Christianity is a faith system that only those who choose to follow Jesus belong to. Many people believe Christianity is a religion, but it is not. It is a personal relationship with God Himself.
Through placing faith in God's Son, Jesus, a person now has a relationship with Him. This relationship is personal, as God wants to know each person on a one-on-one basis. People cannot “jump on the bandwagon,” nor can they be saved just because their parents are saved.
Christianity is a beautiful thing, and it has given comfort to millions of people throughout time. With that being said, there are many things new believers need to know about Christianity.
If you are a new believer, this article is perfect for you, but if you are not a new believer, you might still find this article to be helpful. Nonetheless, here are a few things new believers need to know about Christianity.
1. It Is Not Easy
One thing new believers should know about Christianity is that it is not easy. Many Christians, as well as Christian influencers, try to make it as though Christianity is all rainbows and butterflies. This couldn’t be further from the truth as it is very hard to follow Christ at times.
Jesus tells us, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). As the Lord tells us, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
This is a difficult teaching because it calls us to deny ourselves. This is a radical teaching that is in direct opposition to the teachings of the day. According to the present-day world, we should do whatever makes us feel good.
As the Lord says, we are supposed to deny ourselves — not do whatever makes us feel good. In fact, when the Lord tells us to deny ourselves, He is saying we need to deny our sinful flesh and the desires of the flesh.
Many people can be extreme in the interpretation of this passage, even going to the length that the Lord wants us to deny every good thing, but this extreme view of seeing things isn’t correct either.
What new Christians need to know is that Christianity is not easy. There will be many beautiful times, yet there will also be many tears. Through knowing the truth, your eyes will be opened, and they will also be opened to the problems of the world.
You have to know that following Jesus means living for Him despite what the world tells you. This alone can be really hard for many individuals.
Go against the teachings of the world and don’t find comfort in what the world says. Instead, choose to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
2. God Doesn’t Cause Bad Things
Another thing new believers should know about Christianity is that God doesn’t cause bad things. In fact, God actually turns even bad things into something good (Romans 8:28).
There are many bad things in the world, such as illnesses, natural disasters, and death, but God doesn’t cause any of them.
Sin being in the world has caused all of these things. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned, bad things started happening in the world.
These same bad things will continue until God creates all things new again. We will see this day come in the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22).
All of the bad things that you see have not been caused by God. In a way, they have been caused by us as humans since we are the ones who sinned and fell. From this, we can see that natural disasters, illnesses, and death are very much our fault.
God never intended for bad things to come into the world, nor did He ever want us to die. This is why He sent His Son to die for our sins. By placing faith in Jesus, we are given forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and redemption. This is only possible because of the saving grace of Jesus.
Throughout time until the end, bad things will happen. Even though we know God is ultimately in control, these bad things will continue to get worse until the end in the form of the destruction of the earth and heavens.
Yet again, God doesn’t cause bad things to happen, but they can help our focus go back on God. Maybe you are going through the ending of a relationship, a job loss, or the death of a loved one.
Know that your pain is valid, and it is okay to take time to grieve. Know also that the Lord is with you and will help you heal. He didn’t cause the pain, but He can help you in the healing process.
3. You May Be Persecuted
A third thing new believers should know about Christianity is that you might be persecuted for your faith. This can sound scary at first, but once you grow more in your faith, you will be willing to die for the Lord.
Unless you live in a restricted area, you are not likely to face death for your faith in Jesus; however, you might be persecuted by words and behaviors by others. Many believers have faced the pain and ridicule of being persecuted through words and insults because of their faith.
While this is nothing compared to the physical persecution of believers in other countries, it is still difficult.
It is good to be aware of this because you could be persecuted in some type of form during your life. I have never physically been persecuted for my faith, yet I have been verbally persecuted for my faith.
Many friends I used to know stopped talking to me or saw me as weird after I became a Christian. It does hurt to know that friends would do this, but I know that my relationship with Jesus is the most important of them all.
Everyone and everything pale in comparison to Jesus. He is our great Redeemer, Savior, and God. When we are persecuted, we can always turn to Him. He will always welcome us with open arms.
It might feel at times as though we have no friends or nobody to talk with, but God is always with us (Psalm 23).
Through becoming a Christian, you might experience new levels of loneliness you didn’t feel before. Despite this loneliness, you can turn to God and know He is your closest friend.
From all of these points, we can see that new believers need to know many things about Christianity.
Even though being a Christian is not a walk in the park and Christianity isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, we can take peace in knowing that the Lord will make all things new one day.
Times will be hard, and life will end in death, yet we know the One we will see when we die. Continue running the race and fighting the good fight of faith.
Don’t be afraid to share the gospel or to share what God has done in your life. The Lord is truly amazing and worthy of all of our praise.
For further reading:
What Should New Christians Know about the Bible?
5 Pieces of Advice for New Believers
5 Resources for Christians Struggling to Read the Bible
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