Perhaps the most fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ come from Mark 12:30-31 (New Standard Version of the Bible):
“Love God your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is: love your neighbor as yourself. There is no duty greater than these two.”
Christ, as God incarnate, told the disciples that He wanted their love. Not good deeds. Not a series of sacrifices. Love.
The English word translated “love” in these verses comes from the Greek word “agape” which means “to care for the welfare and to be eager.” God wants His people to love Him emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Not only that, but God wants us to love one another. It may sound strange, but the word “agape” is the kind of love that Jesus spoke of “loving your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).
When Jesus taught about love, he meant it to be more than a passing feeling. Love involves devoting our lives to God and others through His power.
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The most important teachings of Jesus Christ
If you were to ask me to summarize the most important teachings of Christ, I would limit them to the following: Jesus’ identity as God, salvation, forgiveness, and following Him.
All our knowledge of Christ depends on his identity. If he is not the promised Messiah, the one about whom the prophets of Israel spoke, then our faith is useless. But Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
He was referring to Exodus 14, where God called himself “I am,” meaning “self-existent or eternal.” The religious leaders, enraged by Jesus’ claim to divinity, threatened to stone him.
Because we know that Christ is God incarnate (read more about that here), we can trust Him for salvation, one of the topics he talked about the most. The God who created the earth out of nothingness and created humans out of love is also the same God who stepped out of the sky to save the hopeless and suffering.
John 14:6 today as Jesus said two thousand years ago: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. “No one comes to the Father except through me”, is important.
There are other religions, teachers, and prophets, but only Christians have a God who gave up His glory to save people, was crucified, and then rose from the dead three days later.
Forgiveness, another key teaching of Christ, was a concept he emphasized during his three-year ministry. Not only did Jesus forgive others for all kinds of sins, including adultery and murder, but He expects us to extend the same forgiveness and grace that we have received.
As Matthew 6:14-15 explains, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people’s mistakes, your father will not forgive your sins either.”
While this may be one of the most difficult teachings of Christ, few of us will ever need to forgive people for the terrible treatment that Jesus experienced. He spoke words of forgiveness from the cross.
Since Jesus is Lord and the way of salvation through forgiveness, He deserves to offer our lives to Him as an act of worship. Like the disciples of old, we are called to “take up our cross” (Matthew 16:24) and follow him.
For some, this may mean choosing a different lifestyle than you’ve had. Others may need to let go of superficial religiosity and discover the freedom of a personal relationship with Jesus. Others, however, may find that it means stepping forward in faith, knowing that your current cross this season is loving a loved one struggling with mental illness, or managing that ongoing health problem, or Caring for your relative who lives with you.
The teachings of Jesus Christ about the kingdom of God
While Jesus spoke about a variety of topics including the above, the one he focused on the most was the Kingdom of God.
Speaking about the Kingdom of God, Jesus said the following:
The kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” If it were of this world, my servants would fight to prevent my capture by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 13:36).
Believers participate in bringing the kingdom to earth. “Then pray like this: “Our Father, hallowed be your name in heaven, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
The kingdom of God, which is eternal, is more important than temporal things. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
The kingdom of God is built in the heart and mind of man. “But the kingdom of God will not appear when it comes, and they will not say, ‘Here it is, or there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
While Christ has come, we await his return and the full fulfillment of the promise of God’s kingdom. It is this subtle relationship of “now but not fully” that will be explored in the next article.
Why did Jesus come to earth and teach?
By examining most of Christ’s teachings and the years of his ministry, a picture begins to emerge of a man who practiced what he taught. Jesus was not a mysterious intellectual trying to impress the elite of society.
Rather, He was the only begotten Son of God who taught in verbal images to those who had a tender heart so that they could understand. Jesus spoke of earth to explain receptive and unreceptive souls and to convey the concept of eternal life from water.
Christ was talking about things that were rational to clear up the ambiguity of what could free people from the consequences of sin—specifically, salvation as a result of the forgiveness of sins and freedom as followers of Christ.
How did prayer play a role in Jesus’ ministry?
In addition to teaching, Jesus devoted considerable time to prayer, both personally, for his disciples, and for others. Depending on how you count, at least 25 Bible verses record at least twenty-five of these prayers.
His regular habit of prayer, along with direct teaching about how and what to pray for, set a pattern that the disciples—and Christians for years to come—continue to follow.
Jesus prayed:
Repeatedly in private (Luke 5:16), in public (John 11:41-42), before walking on water (Mark 6:46)
Before choosing his disciples (Luke 6:12-13), when healing people (Mark 7:34-35), before eating (John 6:11)
When he blessed the children (Matthew 19:13-15), at his baptism (Luke 3:21-22), in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), at the last moment (Luke 23:46).
Through his demonstration of prayer and Christ’s teachings, his followers understood how to love God, love others, and attain eternal hope and security. “Thy kingdom come…”
Today in the article : What Are the Basics of Jesus’ Teaching? We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity
