1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,660 - Alright, this is Christianity for Beginners, 2 00:00:02,660 --> 00:00:04,780 the series title is Christianity for Beginners. 3 00:00:04,780 --> 00:00:08,070 This is lesson number one and the title 4 00:00:08,070 --> 00:00:10,193 of this lesson is Belief in God. 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,450 This is a seven lesson course designed for those 6 00:00:14,450 --> 00:00:18,220 who are new to the Christian religion 7 00:00:18,220 --> 00:00:21,970 and for those also who want a refresher course on 8 00:00:21,970 --> 00:00:26,640 the basic ideas upon which the Christian religion is based. 9 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,070 They are seven lessons in the series 10 00:00:29,070 --> 00:00:31,730 and very quickly I'm going to just review these with you. 11 00:00:31,730 --> 00:00:36,730 The first one, which we'll do now, Belief in God. 12 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,550 The basic reasons why we believe in God 13 00:00:40,550 --> 00:00:43,320 or believe in a Supreme Being. 14 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,010 Lesson number two, the Christian religion. 15 00:00:46,010 --> 00:00:49,680 This will be a study of the major religions in the world 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,820 and how Christianity compares to these religions. 17 00:00:53,820 --> 00:00:57,410 Lesson number three, the Bible. 18 00:00:57,410 --> 00:01:00,370 This will be a brief look at how the Bible was written 19 00:01:00,370 --> 00:01:03,340 and how it came to us in its present form 20 00:01:03,340 --> 00:01:07,410 and why we believe that it is revelation 21 00:01:07,410 --> 00:01:11,900 or inspiration from God, so in this lesson, 22 00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:15,270 why do we believe that the Bible is inspiring? 23 00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:16,880 We'll be talking about that lesson three. 24 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:18,730 Lesson four, Jesus Christ. 25 00:01:18,730 --> 00:01:21,350 This lesson will focus in on the central figure 26 00:01:21,350 --> 00:01:24,050 of Christianity, Jesus Christ. 27 00:01:24,050 --> 00:01:27,160 Who is this person, who does the Bible say he is? 28 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,820 Number five, salvation. 29 00:01:29,820 --> 00:01:32,240 In this lesson we'll review the main idea 30 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,690 of the Christian religion which is, 31 00:01:34,690 --> 00:01:38,630 its solution to mankind's greatest problem 32 00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:42,370 and the greatest problem of mankind is sin 33 00:01:42,370 --> 00:01:44,660 and the death that it causes. 34 00:01:44,660 --> 00:01:46,280 Number six, the church. 35 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,850 We'll examine what Jesus and the apostles say 36 00:01:48,850 --> 00:01:52,940 about the church and how the Bible describes the church 37 00:01:52,940 --> 00:01:56,400 and lesson number seven, Christian living. 38 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,420 Our final lesson will describe what is the style 39 00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:02,700 and purpose of the Christian life. 40 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:05,320 Of course Jesus Christ and the Bible and the church 41 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:07,140 as well as all these other subjects 42 00:02:07,140 --> 00:02:11,010 can take many years of study to fully understand 43 00:02:11,010 --> 00:02:13,370 and appreciate, we realize that. 44 00:02:13,370 --> 00:02:16,290 However, these lessons are giving us, 45 00:02:16,290 --> 00:02:20,670 are given as a brief introduction, a first preview 46 00:02:20,670 --> 00:02:23,180 of the Christian religion and its beliefs 47 00:02:23,180 --> 00:02:26,450 in order to help students begin their journey of faith 48 00:02:26,450 --> 00:02:30,870 and receive the blessings that come from this kind of study. 49 00:02:30,870 --> 00:02:33,660 Okay so let's begin at the beginning. 50 00:02:33,660 --> 00:02:37,830 When it comes to any religion including Christianity, 51 00:02:37,830 --> 00:02:41,440 the beginning point is always belief in God. 52 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,440 Most people in the world believe what their parents 53 00:02:46,650 --> 00:02:50,250 and grandparents believe about God. 54 00:02:50,250 --> 00:02:52,660 Most people are like that, if you ask them, 55 00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:55,564 they usually believe what their parents 56 00:02:55,564 --> 00:02:58,000 and grandparents believed. 57 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,770 When we examine the question a little more objectively 58 00:03:00,770 --> 00:03:02,830 however we find out that there are 59 00:03:02,830 --> 00:03:05,510 many ideas about God out there. 60 00:03:05,510 --> 00:03:08,780 For example some people believe that there is no God, 61 00:03:08,780 --> 00:03:11,730 that this life is all there is, nothing else. 62 00:03:11,730 --> 00:03:14,790 You're here for a time, you die and that's it. 63 00:03:14,790 --> 00:03:16,500 Some people believe that. 64 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,960 Some people believe that there are many gods 65 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,470 that exist in nature and beyond nature, 66 00:03:22,470 --> 00:03:26,940 that's their belief system and then still others believe 67 00:03:26,940 --> 00:03:30,390 that there is only one God and that He is supreme 68 00:03:30,390 --> 00:03:34,040 over all things and over all people. 69 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,840 Now most religions in the world are based on the belief 70 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,850 that there is one or many gods 71 00:03:38,850 --> 00:03:40,790 and we're going to examine these religions 72 00:03:40,790 --> 00:03:43,070 more closely in our next session. 73 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,790 In our lesson today, we want to examine 74 00:03:46,790 --> 00:03:51,790 what Christianity believes about God and why. 75 00:03:52,430 --> 00:03:55,423 What Christianity believes about God. 76 00:03:56,290 --> 00:03:59,580 Well, Christians arrived at their conclusions 77 00:03:59,580 --> 00:04:03,100 about God based on three sources. 78 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:06,290 We have three sources where we get information 79 00:04:06,290 --> 00:04:09,420 that makes up what we believe about God. 80 00:04:09,420 --> 00:04:12,173 The first source is human reasoning. 81 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,560 Human beings have asked themselves 82 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,870 about the existence of God throughout history. 83 00:04:18,870 --> 00:04:22,110 The various thoughts and theories about the existence 84 00:04:22,110 --> 00:04:24,610 of God have produced several key arguments 85 00:04:24,610 --> 00:04:29,150 that support from human reason and observation 86 00:04:29,150 --> 00:04:32,120 the idea that there is a God. 87 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,520 So here are a few of these arguments. 88 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,630 First argument from human reason 89 00:04:37,630 --> 00:04:40,163 is called the first cause argument. 90 00:04:41,491 --> 00:04:45,600 And it says if every effect has a cause, 91 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:50,183 then what or who caused the world to come into existence? 92 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,690 Scientists can only say that they believe 93 00:04:54,690 --> 00:04:57,390 that the Universe and all life in the Universe 94 00:04:57,390 --> 00:05:02,370 are the result of a Big Bang, that's the latest theory 95 00:05:02,370 --> 00:05:05,290 or some kind of cosmic explosion millions, 96 00:05:05,290 --> 00:05:09,800 even billions of years ago, they say that. 97 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,280 They cannot however explain what 98 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:14,843 or who caused this explosion. 99 00:05:16,210 --> 00:05:20,230 And so the first cause argument says that a being 100 00:05:20,230 --> 00:05:23,763 greater and more complex than the Universe, 101 00:05:24,650 --> 00:05:28,980 what we call God, caused this Big Bang 102 00:05:28,980 --> 00:05:33,130 and set the creation of the world into motion. 103 00:05:33,130 --> 00:05:35,220 So that's the first cause argument. 104 00:05:35,220 --> 00:05:37,500 What was the first cause that caused 105 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:39,100 the world to come and to be? 106 00:05:39,100 --> 00:05:43,470 Christians say, God is the first cause. 107 00:05:43,470 --> 00:05:45,720 Another argument from human reasoning 108 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,010 is called the complexity argument. 109 00:05:49,010 --> 00:05:52,400 This reasoning says that only a complex mind 110 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,993 could have conceived and created a complex world. 111 00:05:57,640 --> 00:05:59,340 Pretty reasonable don't you think? 112 00:06:00,260 --> 00:06:04,260 Since complex living, animate beings 113 00:06:04,260 --> 00:06:07,950 cannot natural come from simple, non-living, 114 00:06:07,950 --> 00:06:11,590 inanimate matter, in other words a bird 115 00:06:11,590 --> 00:06:13,823 cannot evolve from a stone, 116 00:06:16,490 --> 00:06:19,320 then the world of matter and animated beings 117 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:21,770 must have been conceived and created 118 00:06:21,770 --> 00:06:25,630 bu a being more complex than his creation 119 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:30,670 and that being who is more complex than his creation, 120 00:06:30,670 --> 00:06:32,863 we call that being God. 121 00:06:33,850 --> 00:06:38,550 For example, a person creates or builds a computer. 122 00:06:38,550 --> 00:06:42,293 A computer doesn't build a person, that's the thinking. 123 00:06:44,250 --> 00:06:46,793 Another argument from human reasoning, 124 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,483 the moral or the spiritual argument. 125 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:56,500 This argument says that the desire to do what is right, 126 00:06:56,500 --> 00:07:00,830 the desire, the innate desire in us to be good, 127 00:07:00,830 --> 00:07:04,023 does not exist in simple matter. 128 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,130 Even in higher life forms like monkeys for example, 129 00:07:09,130 --> 00:07:11,960 the need to search for God or to reach up 130 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,243 and worship a higher being is not present. 131 00:07:18,370 --> 00:07:22,373 Where does this moral or spiritual element come from then? 132 00:07:23,430 --> 00:07:27,500 It doesn't evolve from matter or lower animals 133 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,310 and so we reason that it comes from above, 134 00:07:32,310 --> 00:07:36,980 above humanity and that being above humanity 135 00:07:36,980 --> 00:07:41,980 that has put into human beings the desire to seek Him or It, 136 00:07:43,370 --> 00:07:45,913 we call that being God. 137 00:07:47,010 --> 00:07:49,670 Okay so these are some but not all 138 00:07:49,670 --> 00:07:52,170 of the arguments of purely human thought 139 00:07:52,170 --> 00:07:55,003 and conclusions about the existence of God. 140 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,980 Christianity is belief in God includes this human reasoning 141 00:07:59,980 --> 00:08:03,326 but it has two other sources of information 142 00:08:03,326 --> 00:08:06,983 to base its belief in a Supreme Being. 143 00:08:08,930 --> 00:08:13,210 And so the second source of information about God 144 00:08:13,210 --> 00:08:18,210 for Christians, aside from human reasoning, is the Bible. 145 00:08:19,580 --> 00:08:21,070 Someone says "why do you believe in God"? 146 00:08:21,070 --> 00:08:23,850 Well I have just some logical reasons 147 00:08:23,850 --> 00:08:27,433 why I believe and God and we've talked about those. 148 00:08:28,630 --> 00:08:31,920 I also have other ways to know about God, 149 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,150 another source to find out about God 150 00:08:34,150 --> 00:08:36,093 and that source is called the Bible. 151 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:38,750 Now we're going to study about the history 152 00:08:38,750 --> 00:08:41,360 and the content of the Bible in our third lesson 153 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,320 but for now let's just say that the Bible contains 154 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:49,320 information about who God is, and not just that He exists. 155 00:08:51,610 --> 00:08:54,780 Christianity's concept of the personality of God 156 00:08:54,780 --> 00:08:59,200 is based on the revealing or the revelation of His character 157 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,023 and actions that we find in the Bible. 158 00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:06,587 Now, someone could say "well how do we know 159 00:09:06,587 --> 00:09:11,560 "that the Bible, the information in the Bible is reliable"? 160 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:15,450 And again I'll answer that question in our third lesson 161 00:09:15,450 --> 00:09:17,740 when I talk more specifically about the Bible 162 00:09:17,740 --> 00:09:20,430 but for now let's just look at some of the things 163 00:09:20,430 --> 00:09:24,810 that the Bible actually says about God. 164 00:09:24,810 --> 00:09:29,640 First of all, it says in Genesis chapter one verse one 165 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:33,950 it says that He could've created the world and human life. 166 00:09:33,950 --> 00:09:35,660 In the beginning God created the heavens 167 00:09:35,660 --> 00:09:38,693 and the earth, genesis one, verse one. 168 00:09:39,630 --> 00:09:44,630 In Genesis one, verse 27, it says God created man 169 00:09:45,820 --> 00:09:48,580 in His own image, in the image of God He created him, 170 00:09:48,580 --> 00:09:51,073 male and female He created them. 171 00:09:52,660 --> 00:09:57,660 And so the Bible doesn't explain how God did this, 172 00:09:57,790 --> 00:10:00,930 although scientists throughout the ages continue 173 00:10:00,930 --> 00:10:03,960 to discover piece by piece the world, 174 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,330 the way that the world is put together. 175 00:10:06,330 --> 00:10:10,270 The point I'm making is that the Bible simply tells us 176 00:10:10,270 --> 00:10:14,380 that an all powerful intelligent moral being, 177 00:10:14,380 --> 00:10:17,650 which we refer to as God created 178 00:10:17,650 --> 00:10:20,963 the physical Universe by an act of His will. 179 00:10:23,780 --> 00:10:27,410 The Bible also reveals other aspects of God, 180 00:10:27,410 --> 00:10:32,410 for example in John 3:16, the Bible reveals 181 00:10:32,490 --> 00:10:35,940 that God loves His creation, especially human beings 182 00:10:35,940 --> 00:10:37,250 for God so loved the world, 183 00:10:37,250 --> 00:10:39,000 that He gave His only begotten Son. 184 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:43,040 We find out other things about God in the Bible 185 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,330 it says if you address as Father the One 186 00:10:45,330 --> 00:10:49,100 who impartially judges according to each one's work. 187 00:10:49,100 --> 00:10:52,353 We find out that God is not a judge of each one of us. 188 00:10:53,630 --> 00:10:56,680 So here's the point that I want to make here. 189 00:10:56,680 --> 00:10:59,600 The point is that by human reasoning 190 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,983 we can come to know that there is a Supreme Being. 191 00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:06,500 We can come to know that there is a God 192 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:09,870 who is greater than we are and greater than the world 193 00:11:09,870 --> 00:11:13,620 just through human reasoning we can come to that conclusion. 194 00:11:13,620 --> 00:11:18,620 However, human reason cannot reveal to us God's character. 195 00:11:19,820 --> 00:11:24,820 Human reason can't discern what God's will or purpose is 196 00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:28,370 or communication with us as human beings. 197 00:11:28,370 --> 00:11:33,370 Human reason can't tell you how God is, only what He is. 198 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:37,370 So Christians believe that this personal 199 00:11:37,370 --> 00:11:40,280 and particular information about God 200 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,570 is only revealed in the Bible. 201 00:11:43,570 --> 00:11:46,490 And again, in lesson three I'm going to explain 202 00:11:46,490 --> 00:11:50,823 why we believe that this information is reliable. 203 00:11:53,730 --> 00:11:57,760 So we have human reasoning, where we can 204 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:01,220 logically figure out that there is a God 205 00:12:01,220 --> 00:12:05,170 and we have the Bible as sources of information 206 00:12:05,170 --> 00:12:08,660 about God's existence and character and will. 207 00:12:08,660 --> 00:12:10,530 There's one other source of information 208 00:12:10,530 --> 00:12:13,860 about God however that is surer and clearer 209 00:12:13,860 --> 00:12:15,890 than these two and this source 210 00:12:15,890 --> 00:12:18,240 is not based on thought or a book, 211 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,133 but it comes from a person and that's Jesus Christ. 212 00:12:24,290 --> 00:12:27,450 Now there been countless books written about Jesus Christ 213 00:12:27,450 --> 00:12:30,743 but the basic information about him comes from the Bible. 214 00:12:31,650 --> 00:12:34,270 Other writers throughout history have written about him, 215 00:12:34,270 --> 00:12:35,880 about his life and his teachings, 216 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,990 about the meaning and the practice of what he said, 217 00:12:38,990 --> 00:12:42,270 however only the Bible contains eyewitness accounts 218 00:12:42,270 --> 00:12:45,463 of his life and death and resurrection from the dead. 219 00:12:46,550 --> 00:12:49,360 So if we want to know about God, 220 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:52,440 Jesus Christ presents the clearest picture 221 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,400 of God's character and his will for our lives. 222 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:02,177 Now the reason for this is that Jesus Christ is God. 223 00:13:03,430 --> 00:13:05,023 That's what Christians believe. 224 00:13:06,070 --> 00:13:07,810 You know in our fourth lesson, 225 00:13:07,810 --> 00:13:10,310 we're going to look more closely at this claim 226 00:13:10,310 --> 00:13:13,910 that Jesus is God and why Christians believe this 227 00:13:13,910 --> 00:13:16,903 to be true but for now let's just assume that it's true. 228 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,890 The Bible teaches that God, the Supreme Being, 229 00:13:20,890 --> 00:13:24,120 the Creator of the Universe, took on a human form 230 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,850 and entered into the physical world 231 00:13:26,850 --> 00:13:30,700 in order to reveal Himself clearly and in a way 232 00:13:30,700 --> 00:13:33,983 that human beings could understand and relate to. 233 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,070 That human being's name was Jesus, 234 00:13:39,070 --> 00:13:43,610 son of Joseph of Nazareth, historically speaking. 235 00:13:43,610 --> 00:13:46,600 We refer to him as Jesus Christ 236 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:51,290 because the word Christ is a title that means anointed one. 237 00:13:51,290 --> 00:13:54,160 So it's Jesus the anointed one. 238 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,760 And so Jesus's life and teachings and examples 239 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,370 give us the clearest view yet 240 00:14:00,370 --> 00:14:04,890 of who God is and what God is like. 241 00:14:04,890 --> 00:14:07,440 Now if we examine Jesus's life, 242 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,760 we're able to find things out about God 243 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,683 that no words in a book or human reasoning can reveal. 244 00:14:14,740 --> 00:14:19,500 For example, from Jesus Christ we find out 245 00:14:20,620 --> 00:14:24,783 that God has compassion for those who are weak. 246 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:27,990 Through human reasoning we could 247 00:14:27,990 --> 00:14:30,673 never figure this out about God. 248 00:14:33,390 --> 00:14:35,590 Those who follow Jesus and recorded 249 00:14:35,590 --> 00:14:37,430 their eyewitness accounts of his life 250 00:14:37,430 --> 00:14:39,870 and work repeatedly mentioned his kindness 251 00:14:39,870 --> 00:14:43,500 and compassion to those who were sick or handicapped, 252 00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:46,580 who had emotional problems, who were failures 253 00:14:46,580 --> 00:14:49,860 in areas of morality and self-control. 254 00:14:49,860 --> 00:14:54,010 He encouraged those who were poor, or socially outcast 255 00:14:54,010 --> 00:14:57,163 or were different culturally than the mainstream. 256 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,630 Jesus demonstrated a part of God's character 257 00:15:01,630 --> 00:15:05,850 that could not be shown simply by creative power alone. 258 00:15:05,850 --> 00:15:10,440 That Jesus loves little children is not evident 259 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:15,440 if you simply look at the creation, you can't deduce that. 260 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:19,880 You can only find that out because Jesus 261 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,593 who is God, loved little children. 262 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,630 And so without Jesus I could know that God had the power 263 00:15:28,630 --> 00:15:33,630 to create the sun but through Jesus, I also learned 264 00:15:34,310 --> 00:15:36,900 that God loves little children. 265 00:15:36,900 --> 00:15:39,720 You see the importance of that revelation 266 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,680 and so Jesus's life and teachings are filled with 267 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:44,730 these revelations about who God 268 00:15:44,730 --> 00:15:47,590 really is and how he is like. 269 00:15:47,590 --> 00:15:50,760 Perhaps the most important insight that we can gain 270 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:55,050 through Jesus is what God wants, 271 00:15:55,050 --> 00:15:57,833 not just how He is but what He wants. 272 00:15:59,870 --> 00:16:04,610 Well God wants people to have eternal life with Him. 273 00:16:04,610 --> 00:16:07,095 If I were to ask you that question, what does God want? 274 00:16:07,095 --> 00:16:09,677 I'm pretty sure we'd get the answer 275 00:16:09,677 --> 00:16:12,377 "well He wants us to be good, and He wants us to be kind, 276 00:16:12,377 --> 00:16:15,120 "and He wants us to do right, and He wants us to serve" 277 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,430 and we're always looking at the things 278 00:16:17,430 --> 00:16:21,800 from a moral perspective but ultimately what God wants, 279 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,750 He wants for us to live eternally, that's what He wants. 280 00:16:25,750 --> 00:16:27,840 These other things about our behavior 281 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,943 fold themselves into what He want. 282 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,950 Here are Jesus's own words concerning this subject 283 00:16:35,950 --> 00:16:39,480 in the Gospel of John, one of Jesus's apostle. 284 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,930 In chapter six verse 40 he said for this is the will 285 00:16:42,930 --> 00:16:47,130 of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son 286 00:16:47,130 --> 00:16:49,770 and believes in Him will have eternal life, 287 00:16:49,770 --> 00:16:54,620 and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. 288 00:16:54,620 --> 00:16:58,560 I mean I can't find a clearer scripture 289 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:02,610 that explains the idea that Jesus is there 290 00:17:02,610 --> 00:17:06,900 in order to reveal what God wants or how God is. 291 00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:08,543 He says it right here. 292 00:17:10,090 --> 00:17:12,310 So in this passage Jesus reveals 293 00:17:12,310 --> 00:17:14,910 several very important things about God 294 00:17:14,910 --> 00:17:18,680 that we could not know in any other way except 295 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,373 that it be shown to us by him. 296 00:17:22,570 --> 00:17:24,450 Just take a couple at a time. 297 00:17:24,450 --> 00:17:28,313 He says for example, for this is the will of my Father. 298 00:17:29,900 --> 00:17:32,360 That God, Jesus calls Him My Father 299 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,780 because Jesus and God have the same divine nature. 300 00:17:35,780 --> 00:17:40,690 That God has a particular purpose or plan for each of us. 301 00:17:40,690 --> 00:17:44,290 Life is not just a bunch of random events 302 00:17:44,290 --> 00:17:48,463 that ends in physical death as atheists believe. 303 00:17:49,570 --> 00:17:52,190 We don't believe that, we believe 304 00:17:52,190 --> 00:17:55,630 that God has a purpose for each of us. 305 00:17:55,630 --> 00:17:56,970 Why do we believe that? 306 00:17:56,970 --> 00:18:01,423 Because Jesus who is God and knows God has told us. 307 00:18:02,990 --> 00:18:06,300 Something else he says, that everyone who beholds 308 00:18:06,300 --> 00:18:08,550 the Son and believes in Him. 309 00:18:08,550 --> 00:18:11,300 So what do we learn from this? 310 00:18:11,300 --> 00:18:14,803 Well we learn that God has a requirement of us. 311 00:18:16,070 --> 00:18:19,080 God wants people to believe in Him 312 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,470 and the way to do that is to believe 313 00:18:21,470 --> 00:18:26,043 or accept as true that He has revealed himself as Jesus. 314 00:18:27,460 --> 00:18:30,630 So we learn that as far as God is concerned, 315 00:18:30,630 --> 00:18:33,603 it is important what you believe. 316 00:18:34,670 --> 00:18:37,280 He says that belief in Him and belief 317 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:40,223 in Jesus are the same thing. 318 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,320 He also says, will have eternal life. 319 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:50,870 And so what do we find out from this verse? 320 00:18:50,870 --> 00:18:54,883 Well God's plan is that we have eternal life. 321 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,150 Life's greatest questions revolve around death 322 00:18:59,150 --> 00:19:02,103 and what if anything happens after death. 323 00:19:03,030 --> 00:19:07,640 God takes on a human form, he proves that He is God 324 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:12,640 by doing miracles, extraordinary acts that only God could do 325 00:19:12,850 --> 00:19:16,040 and then He says that His plan for mankind 326 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,203 is for human beings to live eternally. 327 00:19:20,690 --> 00:19:22,583 Sounds pretty good to me. 328 00:19:23,460 --> 00:19:25,840 There's a certain portion of the Bible 329 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:29,170 called the Good News or the Gospel. 330 00:19:29,170 --> 00:19:32,340 It's that section in the Bible that describes Jesus 331 00:19:32,340 --> 00:19:34,410 and his life and his Ministry. 332 00:19:34,410 --> 00:19:37,790 Well the reason that it's called the Good News 333 00:19:37,790 --> 00:19:40,600 is because God has come in human form 334 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,610 to announce to the world that there is life after death 335 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,830 and there is no need to be afraid anymore. 336 00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:50,713 That's pretty good news. 337 00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:53,740 And then what else does Jesus say. 338 00:19:53,740 --> 00:19:55,280 For this is the will of My Father 339 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:56,700 that everyone who beholds the Son 340 00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:58,920 and believes in Him will have eternal life 341 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,680 and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. 342 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,930 Here we have two more pieces of information given to us 343 00:20:05,930 --> 00:20:10,490 by Jesus which we could not know in any other way. 344 00:20:10,490 --> 00:20:14,010 First thing he says, Jesus is 345 00:20:14,010 --> 00:20:16,610 the one that gives the eternal life. 346 00:20:16,610 --> 00:20:20,840 It's Jesus that will give eternal life and not anyone else. 347 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,850 This helps us to focus our attention on one religious leader 348 00:20:24,850 --> 00:20:28,890 Jesus, the only one who promises and demonstrates 349 00:20:28,890 --> 00:20:31,540 that he has the power over life and death. 350 00:20:31,540 --> 00:20:33,040 There are a lot of religion leaders, 351 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:34,923 there are a lot of deities, 352 00:20:39,460 --> 00:20:44,250 but there's only one who promises eternal life 353 00:20:44,250 --> 00:20:47,163 to each one of his followers. 354 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,980 We also read in the Bible that Jesus is killed, 355 00:20:50,980 --> 00:20:52,940 and then he resurrects from the dead 356 00:20:52,940 --> 00:20:56,710 and his resurrection is witness by hundreds of people. 357 00:20:56,710 --> 00:20:59,790 The point of course is that if he has power over 358 00:20:59,790 --> 00:21:04,060 his own death and resurrection as God, then he naturally 359 00:21:04,060 --> 00:21:08,900 has power over everybody else's life and death as God. 360 00:21:08,900 --> 00:21:11,360 We find that out from the Bible, 361 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,400 not through human reasoning. 362 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,730 And then finally, this passage shows 363 00:21:16,730 --> 00:21:20,783 that there will be an end to time as we know it. 364 00:21:21,860 --> 00:21:24,770 Just as the Bible shows at the very start 365 00:21:24,770 --> 00:21:28,220 that God created the world and there was a beginning 366 00:21:28,220 --> 00:21:32,633 of time in the beginning it says God created. 367 00:21:33,910 --> 00:21:36,480 Well Jesus also says that there will be 368 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:41,480 an end to the world, an end to time. 369 00:21:43,350 --> 00:21:46,500 And this is when he will raise to eternal life 370 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:49,490 all those who believed in him. 371 00:21:49,490 --> 00:21:53,330 Now, we've only looked at two things that Jesus reveals 372 00:21:53,330 --> 00:21:56,770 about God that we could not know in any other way. 373 00:21:56,770 --> 00:22:00,440 One, his compassion for those who are weak, 374 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,253 and two, his plan and his purpose for mankind. 375 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:09,290 A careful study of Jesus's life here in the Bible 376 00:22:09,290 --> 00:22:13,620 would yield many more revelations about God 377 00:22:13,620 --> 00:22:18,620 but I've given you just these two as examples of 378 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:23,123 how Christians come to know and believe in God, okay. 379 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,450 So let's summarize what we've talked about in 380 00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:32,450 this first lesson in our series Christianity for Beginners. 381 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:36,360 This lesson was entitled, Belief in God. 382 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:39,083 Here are some of the points that we covered. 383 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,670 Number one, we can come to know 384 00:22:42,670 --> 00:22:45,543 and believe in God through various methods. 385 00:22:46,540 --> 00:22:51,540 Christians rely on three main ways to come to know God. 386 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,040 First, human reasoning. 387 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:58,750 Human reasoning suggests that it is quite logical 388 00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:01,838 to accept that there is a God. 389 00:23:01,838 --> 00:23:05,780 Secondly, the Bible records. 390 00:23:05,780 --> 00:23:09,140 The Bible records God's dealings with men 391 00:23:09,140 --> 00:23:11,260 from the creation of the world 392 00:23:11,260 --> 00:23:14,410 to the formation of the Christian Church. 393 00:23:14,410 --> 00:23:17,830 It describes God's character and His purpose 394 00:23:17,830 --> 00:23:21,620 in His interactions with mankind. 395 00:23:21,620 --> 00:23:24,270 And then thirdly, Jesus Christ 396 00:23:24,270 --> 00:23:26,670 as a source of knowledge of God. 397 00:23:26,670 --> 00:23:30,010 Jesus is the human embodiment of God 398 00:23:30,010 --> 00:23:33,740 and through him the most intimate and revealing aspects 399 00:23:33,740 --> 00:23:37,763 of God's nature and His will can be known. 400 00:23:38,970 --> 00:23:42,363 Now, another point we covered in our lesson. 401 00:23:43,310 --> 00:23:48,310 Christianity provides the clearest revelation of God. 402 00:23:48,930 --> 00:23:52,040 There are many opinions and beliefs about spirits 403 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,790 and gods and divine powers but Christians believe 404 00:23:56,790 --> 00:23:58,590 that the Bible and the witness 405 00:23:58,590 --> 00:24:01,700 of Jesus Christ provide the most accurate 406 00:24:01,700 --> 00:24:05,980 and reliable information about God and His will. 407 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:09,610 You know there are truths and there are understandings 408 00:24:09,610 --> 00:24:12,050 that other religions have come to. 409 00:24:12,050 --> 00:24:15,150 We're not saying that there's absolutely nothing worth while 410 00:24:15,150 --> 00:24:17,770 in other religions, not at all. 411 00:24:17,770 --> 00:24:20,070 As I say, we're not saying that 412 00:24:20,070 --> 00:24:23,650 they're not elements of truth about God 413 00:24:23,650 --> 00:24:28,650 found in various philosophies and religions that exist. 414 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,980 There are many valuable spiritual insights contained 415 00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:35,570 in each of the major religions throughout history. 416 00:24:35,570 --> 00:24:39,730 However, what I am saying is that Christians believe 417 00:24:39,730 --> 00:24:43,610 that the clearest, and the most complete revelation 418 00:24:43,610 --> 00:24:47,780 of God, His purpose and His plan for man's life 419 00:24:47,780 --> 00:24:51,660 now and in the future has been revealed once 420 00:24:51,660 --> 00:24:54,370 and for all time by the Bible 421 00:24:54,370 --> 00:24:57,130 and especially through Jesus Christ. 422 00:24:57,130 --> 00:24:59,970 Hopefully as we complete the next six lessons 423 00:24:59,970 --> 00:25:03,570 in this series, you'll also be more convinced 424 00:25:03,570 --> 00:25:08,570 of this fact that if you want to know God more perfectly, 425 00:25:08,770 --> 00:25:12,470 no other religion presents Him more clearly 426 00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:15,473 and more definitely than the Christian religion 427 00:25:15,473 --> 00:25:19,760 and the Bible upon which the Christian religion is based. 428 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,830 Okay so our next lesson in the series 429 00:25:22,830 --> 00:25:25,700 will be the Christian Religion 430 00:25:25,700 --> 00:25:27,510 and what we're going to do is we're going to 431 00:25:27,510 --> 00:25:31,010 compare Christianity to the other major religions 432 00:25:31,010 --> 00:25:36,010 and demonstrate Christianity's superiority in comparison 433 00:25:36,470 --> 00:25:39,300 to other major religions that exist in the world today. 434 00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:41,560 Okay so that's it for lesson number one, 435 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:43,260 I hope you come back for lesson number two. 436 00:25:43,260 --> 00:25:45,210 Thank you very much for your attention.