What does it mean that Christianity is a relationship and not a religion?
Christians believe that their faith is not a religion but is a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. But what does that mean?
Man’s general idea of ‘religion’ is reaching up to God and trying to become acceptable to Him regardless of what spiritual roads we take to get to heaven.
God’s eternal view differs in that He reaches down to us by sending His son for us so that we could be united with Him.
This relationship is not because we decided to start it, but rather it is God who began it.
1 John 4:19 (NKJV)
We love Him because He first loved us.
God is the author of loving relationships, and the standard of love that He sets is on a much higher level;
John 15:13 (NKJV)
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Jesus willingly paid the tremendous price as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we could have fellowship with God forever.
Having a relationship with God goes above and beyond the normal ritualistic spiritual behavior. But, unfortunately, many religions have invented barriers and rituals that faith becomes a mere chore rather than a relation.
We do not go to heaven because we are tagged as Christian, but we go to heaven because we have a “relationship” with the one God who is in Heaven. And this communion or relation with God is only possible through belief in Jesus Christ.
On a side note, God did not just start loving when He created mankind. God is a Trinity (1 God in 3 distinct persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Therefore, since eternity pass a loving relationship/community of the Godhead existed through which all creation was made.
God now invites us into this community so that we could fellowship and spend eternity with the one who loves you and me.
So if you are looking for a relationship with the creator of the entire universe, look no further than at the Christian Faith and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We love because he first loved us.
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