the Glory of God. For instance, the Bible itself represents God. However, this is different currently, because many people see it like a book. It is only used during church services or in fellowships. This shows that the understanding given to the word is light. Modernly, there are various versions of the bible found in the internet. This further makes people to forget the physical bible. These versions contain altered verses that bring different meaning to the believers. People excuse the way they behave relating these actions to the wrong message passed.
Christian’s belief in the Holy trinity. This refers the God the father, Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit. The three supreme beings are one and normally believers term them as God (Lai, 2006). They work together and their workings are manifested in the bible. For instance, when Jesus was being baptized, God spoke in a voice saying that Jesus in his only son whom he love. The Holy Spirit came down in form of a dove and rested on Jesus’ head. This understanding is clear according to the Bible because as man was being created, the trinity spoke in one voice to mold a creature of their likeness. Christian leaders use the working of the holy trinity to explain to the believers how God loves them and how he works. The believers use this understanding in their lives altogether. When praying, the Supreme Being is recognized. This shows that they fully accept the concept of God working in three but still remain as one.
This guides their way of thinking and the actions they take. However, there are reformed versions of the word of God that contradict this aspect. The versions make people have theological questions of how the three are interrelated and still remain as one (Jauncy, 2018). They question the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in the mission that Jesus had on earth. This makes people to have different conclusions and arguments. The word was intended to retain its original message without being changed. However, currently people tend to question why things are the way they are. They go to the extent of questioning the bible and the things done by God. They find their own conclusions that defend the actions they take.
Jesus Christ is the son of God. He is termed as the only begotten son who brought salvation to all. He gave people a way of going to God by dying on the cross. All Christians accept and believe the work and missions done by their savior. The mission of Christ was unique and the intended task in the mission was to bring sinners back to God. Christians understand the original relationship that existed between God and man. After man committed sins, God used his only son to bring the relationship back. Although there is a cost incurred by individuals carrying personal cross to God. Jesus was successful in restoring the relationship back by accepting to live and die like human being. He suffered and went through hardships full of mockery from people. This shows that everybody was given a choice to accept or deny Christ. He set the way free for anybody willing to fulfill the will of God. As a result people many people take any choice, some believing while others do not (Jauncy, 2018). There are others who accept salvation but still commit sins. They take salvation as a light thing arguing that God will eventually forgive them just like he did before. Therefore, their behaviors portray their own judgments that God as their father will forgive them and Jesus Christ will die for their sins.
Death is a punishment given to man by God. After man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God was angry and concluded that man must die. God had a perfect relationship with man before man committed sins. They were close friends and God came to visit man in his own time. However, this relationship was broken and a wrath bestowed on man after eating the forbidden fruit. The Old Testament contains stories of people who lived for more than nine hundred years. This was a blessing due to their close relation to God. Thus, these people followed the word of God and remained as good subjects. As timed passed by, human gained more knowledge in writing and understanding. This led to increased sins in the world. This made God angrier to an extent of reducing the lifespan of man. Currently, people commit sins justifying that they only live once and the living years are shortened. People tend to achieve their life goals and missions within their living time. As this is achieved, they sin all round. This justification makes them not to reconsider that God needs absolute respect from them. Christians understand that death will occur in their life; therefore, they tend to reconsider the missions they want to achieve and forget that they should always obey God in all that they do. They take their life and their belief for granted just to fulfill their will before dying. This leads to disrespect of life and the intended reason of God creating man in his own image. God is perfect but man ignores this part just by wanting to live their dream life on earth.
Symbols and Idolatry
Different symbols were used in the Bible to show different meaning. Various words were used to show the Holy Communion. Jesus was also identified using various words. He is the prince of peace and the Lamb of God. These signs were used to bring a better understanding to the believers. They maintain their original intended reason and are clearly depicted from the word. Christians comprehend these words in a heavenly manner when explained by the apostles (Weisner, 2020). The message was clear and to the point. However, people use different images to signify God. Idolatry was punishable by death to those who believed in idol gods. The word shows that God hated the tribes that worshipped their own gods. The biblical stories from the Old Testament shows communities that went to war carrying their own gods were always defeated by the societies that upheld God in their way of life. Through this understanding, Christians get to uphold to God as their own father who fights earthly battles for them in times of need. However, many people worship earthly things more than they do to God. Things like money, power and fame make people lose their Christian value. This makes them acquire earthly tittles and only see their supremacy. They justify these actions by arguing that God gave them a chance to live their lives. They do not see the energy and resources they fuel in these things as if they oppress the will of God. They tend to forget that God is the sole owner of all things and everybody should be humble before him whether rich or poor.
Human existence is a key thing discussed globally. The bible shows the source of man from creation. Man was created by God himself in his own image and likeness. He was mandated to rule the earth but respect the word of God. God saw it important to give man the earth to produce and enjoy. Therefore, the life of man was controlled by God. Most believers take the word as written that they were all created by God. However, the current technologies being developed and used can also create human beings. This underestimates the bible and the work of creation. The understanding from the bible is clear, but, the knowledge incorporated in peoples mind is contradicting the truth. The knowledge passed through education on the science and existence of man and the technology used changes the whole idea of man’s existence ( Lai, 2006). People exist because they were created in the will of God. But in science they exist after two opposite sex mate. This gives people the right to commit sins without the respect of life from the bible. They take it for granted because any two opposite mates produce a child thus people will always be born. They forget that God is the sole creator and has the power to enable child making process in man. Sexuality has lost its meaning because of lesbianism and homosexuality. People only consider the best way they can be satisfied irrespective of the Commandments written in the bible.
The church referred to Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus gave his own examples in form of parables to explain his mission on earth. The church is holy and sacred. He used the church as the biggest organ in a Christian life. The church should be a subject to the heavenly father. Normally, the church can be seen as a holy building set aside where believers worship God. This place is also used to perform Christian rituals and ceremonies. Jesus viewed believers as the church for them to maintain absolute reason why God created them. However, the church is viewed differently in the current life (. It is seen like a market place where leaders go to collect money. It has changed its meaning because many leaders have changed the main reason of gathering to preach the word of God to directing their own needs in the church. Many church meetings held today have fundraisings. The church is also full of politics. Religious leaders have allowed politicians to look for supporters. Contextualizing the church according to Jesus’ teachings, it refers human beings. They actions should portray the will of God. They should be pure always and when they commit sins, they should always seek for forgiveness. People use their bodies nowadays according to their personal intentions. They commit sins like blood shedding justifying that the church refers to a building.
The bible shows that God gave man the authority to subdue the earth. He was given this role as a responsibility and to take care of everything in it (Bergmann, 2009). The environment was beautiful and healthy for human. His role was to make the place more beautiful and meaningful to his satisfaction. As a gift from God, man had all the rights to pro-create. The environment today is so messy. Many water bodies are damaged with chemicals and water plants. The air contains chemicals posing a hazard to human life. Leaders take the opportunity given to satisfy their own needs regardless of the threats posed. This puts the human life at a danger. Scientists pro-create by designing human beings that are similar to man. They take the advantage of having a good environment and pose a challenge to the creation work done by God. This was not the will of God. They defend their actions by saving that they were given the mandate to control the earth. It is true that God gave man the power to rule the earth according to his own will but, man had to hold the original reason why he was created. The environment is the only place where man can fulfill their wish while on earth before dying.
Faith and Science
Faith is a Christian virtue that is discussed deeply in the bible. The Old Testament contains stories of people like Abraham who had faith in God. These people were tested on their faith using the most painful thing that they valued most. Christ followers are taught in the scripture how to gain and uphold their faith in God. Faith helps them to believe that God exists and everything that is written in the bible is true. This also helps them to fight the Christian battle with Christ as their perfect example. In these modern times many people turn their faith into earthly things. Some believe in their power, money, children and the existence of time. Science has brought changes in the way people see and solve life issues (Paget, 2017). In the bible, people purely depended on God to solve their mysteries with absolute faith. Those who went in battle fields upheld their relation and faith to God for them to win. Since science has provided answers to many life situations, people turn their faith elsewhere. Weapons are now used to fight, medicines used to bear children and to harmonize deadly disease as well as equipment used to solve daily issues. People fully channel their faith in manmade tools to solve their problems. They forget that God have given them the opportunity to serve him using their energy and their belongings. They get used to the normal life of using material things to get what they need. They justify their behavior simply by saying that technology is readily available everywhere. This eliminates the intended will of humans having faith in God and solely depending on him for provision of solutions and settling life mysteries like barrenness.
Work
Work was designed by God and given to man for the glory of God. Man was to work to get food while praising God. There are stories in the bible of people who worked hard and attained honorable positions in their occupation. Work was a role given to man after he was placed in the Garden of Eden. Jesus also upraised work in his mission on earth. His earthly parents were carpenters showing that occupation is important. Many people take the work they do for granted and for their personal achievements (Lai, 2006). Persons serving in government offices are supposed to help the needy to bring the intended purpose of working according to God. However, they take the opportunity to expand their territories and finances. Jesus gave a story of a wealthy man who had vast produce but died and left the food even after expanding the storage facilities. Wealth is supposed to serve God by always looking for the poor and creating ways to help them. People take the work they do as their own effort put in attaining it. As a result, they use the money to commit crimes like buying guns and planning how to kill other people. They forget that God is the provider and has massive wealth to give but one has to always glorify God using the money. The bible shows that wealth is a barrier that will hinder many people from entering the kingdom of God. This is because those who have it only consider their personal interests forgetting to serve the poor. They also raise their heads high and forget that God is powerful than any human being.
Marriage and Love
God designed and blessed sexuality and marriage for a man and a woman. The word of God contains verses of God saying that man will leave his parents and his home and be bonded to another man by love. This was strictly said to be done by adults according to the Christian understanding. The New Testament has a story of Jesus attending a wedding. This shows that God had a basic reason for people to marry. Man was given the family role of being the head of the family. Wife and children were to remain under his control respecting the word. However, modern people take marriage differently ( Yarhouse & Morgan, 2017). Money and power is used to name families nowadays. If a woman earns more money than his husband, she becomes the husband in the house. It a man have more power from his occupation, he becomes a dictator at home subjecting his wife and children to miseries. Another way that marriages do not meet the will of God is by homosexuality. This shows that the key reason for marrying that was companionship is not achieved. This rots the society and forbids people from recognizing God. Teenagers also engage in early marriages. As per the Christian way of life, only adults’ of eighteen years and above are supposed to marry. This behaviors show that people do not follow the will of God when it comes to marriages. Many people are controlled by their lust and pleasures as well as the desire to fulfill their will. The Christian way of settling marriages is by being holy and upholding virginity until a person attains the set years to get married.
Love is a commandment given by God. In the teachings of Jesus, it can be depicted that he emphasized on loving each other. He suggests that one should love the neighbor as we all love ourselves. Being the greatest commandment, believers should value each other irrespective of age, race or status of wealth (Jauncy, 2018). Jesus gave parables of how the needy in the society should be loved and helped. People can be in need of various things such as comfort, love, care and material needs. The world of today has lacked love all round. People are overpowered by nepotism, jealousy and material wealth. It is true that science has provided many ways of getting comfort without disturbing many people; however, personal comfort of feeling loved and cared for cannot be generated by the technology available. One has to get attached to another person to fulfill this need. People do not need intruders in their lives especially when they become rich. This leaves those in need with no one to care about them. Christianity strongly advocates for love through fellowships, having fundraising programs to help needy among other things. This way they fulfill the will of God according to the bible.
The prophesy
The coming of Christ is discussed majorly in the modern life. This is a promise given to all believers by Christ when he was ascending to heaven after resurrection. He said that he will come to pick those who will live according to the will of his father while on earth. According to the bible one has to die but there is a judgment day coming for all (Hutchings, 2015). The day is unknown to all and Crist will come like a thief. The bible is stated clearly how people should live for them to enter the kingdom of God. Many tend to ignore this fact. Christians adhere to this message by living holy lives and spreading the gospel to those who do not know. Due to the developments done on earth like people going to the moon and in other planets, it is difficult to follow the bible. People purely depend on their knowledge and the achievements made currently. This makes them blind from seeing the reality that the word of God brings to them. They live like the world will give them eternity. These achievements are used to draw attention from the word. They also block the people from acknowledging the power of God in creating the earth. Additionally, people are not willing to believe the bible (McCall, 2019). They argue that since their forefathers were born, they found the same message that Christ is coming for the church and this has never happened. They believe that this will never. Others say that Jesus will come after they die. This gives them the chance to fulfill their earthly wish irrespective of its result in the Christian view. It is true that Christ will come like a thief and this has not happened up to now according to the bible, but this should not serve as a justifying reason for people to abandon their Christian way of life.
Technology
Technology can be related in a Christian way in the manner that people behave. In traditional days there were no massive developments in technology. People depended on the bible as their guiding tool when carrying out activities (Taylor & Francis, 2006). This made the people to live according to the will of God. People used to pray, seek for forgiveness and solely depend on God for provision. Their way of life was easy because in times of need they only talked to God in a humble way and eventually, they received what they needed. The word of God was used as a weapon in times of battle. Kings always consulted prophets before taking any action to ensure that the action taken reflects what God wanted. This worked to the advantage to those people because there were contradictions to life questions relating the relationship with God. However, this is not the case in modern life. Technology has evolved and it is being used in our daily life to solve life problems. Technology being used today has brought about questions from the bible and the relationship between man and God. Scientists question reproduction that can be done using developed equipment. This poses a war between Christianity and how the other world views such issues ( Weisner, 2020). Because of the developments achieved, Christians argue that this is a sign of end times and prophesied in the bible. Scientists view this as their personal knowledge and the passing of time that has enabled these achievements. The bible has clearly shown how the end times will be. It also shows that people will be willing to listen to the word. The answers provided through technology make people slaves from living according to the word of God to focusing on their own earthly things. This makes the whole world blind making people sin, although they have a reason not to.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Christianity is a doctrine that many people believe in. It is used to shape Christians in their lives to live according to the will of God. The bible is the basic guiding tool that contains stories and events that took place in the past. It has the written word of God showing how God intends his people to live. However, this intended way of life has faced much opposition from the people living today. People are justifying their wrongs by translating the word in their own version and understandings. This blocks the aim of Christianity and hinders the achievement of believers going to heaven to live in eternity. Technology and ignorance are the main causes of sins committed in the world today. This is an interesting topic that shows the relation of Christianity as the main doctrine used worldwide and how people behave.