Pastor's Blog

 Christianity: Religion or Relationship?

    Recently a video went viral by a well-meaning Christian young man whose message was to declare to the world that Christianity is not a religion, but rather a relationship with a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.  But the problem with a statement like this is that it fails to define the word 'religion'.  This man is just assuming that everyone's definition of 'religion' is the same.  If by 'religion' he means the mere outward rituals or ceremonies of any given faith-system (like Mormonism, or Taoism, or Buddhism, or Judaism, etc), well then he is making a legitimate distinction between Christianity and all those other 'religions'.  Christianity, while having its own distinctive set of doctrines, ordinances and disciplines, is - at its heart - a restored relationship with God through the Person and Work of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not primarily about what 'we' do for God, but what 'God' has done for us in His Son.  However, the historic meaning of the word 'religion' is something quite different.  The word 'religion' means 'a belief in and worship of a personal God or gods'.  It involves the idea of devotion and service to one's deity.  This is precisely why James in James 1:26-27 speaks of 'pure and undefiled' religion vs. corrupt and false religion.  James was not interested in abolishing the word 'religion' from Christianity, but rather clarifying what 'true' religion is.  This is precisely why our spiritual forefathers like Calvin and Luther and others spoke of Christianity as the 'true religion'.  In fact Calvin's Magnum Opus was the "Institutes of the Christian Religion."  How or when did Christianity and 'religion' become antithetical terms?  I would like to know who was responsible for such a false dichotomy.  Using the historic meaning of the word 'religion', we would have to say that Christianity IS a religion, and in fact, the only TRUE religion.

     Religion is inescapable.  Man was created a 'religious' being.  That is, he was created to be a worshiper.  This is built in to the very fabric of his being.  Before the fall, he worshiped and served the true and living God.  When man fell, he did not cease to be religious.  Throughout the centuries, man has continued to be fiercely religious.  There's not a single human being in the world who is not religious or who does not have a religion.  How is this the case?  Because every human being is, at all times, worshiping someone or something.  That someone may be the true and living God,  but in most cases that someone is himself or any number of idols such as power, fame, riches, sex, sports, or creation, or a deity of his own imagination.  The distinction that Christians must make, therefore, is not between Christianity and religion, but between TRUE religion and FALSE.  Christianity is TRUE religion, because it is the religion revealed from Heaven, and because it ascribes all glory to God.  All other religions are false, because they either worship something or someone other than the God of the Bible, or, because through self-righteous or man-centered endeavors, they elevate man and rob God of His rightful honor and glory.