god help: did you know that Christianity is not supposed to be a religion ? - Help.com

Never thought about it that way…

No, “Christianity” is the religion based on the teachings of Jesus. It was created amongst his followers that felt that Jesus was the messiah, and Paul eventually turned that into a full-fledged religion.

Turning it into “A relationship with god” is merely one more philosophy born out of the christian ideology, just like the 700+ other sects of it. Keep it up and you’ll have your very own sect!

In fact, “a relationship with god,” depending on what god you are talking about, could begin to border on Deism (but only if you are not expecting any divine interaction).

You mean you gave money to the church and that, in turn, gave you a relationship with god. Buying your way into heaven?

True, but if I get asked my religion, I say that I’m Christian.

I agree, If you believe in the lord and trust only in him then your a christian

Now what’s the difference between god and GOD?

Well, if you only have a relationship with a certain god, then you aren’t a christian! Teachings of Jesus/New Testament = christianity. Perhaps you’d rather start a religion based on the Old Testament, where you really get to know about the christian god (and that many christians tend to not understand/read).

And Missa, the only difference seems to be his inability to keep his pinky off of the Shift key…

Ah, I understand now. Yea whatever happened to the god in the old testament? Did they throw him out the f***ing truck? Why do they worship a man? Jesus was a man wasn’t he?

**I know, these are some silly questions.

True christian accept the whole bible because the whole bible is the word of God the Old and the New, if you only accept part of the bible then your not a true believer and you only chose what to believe.

But the very definition of “true christianity” is to follow the teachings that Paul brought to light from the New Testament after Jesus passed on. It’s curious at how when I was growing up a christian, the teachers hardly ever spoke about the OT…only passed over Genesis and gave some history of Mosaic Judaism. Only after I was able to fully read through the bible did I notice why they had skipped over it. The christian ideal of god changes a lot between the OT and NT.

Jesus was a jew, Jesus didn’t come down to change anything he came down to for fill the word of God, by dying on the cross and saving the elect.

Many religions skip so many things and teach what they want to teach, that is why everyone should read the bible and discover the truth or the missing information

Missa, I have to confess, I am confused as to why you ask questions that by your own admission are silly. As far as the OT, it is something Christians could use to study more, as is the rest of the bible. It seems to me that the majority of most people’s knowledge about biblical things comes from hearsay.
As far as the difference between god and GOD, GOD is just God with more emphasis and indicates a 3-O monotheistic deity, whereas god refers to any deity figure.

I apologize for the woundings of “religion”. None of us deserve that baggage.

The enemy loves for us to get caught up in that baggage. It’s such a personal journey each of us are on. Thank God for His grace and mercy. Fortunately, we are able to better understand our journey through the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings
(Matthew 22:38-40)

Before Christ it was difficult for mankind to have a relationship with God.

We see the select few in the old testament who God called friend.

Sorry for all you non blievers but you cannot understand.

Much like it is impossible to understand when we see the beautiful woman or the outrageously handsome man married to ugly opposite.

We cannot understand the realtionship because we are not in it.

Relationship with our Father God is only possible as we learn to Love Him.

We can only learn to love Him as we surrender to His outpouring of Love for us.

If you don’t understand and do not want this faith “forced on you” drop out of the post.

Please do not dump on this sister in Christ for attempting to share on this on line community.

It is her calling and compassion from God Himself which compells her to do so.

For you Olden, remember, we are commanded in scripture to not resist gathering together with other believers.

Remember churches are filled with imperfect people.

Many are filled with people who only profess Christianity yet they do not know Christ.

It isn’t difficult for a Spirit filled believer to tell the difference.

Pray for those who spitefully use you and cling to those who have the Spirit of Christ evident in thier lives.

You can find a good group within a church.

Remember the day is coming when Jesus will seperate the sheep from the goats.

Until then we must obey the command to gather together with those of like mind and spread our love, our light, and our joy to those who do not know any better.

When we blend into the flock we can better see the prayer needs of intercession needed for those who are self decieved and only going through the motions.

We can be like life guards crying out to the Lord for change and conviction on the part of those who only have religion to find true relationship.

Because Jesus said the day is coming when many will come to me and say Lord, Lord and I will say depart from me because you never had a relationship with Me.

It doesn’t get any clearer than that!

Christianity is a relationship because Christians don’t do anything for salvation. Religion is man’s attempt to qualify themselves for salvation from sin, but with Christianity, we have already been saved by christ. Any religious persons’s ‘good works’ are an attempt to make them better, but face the facts!

ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the Glory of God
THERE IS NONE who is righteous, no not one.

Man cannot be perfect, and thus cannot acheive salvation for himself. Therefore, Religion is hopless.

Our ‘good works’ are not to gain us entrance to God’s family and heaven, They ARE THE FRUIT OF THE Holy spirit in our lives, The edvidence that God has chosen to save us and live inside of us!

If anyone claims to be a Christian but has nothing to show for it, no love or joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness etc. (Galations 5:22-23), He is an impostor! Also, If a person calls themselves Catholic or Mormon, but believe that Christ died for them, that we rely entirely on him for Salvation and that the bible is His one and only revelation for us, and the fruit of the spirit can be seen in every aspect of their lives, who am I to say God hasn’t chosen them? For ‘God works in Mysterious ways’, and ‘All trees are known by their fruits’).

Important, a person must believe in THE Christ. 100% man 100% God.

You know I was thinking about saying something about how God does want us to have a relationship with him and that kind of thing, but then I thought about how stubborn Marco and his cohorts are and I figured it would be a waste of time. So I’m going to do something a little more worthwhile, like seeing what the pH level of french vanilla ice cream is.

Peter thought the Lord was foolish for asking him to cast the nets, one more time, but look at what happened and the shame Peter felt as he asked for forgiveness.

Hey, trying to help others ISN’T as futile as it seems! Always look for a way to witness, because Christ could return at any minute. Just because someone seems stubborn doesn’t mean Christ cannot change him! We are commanded to witness! I wish with all my heart I was brave enough to witness like this in person instead of only being able to do so via the web!

Watching God work in our lives, through our witness, and through the lives of others is almost as fun as seeing what the pH level of french vanilla ice cream is…

I’ve talked and argued with these guys for weeks at a time. It’s one thing to witness, it’s another to just go back and forth saying I’m right, your wrong, I’m right your wrong… It’s better to avoid these arguments and just live out loud.

Agree, LIVE OUT LOUD!

There comes a time to just walk away once you realize someone is simply in the religion of argument.

The Bible does tell us to avoid vain disputes with a fool.

We are nearing national athiest day this April 1st.

But I also believe you never know when something said might resonate.

I’ll discuss all day with someone who has honest different beliefs than I.

But I’m done when it becomes futile and personal.

Intelligent people will fully hear both sides of the story and then agree to disagree.

Don’t you think it may be there is some level of conviction by the Holy Spirit that causes these guys to kick so hard at the goads?

Well, there are some serious anti-christ on this site, that’s for sure. I think there are some who have something very personal against religion. And not that it’s supposedly “tearing society apart”, but that there’s something about it that’s a thorn in their side.

God is definitely doing something in the Spirit here. I think what you guys are hitting at is it’s a battle against powers and principalities and not a battle against people.

Eph 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Yeah, it’s amazing how high those places are and how subtle the wickedness is.

A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn.

This is not easy,
no matter what our experience has been.

This battle is not against sin,
difficulties,
or circumstances,
but against being so absorbed in our service to Jesus Christ
that we are not ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn.

The greatest need is not facing our beliefs or doctrines,
or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him,
but the need is to face Him.

Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him;
He appears where we least expect Him,
and always in the most illogical situations.

The only way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s
surprise visits.

This readiness will not be brought about by service,
but through intense spiritual reality,
expecting Jesus Christ at every turn.

This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude
of childlike wonder He wants it to have.

If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ,
we have to stop being religious.

In other words,
we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle
—we must be spiritually real.

If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world,
and instead are “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2),
setting your heart on what He wants,
thinking His thoughts,
you will be considered impractical and a daydreamer.

But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day,
you will be the only one who is ready.

You should trust no one,
and even ignore the finest saint on earth
if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ.

sic: Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

There are thorns, but they are not personal.
Any religeon that condones harming others based simply on differences of belief, are thorns in the head of humanity. Each religeon is guilty. And each believes they are in the right just as much as the other. But everyone is real. Everyone feels.
It is the condemnation of others which places you at the right hand of the great deciever, in direct continual violation of the sixth commandment given to moses by God. Our muders of others and wrongful treating of others because of differences, on any level, are our crown of thorns worn on our head as humanity. these practices and actions in any religeon, are like a deadly cancer, And real people are really dieing. The person you condemn is as real as you are, and they feel everything that happens to them as much as you do. Remember that jesus also said to love your brother as yourself, and to open your door to a stranger. he did not say to kill a begger who believed differently than you do.
How is it that when love is so important, we still push it to the side to please our own egotisticle agendas by condemning others?
Let us remove this crown of thorns from the head of humanity, and open our doors, to brothers/sisters and strangers alike.
Prove to God that your love is greater than your hate, and know that God has a personal relation with every single one of his children, and no-one has the right to claim that it is not so. Do not use God as a weapon, your relationship with god has only to do with you alone. God IS watching. And you as his children are failing when you use anything to justify hurting or condemning others.
Should we let all killers and rapists run free in society just because they say they are sorry? Does their apology mean that they will not afflict future damage onto others in society? No, It does not depend on a verbal claim, as some do not even have the ability to speak. It depends on the whole of their being, espeacialy their actions.
Condemn only those who harm others, in this way you can act as an anti-body keeping the body of humanity safe and healthy, by keeping it free of cancerous cells.
No more propaganda.

I agree with you! All religions are guilty of condemnation and the ‘condoning murder’ of those who do not agree. Because Religion is man’s attempt to reach God on his/her own terms that always includes the climbing over and crushing of those who are not ‘religious’ according to the Religion’s definitions of righteousness. However, If you look into Christianity(as a relationship) you can see that although Religion is often based on hatred for the ‘wicked’, Christianity is a relationship of love, not merely between the Savior and the saved, but between the savior, the saved, and the unsaved. We may not (and may never) know if a certain individual is truly saved (the fruit of the spirit does help, though!), yet God commands us to love our enemies, and do good to those who hate us! Be careful however, this does not mean that all are saved and there is no wickedness! Wickedness abounds and the wages of sin are a fiery eternal death, yet ‘the wicked’ are not just the unsaved… every single person who has ever existed on the face of the earth has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and committing even one tiny sin makes us a law breaker. There for no one can reach Salvation ON THEIR OWN… Is there no hope, then? Of course their is, with Christ! Whoever puts their trust in Christ and no longer tries to work their way to heaven, whoever understands this and does it, the God himself says that Christ’s blood will cover him and whenever God looks at him, his sins will be gone and God will only see Christ’s (i.e. his own) righteosness in that man/woman. Christians will still sin (and need to ask for forgivness when they do), but they are saved once and for eternity. Their fruit, their constant prayers to God to forgive their sins are edvidences, Proofs of that eternal fact.
The law of Religion, The law of every man’s heart condemns their sins, but God always offers forgiveness untill the end. Accepting Gods forgivness has to be a life committiment, not simply words. Without trying to show fruit of God’s spirit in your lives, and the humility so necesary for a christian, you have not allowed Christ to rule your life

Super! Yes! Let’s take the organized religion away from it!

Christianity should merely be a relationship with God. That’s it. That would be lovely.

Are you saying you believe that the stories are untrue? (I’m not offended if you are…)

But if you are saying they are scientifically untrue, well you’re in slight error. Give me proof that they are untrue. Prove it to me… if you can. I can know that Harry potter and star wars are untrue because they and their authors claim them to be fiction. However, since the Bible claims to be true and there are so many times history has CONFIRMED what it says, it is scientifically easier to prove true than to prove false.

I cannot (or will not) try to prove the scriptures false. But anyone who claims that the books of the Bible are scientifically, factually fables, may be guilty of greater fallacy and ignorance than someone who even claims the Bible is true.

(No offence - I know you weren’t saying the bible can be proven untrue, right?)