The Daily Bible Message presents: Christian symbols and their meanings!
You already know that God is always with us, observing our actions, reading our thoughts, and guiding us when we need it the most. He’s always there with us, supporting us through tough times and allowing us to make mistakes so we can become better versions of ourselves.
When you have faith, you see all sorts of symbols, wherever you are. You can think that they’re coincidences and don’t mean anything in particular, or you can choose to see them as signs that divine power is always watching your back.
Speaking of that, in today’s article, I want us to talk about Christian symbols, how they appeared, and most importantly, their meaning. They’ve been illustrating important tenets of our faith since the time of the Bible, so we must learn more about them and understand why God left them in this material world.
Without further ado, let’s rediscover some of the most popular and powerful Christian symbols, and let’s bring divinity closer to us. Let’s begin!
What exactly are Christian symbols?
Before we dive into today’s topic, we need to have the basic knowledge to understand further concepts. The first thing we all need to know is that every Christian symbol is part of Christian symbolism.
To avoid needless persecution in the early centuries of the church, Christians frequently adopted symbols that weren’t popular at the time. After the powerful Roman Empire legalized Christianity in the 4th century, these special tokens gained more and more recognition.
Nowadays, Christian symbolism includes both tokens that are unique to our faith, like the cross and symbols that have been appropriated from other contexts to symbolize Christian ideas, such as the candle.
In simpler words, these Christian symbols communicate important spiritual concepts that bring us closer to God. Everybody has a different type of faith, but these tokens help us understand that we’re all on the same side but on different paths.
Now that you know a bit more about these magnificent tokens and how they can help our hearts and minds, it’s time to discuss some of the most popular Christian symbols in the world.
1. The cross
The cross is one of the oldest and most well-known Christian symbols. This token depicts the t-shaped structure of the biblical cross, on which Jesus gave his precious life to save humanity.
Besides the regular simple cross, there are also crucifixes, which are crosses with a figure that symbolizes Jesus on them. If you go to church, you’ll see this special token outside and inside the building, reminding us about God’s sacrifice and his unconditional love for us.
To express their beliefs, people would occasionally place little crosses inside their homes, wear crosses as jewelry, or even put crosses on their cars. If you want to have a source of inspiration, power, and positivity with you wherever you are, you can carry a tiny cross in your bag.
I struggled with anxiety and depression many times, especially since all my children left the family home, making their own little and lovely families, and my husband and I are by ourselves. I always have a cross necklace as part of my jewelry because I want to feel God’s love and strength close to my heart. If you want one too, here‘s a great one!
2. The candle
The candle is another one of these important Christian symbols, and I believe you already have it at home. Religious people say that candles have always been symbols of spiritual enlightenment and hope, and I don’t know about you, but I find comfort in this statement.
Light is a symbol of God’s presence in various religions, including Christianity, which offers hope and the enlightenment of wisdom. That might be why you feel safe and protected during the day. God is light, as 1 John 1:5 tells us, and 1 John 1:5-7 encourages us to walk in the light of our relationships with God.
We have heard him say this, and we repeat it: God is light, and there is no darkness in him. We are lying and not living up to the truth if we say we have fellowship with Christ, yet we continue to walk in the dark.
Since a candle is a magical source of life, that’s what this token represents to us: light, purity, love, affection, inspiration, and motivation. The candle is one of the purest Christian symbols of all time because it reminds us that we’re not alone in this world, and regardless of how hard some situations might seem, choosing faith will help us reach our happy journey.
3. The dove
Let’s continue with these Christian symbols because there are many wonderful things we can discover today. You’ve probably seen doves many times in church or the Bible, and these birds are tiny, elegant, and closely related to pigeons.
Even though doves have a wide variety of lovely hues and patterns, Christian symbolism typically depicts solid white birds since white is typically associated with purity.
If you’ve read the Bible, you know that the Holy Spirit appeared during Jesus’ baptism as a dove in Luke 3:21–22. While he was praying, the sky parted, allowing the Holy Spirit to appear to him as a dove, and a voice from heaven uttered, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.”.
That divine episode is also described in Matthew 3:16–17, so we know for sure that the Holy Spirit was represented by a glorious dove. In our faith, this tiny bird also represents peace.
The reason why we consider the bird a symbol of peace is because that’s how it appeared in the Bible story of the worldwide flood. God didn’t want sin to contaminate the world and the people he loved so much, so he flooded the earth.
Noah and the Ark
But his heart was big and warm, and he didn’t want to hurt every human or animal. He chose a small group of religious and obedient people, including the great prophet Noah. He told him to build an ark (a massive boat) to save the chosen ones, along with two of every creature from the ground and the air, so they could reproduce after the flood.
Noah wanted to make sure that the flood was over so everyone on the ark could go on the ground again, so he sent a dove and saw what would happen if the water had receded from the surface of the ground”.
However, because there was water on the entire surface of the planet, the dove was unable to locate a place to perch and returned to Noah aboard the ark. He waited another seven days and nights before he sent the gracious little bird out again.
A beautiful and pure thing happened the second time. When the dove came back to him, there was a freshly picked olive leaf in its mouth. The prophet then realized that the earth’s water level had dropped.
In this impressive tale, the olive branch symbolizes the serenity of God’s new covenant with humanity, which is to save us from the ultimate devastation caused by sin and to show us his grace and love instead.
Keep reading to discover other amazing Christian symbols and the story behind them!
4. The fish
There are many Christian symbols in the Bible, and one of the most impressive ones is the fish. Since many Christians were being persecuted at the time, early Christians used a fish sign called an Ichthys to identify one another’s faith in private circles.
The word “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior” is derived from the ancient Greek word “Ichthys,” which means fish. The Christian fish sign features an outline of a fish with two intersecting arcs.
When Jesus first invited his disciples to follow him, he used the symbolism of fish. He did that while people were fishing and told them that if they followed him, they’d receive all the fish they needed to feed the hungry ones.
Many impressive things happened in the Bible and impressed us deeply, such as the episode when Jesus multiplied fish and loaves of bread to feed thousands of people who were listening to him preach.
But that was not all, because the Bible shows us that Jesus was incredibly powerful and stronger than everything humankind could’ve ever imagined.
For example, John 21:1–14 tells the story of how, following his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee’s shore and gave them the supernatural ability to catch an incredible number of fish. After that, the Son of God grabbed some fish, cooked it with some bread, and invited his loved disciples to join him at the table.
All these wonderful Christian symbols have a meaning behind them, waiting to be decrypted and shared with all of those who have faith. For instance, the fish we’ve talked about can be seen as a sign that God’s son is a savior and is ready to help everyone in need.
If you have faith that God is always with you and you trust him no matter how difficult something might seem, you can be sure that everything will turn out well, and he’ll come and rescue you when you need it the most.
5. The rainbow
You probably wouldn’t expect to see the rainbow as one of the Christian symbols, but we’ll discover everything about this token in the following minutes. Rainbows are magical and stunning, and they can make us feel happier and have hope even when things don’t go according to plan.
I don’t know about you, but for me, seeing a rainbow in the sky can be awe-inspiring because it reminds me of the wonder of God’s creation and my own life. The Bible says that rainbows serve as a Christian metaphor for the lovely steadfastness and grace of God.
A rainbow is one of the happiest and most precious Christian symbols, and as Genesis 9 states, it can be seen as a symbol of God’s vow to never again wipe out creation with a flood, as he did during Noah’s day as punishment for sin. Isn’t that gorgeous?
Moreover, the Bible says that God wants us to be safe and to know that he’s always there for us, even if it might not seem like it at times. While he might send dangerous thunderstorms to the ground, he will then send a rainbow to show us that he’s there, and that hard times will always pass and be followed by beauty, grace, and goodness.
6. Crown of thorns
Let’s continue with these Christian symbols because we have a few more to cover. The crown of thorns that Jesus wore before his crucifixion is one of the most striking representations of Christianity, and we can all imagine why.
Before Jesus gave his life to save humankind, people who didn’t believe in the power of God told everyone that the son of God was a liar, and put a crown of thorns on his head after twisting it together. They mocked him while kneeling in front of him and putting a staff in his right hand. They cried out, “Hail, king of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29)
Since thorns are frequently used in the Bible to symbolize sin, it makes sense that Jesus would wear a crown of thorns to pay for everyone’s mistakes. However, the suffering and the pain he experienced were terrible, and the fact that it was a crown was a mockery.
We can say that the crown was quite fitting (in a terrible way) since he represents the King of Christianity—Jesus Christ, the fair Lord who came to earth to save people. The crown of thorns is
7. Christian star
The Christian star, also known as the Star of David, is a six-pointed symbol formed by two interlocking triangles, one pointing up and the other pointing down. It was named after King David, and you can see it on the Israeli flag. Even though this token is highly associated with Judaism and Israel, many Christians identify with it.
This special five-pointed star is an emblem connected to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. According to Matthew 2, some wise men known as the Magi followed a star toward Jerusalem in an attempt to find the newborn King.
The star then guided them to Bethlehem, the exact place where Jesus was born. They bowed, worshipped, and gave gifts to the kid when they discovered him with his mother: gold as a symbol of the earthly monarchy, myrrh, which is an embalming oil, as a representation of death, and frankincense as a representation of divinity.
Which one of these Christian symbols do you see the most in your day-to-day life? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section, and let us know how you connect with God every single day!
8. Christian circle
We’re almost done with these Christian symbols that bring faith closer to us, but before we head out, we have to say a few things about the circle, because it’s one of the most important tokens.
In Christianity, the circle represents eternity, a bond that can never be broken, which is exactly why wedding rings are considered sacred, endless circles. Christian couples believe that exchanging wedding rings symbolizes the internal connection between two hearts becoming one and the promise to love one another faithfully for all of eternity.
Since all these Christian symbols have their own unique story, we have to talk about this special one. The Bible says that the marriage between husband and wife also represents the relationship between Jesus Christ and his bride, the church.
The church says that people who decide to get married before God should respect, love, and cherish their partner at all times and try their best to live happily together.
Which one of these stories did you find the most interesting? Let us know in the comments below! If you want to know more about spiritual life and these Christian symbols, you can always read the Bible and connect with God on a deeper level. Here‘s an amazing edition; check it out!
If you liked reading this article about the meaning of the most popular Christian symbols and you’d love to read something else from The Daily Bible Message, here’s an amazing post for you: 8 Signs Your Loved One Is in Heaven
