Why Christianity?
Religion vs Relationship
Religion is and has been mans way of trying to connect with God for centuries. Everything from gods of fertility to gods for rain, prosperity and more. This is clearly an attempt to create and worship god’s that will fulfill mans personal needs and desires. You can certainly make a small statue, place it on an stand, call it a god and worship it. But is it really God?
The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis about Jacob, who worked 7 years for the hand of Rachael in marriage, the daughter of his uncle Laban. And when he finally left Laban, Rachael had stolen Laban’s gods, which were statues. Now how powerful is a god that can be stolen?
The truth is that there really is a God! A God that is alive and powerful, not a statue or some other symbol that man has created and sells through stores and yard sales.
So who is your god? Is He the creator of the universe, or just an idol that found its way to a night stand or a shelf in your living room?
A religion is a set of tenets and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature. The term also refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from a shared conviction.
By this definition “religion” can refer to anything both physical or non-physical that people could agree on and worship. This actually means that you could take a soap dish, call it a god, and worship it. And if you could talk a whole bunch of people into believing you, they could worship it also. You have just created a religion. Now this is probably taking the definition of religion to an extreme, or is it?
People throughout the centuries, in an effort to reconnect with God, have created many religions. Since God is not a physical being that they could touch and see, people have even provided their own replacement in things like statues. Some cultures even wanted live versions and worshiped animals. All of these things in God’s eyes are considered to be idols.
What does God think about Religion?
God is not and has never been a religion! It is man that has created religion as a means of connecting with God. So does God really appreciate religion? Not at all, in fact God hates religion. When God created Adam there was no such thing as religion. God created Adam (man) for a personal one-on-one relationship with Him! This is the relationship God seeks then, now and for all eternity!
Throughout the centuries, man has even added his own set of beliefs in an effort to be comfortable in how he worships. The evidence is in how many different religions there actually are. From Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon and the list goes on and on. You actually find the Bible ripped apart and rearranged to fit the beliefs of one’s own comfort level and religion.
So is one religion really better than the other? Don’t all religions point to the same God? How do we know which is right?
The truth is that there is only one God!
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God that sent His one and only Son Jesus, to pay the price for your sins, so that you might have eternal life.
Why did God send Jesus, couldn’t He simply forgive us?
No. You see God is Holy, Pure and Sovereign. He is without sin and can not be with anyone that has sin. When Adam sinned he was immediately separated from God. The life blood running through Adam’s veins was now tainted with sin and there was no way that Adam could re-establish his relationship with God.
Sin also has a penalty, and the penalty for sin is death!
Unfortunately the life blood in Adam passed down through the generations causes each and every one of us to inherit this sin. And each and everyone of us now has to pay the price for our sin, which is death!
Payment for Sins
Inheriting the death penalty is not an easy thing to accept. No one wants to die. It’s just like the person that inherited diabetes from his great grandfather, or like the baby born to parents with AIDS, he or she has it. Not because they wanted it, but because they inherited it.
Their is no act (Works) that we can physically do to erase the sin in us and earn our salvation. In God’s eyes, even the best deed or acts of kindness, is like a pile of filthy rags.
The price for sin is death, and the price will be paid. Now the question is who will pay it?
By rights you should be paying the price for your own sins. Since God loves you so much, He decided to pay the price for you. That is why God sent Jesus, and through His death on the cross, the price for your sin was paid in full! (John 15:13)
The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
How do we know that Jesus really was the Messiah?
The Bible is the only 100% accurate recording of future predictions. There is no other “sacred writing” that has such perfectly accurate predictions of the future.
Some of the prophecies were written down at least 400 years before they happened, and all of them came true, giving us very good evidence that the Bible’s writers were were definitely inspired supernaturally - by God. Of all the prophesies written about who the “Messiah” would be, Jesus fulfilled each and every one of them. And His resurrection from the dead was the final proof that Jesus was truly the Son of God in the flesh!
So how do you accept God’s gift of forgiveness?
The Bible tells us clearly in (Romans 10:9-10) that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Accepting God’s Gift of Forgiveness
If something inside is tugging at your heart, you can be assured that God is wanting to reconnect with you. Simply say the prayer below out loud and be assured that your name will be added into the Lamb’s Book of Life and you will be saved.
Father in Heaven I love you
I confess that I am a sinner
I believe that Jesus was your Son
And that He died on a cross as payment for
my sins against you
And on the third day You raised Him from the dead
I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!
If you prayed this prayer let us be the first to welcome you to God’s family. We would like to hear from you and give you some free materials that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ. Please contact us by visiting our church, web site or call us by phone.
Author: Ed Krusiewig
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