Still fighting about religion versus relationship?

I am sure that a good number of you are very much aware of the relationship versus religion debate that has become more prominent in the last few weeks. Well I thought I might try to shed some light on the topic or perhaps address what is most often ignored.

When looking at our world you are clearly able to see that there are a very large number of religions available for people to choose from. Now it is very true that many of these religions are much smaller than others but for the sake of this discussion I am including them. If you were able to take the time to review the various religions surrounding the world you would quickly come to the conclusion that indeed they are religions and in no real way could they be considered relationships. That is except for the debate surrounding Christianity.

What sets Christianity apart from the rest? Why can or does Christianity expect people to accept that it is about relationship when it is seen clearly as a religion? Claim number one is the belief that Jesus is not dead but alive providing for the opportunity for a relationship. Claim number two is the position that Jesus is God not just a prophet or wise leader addressing the issue of personal interaction with those He desires to save. Claim number three is that God of the Christians loves all people which is by definition a relational statement.

These three claims set up the bases for the statement that Christianity is a relationship with God not a religion for God. So why the debate? I expect that is due to history. When a people who are a part of a belief system treat that set of beliefs as a religion people are going to see it as a religion. If Christians want to set aside this debate they simply need to live like Christianity is a relationship with God and not a religion.

Matthew 22:34-40 is a passage from Scripture where Jesus is helping the spiritual leaders understand the heart and concerns of God. Jesus directs their attention to the greatest command. Jesus reveals that the greatest command is to love God completely and the second command was to love people. These two commands are the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Jesus was clearly setting up the idea that God was after a relationship with His people not just after anonymous followers.

We all know a ton of ways to make our lives hard so why would we add religion to the list? While it is also true that relationships are also difficult they at least have a reward that is attached to them. And in this case one of those rewards is eternal life and I am not sure it is the greatest one.

Have an amazing day!

Blessings