Christians know the Good News. We're all sinners (Rom 3:23), but while we were sinners, God sent His Son to die for us (Rom 5:8). If you place your trust in Him, your sin can be forgiven and you can be given the righteousness of His Son (2 Cor 5:21). Good news, indeed.
But, as, we are often reminded, "It's not a religion; it's a relationship."
Imagine, then, this Judge before Whom we stand clothed in sinner's rags. "How do you plead?" He asks. You can answer nothing but, "Guilty." But your trust is in Christ Who stands alongside. "Yes, Judge, but I paid for it. His crimes are pardoned and he is now as pure as the driven snow and as righteous as I." The Judge slams the gavel. "Case dismissed!" Then He gets up from the bench. He comes around to where you stand. He removes the dirty garments and places new, clean robes on you. He puts His arm around you and says, "I'm adopting you. You will come home with Me and be My son." (Gal 4:4-5)
If "religion" is defined as "a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices", Christianity is a religion, without a doubt. But if the essence of Christianity is a personal relationship with Christ, an adoption by the Father, a partaking of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), then it is far more than a religion; it is a relationship worth celebrating for eternity.
2 comments:
I've often mused, can't it be both? Shouldn't it be both?
My point exactly. It IS both. In fact, the relationship aspect makes it a unique religion.
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