Taking Christ out of Christianity (Part 1?)

It's something I've struggled with for a very long time: Calling myself a "Christian". Not that I don't want to follow God, quite the contrary. But because of the way society thinks of and views Christians in todays day and age makes me want to think again sometimes.

See, we've turned Christianity into a religion when it should be a relationship, a lifestyle.

Let me explain.

Wikipedia defines religion as "an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values." Dictionanry.com includes "usually involving devotional and ritual observances," and "a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects". In short, religion is a bunch of rules and practices that follow faith.

I'm not saying any of this is wrong. It can be quite good, if done correctly. The problem is, most of us don't do it correctly.

God commands us to love him. And yes, I know the argument could be made "Well, that's just another rule!" but really, it's more of a lifestyle.

Matthew 22:37-39 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."(HCSB) And what does it mean to love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tells us: "Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

Wow.

This sounds like a whole heck of a lot more than just a bunch of rules and rituals to me. Being a Christian means so much more than going to Church on Sunday and sometimes Wednesday, praying when it's convenient or when we want something, and reading the Bible when it's convenient or when we want something.

Loving someone, loving God, means giving of yourself. ALL. THE. TIME. Giving up your desires and wishes and submitting to God's plan. Giving up your desires and wishes so you can help a friend, an neighbor, a brother. Telling the truth when it's hard, and striving for righteousness.

I was reading in Proverbs 11 the other night, and I was struck at how many times the word "Righteousness" came up. We are called to live righteously. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines righteousness as this: "Acting in accord with divine or moral law. Free from guilt or sin."

Free from Guilt or Sin.

Only GOD is free from guilt and sin completely. But he promises to take that away from us if we follow him. If we believe him. And if we LOVE him. Wholeheartedly. You are either all in, or you aren't. Besides, I think if you start Loving God, loving him the way Matthew 22 and 1 Corinthians 13 tell us, all the other stuff will follow. Everything else, all the other rules and regulations will start to come easier. It won't be completely easy, it never is. I'm not saying that. But God will help you, and you will find yourself doing the rest of the "religious" stuff.

I'm not there yet. I don't want anyone to read this and think because I'm saying this, I've achieved it. I haven't. I don't even know if I ever will, if it is possible in this lifetime. But I want to strive for it. I want to be a disciple, a follower of Christ and his teachings, not a Christian who defines herself by rules and rituals. Because even the Pharisees stuck to the rules, but they got it wrong because they lived without showing love. Shouldn't that be a bit wake up call for us?

The best part about all this is the God is Love. And if you love him, He will love you back. (I know, he already does, but that's not the point.)

Strive to love. Strive to live like Christ did and taught, not how the world teaches.





Let me know what you think of all this! Leave your comments below. I may be posting more under this topic in times to come. If you think I have something wrong, or want me to expand in an area, I would love to know your opinion and try to help you out! I don't have all the answers, but I'm willing to try and find them. :)