Are You Religious or Are You a Christian?

I used to get offended when people would tell me that I was “religious.” I choose to not get offended anymore because I now know that most people don’t know the difference between being religious and simply being a Christian. The dictionary describes the word religious as someone that is concerned with religion, a person exhibiting religion, or someone associated with a religion. Jesus was not happy with the religious leaders because they were proud of knowing religion but in their hearts they didn’t love God. Paul says in Romans 2: 23 (NLT) “You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.” Paul also says in Romans 5:9 (NLT) “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.”

I am not a religious person, I am simply a Christian. What does that mean? Simply that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. He is my friend and I have a personal relationship with Him. I LOVE Jesus and I will forever (literally – for eternity) be grateful to Him for dying on the cross for my sins so I could have eternal life with Him in heaven. There is nothing that I can do nor will ever be able to do to repay Him or to earn salvation. It is a gift. And we can only obtain it through faith by God’s grace.

Paul says in Romans 10:8-11 (NLT), “Salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is the message we preach—is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, ‘The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’ For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

So today I encourage you to take that step and invite Jesus into your heart. The letter from Paul to the Romans is one of the best books to understand the message of salvation so I encourage you to read it. Having Jesus as your friend will help you get through the struggles of life. I will leave you today with what Paul said to the Romans in Chapter 5:3 (NLT), “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.” When bad things happen to you, remember that God did not cause them nor allowed them, but He will be there for you and help you get through them.