By Marc Alexander

Being a Christian requires that one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his Savior.  This means that you will have to have heard the stories about Jesus, how he lived, and how he conducted his ministry during his short years on earth. Perhaps the most important tenet of Christianity is the fact that there is a promise of salvation after one dies.  This means that one can have eternal life in the afterlife if one has conducted himself, just like Jesus did while he was still here on earth. If one believes in a life of simplicity, of sacrificing, of forgiveness and of treating his fellow man as himself, then one could consider himself as a Christian indeed.

Perhaps the foundation of the Christian beliefs is that we will have eternal life. This alone is enough to guide Christians on how to live their life.  Jesus’ teachings are the other guidelines that direct Christians to behave the way they do.  If one is good on earth, and emulates what Jesus did during his lifetimes, then one is rewarded with salvation while joining Jesus in heaven after he dies. However, if one lived his life contrary to what Jesus taught, then one is bound for eternal damnation in hell. Dante (of Dante’s Inferno) was perhaps so obsessed with heaven and hell that he decided to devote much of his writing to this topic. Doing well on earth is motivated by the promise of this eternal life in heaven.

If one is attracted to the teachings of Jesus, then one can safely say that he is a Christian.  To learn more about Christ’s teachings, then one is asked to read the word of God, which is found in the Holy Bible. The Gospels are an especially important section of the Bible, as they offer many accounts of what Jesus did when he was still alive. Someone who might be interested in following Christianity should take the time to read the Gospels, and also the rest of the New Testament of the Holy Bible as they offer the would be Christian into more insights about how the early Christians led their lives after Jesus died on the cross.

Related to the concept of eternal life is the tenet that Jesus sacrificed his own life by dying on the cross so that man could have the gift of eternal salvation.  If one believes in this proposition, then he is certainly a Christian.

What is more important than believing and reading about the tenets of Christianity and the life of Jesus is the practice of how one should lead his life. Practicing what Jesus preached during his life is certainly showing more of what a Christian should be rather than simply reading on these teachings. Being more considerate of one’s fellow man, helping others who are very much in need, giving what one can to help improve the lives of others are some of the simple ways that one can apply Jesus’ teachings in his daily life. Jesus Christ would certainly appreciate the application of his teachings rather than the simple knowledge-gathering.