christianity

bytheword.com

What Christianity is About
by Joseph Prescia

So much error has been taught through the years regarding Christianity that it’s incredibly healing to find out truth from the Word of God. God has already accomplished what we have tried so hard to obtain by works. Christianity is not a religion among other religions. Christianity is not a way whereby I can add to what God accomplished for me. Nor is Christianity about a place I go to on Sunday’s.

Christianity is made possible when holy spirit is created within, something I could never do on my own. Christianity is a personal life together with God. It is fellowship with the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Christianity is not something I have done but what Christ has already done. I can add nothing to his accomplished work. I simply enjoy it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (KJV)

If I felt good about attending church or doing some other good work, then I could boast about what I have accomplished. Man’s problem does not stem from his works but rather from his sin nature. Being without God and without hope can never be corrected by man. Salvation is built upon what someone else has accomplished. Christ accomplished salvation FOR me. My job as a Christian is to simply accept that accomplishment and live life abundantly as God has so clearly explained in His Written Word. If I have any preconceived ideas about Christianity stemming from religion, I can change my thinking to line up with the written Word of God.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Look how easy salvation is. (1) Confess Jesus as Lord and (2) believe God raised him from the dead. Is Jesus Christ lord in your life? Are his interests your interests? If he is lord in your life then YOU will not be lord of your own life; he will be. I can ask the question, “What would God in Christ expect me to do regarding my everyday life?” When I have made Jesus Christ lord in my life a change in habit is essential. Out of habit I did for myself only. But now I have a new lord. Jesus Christ is now lord. So then “what”, “when”, “where” and “how” I do things needs to be reevaluated according to the Scriptures. With Jesus Christ as lord and believing God raised him from the dead the Bible says I am saved. To be saved is to be made whole or complete.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (KJV)

Before salvation I would try to look right, by doing what I thought was right. But when I confess Jesus as lord and believe God raised him from the dead the scriptures tell me “for with the heart man believes unto righteousness.” My heart had to go through a change in lordship to obtain salvation. Then based upon HIS accomplishments I freely obtain righteousness. How can I obtain righteousness so easily? Because it took Christ expending his life to accomplish it for me. The expense was so great for you and me. It cost God and Jesus Christ more than I was ever willing or capable of doing. As a result, I am righteous. That’s not arrogant. I’m simply restating what God has already told me about myself. If I don’t believe and confess what God says about me then I might as well call God a liar.

2 Peter 1:4 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (KJV)

I have met several people through the years that just do not believe what God says about them. They just can not accept that God thinks so highly of them. Why? Because they dwell on their shortcomings. They think about all the mistakes they have made. You see they are looking at their works, what they have done rather than what God has done for them. They forget that God remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). The Devil has pretty well convinced them that Jesus died for someone other than them, that righteousness is obtained by good works, or that they are not worthy to receive blessings from the Creator of the heavens and the earth. If I tell them that God says that they’ve got the righteousness of God in them they look at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. And yet, that’s exactly what the Word of God says about every one that’s saved.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he (God) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (KJV)

Christ became sin for us which means sin is no longer a problem. Man’s nature has changed. Christ took it away at the cross; praise God. With the absence of sin, righteousness is established. Righteousness is to be free from sin. Christ has cleansed us from all wrongdoing. And when we blow it, which we do daily, Christ paid for all those sins as well. So I can say “I am righteous” and be saying what God says about me. Well, what did he save me from?

Luke 4:5-6 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. (KJV)

Who delivered it to him? Adam did. When Adam disobeyed God he lost spirit and transferred his (Adam’s) authority of world ruler to the devil. Satan now has that right as world ruler. The Devil could not make this claim on power if Adam had not legally extended his right to Satan. Adam and all that followed him are guilty of wrath, judgment and condemnation. But Jesus Christ paid the price for Adam’s wrong doing as well as for all that would follow him. Jesus Christ saved us from the wrath, which should normally come after such a wrongful act of treason.

Romans 5:6-9 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (KJV)

We are saved from wrath. Because of Adam’s wrongdoing we were worthy of death. The charges of condemnation were to be judged against us. It would take a perfect blood sacrifice to be able to purchase or redeem us out of this legal dilemma. With the death of Jesus, the required sacrifice of his body and blood paid the price for redemption. Redemption means to be “bought back.” We were bought back from the devil’s claim on mankind. God rightfully owns the saved one now and the legal right has been taken away from the Devil. We are now righteous, spiritually speaking. It’s God in Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). You are now God’s dwelling place, His tabernacle. You had to be cleansed in order to accommodate God’s spirit inside of you. In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was where God would communicate to the people via Moses and others. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is now making intercession for us at the right hand of God. When we pray, God hears us because Jesus Christ is there on our behalf. When we need revelation we can hear God. Righteousness keeps the communication lines open with God.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (KJV)

We have a new nature with this incorruptible seed. My works can not affect it one way or the other. But because I have incorruptible seed in me I am linked to God through Jesus Christ. I can get personal with God. Christianity is a personal relationship with Him. God and I can talk to each other. Christianity is not a place we go to nor is it something we accomplish. Every day I can remind myself that Jesus Christ is now lord in my life. I can ask God to furnish me with his will. I obtain his will by reading and studying His Word. I can do this because Christ accomplished this availability to be close with God.

1 John 3:1-2 1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (KJV)

Our true identity is what God says we are. He says we are sons of God with love bestowed upon us. We are beloved.

When Jesus and his disciples were eating one day, they were accused of not washing their hands when they ate bread. The religious leaders of that day accused them of breaking the tradition of not washing their hands.

Matthew 15:3 But he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (KJV)

Tradition or religion will never give us the true meaning of Christianity. They will instead break the commandments of God in their attempt to replace God’s true will. Works will not give us the true meaning of Christianity. God’s Word, the Bible is the only thing that will satisfy the natural yearning of man for a relationship with God. Jesus went on to tell these religious leaders the same thing we can tell religious leaders today:

Matthew 15:7-9 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (KJV)

Forsaking the commandments of men is a daily checklist. We do not let others give us our identity. We can not put our God-given responsibilities upon anyone else including the government and let them handle it in such an ungodly manner. God is Holy. His Word is holy. We are beloved holy men and women of God. He has given each of us freedom of will to love Him or reject Him. We have the freewill choice to reject religion and to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Our doctrine is not of man, but of God. We do not worship God with lip service nor do we try to work out our own salvation. But instead, Christianity is a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, paid for by Jesus Christ. We forsake the traditions of man and cling to the precious words found in the scriptures.

Christianity is not a choice among religions because it is not a religion. You are not the result of a choice among brands. You ARE the result of what God has accomplished for you. Religion is the way of man while Christianity is the way of God. Christianity is constantly being aware of God’s presence, His protection, and His guidance. His desire is to know you personally. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished, we can have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

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