AMESSAGEOFSALVATION
Jesuslivedonearthasa humanbeing
inordertoexperiencehumansuffer-
ing,according to the Bible. He cured the sick
and told parables (stories with a message).
He also preached the word of God to people
so they could understand what was expected
of them. The most important lesson he taught
was that they should love their fellow human
beings as much as they love themselves.
Jesus set an example by forgiving others and
loving everyone, especially those whom soci-
ety rejected or abandoned. This sentiment lies
at the heart of his and Christianity’s message.
Jesus also said there would be judgment one
day when people die. Some would go to heaven
and others to hell, but heaven is open to all who
ask forgiveness for their sins and are truly re-
pentant.CRUCIFIXION
WhileJesuswaspreachingtothe
people of Galilee he built up a large
following. But he also had enemies among theChildrenoftentakepartina NativityplayatChristmastocelebratethebirthofJesusina
umblestable. Stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals portray scenes from the
ife of Jesus (from left): preaching to his disciples, his crucifixion and his ascension.Let’s learn about how
the largest religion in
theworldemerged
anddeveloped
The cross is a symbol
of Christianity
as it represents
the crucifixion
of Jesus.HisparentswerehumbleJews.TheBiblesays
that his mother, Mary, was a virgin engaged to
Joseph, acarpenter. AnangelvisitedMaryand
toldhershehadbecomepregnantthrougha
miracle and she’d give birth to the son of God.
When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant he
wanted to break off the engagement, but after
an angel explained it all to him in a dream he
married Mary and raised Jesus as his child.
Jesus was born in a humble stable and lived in
a simple life. For most of his life he was a carpen-
ter like Joseph. When Jesus was about 30 years
old John the Baptist – a prophet who’d foretold
his coming – baptised him in the Jordan River.
Jesus then started travelling around the region,
preaching. He began gathering disciples (follow-
ers) and from them he chose 12 apostles to help
him to spread his message.
The apostles believed that Jesus was the
Messiah – the anointed messenger sent by God
to free humanity from slavery, sin and death.
To do this, God sent his son, Jesus, in human
form so people could better understand God as
a loving father to his children.Religions:
Part 1
of 4Christianity
N
EARLY80%ofSouthAfri-
cansidentifyasChristians.
Thisreligion is based on the
teachings of Jesus of Naza-
reth – also known as Jesus
Christ – who lived about
2 000 years ago.
Let’s find out more about Christianity
and how it became the largest and most
widespreadreligionintheworld.WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?
ChristianityemergedfromJudaism.
Bothreligionsbelievethatthereisone
god(monotheism), abenevolentcreatorand
preserveroftheworldwhoisalsojustand
demands that people be held responsible for
their actions.
The first part of the Bible – the sacred writ-
ings of Christianity – is the Old Testament. It’s
based on Jewish texts that contain prophecies
of a Messiah (saviour). Christians believe these
prophesies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus of
Nazareth, whom they believe is the son of God.
The life of Jesus, from his humble birth to the
Virgin Mary until his crucifixion, death and res-
urrection, form the basis of the New Testament,
the second part of the Bible.OD BECAME HUMAN
sus was born more than 2 000 years
go in Bethlehem in Palestine, a re-
lies between the Dead Sea and the
JordanRiverintheeastand the Mediterranean
Seainthewest.Palestine was then a province
of theRoman Empire.