Religion or Relationship?

2018-02-19

Christianity is a Religion

It is common among Christians, whether in truth or in name only, to say that Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Is this true?

This statement is false. Christianity is a religion, and the Bible tells us so:

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:26-27)

The religion of Christianity is to control your tongue, to help those who are weak and poor among us, and to not be worldly. These are good things, and God calls them religion. These things are not the means of salvation, but they are the fruit of following Christ.

Christianity is a Relationship

But is Christianity a relationship? Unlike the word “religion,” the word “relationship” is not in the Bible. However, the concept of a relationship with God is in the Bible:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19)

We were strangers and foreigners, but now we are God’s citizens and children. Now that is a solid relationship! We were born again into a new religion and a new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.