CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is not a religion. The world is full of religions. Religions try to make you behave a certain way so that you can 'earn' or attain salvation based on what you do or how you act. This takes the focus off of Christ and puts that focus onto you.

Religion seeks God's approval. This is most often attempted through good deeds, zeal, sincerity, one's own actions, or through some human merit system. Religion always results in failure and replaces a meaningful relationship with futility.

Our very best efforts will never, ever be good enough to earn God's approval. We always fall short. We can never erase the fact that we sin against God. We cannot undo our mistakes through good intentions. We don't have to even try.

Christianity is a relationship. We need not strive for God's approval, which we can never earn. We have a very real, personal relationship with God. That relationship is based on the grace of God and what Christ has done for us.

Jesus Christ paid the penalty and saved us from eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ is the only means of having a relationship with God. Christianity is a relationship with a living God.

Many time, throughout the New Testament, we see phrases such as "in Christ," "in Him," and "in Christ Jesus." Christianity is a are position. It is you being brought into the family and being part of that family forever.

Many people tend to see Christianity as a system of ethics. It is not. For these people, the Christian reminds them of their own failures to adhere to their own internal moral compass. These people may lash out, justifying their own choices and asserting they did nothing wrong in the first place, while simultaneously trying to tear down that which they do not understand.