Is Christianity a Religions? || Religions vs Christianity || What made Christianity difference from every Religions in the world.
Is Christianity a religion? If yes, what are the proofs? If no, what are the difference between RELIGION and CHRISTIANITY? There are what this post stand to address. There has been a lot of debate on whether Christianity is a religion or not. Are these two really related? These issues are truly mind-boggling and emotionally draining since this subject has been one of the taboo topics in the world. We will explain what Christianity is and what religion is and differences.
What is Religion?
The term religion comes from the Latin word “religio” with the original meaning of having obligations to the gods. But by definition, religion is how humans try their very best to be in touch with the supreme and divine being. Most of the time, this effort exerted by humans involves the effort of humans to be pleasing and acceptable before God and also to signify the essence of life on earth.
Read: Different Kinds of Faith
Religion was first used in Christianity but through the passage of years, the word has slowly become known to demonstrate the connection of humans to the holy one. To mention a few of the most popular religions in the world are Judaism, Jainism, Hinduism, traditional, Islam, Roman Catholicism and more.
Religious beliefs bring about useful significance on how people should make the best of living. Religions also often consists of explanations on the questions about the existence of humans on earth; devotion to supreme and supernatural beings; rituals and other activities and objects considered sacred; moral conducts and dress codes especially for the leaders of the religion.
The religious beliefs are categorized into two namely: organized religion in which their doctrines are ceremoniously documented; and folk religion in which cultural customs have been established. Leaders of different religions known as religious professionals are present in the organized and folk forms. They are the ones who epitomize the orderly facets of religion. Their leadership also requires them to perform certain rituals and practices in order for them to fully govern the sect.
Every religion measures their followers’ membership based on how much you can obey the rules. Religion is based on what human being can do for God to accept him/her.
What is Christianity?
Christianity comes from its root word Christ. The origin of the word “Christ” is derived from the Greek term Christos which means “The Anointed One by the Holy Spirit.” Christos is the Greek counterpart of the Hebrew word Mashiach meaning Messiah or Son of God.
The movement of Christianity was started by Jesus Christ of Nazareth in 1st-century Israel. It is a Spirit of God led movement. The leader Jesus Christ came on earth and said He is Savior and started to do unusual signs and wonders with many miracles like raising a dead body that has been buried for about four days. These made many people to believe that He is truly the Son of God that will save people.
Read: How to Be A Child of God
Religious leaders in his time began to lose followers as many began to understand God’s principles better as Jesus was demonstrating His teachings with proven results. These made many of religious leaders to hate Jesus and they plotted on how to kill Him.
Uniqueness of Christianity
It is ONLY the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ that propels a Christian life. Without this Spirit of God in you, one cannot be a Christian. It’s a movement of Love propelled by Spirit of God through Christ.
Christians are people that accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and they are living their lives to please Him. A Christian is a person who has allowed the Spirit of Christ to control his/her lifestyle via love. Any life that is ruled by Spirit of Jesus Christ is a Christian.
The Big Common Mistake:
Many people all over the world see Christianity as a religion and approach Christianity with their religious background. Every religion in the world is the same in nature, they measure their followers’ membership based on how much you can obey the rules. Religion is based on what human being can do for God to accept him/her, but Christianity is based on what the Savior (Christ Jesus) has done for His followers. That is, Jesus took away the punishment of His followers’ sins and qualify them to become children of God.
There are great different between Christianity and Religion and thick wall that separate both.
Christianity vs Religion, the Differences from www.middletownbiblechurch.org
| RELIGION | CHRISTIANITY |
| “Salvation is something I must do. I must somehow earn or gain salvation by the way I live.” | “Salvation is something only God can do. Salvation is of the LORD!” (Eph. 2:8-9; Jonah 2:9). |
| Religion is summed up in one word: DO–man trying to DO different things to please God and earn His favor. | Christianity is summed up in one word: DONE–Christ dying on the cross to save sinful man (John 19:30). |
| The religious man is busy “working” (doing good works) in order to be saved. | The saved person is “not working” (Rom. 4:5) but is RESTING upon the finished work of His Savior. |
| TRYING | TRUSTING (Acts 16:31) |
| A Work to Do which is never done (How can anyone work well enough and hard enough to earn salvation?) | A Word to Believe (1 Pet. 1:25) about a Work that is Done (1 Pet. 1:18-19). |
| Man hoping to save himself | God saving hopeless man (1 Tim. 1:15) |
| RELIGION is man trying to BRING HIMSELF TO GOD (by human effort, good works, ritualism, traditionalism, sacraments, etc.). | CHRISTIANITY is Christ BRINGING US TO GOD on the basis of what He did for us on the cross (1 Peter 3:18). |
| Religion is man trusting his own good works (Titus 3:5). | Salvation is man trusting the good work which the Lord Jesus did on the cross (Rom. 3:22-26). |
| A religious ritual | A real relationship (John 17:3) |
| Following rules | Enjoying life (John 6:47; 10:10). |
| “I must reform my life and turn over a new leaf” | “I must be born again” (John 3:7). |
| Doing Something | Knowing Someone (John 17:3) |
| Seeking to earn God’s favor by works | Receiving God’s favor by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8 and see Eph. 1:6). |
| “I can work my way to heaven and earn my salvation” (Romans 6:23 teaches that we have earned our way to hell: “the wages of sin is death”) | “I could never live well enough to earn my way to heaven. Christ had to pay the price for my salvation (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). |
| “Salvation is something that a person must earn.” | “Salvation is a free gift” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 4:10). |
| The sinner sees himself as good (Luke 18:11-12). | The sinner sees himself as sinful (Luke 18:13). |
| The religious man compares himself with others (Luke 18:11). | The saved man sees himself as God sees him (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 53:1-3; Rom. 3:10-12). |
| TRUSTING SELF (Luke 18:9) | TRUSTING CHRIST (Eph. 1:12-13) |
| BOASTING IN SELF (Luke 18:11-12) | BOASTING IN THE LORD (1 Cor. 1:29-31; Eph. 2:9) |
| “I have kept the law! I have done that which God has required” (Matthew 19:16-20). | “I have broken the law but I am trusting the One who came into this world to save guilty lawbreakers” (1 Tim. 1:15). |
| A religious man trying to earn his way to heaven by works may be likened to a man trying to swim from New York to London by his own efforts and energy and strength. He will never make it! | The person who is saved by faith is likened to a man getting on a ship in New York and trusting that ship to bring him safely to London. This man simply rests upon the ship and lets the ship do all the work. |
| The religious man is seeking to establish his own righteousness (Rom. 10:3). | The saved man is satisfied with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). |
| Hoping to be saved by good works (a false hope) | Saved unto good works by God’s grace (Eph. 2:10). |
| Religion says, “Good works are those things that a person does to be saved.” | The Bible says, “Good works are those things that a saved person does” (James 2:14-26). |
| “Christ is my Example and Teacher. I try to follow Him and live as He lived.” | Christ is my Saviour and Substitute. I am trusting Him and only Him to save me” (Luke 23:40-43). |
| “I hope I will be saved.” “I think I will be saved.” “I feel that I will be saved, maybe.” |
“I KNOW I am saved right now” (1 John 5:13-“These things have I written unto you that believe on to name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life”). |
Read: The Joy of Being a Christian
Religion looks very attracting from outside but full of bondage, failures, frustrations and empty when you come into it. It does not satisfy the spirit of his captives.
Religion is humanity’s attempt to reach out to God or the sacred or divine. It involves human effort to become acceptable to God or to give meaning to one’s life. Yet, no human effort can give any human access to God. On the other hand, Christianity, is based on someone’s faith in what Jesus Christ has done 2000 years ago.
One of the biggest challenge the Gospel of Christ or Christianity has faced people’s misunderstanding Christianity as a Religion and so they approach it as so. Many have used the frustrations and emptiness they got from religions to reject Gospel which what every human on earth need.