By looking at the biblical texts, we can ascertain the most likely place was Jerusalem. Even though the start of Christianity is found in Jerusalem, it did not stay there. Through the disciples and other followers of Christ, the gospel spread across the known world.
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Christianity’s place of origin goes back to the New Testament. We don't see the start of Christianity in the Old Testament because Christ has not come yet. It is not until after Jesus carried out His early ministry, died for the sins of the world, and was resurrected that we see the origin of Christianity. Through the New Testament, we can see where the place of origin was for Christianity.
The New Testament
The place of origin of Christianity would be where people first started believing in Jesus after His resurrection. These first people would have been His disciples. Before Jesus is taken up into heaven, He leads the disciples to Bethany, which is a place near Jerusalem (Luke 24:51).
Most likely, the place of origin of Christianity was Jerusalem. While many scholars believe it could be Judaea or Caesarea, the most plausible place is Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a place known throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament as a place of importance.
While Jerusalem is most likely the place of origin for Christianity, the first place where believers were called Christians was in Antioch (Acts 11:26). It also should be noted that even before believers were called Christians for the first time, the Day of Pentecost occurred in Acts 2.
On this day, the Holy Spirit descended and filled the church. Individuals started speaking in tongues, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurred, and Peter preached the gospel. It was a monumental day in history for believers and unbelievers alike.
Many individuals try to place Antioch as Christianity’s place of origin; however, Christianity had already begun at this point despite the term “Christian” hadn’t been developed yet. Christianity had already begun from the time Jesus was resurrected.
Through Jesus’ resurrection, He proved Himself to be who He claimed to be — God. Only God could come back from the dead. No mere man could do this, as only God could come back from the dead.
The place where Jesus was buried was in a tomb in a garden. This tomb was in Jerusalem, which is the same tomb the women would have come to on the Monday after Jesus was crucified. Upon coming to the tomb, the women saw it was empty and went to tell the disciples.
This is one of the key reasons why the place of origin for Christianity is Jerusalem because this is where the first people would have been when they believed in Jesus. The Lord had told His disciples that He was going to die for the sins of the world, and in three days, He would rise from the dead (Mark 9:31).
It is plausible many of the women who went to the tomb would have placed faith in Jesus at that moment. It is also plausible when John and Peter came to see the empty tomb that they believed before even seeing the resurrected Lord. Since we have this information from the Bible, we can discern that the most likely place of origin for Christianity is Jerusalem.
Although the start of Christianity was in Jerusalem doesn’t mean Christianity remained here. Before Jesus returns to heaven, He gives His disciples a very important command.
He gives them the Great Commission, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus tells His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. The disciples were not to remain in Jerusalem forever but to spread the gospel to all people.
Church History
From church history, we can see the disciples going to various places across the globe to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Within the New Testament, we also see the man Paul taking the gospel across most of the known world at the time.
Throughout Paul’s multiple missionary trips, he went to many places to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. Paul took the gospel to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Phrygia, Lycaonia, and Galatia to name a few.
We can also see the various places Paul took the disciple from the epistles he wrote. It is without a doubt that Paul took the Gospel to many places over the course of his life.
In the same way, God wants us to also take the message of the gospel around the world. There are thousands of lost people groups who don’t know who Jesus is or the message of salvation.
It is our responsibility as believers to take the gospel to all people to help them come to know Christ too. While missionary work can be hard, it is very rewarding.
To know that you are helping others learn about Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him is the greatest reward. You don’t have to have a “calling” in order to share the gospel. Rather, we are all given the same command to be obedient to the Great Commission.
If we fail to obey the Great Commission, we are disobeying God. While not everyone will have the opportunity to go on an international mission trip, everyone is given multiple opportunities in their daily life to build relationships with others and share the gospel.
Your neighbor, the new foreign exchange student, or the kind person at the coffee shop are all different people you can share the gospel with.
If you have the opportunity to go on an international mission trip, do it, but if you don’t get the opportunity, don’t let it discourage you. You can still share the gospel with those around you.
What is important is that we are obeying God. Since He has told us to share the gospel with all people, this is what we must do. It can be scary at times to share the gospel, but God will help if you ask.
He always loves to hear from you, and He is more than happy to help. You can pray to God today and ask Him to give you some opportunities to share the gospel with others.
Why Does This Matter?
Therefore, the most likely place of origin for Christianity is Jerusalem. From the biblical accounts of people believing in Jesus, Jerusalem is most likely where Christianity started.
Since Jerusalem is the place where Jesus was resurrected, it holds special importance. Respect goes out to all scholars with their different views because we are not told directly in the Bible where Christianity first started.
We are told where the term “Christian” was first used; however, we are not told the exact origin of where Christianity started. By looking at the biblical texts, we can ascertain the most likely place was Jerusalem.
There again, even though the start of Christianity was found in Jerusalem, it did not stay there. Through the disciples and other followers of Christ, the gospel spread across the known world.
Similar to how the disciples obeyed the Great Commission, we are to do the same. We each have the personal responsibility to take the gospel to the lost. We might not travel across oceans, yet we can still share the gospel with those around us.
For further reading:
What Is Evangelical Christianity?
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