Christian beliefs: A helpful, essential guide to 3 branches

Christianity is a religion centered on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God and savior of humanity. With roots in first-century Judea, it has grown into the world’s largest religion, with about 2.3 billion followers in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. It encompasses a wide range of traditions and practices. At their core, Christian beliefs center on one God, the authority of the Bible and salvation through Jesus Christ, though how these are understood varies significantly between groups.

Core Christian beliefs

Despite enormous diversity, several Christian beliefs unite most traditions.

God and the Trinity

Most Christians believe in one God who exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit — a concept known as the Trinity. This doctrine holds that God is one in essence but three in person, a mystery formally articulated in early church councils such as Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381. Not all groups that identify as Christian accept this formulation; some smaller movements, such as Unitarians historically or Jehovah’s Witnesses today, understand God’s nature differently.

Jesus Christ

Christians believe Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. Traditional Christian teaching holds that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified and rose bodily from the dead on the third day — an event celebrated at Easter. Passages such as the Gospel of John, chapter 1, and 1 Corinthians 15 are commonly cited in support of these beliefs.

Sin and salvation

Christian beliefs about salvation generally start from the teaching that humanity is separated from God by sin, and that Jesus’ death on the cross provides reconciliation. How salvation is received differs by tradition: many Protestants emphasize salvation through faith alone (a concept rooted in Romans, chapter 3, and Ephesians, chapter 2), while Catholic and Orthodox teaching emphasizes faith lived out through grace, sacraments and good works.

Scripture

The Bible, composed of the Old Testament and New Testament, is the central sacred text. Christians view it as divinely inspired, though the exact list of included books varies — Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional texts, often called the deuterocanonical or apocryphal books, that most Protestant Bibles exclude. Interpretation also varies widely, from literal readings to more historical-critical or symbolic approaches.

Major practices

Christian beliefs shape a set of shared practices, though their form differs from church to church.

Worship

Christian worship commonly includes prayer, Scripture reading, hymn singing and preaching. Sunday is the primary day of communal worship for most Christians, commemorating Jesus’ resurrection, though styles range from elaborate liturgical services to informal gatherings.

Sacraments and ordinances

Many Christian traditions practice rites believed to convey God’s grace or mark spiritual milestones. These often include:

• Baptism — a ritual of water symbolizing cleansing from sin and initiation into the faith, practiced on infants or adult believers depending on the tradition.
• Communion (Eucharist or Lord’s Supper) — a ritual meal of bread and wine commemorating Jesus’ Last Supper, described in Luke, chapter 22, and 1 Corinthians, chapter 11.
• Confirmation, marriage, ordination and others — recognized formally as sacraments in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, and observed with varying significance elsewhere.

Prayer and devotion

Personal and communal prayer is central across Christian life. Practices range from structured liturgical prayers and the rosary in Catholic devotion, to spontaneous personal prayer common in evangelical Protestant settings, to contemplative and mystical traditions found across many branches.

Sacred calendar

Many Christians observe a liturgical calendar marking key events. Major occasions include:

• Advent and Christmas — anticipation and celebration of Jesus’ birth.
• Lent — a season of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter.
• Holy Week and Easter — commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
• Pentecost — celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ early followers, described in Acts, chapter 2.

Not all traditions follow this calendar with equal emphasis; some Protestant churches, particularly non-denominational ones, observe fewer formal seasons.

Major traditions

Catholicism

The Catholic Church, led by the pope in Rome, is the largest single Christian body worldwide. Catholic teaching emphasizes the authority of church tradition alongside Scripture, the seven sacraments, devotion to Mary and the saints, and apostolic succession — the belief that bishops today trace an unbroken line of authority back to Jesus’ apostles.

Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which formally separated from Rome in 1054 in what is known as the Great Schism, includes churches such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian Orthodox. Orthodox Christianity emphasizes mystical theology, elaborate liturgy, icons as windows to the divine, and a conciliar rather than singular papal authority, with each self-governing church led by its own patriarch or archbishop.

Protestantism

Protestantism emerged from the 16th-century Reformation, led by figures such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who challenged certain Catholic practices and emphasized Scripture’s authority (sola scriptura) and salvation by faith alone (sola fide). Protestantism is highly diverse, encompassing:

• Lutheran churches, rooted in Martin Luther’s teachings.
• Reformed and Presbyterian churches, shaped by Calvinist theology.
• Anglican and Episcopal churches, which retain many liturgical elements alongside Protestant theology.
• Baptist churches, emphasizing believer’s baptism and congregational governance.
• Methodist churches, growing from the teachings of John Wesley.
• Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, emphasizing spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and divine healing.
• Non-denominational churches, which avoid formal denominational ties while often reflecting evangelical theology.

Other traditions

Beyond these three broad families, other groups identify as Christian while holding distinct beliefs, including Oriental Orthodox churches (such as Coptic and Armenian Orthodox) and restorationist movements like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses, which differ from mainstream Christianity on doctrines such as the Trinity. Scholars and adherents themselves often debate where the boundaries of Christian identity lie, reflecting the religion’s internal diversity.

Diversity within the faith

Christian beliefs also diverge, sometimes significantly, on many matters: the nature of the afterlife, the role of women in ministry, how literally to interpret Genesis, the relationship between faith and science, and views on social and ethical questions. This diversity exists both between denominations and among individual believers within the same church.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Christian beliefs?

The most basic Christian beliefs are that there is one God, that Jesus is the Son of God who died and rose again, and that the Bible is inspired Scripture. Most Christians also affirm the Trinity and teach that salvation comes through Jesus.

What is the main difference between Catholic and Protestant Christianity?

Catholics recognize the pope’s authority and hold that church tradition works alongside Scripture, while most Protestants emphasize Scripture alone as the final authority and reject papal leadership. Protestants also generally teach salvation through faith alone, while Catholic teaching links salvation to faith expressed through grace and sacramental life.

Do all Christians believe in the Trinity?

Most Christian traditions — Catholic, Orthodox and the majority of Protestant denominations — affirm the Trinity as core doctrine. However, some groups that identify as Christian, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, understand God’s nature differently and do not accept traditional Trinitarian formulations.

What is the difference between Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Christianity?

Both trace their roots to the early church and share many beliefs, but they split in 1054 largely over questions of papal authority and theological differences, including the wording of the Nicene Creed. Orthodox Christianity is organized around multiple self-governing national churches rather than a single central leader like the pope.

What holy book do Christians follow?

Christians follow the Bible, which includes the Old Testament, largely shared with Judaism, and the New Testament, which contains accounts of Jesus’ life, the early church and letters to Christian communities. The exact contents differ slightly between Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Bibles, particularly regarding certain Old Testament books.