Christianity Is A Relationship… and A Religion

There is no reason for this false dichotomy

There are several ways that Americanized Christianity is harmful to the faith. One of these ways is our desire for—and celebration of—highly individualized faith experiences.

We tend to hold the idea that we can each have a relationship with God on our own terms:

• Many people see no contradiction between a person who professes to be a Christian yet persists in a sinful lifestyle or even experiments with various religious systems.
• We seek for God to speak to us personally rather than simply trying to live in obedience to the Bible.
• We reject the idea that spiritual leaders, such as pastors or teachers, have any authority over us personally.
• We see the local church as a means of aiding in our personal “spiritual fulfillment” and—when it does not—we gladly change churches or abandon them altogether.

Notably, most other cultures around the world don’t see the Christian faith in this way (though each culture brings its own issues to the faith). Most see the faith as a shared experience and a community to which they belong. They do not believe that God must earn their devotion or commune with them personally.

As a result of this focus on individual experience, we create a Jesus that is distinct from the Middle Eastern Israeli man we find in the Scriptures. Consider some of the “catch phrases” we see on social media.

“Jesus Had a Problem with Religious People Too”

Sometimes the Pharisees and Sadducees are presented as the “bad guys” of the New Testament and are seen as an embodiment of everything that is wrong with organized religion.

The problem with the above statement is that Jesus, himself, was a religious person. He celebrated the Passover, paid the temple tax, and habitually visited the synagogue.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. (Luke 4:16, ESV)

Jesus never spoke against organized religion or the devotion of the Pharisees. His problem was that their inward righteousness did not match their outward righteousness. Consider his statement about their tithe.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23, ESV)

In truth, Jesus held both the religious elite and “sinful pagans” responsible for his death on the cross.

“ The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified…” (Matthew 20:18–19, ESV)

“Jesus Was A Friend of Outcasts and Sinners”

While it was said that Jesus was “a friend of sinners” in the Bible, this was a slander that his opponents used against him, rather than a title that He used for himself.

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ (Luke 7:34, ESV)

While Jesus did permit people from all backgrounds to follow Him, it is wrong to assume that Jesus was specifically targeting sinners and outcasts. Jesus’ very first disciples were followers of John the Baptist, (John 1:35–37) then Galilean fishermen. (Luke 5:1–11)

In no instance do we find Jesus approaching a prostitute or drunkard and asking them to come follow Him. The distinction between Jesus and the Pharisees was that Jesus accepted such people as his followers, where they did not, and He offered such people forgiveness of sins, which the religious leaders could not give them.

However, it would be wrong to conclude that Jesus was content to allow his followers to continue in sinful lifestyles. He made it clear that if people wished to follow Him, they must leave their life of sin. (John 5:14, 8:11) In fact, Jesus began his earthly ministry with the word “repent.”

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, ESV)

“Christianity is a Relationship, Not a Religion”

While Jesus does call people individually to follow him, he never uses terms like “personal” or “relationship” to identify what it meant to be his follower. Rather, Jesus taught that being his disciple was about obeying his teachings.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, ESV)

Jesus did see himself as the head of a religious movement and anticipated that his disciples would make disciples of the nations through baptism and teaching.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

It was Jesus who coined the term “church,” which he promised to establish and build. (Mt 16:18) Jesus taught that the institution of the church would serve to hold his followers accountable for living in obedience to him. (Matthew 18:15–17)

Based on Jesus’ teachings, the disciples established a local gathering of believers who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV)

To create a Jesus who separated the practice of the faith from the community of believers is, at best, intellectually dishonest and, at worst, idolatrous. If we are sincere in being followers of Jesus, then it means we must follow him on his terms—not ours.

Following Jesus means that I am responsible not just to God, but also to my brothers and sisters in Christ. How I love them shows the world that I belong to Him.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35, ESV)

So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:5, ESV)

Live for Jesus.