What Is Christianity?

What Is Christianity?

What exactly is Christianity? How does one accurately describe it? Some will describe it as a religion; still others will say it's a philosophy or a lifestyle choice. Personally I wouldn't apply any of these labels to it. All of these labels that we give it all have something in common, they are all based on the person doing certain things to achieve "Spirituality" For example, the meaning of the original word for Religion is - a series of ritualistic and outward acts to achieve a higher level. A religious person asks the questions "What can I do to be more spiritual?" - "How can I be more like God?" - "What can I do to change my behavior?" - "How can I please God?" Do you notice a trend in these statements? The "I' in these questions is the difference in being a Christian and being religious. The religious man tries to shape his own life by performing acts and rituals to make himself a better person. The focus is still on himself, only with the pretense that it's about doing the will of God. How Hypocritical. The true Christian man [or spiritual man] doesn't ask the same questions as the religious man. For he realizes that there is nothing that "I" can do to change my life. There are no good deeds I can do or no seemingly spiritual acts that I can perform to gain favor with God. There is nothing we can do because of the simple fact that we as born again Christians are dead. Yes, God placed us on that cross with Christ and just as all of humanity fell by the act of one man, so to was all judgment on humanity carried out through one man put to death on a cross. So the questions of the religious man are spiritually flawed for the "I" is no more, it is dead. You are dead, I am dead. If I am dead then why am I still living and breathing you may ask. As Paul so eloquently put it "It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me" You see, the question is no longer "How can I be more like God?" or "How can I change?" or "How can I please God?" Since you where killed with Christ and also raised with Him with a new life, a life that He lives through you, you no longer have to ask these questions, all you need is the realization of your own death in Christ to understand fully His power over your life. Once this is attained then you become more like God because He controls you and makes you more like Himself, you please God because He lives through you, you are more spiritual because His spirit flows through you, you change because He changes you. The "I" is gone and the focus is where it belongs, On God. Christianity really is not a religion, it's not a philosophy, it's not a lifestyle choice, it's God moving in His children and shaping them into His image. When we try to humanize it and label it that is when the process of God is aborted. The result is a shallow and powerless "Religion"