Christianity is one of the world’s great religions. But what is a religion? Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines religion as: a set of beliefs and practices concerning the cause, nature, and purposes of the universe. Christianity definitely does that.
Now many Christians maintain that Christianity is more than a religion; it is more than a set of beliefs and practices. They assert Christianity is a way of life; it is a personal relationship with God. But is this what our Christian doctrine teaches? I thought Christian doctrine taught all one needed to do to become a Christian was to profess faith in Jesus and his death for our sins; that nothing else was required. As some theologians admit, it is possible for “a person to receive Jesus as Savior without in any way embracing him as Lord. Neither repentance or submission to Christ’s Lordship is a necessary element of saving faith” [1] So if our doctrine is correct, then our statement that Christianity is more than a religion is incorrect. If the statement “Christianity is more than a religion, it is a relationship with God” is accurate, it needs to be reflected in our doctrine. Why is it not?
What we have advocated in this blog and in my book is that our doctrine needs to change because Christianity is more than just another religion; it is the renovation of our soul so it becomes like God.
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[1] R. C. Sproul, Faith Alone, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995, pp. 168-169.
