Is Christianity a Religion or a Relationship?
Another day, another Facebook theologian needing a course correction:
Now, this doesn't seem that bad of a statement at first glance. But underneath lurks a sinister false dichotomy; "If you're in a religion, you're not enjoying a relationship with the Lord. You can have one or the other, but not both."
And my question is, "why not?"
I briefly addressed this before, but the subject frankly warrants an entire series. Sadly, we don't have the time for all that, so I'm going to break down the more egregious mishandling of this false dichotomy today, helping you understand why the battle lines drawn between the "religion" Christians and the "relationship" Christians are unnecessary and, frankly, reflect a lack of charity and biblical study.
Today's writing is a brief apology for "religion," but I recommend this article if you need an argument for the "relationship" folks.
Let us consider the arguments as they stand. True, Jesus said "follow me":
"And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'"
-Matthew 4:19 (ESV)
"And Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.'"
-Matthew 8:22 (ESV)
"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"
-Luke 9:23 (ESV)
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
-John 8:12 (ESV)
But do you notice how often the command has a subtle rule attached?
"Follow me...and fish for men."
"Follow me... and deny yourself."
"Follow me... and take up your cross."
"Follow me... and leave the dead to bury the dead."
"Follow me... and stop walking in darkness."
I dare you to look at every instance that Christ commands someone to follow Him and notice how frequently He immediately follows up the command with a caveat.
Now, do I dare argue that our relationship with the Lord is based entirely upon our works? Never!
"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."
-Romans 3:28 (NASB95)
But my intent is not to say we must follow the rules and regulations to follow Christ. Instead, we follow Christ and begin to love His rules and regulations as He once loved and taught us to love! Have you read the Sermon on the Mount? It's nothing but nonstop commands for how to live as Christians!
The overarching issue with religion vs. relationship is that it presupposes relationship is somehow lessened if it is declared to be religion. However, I believe that this contradicts the reality that God's relationship with mankind is based on covenant, an important theme rippling throughout scripture.
If one studies all sixty-six books of the bible, you see a dynamic wherein God expresses His love towards us through a relationship with many religious elements, specifically through covenant promises. Christ is the fulfillment of all previous covenants, creating the dynamic relationship Christians experience today.
My point is that this is how God established our current relationship. It wasn't merely some haphazard, feel-good "being in love with Jesus" commonly attributed to modern Christianity. There's a governing religious framework in scripture! Scripture's promises and expectations conduct our relationship with God. We trust him to be God because of His promises to us contained in Christ. And in our religion, we discover that there is an expectation that we love Him with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. (These are rules commanded in scripture!) There is a presumption that we will follow in His footsteps.
Which is why I believe the religion vs. relationship debate is counterproductive. This distinction implies no guiding framework through which we have a relationship. We must believe in who God is, what He has done in Christ, and who we are in Christ; truths found in our religion. Such provides a framework based on God's covenant with man and ultimate fulfillment in Christ. We need a religious framework for this to work!
Friends, let us drop this silly debate. Consider how our worldly relationships function; some regulating arrangement defines them. Marriage is an outstanding demonstration. It is more than merely two individuals "in love." It's a husband and wife fulfilling a commitment driven by manifold variables. Our friendships, too, have some mutually obligatory process that defines them. Every relationship you're currently in has a governing system, even if only implicitly.
A flawed system will sink a good relationship, and similarly, a bad relationship will trump the most auspicious systems. These two need each other to be their best selves. Do my wife, and I love each other less because we govern our marriage through rules and regulations? Or do the rules and regulations compliment our loving relationship?
Do you go to church every week? Dare I say, do you attend religiously? Do you pray every day, as is your religious custom? Do you try to live a little more like Christ every day, by governing your life based upon the framework of scripture? Like it or not, you're in a religion, which thankfully also is a relationship.
I could go on, but only to be facetious. No, Christianity is not about anxiously following rules and regulations; but neither is it about chucking those elements in the bin when they overwhelm the relational aspect of our faith. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater here.
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."
-Luke 6:46–49 (ESV)
It's a relationship, and it's a religion.
We follow Christ, and we follow His rules and religion.
In Christ,
RJ