Benchmark Assignment 1 Gospel Essentials

Benchmark Assignment: Gospel Essentials

Christianity falls under the category of Theism, which is the belief in only one personal god. Christian worldview believes that God sent humanity His only son so that we can learn about God and how He wants us to act. Jesus is crucified later in His life on a cross, which relieved us from losing a relationship with God due to our sins. When analyzing the Christian worldview, we learn that God came to earth in human form as Jesus Christ to experience life with humanity and restore earth back to harmony. In this paper I will discuss God, Jesus, and humanity individually, how restoration will occur, and finally, analyze and reflect on the Christian worldview.

God

God is the head of the Trinity as our Father

in Heaven whom seeks a relationship with all of humanity. He is very forgiving because He knows that humanity is sinful by nature and therefor will always sin toward Him. God will always forgive humanity of their sins as long as they come to Him and seek repentance. “God uses human failure as an opportunity to justify the sinner and, through reconciliation, move into a deeper, more radical relationship that displays the glory and power of goodness by overcoming human evil with good” (DiVincenzo 2014). God is a Lord of love and everything He does is with love. God wants to spend time with His people and guide them through life which is why He welcomes all new believers with open arms. God gave humanity free will to make their own decisions because God wants humanity to choose Him rather than following Him out of spite. By coming to God when we sin, we gain a stronger relationship with Him and He can help us overcome any struggles we face. God wants nothing more than a relationship with His creation and that is why He sacrificed His Son to die in order to keep a relationship with humanity forever.
Humanity
God created humanity in the image of Himself to care for His creation and populate the world. The first humans were Adam and Eve and they are the reason for the fall of humanity. They are responsible for the original sin which is why we no longer are able to spend time with God in the Garden of Eden and have pain in the world. Sin is what keeps humanity away from God but repentance brings us back to Him. Ultimately, sin is humanity's biggest weakness. Giving into the temptation of sin is something that all of humanity struggles with. God gave humanity free will which allows the freedom to make our own decisions. Depending on the decisions that are made, either there will be consequences or rewards. In order for everyone to know the word of the Lord, humanity must go and tell the story of Jesus and all that He has done for us.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age (Matthew 28:19-20).
Humanity is told by God to spread His love and message to others. God uses missionaries all over the world to extend His love and help others find the way of the Lord.
Jesus
Jesus Christ is the son of God that was sent to us to serve, not be served, and eventually die for our sins through crucifixion. Jesus was God’s way of coming to earth and experiencing daily life with His creation. “God took the initiative to communicate with human beings in their language to reveal His nature and ways of relating to humanity” (Cosgrove, 2006, p. 36). Jesus was both man and God. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of humanity, this was not just for Christians. He died for the salvation of the world so that when people put their faith in God they can be saved. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). This goes back to loving all of God’s creation, even those who do not believe in Him because Jesus died for those people as well.
Restoration
According to DiVincenzo, restoration is “the renewal of all creatures, particularly humanity, to the worship of God” (2014).

Restoration allows humanity to have a relationship with God and be forgiven of our sins so that humanity can be welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven. Without restoration, humanity would lose all ties with God and would not be able to be saved by Him when judgment day comes. Restoration is extended to all people but those who seek forgiveness of their sins will be able to use the restoration to their advantage. Just because God forgives us of our mistakes does not mean that we do not have to repent. Humanity is going to sin no matter how hard we try not to. It is what we do after we sin that will lead us away from God or bring us closer. “Sometimes we are determinedly ignorant of what we are doing...It is the small wrong step that is so easy, the small deviation from the path that we cannot imagine will lead us even farther from our goal” (Shuster, 2013). Sometimes when we sin we do not realize that we are getting off the path of God, and how easy it is to do so. When we sin we will be forgiven when we repent which will help us gain entry into the kingdom of

Heaven.
Analysis
I think that the Christian faith has adequate support from the Bible that would allow people to believe in God and put faith in Him.

The strengths of the Christian worldview is that no one has to worry about not being accepted by God. God loves all people which is why His son, Jesus Christ, died for the sins of the world not just believers. Another strength is that because God is a forgiving Lord, Christians will still have a relationship with Him even if they fall off the path of God. The weakness of the Christian faith is that it is just that, having faith in something you cannot see. Christians must hold the Bible as true and know that God is always with us even when it doesn’t feel like it. God works in mysterious ways. Christianity influences a person’s behavior because a Christian would be more aware of their actions to live a life like Jesus. A Christian may also be more prone to helping others because we are taught in the Bible to love everyone and be selfless. This contradicts someone who is an atheist being that their good works are for nothing since they do not believe in any sort of higher

being.
Reflection
When it comes to the Christian faith, I believe fully that God is our Lord and His Son died for our sins. I hold Christianity as my worldview because as I got older my faith in Jesus grew stronger as I learned more about Him. I live out the beliefs of the Christian worldview by putting others before myself and doing my best to follow the 10 commandments. When I am in a tough situation I try to turn to prayer so that God can help me and guide me through any situation I am dealing with. By allowing God into my life I am putting my faith in Him and allowing Him to take me to where I am suppose to be.
Conclusion
The faith of Christianity is deeply rooted in the belief that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth to save humanity from sin which would lead to an everlasting relationship with God. All people who put their faith in God and trust His ways will be saved from Hell when judgment day arrives.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:21-23).
When judgment day arrives only those who are true believers of Christ will be saved and all others will be tossed into the flames of Hell.