What is the difference between being a Christian and being religious? Aren’t devout Christians religious people? Yes and no.
When you talk about religion as any type of spiritual pursuit, Christians might be considered religious. But religion is often considered what man does to reach out to God. To better understand the affects of religion, be sure to hear “Why God Hates Religion” beginning April 19, 2009 at the Egret Bay Campus.
In Christianity, it’s not about man reaching to God, but it’s about God reaching to man. God came to us in Jesus Christ. (John 1:1, 14) He showed us what he is like. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19) He sought us first. He provided a way of forgiveness through Jesus’ taking our sin on the cross. He offered us hope.
The Christian faith is founded on the belief that man’s best efforts cannot make a person acceptable to God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) While religion says that good people go to heaven and bad people don’t, Christianity says that all are sinners and so only bad people go to heaven. Yes, you read that correctly. Only bad people go to heaven. But the bad people who go to heaven (remember, we have all sinned) have been forgiven and accepted by God when they placed their faith in Jesus.
So does religion make you right with God? Only Jesus paying your sin debt and making you a child of God makes you acceptable to God. And when you have faith in Jesus, you are completely accepted and Jesus makes you completely acceptable to God. All of your sins are forgiven. You bear the guilt and shame of your sins no more. The Bible uses words like, you are “justified” and you are made “righteous.” You become the “children of God.” You have peace with God.
The Bible teaches that man connects with God by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace means “God’s unmerited favor.” So you are made right with God, not based on religious deeds (church going, giving, baptism, serving the poor). Rather, you are made right with God when you depend completely on what Jesus Christ did for you when he paid your sin debt on the cross and demonstrated his power over death and hell in the resurrection.
So you receive this gift of grace from God when you place your trust in Jesus alone to make you right with God. You place your trust in Jesus by calling on the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). The only way to call is to pray. Billy Graham encourages people to pray the following prayer as they come to faith in Jesus.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe in who You are and that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen.
When you place your faith in Jesus, be sure to tell someone who will be happy for you. You’ll want to be baptized and get involved in a local church. If you have questions or if you prayed to receive Christ, please e-mail us at mystory@clearcreek.org .
God wants you to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. That does not happen overnight. And you should not try to do this alone. You will grow the best in community. That’s why we have small groups. In a small group you will make some friends of people who have the same spiritual goal as yourself, to follow Jesus Christ. You can get in a small group by registering for GroupLink.
When you feel the need to investigate or understand more before you place your faith in Jesus, focus your questions and investigative energy on Jesus Christ. The crux of the matter is “Who is Jesus?” Let us help you in the journey. You might want to be part of Starting Point. A small group study intended for spiritual seekers to have a safe place to investigate the Christian faith and ask questions. Starting Point groups meet in the church office on Sunday mornings at 9:45AM-11AM and 11:15AM-12:30PM. You can register for Starting Point through GroupLink. For more information, go to the Connection Corner on Sundays.
When you talk about religion as any type of spiritual pursuit, Christians might be considered religious. But religion is often considered what man does to reach out to God. To better understand the affects of religion, be sure to hear “Why God Hates Religion” beginning April 19, 2009 at the Egret Bay Campus.
In Christianity, it’s not about man reaching to God, but it’s about God reaching to man. God came to us in Jesus Christ. (John 1:1, 14) He showed us what he is like. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19) He sought us first. He provided a way of forgiveness through Jesus’ taking our sin on the cross. He offered us hope.
The Christian faith is founded on the belief that man’s best efforts cannot make a person acceptable to God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) While religion says that good people go to heaven and bad people don’t, Christianity says that all are sinners and so only bad people go to heaven. Yes, you read that correctly. Only bad people go to heaven. But the bad people who go to heaven (remember, we have all sinned) have been forgiven and accepted by God when they placed their faith in Jesus.
So does religion make you right with God? Only Jesus paying your sin debt and making you a child of God makes you acceptable to God. And when you have faith in Jesus, you are completely accepted and Jesus makes you completely acceptable to God. All of your sins are forgiven. You bear the guilt and shame of your sins no more. The Bible uses words like, you are “justified” and you are made “righteous.” You become the “children of God.” You have peace with God.
The Bible teaches that man connects with God by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace means “God’s unmerited favor.” So you are made right with God, not based on religious deeds (church going, giving, baptism, serving the poor). Rather, you are made right with God when you depend completely on what Jesus Christ did for you when he paid your sin debt on the cross and demonstrated his power over death and hell in the resurrection.
So you receive this gift of grace from God when you place your trust in Jesus alone to make you right with God. You place your trust in Jesus by calling on the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). The only way to call is to pray. Billy Graham encourages people to pray the following prayer as they come to faith in Jesus.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe in who You are and that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen.
When you place your faith in Jesus, be sure to tell someone who will be happy for you. You’ll want to be baptized and get involved in a local church. If you have questions or if you prayed to receive Christ, please e-mail us at mystory@clearcreek.org .
God wants you to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. That does not happen overnight. And you should not try to do this alone. You will grow the best in community. That’s why we have small groups. In a small group you will make some friends of people who have the same spiritual goal as yourself, to follow Jesus Christ. You can get in a small group by registering for GroupLink.
When you feel the need to investigate or understand more before you place your faith in Jesus, focus your questions and investigative energy on Jesus Christ. The crux of the matter is “Who is Jesus?” Let us help you in the journey. You might want to be part of Starting Point. A small group study intended for spiritual seekers to have a safe place to investigate the Christian faith and ask questions. Starting Point groups meet in the church office on Sunday mornings at 9:45AM-11AM and 11:15AM-12:30PM. You can register for Starting Point through GroupLink. For more information, go to the Connection Corner on Sundays.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment