You may have been in church recently and heard either your pastor or someone else say, "Christianity is not so much a religion as it is a relationship." I've heard pastors say something akin to this quite often, and it can make one wonder if such a statement is true or if it's just some nice sounding fluff born on social media. As always, Scripture provides the best answer to this question.
So what about Christianity makes it a religion? Christians have religious practices that only we, as believers, practice; these include taking communion (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) and baptizing others in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Christians also have a religious leader we follow; Jesus Christ who we rightly call a "high priest." It is written, "we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God," (Hebrews 4:14). Our high priest has also issued us religious commands, such as, "Love one another," (John 13:34). Christians also gather together in religious buildings called churches. This is because we, as believers, know that gathering together can "spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another," (Hebrews 10:24-25). Beyond this Christians celebrate religious holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, with a focus on the Christian roots of these celebrated days (Christmas being Jesus' birth and Easter being His resurrection). On top of all this, Christians have a religious text, the Bible, which we describe as being "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16).
I'm not sure there's any way around it, but a simple observation of Christianity seems to clearly illustrate that Christianity is a religion.
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| In affirming that Christianity is a religion it may seem like it's equal with other religions, but Christianity offers the only form of worship that God considers good and pleasing (Romans 12:1-2), and He rejects all others, because they reject Him (John 14:6). |
So, if Christianity is truly a religion, does that mean it is not a relationship? Nope. Christianity is both a religion and a relationship.
If Christianity is a relationship, then with whom is a Christian's relationship? The answer is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So, what kind of a relationship does a Christian have with God? That relationship takes on many forms.
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| God wants to have a personal relationship with us, for He says He is with us wherever we go (Matthew 28:20). |
The first type of relationship I will address that a Christian has with God is probably the hardest one to "swallow." A Christian is God's servant, and God is a Christian's master. It is written that God has bought each believer at a great price, (1 Corinthians 6:20). Since we, as believers, are people who have been purchased by God and have been given commands by God, then that makes us God's servants and He our master. Paul described himself as "a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God," (Romans 1:1). Paul wrote to believers, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness," (Romans 6:18). Even though we are lowly servants, we have nothing to fear, because God is our master. God is good (Nahum 1:7), God is loving (1 John 4:7), and the burden He gives us is easy and light (Matthew 11:30). God is a good master, and we should always strive to do what He asks, because what He asks is always "excellent and profitable for everyone," (Titus 3:8).
In addition to this, a Christian's relationship with God is that of a friendship. Yes, we, as believers, should say, "Jesus is a friend of mine," because it is Jesus who first called us His friends. He says to His followers that we are not just His servants, but that He calls us "friends, for everything that [He] learned from [His] Father [He has] made known to [us]," (John 15:15). God has chosen His believers to be His friends, and "a friend loves at all times," (Proverbs 17:17). It is written of what Jesus sacrificed for us, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, and [we] are [God's] friends if [we] do what [He] commands," (John 15:13-14). We, as believers, have all done what Jesus commands, when He says that we should repent of our sins (Mark 1:15) and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).
We, as believers, are not only God's servants and His friends, but we are also members of His family. We call God our Father, because "those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God," (Romans 8:14). It is written, "He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will," (Ephesians 1:5). The fact that you, as a believer, are in God's family gives Him great joy! God is our Father, and nothing can separate us from Him. We, as His children, "are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness," (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Remember and trust what is written in Romans chapter 8 from verses 38 to 39:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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| Yes, Jesus loves you, and the Bible tells you so (John 3:16). |
So, with what I just addressed, here's a big question: Are we Christians because of our religious practices or is it because of our relationship with Christ? The Biblical response to this question is quite sobering.
Anyone can have themselves dunked in water on a Sunday morning. Anyone can eat bread and drink grape juice in a sanctuary hall. Anyone can claim that Jesus is the most important guiding figure in their lives. Anyone can love their neighbor (at least somewhat). Anyone can go to church. Anyone can celebrate Christmas as being Jesus' birthday. Anyone can read the Bible. Anyone can do all of these things, and yet not be a Christian. It is sad but true that many people will approach God and say to Him "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?," and God will say to them, "I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:22-23). We, as believers, can do a lot of religious things, but none of that will make us Christs' servants, friends or family who will be allowed into His presence. It is written of Jesus Christ in the gospel of John in chapter 1 from verses 11 to 13:
He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
We, as believers, have a strong, permanent and loving relationship with God, because we have believed in Him; "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Our beliefs, not our religious practices, is on what our salvation rests. It is our beliefs in Christ that give us assurance that our names are written in the Book of Life, and we will one day enter into God's presence and live with Him forever.
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He's comin' back again, we believe
- Newsboys
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