Photo by Francesco Paggiaro
In her book, Building Bridges Made in His Image, Yareni Beltran talks about Christian beliefs about Jesus and how the reality of these beliefs urges all Christians to become better people.
This is because the image of Christ on the altar colors the heart of the Christian faith. More than just the promised Messiah, Christ embodied sacrifice and redemption. He was God’s proclamation of His infinite love to the world, cleanly laying out the relationship between humanity and God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
And still, millennia later, millions across the globe adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. But why?
Christ on the Altar: A Radical Departure
Although contemporary perspectives see the teachings of Christ as more or less mainstream, they were actually quite the radical departure from the prevailing social and religious norms of the time.
This was because of Christ-centered love in all of his preaching.
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Love, instead of power and strength, was the foundation of being a human and God’s greatest expression of Himself. Thus, for Christ, love was more than just an emotion that one felt within one’s self. Love was a fundamental principle of being and an essential nature of reality.
This greatly differed from contemporary ideas. Christ beseeched his followers and all those who would come after to love God with all their heart and soul, as well as to love their neighbors as they would love themselves.
As such, love could not simply be a passive action; it had to be an active effort on one’s part, a commitment to the well-being of others and, even then, those who they may consider enemies.
This perspective on love’s universality greatly challenged the ingrained rigidities and hierarchies of society, which only divided people into meaningless categories. Christ’s view on love saw monarchs and peasants as one before God, and this included the lives of the marginalized and the downtrodden. It had never been done before!
Why Do Christians Follow Christ’s Teachings?
Another cornerstone of Jesus’s message was the idea of radical forgiveness. This meant to forgive not only those one loved but also those who were enemies. This was the lynchpin to the appeal of his earthly ministries. In a world that seems so fine-tuned for strife and so full of tribulation, there is no shortage of failure and hatred.
As such, to be told that you are forgiven for these trespasses resonates deeply with each and every one of us.
Christ taught that forgiveness was not merely a transactional act but a transformative process that could heal wounds and break cycles of violence. Because of this, he strongly urged his followers to forgive those who had wronged them.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
The power of forgiveness resonated with those burdened by guilt, shame, and regret–which can be said, conservatively, to encompass a great number of people. Who has not met or known a person who was held back by these feelings of negativity?
Thus, Christ offered a path to healing and restoration, a chance to start anew. This is best exemplified in Christ forgiving his executioners on the cross. Even in the midst of unimaginable suffering, he pleaded for their mercy and bid them no harm.
Because of this one instance of great forgiveness from one who was greatly wronged, Christians saw another path–one that cleaved away from vengeance and endless cycles of hate.
Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are offered forgiveness for our own sins and to extend that same forgiveness to others.
The Power of Transformation
Ultimately, the reason why Christians follow Jesus’s teachings lies in the resonant power of his message that is denied to one and can be accessed by all. Through their deep faith in Christ, they can experience a radical transformation in their lives.
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The image of Christ on the altar, then, is not merely a relic of the past; it is a living symbol of sacrifice, love, and redemption. It is the foundation upon which Christians build and live their lives. This is the reason why his teachings are still being followed to this day and will continue to this day.
Read more about the Christian perspective in Yareni Beltran’s Building Bridges Made in His Image, which is available for purchase through this link. Grab a copy now!
