Fr Pishoy Wasfy, Coptic Orthodox Church
To be a Christian:
- is to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”; 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”)
- is to be united (1 Corinthians 6:17 – “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”)
Why Be A Christian?
Because it is the God-willed, God-announced and God-enabled human response to God’s address to humanity. God is calling every human to be – through Christ Jesus – reconciled to Him. In this unity and reconciliation, the Christian enjoys:
- Inner Peace: Christianity gives inner peace to those who are close to God. Peace that is born out of being saved.
- God-Man Relationship: In Christianity, God is not like any other god. He is not our Master, but He is our Father and wants us to be His children. This relation between God and man is unique to Christianity.
- Sacrificial Love: In no other religion will you find God loving His people to the point of giving His Only Begotten Son: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
- Loving Others: Although most religions invite their followers to love one another, Christianity is the only religion that invites her children not only to love one another, but also to love their enemies as themselves.
- If loving others is easy, forgiving others is definitely not that easy. Christianity is the religion of forgiveness. We ask God every time we recite the Lord's Prayer to forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate example of forgiveness when, on the Cross, He asked the Father to forgive those who were about to crucify Him.