The Goal Of Christianity: Bringing People To Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Christ

Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with over 2 billion followers globally. At its core, Christianity is centered around faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God in human form who came to Earth to save humanity from sin and death.

But what exactly is the ultimate goal of this widespread religion?

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: the main goal of Christianity is to bring people to salvation and eternal life through developing faith in Jesus Christ. This is achieved through spreading the Gospel message and enabling people to establish personal relationships with God.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the purpose and objectives behind Christianity in depth, analyzing its theological foundations and the key means by which its devotees aim to accomplish its central mission.

Christianity’s Central Objective: Salvation through Christ

The central goal of Christianity is to bring people to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation involves being saved from sin and death and receiving eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Christianity focuses on restoring humanity’s broken relationship with God and finding forgiveness and new life through Jesus.

Eternal Life in Heaven

One of the main objectives of Christianity is for believers to receive eternal life in heaven after death. The Bible teaches that all people have sinned and face eternal separation from God. But by accepting Christ’s sacrifice as payment for sin, Christians believe their sins are forgiven and they gain access to spending eternity in God’s presence in heaven (John 3:16).

This eternal life is seen as the ultimate fulfillment of salvation.

Forgiveness of Sins

Christianity emphasizes that Jesus’ death provides forgiveness of sins. Humans cannot earn salvation on their own but are offered forgiveness and reconciliation with God as a free gift of grace. When a person places their faith in Christ, trusting in His sacrifice on their behalf, the Bible says they are forgiven of all sins – past, present and future (Colossians 1:14).

This release from the penalty of sin is a vital component of Christianity’s salvation message.

Restoration of Humanity’s Relationship with God

Christianity teaches that sin has broken humanity’s relationship with God. People were created for fellowship with God but became alienated from Him through disobedience and rebellion. Jesus’ life, death on the cross, and resurrection solved this relational breach.

As Colossians 1:21-22 explains, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death.” Salvation restores people’s connection with God.

The Gospel Message: The Vehicle for Salvation

Definition and key elements of the Gospel

The Gospel, meaning “good news” in Greek, refers to the message about Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection as described in the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Key elements include:

• Jesus is the Son of God who came to Earth to save humanity from sin and death
• Jesus lived a sinless life and demonstrated His deity through miracles and authoritative teaching
• Jesus died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice, taking the punishment for humankind’s sins
• Jesus rose from the dead three days later, conquering sin and death and proving He is the way to eternal life
• Those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus receive salvation and the free gift of eternal life with God

Understanding and believing this Gospel message is the only way for an individual to receive salvation according to the Bible (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

The Great Commission: Jesus’ instructions to spread the Gospel globally

Before His ascension to Heaven, Jesus commanded His followers to spread the Gospel worldwide, a prime directive known as the Great Commission:

Jesus made it clear that all people – not just the Jews – must hear about His sacrificial death and forgiveness of sins so they can choose whether to accept or reject Him. Over 2.5 billion people currently identify as Christians, indicating the efforts made to propagate the faith globally (Pew Research Center, 2022).

However, with over 7 billion people in the world, Christians still have much work to do carrying out Jesus’ Great Commission.

Evangelism: Sharing the Gospel through preaching, teaching, and outreach

Evangelism refers to the act of spreading the Gospel message through public preaching and teaching as well as individual outreach. Methods include:

• Door-to-door evangelism to engage strangers in spiritual conversations
• Television, radio, and internet ministries delivering sermons and theological teaching
• Public evangelistic events like Harvest Crusades drawing thousands to hear the Gospel and accept Christ
• Literature distribution of Gospel tracts and Bibles
• Friendship evangelism building genuine relationships to naturally discuss spiritual beliefs

The message remains centered on Christ’s atoning sacrifice for sins, made available by grace to those who repent and believe (Ephesians 2:8-9). While some methods of evangelism have brought controversy, Jesus’ command compels Christians to actively, creatively, and respectfully tell the world about the gift of salvation.

Establishing Intimate Connections between God and People

Developing personal relationships with Jesus

Developing an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ is foundational to Christianity. Through daily prayer, reading the Bible, and actively practicing the teachings of Jesus, Christians can get to know Him on a deeper level.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14). Like any relationship, knowing Christ requires consistent communication and quality time spent together. As we make Christ the center of our lives, our love for Him grows and we experience His transformative power and grace more fully.

Prayer and worship as communication pathways

Prayer and worship provide vital lifelines of communication between God and His people. Through prayer, Christians speak to God, praising Him, confessing sins, petitioning for needs, interceding for others, and listening to His voice.

The Bible encourages believers to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and bring all requests and anxieties to God (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer deepens intimacy with the Lord as we align our hearts with His will.

Corporate worship also connects Christians to God’s presence through singing, Scripture reading, communion, and hearing biblical teaching. As we humbly worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:24), we encounter His majesty, goodness, and love.

The role of the Holy Spirit in transforming hearts and minds

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in cultivating personal connections between God and people. Jesus promised His disciples that the Spirit would teach them, remind them of His words, guide them into truth, and testify about Him (John 14:26, 15:26).

When someone puts their faith in Christ, the Spirit comes to dwell within them, producing spiritual growth and intimacy with God (Romans 8:9-11). As we submit to the Spirit’s leading, He transforms us to be more like Jesus, empowering us to love God and others wholeheartedly.

The Spirit’s fruit in our lives, such as love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22-23), demonstrates deepening relationship with the Lord. Just as two people in love grow closer through communication and time together, so Christians’ bond with their Savior strengthens through the Spirit’s work in their hearts.

Transforming Society through Christ-like Conduct and Values

Imitating Jesus’ moral example

Jesus provides the ultimate moral example that Christians aim to follow. He taught profound ethical truths through his words and deeds, like loving your neighbor, caring for the disadvantaged, and living humbly.

Christians believe imitating Jesus’ sacrifice, compassion, integrity, and wisdom can have a transformative effect on society.

According to research from Pew Research Center, nearly all Protestant pastors (95%) say they “feel called by God to model Jesus’ example by living a moral life.” By leading lives of service, forgiveness, and grace, pastors – and all followers of Christ – can positively influence their communities.

Biblical teachings on ethics, justice, and service

The Bible provides clear moral instruction that has had profound social impact over history. Christians point to biblical values like the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), equality of persons, care for outcasts, justice for the oppressed, and generosity with possessions as ideals that have elevated many societies.

Christian relief organizations like World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse apply these principles by serving vulnerable communities globally. And Christian activists have fought major justice issues like slavery, civil rights, sanctity of life, and sex trafficking based on moral beliefs rooted in scripture.

Christian influence on laws, culture, education, healthcare, and more

As the world’s largest faith with over 2 billion adherents, Christianity has shaped the development of Western civilization for over 2000 years. Christian ethical values on human dignity, charity, education, and more have influenced politics, philosophy, literature, economics, healthcare, family life, calendar systems, holidays, and nearly every sphere of society.

Here are a few major areas Christianity has helped transform for the better over the centuries:

• Laws – Concepts like human rights, equality, justice, sanctity of life, and more stem from a biblical view of human dignity.
• Culture – Much of the greatest art, music, and literature was inspired by Christian themes and produced by followers of Christ.
• Education & Science – Church scholars helped develop universities, hospitals, and empirical science itself. Christians pioneered literacy education believing all should access scriptures.
• Healthcare – Jesus’ example inspired care for the sick and poor. Christians founded the hospital concept and lead healthcare innovation to this day.
• Social reform – Christian activism helped end abuses like infanticide, gladiator fighting, and slavery in ancient Rome and slavery, child labor, civil injustice, and more in modern times.

While sadly some terrible things have been wrongly justified “in Jesus’ name,” the overall influence of Christ’s life-giving teachings has been enormously beneficial. As Christians grow in imitating Christ today, they continue bringing light to the world he loves.

Conclusion

In closing, while Christianity assumes many forms around the world, its fundamental purpose remains bringing lost souls to salvation through belief in Christ. This hinges on widespread preaching of the Gospel message locally and globally while nurturing intimate connections with God in the lives of converts.

If more individuals establish personal relationships with Jesus and conduct their lives by his example, Christianity aims for this to transform society towards greater morality, justice and human flourishing.

Thus evangelism and discipleship are the vehicles driving Christianity’s central goal: delivering eternal spiritual redemption to humankind through God’s grace embodied in his Son. With over a third of the planet already Christian, it continues working towards this ambitious vision for the world.