Religion vs Christianity

A man that was honest, dynamic and hardworking was rejected at every job interview he attended. It wasn’t because of his qualifications – his resume was impeccable. He was rejected because of his twin brother’s criminal reputation and was judged untrustworthy by association.

Many people reject Christianity on the basis of the horrible things done in the name of religion. However, we forget that Jesus Christ was not impressed with religion either. In fact, it was religious people that conspired to nail Him to the cross.
The Bible states that Jesus Christ is the Son of God – the manifestation of God in human flesh (John 10:30). We can see through Christ’s life that God is very much against crusades, inquisitions, terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, human sacrifice, suppression of women and abuse of children.
When Christ was alive, He took a firm stand against hypocritical religious leaders; He tossed spiritual-swindlers out of the temple who were fleecing the public; He courageously stood between religious zealots ready to execute a woman charged with adultery.
Sadly, religion has given Christianity a reputation it doesn’t deserve. God is no fan of religion. If we reject Christianity on the basis of the despicable things done and said by religious people, we have judged Christianity and God unfairly.
Religion may wrong you, condemn you, malign you or nail you to a cross – but God certainly doesn’t want this. He desires to have an eternal, loving relationship with each of us no matter who we are or how we have failed Him.
Christianity is not about a set of meaningless rituals, feeling guilty and trying to be good. Christianity is a restoration of a family relationship with our Heavenly Father through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. God greatly desires we accept His gift of Salvation so we can be reconciled with Him for eternity. The choice is now individually up to us if we wish to be reconciled with Him.
John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The $1 Million Dollar Question:

Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here’s a quick test:
Q. Have you ever told a lie?
Q. Have you ever stolen anything?
Q. Have you ever used God’s name in vain?
Q. Have you ever lusted over someone?
Q. Have you ever hated someone?

If you have done these things, God sees you as a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, an adulterer-at-heart, and a murderer-at-heart. And this is only 5 of God’s Ten Commandments (a/k/a “God’s Law”). And the Bible warns that on the Day of Judgment, God will punish you in a terrible place called Hell. But, there is “good news”! God is not willing that any should perish. Sinners broke God’s Law, but Jesus paid their fine by shedding His sinless blood on a cross ~2,000 years ago. This means that God can legally dismiss their case (and yours!): “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.” (John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. Today, repent (turn away from your sins), put your complete trust in Jesus, and confess Jesus as your Lord & Savior… and God will give you eternal life as a free gift.

The $1 Million Dollar Myth:

Contrary to popular belief, being a “good person”, doing “good deeds”, or being “religious” will not get you a ticket to heaven! Many people are hoping God will dismiss their sins because their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. They further hope that because God is “good” he will let them go unpunished and enter heaven. However, because God is “good” he must by nature punish sinners (i.e., God would not be a good judge if he let criminals go free). The Bible states: “There is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) The Bible also states: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) And finally, think about this, if your goodness could save you, Jesus would have died in vain (i.e., for no good reason). The Bible states: “I (Jesus) am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me. (John
14:6) Friends, please don’t “roll-the-dice” and gamble your eternal life on the life-threatening lie that being a “good person” will get you to heaven.

Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus:

Here is a prayer you can use to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior. It is a suggested prayer – the key is that you are speaking from your heart.
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me turn away from sin going forward. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus into my heart and I confess him as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for sending your Holy Spirit to help me obey you, and to do your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Congratulations! And welcome to God’s family!

 

Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus:

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    I am a Christian and want to grow in my faith.I am recommitting my life to Christ.

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