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What God Wants
Each of us was created by God. Like any good father, God gives his children rules to live by. God has given us two big commands: To love him and to love one another. The 10 Commandments teach us how to love God and others.
Unfortunately, all humans by nature hate God and refuse to keep his laws. This is why we sin (sins are thoughts, words, or deeds that go against God's will). The punishment for sin is death - physical death on earth and eternal death in a place called hell.
The main purpose of God's laws is to show us our sinfulness. When we realize that we are sinful, we are driven to seek forgiveness from the Lord.
Who God Is
God is just; he must punish each sin. But God is also merciful; he doesn't wish to punish us.
God's solution to this conundrum was to send his own Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus is true God, but at the first Christmas he was born as a human being. He went to the cross and was punished for the sins of the whole world. He died the death we deserve.
But Jesus didn't remain in the grave for long. On the 3rd day, he rose from the dead. His resurrection guarantees that all who believe in him will live forever in heaven. This good news is what Christianity is all about!
The Bible
In order for people to believe in Jesus, they have to know about Jesus. That's where the Bible comes in.
The Bible is the very Word of God. The Holy Spirit gave human writers the exact words that he wanted them to record. Because the Bible was written by God, it contains no mistakes. It is Truth.
When we read the Bible, we find messages of law, which show our sin. We also find messages of gospel (good news). Jesus is at the center of the Bible. The whole book is about him and the work that he did to save us.
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God With Us
God speaks to us through his Word. He has also given us two sacraments (sacred acts) through which he grants us forgiveness, peace, and life.
The first sacrament is Baptism. God promises us that when his Word is combined with water it washes away our sin.
The second sacrament is the Lord's Supper (sometimes called Communion). Jesus said that in this meal the bread is his body, and the wine is his blood which was poured out for the forgiveness of all of our sins.
