Muddled beliefs and negative church experiences have led many to abandon Christianity altogether. They feel they must throw the baby out with the bathwater to escape unhealthy traditions. However, identifying Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is Christianity’s fundamental truth – the baby that must not be lost. If we accept Jesus as God’s final King, all else falls into place.
- In every generation, new ideas that are not fundamental to Christianity become treated as essential doctrines. This can push people away from the faith.
- People throw the baby out with the bathwater when they leave behind valuable aspects of Christianity due to negative church experiences.
- What must one believe to be a Christian? What are the essentials and what is extra? That is what this sermon series examines.
- The identification of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, is the most important fundamental of the Christian faith. All else flows from this declaration.
Here is a revised conclusion paragraph:
Throughout the centuries, non-essential beliefs and practices have become grafted onto the fundamental truth that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s final King, sent to offer us salvation. If we accept him as such and submit to his lordship, everything else sort itself out. Jesus Christ came to earth to show us the way back to God. When we acknowledge him as God’s Son and our King, we have taken the first and most essential step on that journey.