Southern Bread Blog

What is Christianity? It’s a story that claims to be the true story about the way human history really unfolded. But, unlike a typical history, this story includes God in a personal way. It describes our interactions with God as a person – not a creative force or an idea or a crutch. A real person. This rings true within us. Because, if there is a supreme, supernatural being, He would be a person.

What this true history of us and God describes is surprisingly agnostic on many details. We know precious little specifics about Him. Don’t get me wrong. We do know a lot about His character(the fact that He is loving and just) and the things He has done(historical facts). But, we don’t know many concrete details on His actual person. Again, this rings true to what we would expect. His personality is like ours, even if his form is not.

What does this story ultimately tell us about God, and us? The ultimate truth of the Christian story of history is that God is like us. He is a person. That is so critically important. It is from this fact that all the other things we know about him will flow. We have emotions. So does He. We crave justice. So does He. We want beauty. So does He. We love to create things. So does He. We love each other. So does he.

This story is an honest one, however. If it’s true it would have to be. And, what it tells us is what we all, already know: we are broken inside. There’s something wrong with me. I have this unsettling bent toward selfishness. I sometimes enjoy it when I make someone else feel inferior. Sometimes I cheat. Sometimes I lie just to make myself look better. And on, and on. We know this kernel of darkness is in us. We all feel it. We also know it’s not in God. That’s why we are only like him.

The story goes on, and tells us how God wasn’t going to let us stay broken. He used Himself to fix us. And he did it in a way that again rings true deep within us. He used, not restitution, but forgiveness. He said “I forgive you, Dave. You don’t have to fear Me. I love you and forgive your sinfulness.”

This is the story of Christianity:

1. God is creative, like us, and he created a people like Himself.
2. He created us free, because freedom is beautiful and perfect.
3. In our freedom we choose evil and now we are broken.
4. But, we still long for the liberty and freedom that we lost.
5. God made us free again, through forgiveness.
6. He did it Himself, because He’s the only one that could.
7. He loves what He made: us.

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was the crescendo of this story. It tells us that God himself had to die in order to give us back our freedom. How wonderfully beautiful.