Austin Bible Church
Religion is man seeking to gain the approval of God by human works, either for salvation or for spirituality. Christianity is God doing everything for man through His grace and God getting the glory, both at salvation and in the Christian way of life through spirituality. Jude 1:24.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,” (Jude 1:24, NASB)
Performing human good is the basis for all religions. Regeneration is gaining a human spirit at salvation from God the Holy Spirit and is the basis for becoming a Christian, being born-again. Christianity is gaining a personal and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. Romans 2, Matthew 23, Titus 3:5.
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5, NASB)
Religion is the greatest opposition to God's truth and is the antithesis of truth. Religion is ritual without reality. The rituals and detailed law-keeping of the Pharisees were good examples of religion in action. Religion always opposes the grace of God and substitutes human actions, abilities, and works or deeds to fulfill what they say is what God wants or needs. God does not need anything from man. God only seeks a personal relationship with all who will accept His perfect grace gift of Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the Cross. Grace is where God does the doing and man receives the benefit. Religion is where man does the doing and supposes that God receives the benefit.
Religion is the satanic counterfeit of a true relationship with God. Isaiah 14, 2 Thess. 2, Rev. 13. Nothing Satan has ever devised has been so successful as religion in blinding man’s mind to God's truth. Religion is man-centered where man seeks to solve man’s problems by man’s efforts and is satanic in nature and basically becomes worship of Satan, as Satan is the author of “doing good.”
The genetically-formed old sin nature in every cell of every person on earth has an area of strength which cranks out this “doing good” which is sincere human good. This human good ultimately celebrates man’s works and actions on God’s behalf. This is religion. Religion appeals to the lust pattern of the old sin nature (approbation, ego lust, etc.) or the emotions that includes the desire to get into the glamor of any given ritual.
In the history of mankind, organized religions have often been the great killer, the great persecutor, and the destroyer of human freedom - all in the name of God. Christianity recognizes the freedom of the individual and this freedom cannot exist unless there is a separation of church and state.
Religion is often money-minded (pledges, duns, etc.) and used to develop businesses of some people within a religious organization and to freeze out others. Religion purports to be a mass solution, whereas Christianity is a personal solution.