Christianity vs. Christendom

Is Christianity a religion?  Is there anything like "heavenly religions"?

First of all, I would like to say, yes there are monotheist religions, but this does not mean at all that they are all "heavenly", that is their origin is heaven, from the One and Only True God, the Creator of all things.  There is, in my opinion, only one "heavenly" religion which is Judaism, as sent forth from the Lord to the Israeli people by Moses.  In all other monotheist religions you cannot find God, but just man's speculations about Him.  It is just a god of man's imaginations.

Secondly, I will have to say that Christianity is not, and cannot be, a religion.  Christendom is different; it has many denominations.  There are major ones, and minor ones.  But, they are all different "types" of religion.  And each one claims to be the "right" one!  This cannot be "the way to God" we talked about in the first post (Christ vs. Religion).  Neither Judaism, heavenly as it is, nor any other religion, however "good" it may be, can by any means lead to the true knowledge of God.

Christianity then is not Christendom.  Christianity is the "life" of Christ bestowed by God's grace upon us, sinners, who believe in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross.  This "life" is then manifested in the lives of those "believers", so they no longer live but Christ lives in them (Galatians 2:20).  It is not merely a religion; it is a life, a different "kind" of life.  The Holy Bible calls it "eternal life" differentiating it from the "human" life.  We have "human life" by merely being born of Adam, the father of all the "human" race, but we get "eternal life" through believing (personally and individually) in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus for our sins.

Being "in Adam," however "good" man may be, will not lead him to a living relationship with Almighty God because man is born a "sinner", inheriting the nature of sin, as David the prophet says, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51:5)!  But, being "in Christ" we are granted not only the "eternal life," but also every spiritual blessing.

So, let us be clear about this point: it does not matter what religion you follow, or even what beliefs you believe!  It does not even matter how "good" you are!  When it comes to pleasing God, and this by being in a spiritual relationship with Him, all what matters is: Are you "in Adam" or "in Christ"?!  We are all sinners and need a Savior.  If you are still "in Adam" you will not be able to save yourself, and you will be condemned to "eternal" death because you are separated from the Holy God against whom you sin!  But, if you put your trust now in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for you, you will be saved.  The Holy Bible says, "if you will confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from among the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Believing in any religion, even if it was a denomination of Christendom, will not save you from eternal judgment.  Only through the death and resurrection of Christ, can we be saved!  Only through Christianity, that is the "life" of Christ, can we please God.  I am praying that you, my dear reader, will put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ now!

Wonderful Facts About Christ

He who was "clothed with honor and majesty" (Psalm 104:1) was "wrapped in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2:12).

He who is the "Father of Eternity" (Isaiah 9:6), became an "infant of days."

He who upholds "all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3) was upheld in the arms of Mary, and of Simeon (Luke 2:27,28).

He who is "the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24), "increased in wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52).

He of whom it is stated, "Behold your God" (Isaiah 40:9) it is also stated, "Behold the man" (John 19:5).

He who "sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. He watereth the hills from His chambers" (Psalm 104:10,11,13) was the One who said, "I thirst" (John 19:28).

He whose eyes are "as a flame of fire" (Revelation 1:14) was the One who "wept" (John 11:35).

He of whom it is written, "ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (Daniel 7:10) "stood before the governor" (Matthew 27:11).

He who "knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21), "did no sin" (1 Peter 2:22), and "in Him is no sin" (1 John 3:5), "bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).

He who "came down" from heaven (John 6:42), and is now "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3) will "put down all rule and all authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:24).

--Assembly Annals

Source: http://www.mwtb.org/pages/display.php?id=412120

Wonderful Words of Life

1. Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

2. Christ, the blessèd One, gives to all wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;
All so freely given, wooing us to heaven.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.


3. Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.


--Phillip P. Bliss

Christ vs. Religion

Is Christianity a religion? And if it is, can it lead to God? Can any religion lead to God at all?

I would like to address, in this post, those who already believe in God; that He exists. Not those who do not believe He exists (atheists) nor those who claim they are not sure that He exists (agnostics). I might even dare to say that, deep inside their hearts, they know that God exists because "that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God has manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. His eternal power also and divinity: so that they are inexcusable." (Romans 1:19,20). Saying that God is not there is just the easy way to excuse themselves from the moral requirements of God's holiness, so they can live their lives without those rules that the knowledge of God demands. In fact, their "atheism" or "agnosticism" becomes their own religion!

I would like to point out that every religion has at least 3 basic elements: doctrine (beliefs), ordinances, and rites. Men, believing some kind of "doctrine", obeying some sort of "ordinances", and applying them according to certain "rites", feel satisfied and think they are pleasing God. But, they can never be sure that He is really pleased. So they try to do their best, but they find out that they fall far short of obeying any rules. They find themselves breaking the law, the moral law... They find themselves committing sin, and they know right away that they cannot  please God by their efforts! Thus they try harder and harder hoping next time will be better, but it never is. It is always worse!

Moreover, every religion claims to be "the way" to God. Therefore we have hundreds of thousands of religions, and each one claims to be the "good" one. Then comes the relativism of some people who tell you that what is good for you may not be good for others, so let every man choose "his own way", i.e. his own religion.

There is only One and True God, the Creator of us all and of every other created thing. I do not understand how people can make their own ways to arrive to God. It is just absurd! It is His own right to show us the way to Himself. Thus, as we all might agree, religion is man's way to try to know God. But there is only one way that can lead to the true knowledge of God. This way is the Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6). See, there is only One Way, One Truth, One Life. This cannot be found in any religion. God Himself, out of His deep and pure love for us, chose to come down here on earth to show us "the way". He is the Way!

I would actually dare to say that religions are just Satan's alternatives to the One and Only Way. Satan is your enemy and he knows very well that the Lord Jesus is the Only Way to God and he tries to distract you by all means from realizing that your Only Hope is the Lord Jesus Christ! The apostle Peter said, "There is salvation in no other One [Jesus Christ of Nazareth]; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:10,12). Away from Him there is only destruction and eternal judgment, eternal separation from God, the Source of life. But in Christ there is "every spiritual blessing."

I am praying that your eyes, dear reader, might be opened to see "the Way" that leads to God, put your faith in Him, and He will lead you to God!