The Messenger

A friend wrote this week to let me know that he read my column. His email came as a two-fold blessing from God. The immediate blessing was the encouragement I received, knowing that someone had taken the time to acknowledge my writing. And since my next article is often prompted by something that happens during the course of my day, the second blessing came in the form of a lead for my next Messenger.

He said, “The Christian faith can be described in one small word – “Hope!” His statement intrigued me. Can Christianity be summed up in one word? If so, what would that one word be for me?

He is absolutely right, “hope” is big. Maybe “hope” is the one word that describes Christianity for you but after running that question through my mind I felt a little uncomfortable. It just didn’t seem adequate.

Before the Holy Spirit touched their heart, many people may have felt lost and had no hope in their life, so “hope” would be their key word. The troubled might say “peace”. The word “comfort” might resonate in the person who is suffering. A Christian grounded in their faith might say “Resurrection”.

So out of curiosity I “Googled” this very question to see what the outcome might be. “What one word describes Christianity?” I received some interesting results but nothing conclusive of course. How a person answers that question probably depends on where they are in their walk with Christ and the circumstances surrounding them at the time. So then, I turned to my main source for answers to my questions, the bible.

Jesus is the One the Old Testament prophesied about and Jesus is the One the New Testament tells of.

To summarize Christianity one needs to encapsulate who Jesus is. Jesus describes himself in what is known as the “I Am” sayings:

• I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. - John 6:35 (NIV)
• I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. - John 8:12 (NIV)
• I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10:9 (NIV)
• I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10:11 (NIV)
• I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies - John 11:25 (NIV)
• I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 (NIV)
• I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. - John 15:1 (NIV)

Another term for “sum”, used in the same context, is the word “gist” meaning “the essential point of something that somebody has said or written”. I believe there is but one word to sum up Christianity and that word is “Jesus”. Like to know more? … Come and see. – S.D.G.