Religion or Relationship? part one
One of the main differences that Christianity has as compared to all other religions is the relationship factor.
Christianity is not about a one-side relationship from neither God nor man alone.
A marriage cannot be one-sided. For even in Jewish weddings, the bride must agree. Unless you’re a redneck, then, it’s a shotgun wedding!
Neither can a friendship be one-sided and survive.
Looking at pagan cultures like Norse, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, European, Oriental, Canaan, Druid, Satanist, and Americana, we find that all the religions have a one-sided relationship with their so-called ‘gods.’
In Christianity, we can have a relationship, a relationship with the one true God and His Son, Jesus the Christ. This relationship does not have to be one-sided. It can be a one on one connection where we can talk to God and He to Us.
Here’s the benefit. When we abide in Christ, we do not have to fear. When we abide in Him, when we are in relationship with the one true God, we don’t have to settle for a religion in where we are denied a one-on-one encounter.
God’s side of the relationship is not just destiny. That’s too close to Greek Mythology and the destiny side of Greek Philosophy.
We can’t save ourselves by any means. That would be too close to being a Sadducee, Humanistic, and the human choice side of Greek Philosophy.
Relationship is not domination. Relationship is two-way.
God creates, saves, heals, revives, molds, and blesses.
Man receives, rejects, perverts, chooses, and sins.
Man cannot save Himself. He can however accept or reject the Lord.
These are truths that Satan and his demons believe and tremble at.
They do not want humankind to realize they can have a one on one relationship with God. Relationship is two-way. It is not robotic.
--Jeremy Brown 2003--
Just 2 Kinds of Religion