First, there is almost always a differ in the way people viewing ‘religion’ in these interactions. A non-Christian might think:religion - a set of belief relating to a higher powerWhereas the Christian in this situation is using the term to meanreligion - a set of practices related to God that you have to do to be a part of the groupSo this different definition usually slips people up and we end up talking past each other.To clarify the Christian point, use the 2nd definition. Another way to put this is to say ”Christianity is not religious, it’s relational. Which can look the same sometimes.”

Differing Definitions

Jesus, in Matt 23 has a lot of words to say about the pharisees, religious (Jewish) leaders in Jesus’ time who were full of hypocrisy and failed to being people to God. Instead they did fanciful things or followed religious practices to a T, but they ignored the true nature of following God. They were outwardly righteous but inwardly had no true belief but instead acted like their own authority.“Woe to you.. Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness;” Matt 23:23More below‭‭

What Jesus Tells Us

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matt‬ ‭23‬:‭27‬-‭28‬“therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬

More Jesus About The Pharisees

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭20‬:‭46‬-‭47“And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” ‭‭Matt ‭15‬:‭3

More Jesus On Religious People

“‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” ‭‭Matt ‭15‬:‭8‬-‭9‬So to give a bit of an explanation with these verses, Christians believe Jesus here is making a claim about how we connect with God. That it’s a heart posture, not a behavioral one. We cannot win God’s approval through how good we look to others or what we do for the church or etc. Our connection to God comes from our heart being for Him and His glory and humbling ourselves.”whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” 23:12

Even More On Jesus On Religious Leaders

Jesus here is not saying to not abide by what people call a religion. He isn’t saying don’t participate in these event. The pharisees were in fact excellent at ‘abiding by’ the laws laid out in the Old Testament (which Christ affirms) so it wouldn’t make sense for Him to try tearing that down. What He is suggesting is that you should not be a hypocrite or heartless and do these actions for the sake of trying to win God’s approval or man’s approval and your motive should be from the heart to love the Lord your God with all of your heart mind and strength. You can’t win over God through actions.

Wrapping Up Jesus’ Idea of Religion

God knows that man is not perfect nor can we be perfect. That means we can’t rely on our behavior and need to rely on something else for salvation from God. However some might say this is a new idea with Jesus and the Jews of the Torah didn’t have the same concept of the ‘from the heart’ belief.I’d like to express a concept from the OT that I think proves God is looking towards our hearts and that’s the tenth commandment.“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife… or anything that is your neighbor’s.” ‭‭Ex‬ ‭20‬:‭17‬Coveting is only an internal sin.

Old Testament Evidence God Wants Your Heart, Not Perfect Action

We are also taught that the fathers of the OT weren’t saved by the incredible amount of works they did or how good they might’ve seemed to their neighbor, but by faith. This proves that the Abrahamic religion of Judaism and now Christianity have always been about faith, not committing perfectly to the works of the law (impossible task).“For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Rom ‭4‬:‭3‬(Also see Heb 11) This idea of faith not works goes against ‘religious traditionalism’. That’s just a tittle of evidence against the ‘religiousness

Old Testament Leaders Are Saved By Faith, Not Their Works

The NT authors seem to believe Christians are all directly connected to God, and that our behavior is a product of reacting to His love for us that He would give us a way to be directly connected and reconciled to Him. We act from the heart in gratitude towards Him and in love for Him. We don’t act to win His favor, which is what Christians will tend to identify as ‘religious’ behavior or mindset. It would be impossible to do anything to win God’s favor. How would you? Act perfectly according to His law? Good luck. And if you’ve ever broken the law you’re already too far gone. We need saving.

New Testament Authors On Heart, Not Show

“let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.” ‭‭Heb‬ ‭10‬:‭22‬, ‭24‬-‭25‬, ‭34‬

New Testament Calls Us to Be Genuine

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” ‭‭1 Jn‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬“The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” 1 Jn‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” ‭‭1 Jn‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬

New Testament Calls Us to Be Genuine Pt. 2

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” ‭‭Jms‬ ‭4‬:‭8“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” ‭‭Ephs ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭22‬

New Testament Calls Us to Be Genuine Pt. 

As you can see, even from just a few examples, the New Testament authors, along with Christ, want us to seek God genuinely from the heart, knowing that we’re already loved and saved. We’re not to seek approval from God for what we have done.“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” Matt‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬Although what we do pleases God, it’s not to win him over though pleasing Him, but because we love Him that we want to please Him.

Our Faith Is About Relationship

Hopefully you’re starting to get the picture. There’s even more to find in the Bible, the Word of God. Based on how Jesus and the New Testament authors spoke about HOW we are connected to God, we, generally have come to the conclusion that our connection with God is relation, not transactional or a matter of following religious tradition. Not that those are wrong, but they can cloud the true picture of connection with God, which happened also with the Pharisees.We were made for fellowship with God, earnestly and genuinely.

Relational, Not Religious

If you’re not already in relationship with God, then you need to turn to Christ today and abandon the hypocritical religious showing off, or turn away from the sins that are separating you from God. Genuinely turn towards and seek Him and He will not hide from you. You’re imperfect, as am I and everyone else. This means you have no chance at reconciling your debt to a perfect God unless someone who is perfect has paid the debt for you. There is a person who, because He loved you, paid that debt so he can swap righteousness with you in the face of God.Read the gospels for yourself and decide!

Good News

People will often say that Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Lots of times, the reason is to get away from the negative connotation that the word ‘religion’ has (oppressive, strict, closed-minded, hateful, etc.), but there’s more to it than one might think. Let’s get into it.

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

Why do Christians say “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.”?

“For I, the LORD, love justice…” Is 61:8“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: For there is no partiality with God.” ‭‭Rom ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭6‬, ‭11‬ God is perfectly Holy and Just. Each person will receive what’s due to them at the end of their life.

God Is All Just

Death is separation from God. The severing of the connection to life, and God is life.“For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;” ‭‭Jn 5‬:‭26‬“Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” ‭‭Jn‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬And we receive death as our payment for sin.“For the wages of sin is death…” Rom 6:23And EVERYONE receives this payment because all have sinned.“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” ‭‭Rom‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬Essentially, we’re in debt to God and we owe our own life.

Everyone Is Owed Death

“…and in Him there is no sin.” ‭‭1 Jn‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬“…Him who knew no sin …” ‭‭2 Cor ‭5‬:‭21‬“who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” ‭‭1 Pet‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬ “…but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬Jesus Christ lived without ever sinning, meaning He is not in debt. He is not owed death, but He is owed life! He is the only one worthy of eternal life and fellowship with The Father. And He chose this behavior, He isn’t just a robot programmed by The Father.”…not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬

Jesus Christ Lived A Perfect Life

Rather, his entire life was an offering and one of willing obedience to God's will. Therefore, his willingness was a conscious decision to fulfill not his own will, but the will of the one who sent him.

Christ, on the cross, took our debt upon Himself. All of it, for everyone. He took OUR wages of death so we don’t have to.“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him...” ‭‭Is ‭53‬:‭5‬“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” ‭‭1 Pet‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf...” ‭‭2 Cor ‭5‬:‭21‬This concept is all over in the New Testament. These are just a few examples to show the concept that Jesus took our sin.

Christ Willingly Took Our Sin Upon Himself To Cover Our Debt

Jesus Christ died with our sin on His shoulders, but He did not stay dead! God raised Him from the dead, on the third day therefore stamping out the power death has over human souls. We can be free from the chains of death because Christ conquered death.“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” ‭‭Heb‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬“and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” ‭‭Rev 1‬:‭18‬

Jesus Overcame Death Because Th Father Raised Him From The Dead

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”‭‭1 Cor‬ ‭15‬:‭55‬-‭57‬“but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬“The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” ‭‭1 Cor‬ ‭15‬:‭26Jesus Christ has power over death.

More About Beating Death

You can have the same power over death! Here is the last half of many verses you’ve read earlier:“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” Is‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” ‭‭1 Pet‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor‬ ‭5‬:‭21We can tap into this power!

When Christ died on the cross, He gave us the opportunity to swap righteousness with Him in the sight of God. We have ALL sinned and become imperfect in the eyes of a perfectly holy and just God. We can’t harmonize with Him, fellowship with Him, etc. if we are imperfect. But if Christ advocates for us and says “I paid their debt with my perfection,” then we can be reconciled into relationship with God.“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” ‭‭2 Cor‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬

We Share In His Righteousness

“being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” ‭‭Rom‬ ‭3‬:‭24“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor‬ ‭5‬:‭21There’s plenty that you’ll discover as you read the Bible

More About Justification

If you believe in Christ and turn away from your own way of living and towards His, you’ll be grated eternal life alongside Christ. You’ll be rereconciled to Him and be in relationship with Him.“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”We ‭‭2 Cor‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭19‬

You Can Share In This Righteousness!

To be saved, you must believe in your heart and confess that Jesus is Lord and live it out. The. You’ll be justified and reconciled with Christ.“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16

You Can Be Saved!

In sum, Christ had to die because our penalty was death. What we were owed was death. He took on OUR loan of death and paid back all of our death debt.Read the Gospels, turn from your sin and rely on Christ today.

So Why Did Christ Have To Die?

A lot of people say “God killed Himself” or “God murdered His own Son” as a sort of objection towards Christianity. The idea is that if God is All-Powerful, could He not simply bring us into Heaven to be with Him and not have to kill Jesus? I’ll try to answer that question for you.

Why do Christians say “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.”?

Why did God have to “kill Himself” for us?

Levi Brooks