What is the origin of Christianity?

Answer

“He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead… the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints… Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:18,26-28).

Discussing the origin of Christianity requires reviewing an intricate story spanning time and eternity. Instead of a simple beginning, we consider Christianity’s origin from several points of view. Acts 2 records the birth of the church at Pentecost. This was indeed a Feast of Harvest “and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”, (Exodus 23:16), because a harvest of about 3,000 souls took place on that day when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and disciples (Acts 2:1-41). Biblically, Christianity is not a building or religion but the church, or household of God. It is embodied in Christ and His people, individually and collectively. Before time began, the church was conceived in the mind of God. Then, “when the time had fully come” “but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”, (Galatians 4:4), God sent His only son, “born of a woman, born under law” to be the church’s true founder, foundation, and head “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”, (1 Corinthians 3:11). As the first of the chosen ones “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”, (1 Peter 2:6), Jesus, the anointed one, died as the perfect Passover lamb fifty days before the events of Acts 2. Before that, He prepared the apostles for three years, giving them the Father’s Word and keeping them in His name “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”, (John 17:12,14) “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”, (John 17:12,14). After His resurrection, He breathed into the apostles the breath of eternal life in the form of the Holy Spirit, who was to indwell them (John 20:22;cf: John 14:25-26). They became the seeds of the new church, which sprouted into thousands when the Holy Spirit came upon them, empowering them to witness, preach, and carry out the mission Jesus gave them. Rising from the dead, Jesus was the first fruits of God’s Kingdom; “then, when he comes, those who belong to him will also rise, never to die again (John 11:25-26). Thus, Jesus is the one foundation and source of the church.

The Old Testament had prophesied that a “shoot” would come from the “stump” of Jesse (King David’s father) and that this “branch” would bear fruit “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem.Of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: », (Isaiah 11:1,10) «And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. », (Isaiah 11:1,10). Jesus is that Messiah or Christ. He is the hope of Jews and Gentiles. “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him” (Romans 15:12;cf: Revelation 5:5;22: 16). Peter learned that Jesus is not merely a human being, the Son of David, when God showed him that Jesus is “the Son of the living God.” To this, Jesus added that He Himself is the Rock or foundation upon which He would build His church (Matthew 16:16-18;see also Isaiah 26:4). The building of the church upon Jesus, the Rock of Israel «Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. », (Isaiah 30:29), is taught in 2 Corinthians 6:16 (see also Ephesians 2:21-22).

Some writers mention that the word for “church” in the original Greek is ecclesia, meaning “a called-out assembly” (εκκλησιαν– Matthew 16:18) and that the chChurch is formed by the “elect” or chosen (Mark 13:20; Luke 18:7; Romans 8:33). Yes, the elect have been called out from the kingdom of darkness, but we have also been called into God’s family as adopted children. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16; cf: Ephesians 5:1,8). We are chosen, but Jesus is the first of the chosen «Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: And he that believes on him shall not be confounded. », (1 Peter 2:6), and He lives in us as we live or abide in Him (John 8:31; John 15:4-9).

Christians are individually in Christ even as the church as a whole is in Christ (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 1:2,30). The mystery of Christ and the church is brought out in Paul’s discussion of the mystery by which two become “one flesh” in marriage, in Ephesians 5. There the apostle writes that “this mystery is profound,” referring to Christ and the Church «This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. », (Ephesians 5:32). The tense of the Greek word translated “mystery” (μυστηριον) is singular. This grammatical detail shows that in their unity Christ and the church are one mystery. They are not a mixture or compound; rather, their union is like that of a man and woman in holy matrimony who become “one flesh” or a new family unit without giving up their individuality.Quality “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”, (Genesis 2:24). In marriage, a couple becomes legal “kin,” even though they are not blood relatives as Adam and Eve were. Similarly, through Christ, God legally adopts the chosen as children “having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”, (Ephesians 1:5). Because of this, and because Christ lives in each member of the church, His spiritual body, He is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:18,26-28). Christ’s presence in Christians answers Jesus’ prayer in John 17: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21;see also John 17:11).

The connection between the words “church” and “Christianity” is old and complicated, but we can simply say that Christians do not go to church; rather, they are the church. Most disciples who first joined the growing church were Jews. Like Paul (Philippians 3:5;Romans 11:1), they considered themselves Israelites, descendants of Abraham, to whom belonged the covenants, the giving of the law, etc. (Romans 9:4-5). They acknowledged the Lord Jesus as Messiah and God but did not (at first) call themselves “Christians.” At Antioch in the first century, outsiders first called the followers of the Christ “Christians” “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that for a whole year they gathered with the church and taught many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” , (Acts 11:26). They believed that “Christ” was the correct name of the God they worshipped, unaware that “Christ” means “anointed” and that Jesus is the Christ. Regarding “church,” some early Christian writers used this term to describe the place of worship (i.e., the church building). However, in the New Testament, the term translated as “church” refers to the “household of God.” In Ephesians 2:19, the Greek word translated as “household” is οἰκεῖοι. This plural form encompasses all those who are part of God’s immediate family, i.e., those who are spiritually united in faith (Galatians 6:10;Ephesians 2:19). As members of this universal household, Christians have flourished and spread among diverse peoples and in nearly every language group worldwide.

Now, let’s move beyond history to contemplate the eternal origins of the church (i.e., “Christianity”) in the mind of God. Just as God chose Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6;Deuteronomy 26:18), He also selected the church in Christ “before the foundation of the world” «according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: », (Ephesians 1:4). In the eternity past, God ordained that the chosen ones would be saved and welcomed into His family through adoption. “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” «having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, », (Ephesians 1:5).Destined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”, (Ephesians 1:5). However, the church born on Pentecost has not yet realized its ultimate purpose in its development. The church is not yet the spotless bride of Christ (Revelation 19:6-8), in accordance with God’s purpose for it, as we read in Ephesians 1:4: “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” The fulfillment of this prophetic purpose which God set forth in Christ (Romans 8:28; Romans 9:11) “to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment” «that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: », (Ephesians 1:10) does not depend on “… anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” «who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, », (2 Timothy 1:9).

One reason the “visible” church is not perfect is that within its ranks there are false Christians. Jesus told the apostles that within the church there would be a mixture of “wheat and chaff,” genuine saints and secret, unrepentant, self-deceived sinners (hypocrites). Considering that Christ has not yet returned in power and glory (Matthew 26:64),%3BMark+13%3A26″>(Matthew 26:64; Mark 13:26), and that the chosen ones have not yet been revealed as God’s offspring (Romans 8:19; 1 John 3:2), the revelation of Christ and the congregation, hidden for ages «Now to him who has the power to establish you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, », (Romans 16:25), remains partially undisclosed. The disclosure of the congregation will occur when we are transformed, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. The true hope for Christians is not immortality (even the condemned in hell will be immortal, but they will be without Christ), but the presence of Christ within us now «Him we proclaim, warning every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ Jesus: », (Colossians 1:28).

This leads us to a final reflection on the current concealment and eventual revelation of the congregation. We have been redeemed, we are no longer enslaved to sin, and death no longer rules over us (Romans 6:5-9). However, our “body of sin” or “body of death” (Romans 6:6; Romans 7:24) is yet to be “done away with.” We still anticipate the resurrection and redemption of our sinful bodies. This will occur when the Lord comes back for us. Then “we will be like him, for we will see him as he is” «Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. », (1 John 3:2). Then, our glorious, imperishable spiritual bodies will be revealed (Philippians 3:20-21), and we will no longer be burdened by what remains of the carnal or sinful mind. Thus, in a real sense, the church or Christianity in its perfection, as the undefiled and glorified bride of Christ, continues to wear a discrete veil, until she is called to heaven in glory at the marriage supper of the Lamb. This event is prophesied in Revelation 19:6-8, where we read, “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)”