A Christian is one who believes in one God who has no equal in glory or in autho rity.

In fact, the cross is not merely a historic event but it is the purpose for whic h Christ came to our world as He mentioned frequently, "The Son of Man did not c ome to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 2 0:28). So, the cross is the key to understanding the books of the Old Testament which are full of prophecies about the cross which were written thousands of yea rs before Christ such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. It is well known that David s psalms and the Pentateuch were available to many peo ple in different parts of the world long before the coming of Christ. In Christ, the prophecies were fulfilled, including all those concerning His crucifixion. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still si nners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The cross is the evidence that God loves us and without the cross, we would not have comprehended the meaning of love or recognized its standard which is to sac rifice for those whom we love (Gal. 5:22-25). Without the cross, there would be no perfect example to teach us the great meaning of sacrificial living. Not only do we have forgiveness for our sins in the cross since Christ redeemed us and was punished for us, but we also have power to enable us to lead a life o f wonderful ideals. The Bible says, "Knowing this that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Rom. 6:6). The "old man" is that sinful nature within us which is inclined to selfishness, egocentricity as well as deviation from God s love. It is only in the cross that o ne can experience victory over this "old man", a corrupted heart and a sin-drive n soul. Because He is God and man, our old nature was crucified with Him, and we are ena bled to experience victory. Jesus was crucified as a man like us for He had iden tified Himself with our humanity So we died in Him and we rose with Him as the B ible says, Christianity was founded in the early 1st century AD, with the teaching, miracle s, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Today it is the largest re ligion in the world, with around 2 billion followers. Especially dominant in the western world, today's Christianity has a wide variety of forms, beliefs and pr actices but all center around faith in Jesus Christ. Date founded: c. 33 AD Place founded: Palestine Founder: Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish carpenter Adherents: 2 billion {1} US adherents: 159 million in 2001 {2} UK adherents:

51 million in 1997 {3} Size rank: largest world religion Main location: Europe North America South America Major sects (denominations): Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant Sacred texts: The Bible, comprised of the Old Testament and New Testament Original languages: Aramaic, Greek, Latin Religious professionals: Priest; bishop; archbishop; patriarch; pope; pastor; minister; preacher; dea con House of worship: Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall Type of theism: Trinitarian Monotheism Ultimate reality: One God (a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit) Human nature: Created good but now born sinful Purpose of life: Know, love and serve God How to live: Have faith in the true God and Christ's resurrection, do good works, partici pate in sacraments Afterlife: Resurrection of body and soul, purgatory (Catholic and Orthodox), and eterna l heaven or hell Symbols: Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha and omega, chi rho Major holidays: Advent (Nov. 30 - Dec. 24) Christmas (Dec. 25) Epiphany (Jan. 6) Lent (40-day period prior to Easter) Good Friday (last Friday before Easter) Easter (date varies) All Saint's Day (Nov. 1) Books of the New Testament : Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Mark Gospel of Luke Gospel of John Acts of the Apostles Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews

James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Two Greatest Commandments 1. Love God with your heart, soul and mind. 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. {4} Four Last Things 1. second coming 2. judgment 3. heaven 4. hell Seven Deadly Sins 1. pride 2. greed 3. lust 4. envy 5. gluttony 6. anger 7. sloth Seven Ecumenical Councils 1. Council of Nicea (325 AD) 2. Council of Constantinople (381) 3. Council of Ephesus (431) 4. Council of Chalcedon (451) 5. Second Council of Constantinople (553) 6. Third Council of Constantinople (681) 7. Second Council of Nicea (787) Twelve Apostles 1. James, son of Zebedee 2. John, son of Zebedee 3. Philip 4. Bartholomew 5. Thomas 6. Andrew (Peter's brother) 7. Simon Peter 8. Matthew the tax collector 9. James, son of Alphaeus 10. Simon the Zealot 11. Judas Iscariot 12. Thaddaeus {5} Fourteen Stations of the Cross 1. Jesus is condemned to death 2. The cross is laid upon him 3. Jesus' first fall 4. Jesus meets Mary 5. Simon of Cyrene bears the cross 6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face 7. Jesus' second fall 8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 9. Jesus' third fall 10. Jesus is stripped of his garments 11. Jesus is crucified 12. Jesus dies 13. Jesus' body is taken down 14. Jesus's body is laid in the tomb