It seems to me that the religion of Christianity - as expressed in the major churches (variously, since very early in church history); was formed from people who wanted several different and mutually incompatible things.
There were "pantheists" who believed in one deity which was everything - so it was vital that the deity was itself everything, or else had-created everything from nothing.
They were focused on the inevitability of change and death ("entropy") which they saw in all material things; and therefore recognized the ultimate and ineradicable insufficiency of incarnate mortal life on this earth.
They also believed that consciousness was a false separation from the reality of universal deity, hence a curse.
These pantheists yearned most for escape from this incarnate, earthly, mortal life and the curse of consciousness; and their hope was to become pure spirit, and exist in a "timeless" state of impersonal bliss.
There is no essential role for Jesus Christ in this tradition.
Jesus is either dissolved back-into the unity of deity; or else regarded as a teacher, helper, advocate or some other such...
(A job that is no doubt admirable, but secondary and dispensable.)
This pantheistic strand got rolled-up into orthodox/ mainstream Christianity, especially from the pre-existing Neo-Platonists and mystery religions. In its purest form this led to the Christian Gnostics; but it is found in all the main Christian churches today - most of all in the monasticism of the Catholic churches, and least of all in Mormonism - but is present in all to some degree.
The other main strand of the religion of Christianity was monotheism; which was mainly from the ancient Hebrews, and the Old Testament.
This emphasizes a supreme and jealous personal God as the only deity; but its focus was on Man's behaviour and happiness in this earthly mortal life.
The monotheistic concern was with evil rather than with "entropy". Its concern was with forming "God's people" as a group.
The monotheistic focus was on morality, on the conduct of life - which was conceptualized as a comprehensive and mandatory Law; with many rules - dictating that which is virtuous; prohibiting that which is evil.
Morality in this-life dictated the after-life; and the major focus of the after-life was Hell rather than Heaven.
Hell was the default state of eternal torment - while Heaven was both uncertain and vague, and mostly co-opted from the pantheistic tradition.
In other words, the monotheistic Heaven (in so far as it is thought about at all) is only superficially distinguishable from the depersonalized state of a pure spirit, dwelling in timeless bliss; thus we get the mental-pictures of de-individualized ranks of Heavenly choirs engaged in perpetual cycles of worship, praise, and celebration of the one God.
Since there must be only one God; the role of Jesus in this monotheistic scheme is very confused, and indeed incoherent. In practice therefore; Jesus is seen as a Messiah whose fundamental task is to abolish evil on earth.
This means that - for monotheists; the concept of entropy is subsumed within the concept of evil.
The monotheistic strand of Christianity is found wherever law, rule, and authority are primary; and in such situations Christian churches become structurally all-but indistinguishable from other monotheisms - Jewish or Islamic.
The task of Messiah is to transform earth into Heaven, to immortalize this mortal lie - and purge it of all evil.
Since this has not happened; Jesus's mortal life was seen as a failure - and he must therefore return in a Second Coming; in a role indistinguishable from that of the one God; to finish the work of Messiah.
Jesus-centred Christians only really exist as individual persons, or small groups - because they (we) are not church-rooted.
This kind of Christianity is described fully in the Fourth Gospel ("John") - when this Book is regarded as autonomous from, and primary among, all scriptures.
The focus is on resurrected eternal life in Heaven; and Jesus is seen as having made this possible - which is a divine act of creation.
Therefore Jesus is fully a God; therefore a God later than, and in addition to, God the primary creator (therefore monotheism is not true).
For Jesus-centred Christians; Jesus was absolutely essential for those who desire salvation.
Before Jesus there was no salvation; and without Jesus salvation would not have been possible.
Jesus-centred Christianity is personal and inter-personal.
Jesus was and is a person. Men are individual persons in mortal life. Jesus and Men stay persons after resurrection and in Heaven.
Love is between persons - not abstract, not "unconditional".
Consciousness is retained after resurrection. Individual natures and purposes are retained after resurrection.
For Jesus-centred Christians; without Jesus, there would not be any resurrected eternal life, Heaven would not exist; and it is only by following Jesus that Men can make the choice of resurrection into everlasting life in Heaven.
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