Foundations of the Christian Faith
Welcome! This free online course on the Foundations of the Christian Faith is an initiative of the FURNACE Christian Fellowship in Canton, Ohio. It is our purpose to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to lay a solid foundation for your life in Christ.
This course is designed to make clear to you what it means to be a Christian. It lays out what is essential for Christian faith and life. It will open for you the door to knowing Jesus Christ and experiencing the full love of God through him. It will lead you to full involvement in the life and mission of the Church as you become a citizen of the Kingdom of God. And it will anchor you in the full reality of unquenchable joy, beginning in this life and ever increasing in the life to come.
However, you can know about these things and yet remain apart from them. To avoid missing what God is offering you, you must receive Jesus Christ as your own Savior and Lord—if you have not already done so—and commit yourself to him to be his lifelong disciple. The first unit of this course focuses on helping you take this step and, when you have done it, to know that you have done it so that you may go on from there.
To be a Christian is a lifelong commitment, but it begins with becoming a Christian in a conscious way, just as being a spouse begins with taking marriage vows. Becoming a Christian is a moment in time when Christ comes to live inside your spirit through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them“ (John 14:23). This is the moment in time when it all begins. We also refer to this as being “born again,” which Jesus talks about in John 3:1-21. Being a Christian is a process of advancement from that point. As you continue with Christ, with his Father as your Father, his Holy Spirit as your helper and guide, and his Church as your new family, you will constantly be led deeper into your born-again calling of worship, service, and Christ-like relationships.
What You’ll Study:
The course is built in twelve progressive units covering the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Together, these twelve units contain 71 lessons that explore core Christian beliefs in depth, grounded in biblical teaching and historic Christian orthodoxy.
Units 1-2: Salvation and Holy Scripture
Units 3-7: The nature of God, Jesus Christ, His suffering and ascension, and the Holy Spirit
Units 8-11: The Church, grace and forgiveness, resurrection, the sacraments, and the historic creeds of the Christian faith
Work through the materials one unit at a time, allowing each foundation to be firmly established before moving to the next.
