Religion is Rules, Christianity is Christ “Spiritual maturity is not measured by the depth of your devotion but by the duration of your dependence. Spiritual maturity is not measured by the breadth of your knowledge but by the bearing of spiritual fruit” (Isara). Because of centuries of blind obedience, people have come to see Christianity as a set of rules to follow; as a religion. “For centuries the Church praised 'blind obedience' as the way to honor God, not realizing that this is incompatible with the teaching of Jesus… Nazism and cult suicides are examples of what blind obedience can lead to…” (Fagan). Christianity is not a religion, it is Christ! There is a huge difference. Religion is defined as “The outward act or form by which men indicate their recognition of the existence of a god or of gods having power over their destiny… by observance of rites and ceremonies” (“Religion”). Religion has to do with form, formalism and formulas; ritual, rules, regulations and rites; legalism, laws and laboring. The "good news" of Christianity is that it is not what we do or perform, but what Jesus has done and is doing in us. Jesus exclaimed from the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). The performance is hereby accomplished! Jesus has done all the doing that needs doing for our regeneration, and continues to do all the doing that God wants to do in us. "God is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) (Grant). Rights and ceremonies are a form of blind obedience. Instead of being an act of worship, it becomes a tradition, a social gathering. "The revelation of God is the abolition of religion" (Barth). Christianity is not the propagation of a philosophy. It is not the performance of religious procedures. It is not the perpetuation of an organizational program. Christianity is the reception of a Person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Himself, into one's being and behavior (Fowler). God does not want robots. When I say God does not want robots, I do not mean that He does not want us to obey the Word, but He wants informed obedience. Blind obedience means nothing! God wants us to obey the Word because we know that He gives us guidelines for a reason, not because someone told you to. Many children leave the Church after they hit puberty because they question why they need to follow rules they feel are outdated or illogical. They ask all kinds of questions that, instead of being viewed as sacrilege, should be answered by God’s Word. Just because people question their faith, does not mean it is not strong, it only means that they need to strengthen their relationship and understanding of God. When you stop asking questions and searching for answers then you stop coming closer to Jesus. “Some people become comfortable in their orbit around Jesus, and instead of continuing to draw closer, they are proud that their orbit is closer than the others around them” (Stanley). In a true relationship with Christ, you will produce fruits of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). In order to produce the fruit you must be in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). Following the law and obeying your elders is commendable, but does not mean that you are a Christian. For we “know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:15 NIV). No matter how good you obey or how many works you do, it means nothing without believing in and having a personal relationship with Jesus, which in turn produces good fruit. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? (Galatians 3:2-5 NIV Online). All throughout the Bible are warnings not to make worshiping the Lord a religion, Jesus said, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men’” (Mark 7:6-7 NIV). Now, if God doesn’t want us worshipping Him based upon rules taught by men, how does He want us to worship and obey Him? By reading His Word! How would you get to know a friend except by talking to them? How will you know the Lord except by reading His Word? “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV). “All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV). Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29 NIV). The only way to obey God is to know His Word and what He is asking you to do. How do you know that the people in church, your parents, or even the preachers, are telling you the truth of God’s Word? Even the devil can quote scripture. Only if you know His Word will you know how to find the truth. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-¬edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV Online). The thing that makes most people leave the Church is that Christ is not there. “If you take Christ out of Christianity, all you have left is the self-oriented, self-perpetuating religion of ‘-I-anity’” (Grant). If there is no relationship with Christ, then it is no longer Christianity. It is Christian religion, or in other words, a religion based not on Christ, but on his teachings. Liberal theologians within the “Christian religion” have indicated that it does not matter whether there was ever an “historical Jesus,” as long as the “religion” benefits a person psychologically and ethically. On that premise of subjective religious impact being the existential essence of the “Christian religion,” they go about “demythologizing” the New Testament scriptures to reduce them to psychological and ethical tenets. (Grant). A religion based on ethical tenants is not a relationship, it is a philosophy. That is not what God wants. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, not to give us more rules! A lot of the time, Christians argue about whether they are fundamentalists or liberals, whether they go by traditions that have been passed down through generations, or if they make new traditions of their own. It doesn’t matter. Both are religious affiliations, not Christianity. A Christ filled life is all that matters. Arguments over how the traditions of men should be handled are pointless. But I think the thing that liberals are really scared of is people who believe in truth. They are afraid of someone that believes x is x and not non-x. They’re scared spitless of a man who believes that once upon a time God came to earth, lived, and died, and it was written down flawlessly. They are scared of a real virgin birth, a real inspired, inerrant Bible, and a real bodily resurrected Christ. They are scared of a real, unalterable, objective morality that is to be lived out here and now. And if that is what a fundamentalist is, then sign me up. Put me on the list, because I believe that, and you should too. Indeed, I scoff at those utter fools, especially the baptized ones, who don’t believe the complete and total authority of God’s Word in all of life, for all of life. The Bible presents a comprehensive world and life view, and God makes no exceptions. We must embrace it. But then it hit me: Liberals have the same problem as the fundies that are busy hiding from drink and dance. In fact, liberals are fundies. Liberals are committed to a world and life view that substitutes the clear commandments of God with the commandments and values of men. And that’s the very problem we find among fundamentalists. Fundamentalists would rather invent their own morality based on a misreading of God’s Word. Liberals would rather invent their own morality based on utter rebellion to God’s Word. In both cases, they substitute the truth of God for a lie. So next time someone tries to call me a fundamentalist, I’ll gladly admit it. “Sure, I’m a fundy. And so are you.” We’re all fundamentally committed to something, something that undergirds our lives. The question is “What is the standard by which we each govern our lives?” And if the Bible is the standard, “let God be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4) (Bennett). God does want obedience, God does want a relationship with you, through Christ, God does want you to do good works, and God does want you to produce fruit, but all of this is for nothing if you do not know Christ. If there is no personal relationship, outside of the Church, outside of your parents, outside of your friends, then you are not a Christian. You can look perfect to everyone in the world, but Jesus knows your heart. If your life is not centered around Him, and He is not your number one concern, than you need to repent and start praying and studying His Word, fast. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV). I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:20-21 NIV). Works Cited Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics. Edinburgh: T and T Clark, 1956. Vol. I, Pt. 2. Bennett, Jamey. Who, Me?. 27 October 2003. Razormouth. 12 April 2004 . Fagan, Sean. Religious Life in a New Millennium. 10 Sept. 2002. Religious Life Review. 12 April 2004 . Fowler, James A. Christianity is Not Religion. 12 May 1998. Christ in You. 12 April 2004 . Grant, George. When Religion is Malignant. 17 Nov. 2003. Razormouth. 12 April 2004 . Isara, Morris. Breaking Through to a Fruitful Life. 10 Feb. 2002. Legacy Church. 12 April 2004 . The New International Version Online Bible. International Bible Society. New York: IBS, 1978. Gospelcom.net. 2004. 15 March 2004 . The New Student Bible: New International Version (NIV). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan a Publishing House, 1992. Orbit Around Jesus. Host Charles Stanley. Natl. Public Radio. KHCB, Houston. 11 April 2004. “Religion.” Dictionary.com. 10 Jan. 2004. Lexico Publishing Group. 12 April 2004 .