Grace, Faith & Life

Is Christianity really real? If so, where is it? Anyone can claim to be a Christian, and many do, who don’t have a clue about what it really is, because, deceived by their own imagination and conscience they want to define it in their own terms and superstitious beliefs. Any “new-age” ideas will work for many people, but, just to be safe, they want to be known as Christians. That can not be it. Or, in many cases, leaders are just charlatans exploiting a religious Christianity based on a perverted interpration of scripture. Then there are those who have been taught to interpret and teach scripture in a way which ignores the reality and meaning of the New Covenant. The Bible tells us how to know the real thing and the real Christians.(John 13:35)

I can understand why many young people have doubts, when preaching seems to be simply a way of controlling your life by guilt, fear and expectations, rather than teaching the “newness” of life which Christ taught for the New Covenant way. It is important to know that the “New Covenant” and the “New Testament” are not the same thing. See/join this discussion “New Covenant Interpretation” (Romans 7:6; 6:4; Hebrews 10:14-20)

In many seminaries, professors are teaching students how to make Christianity a religion. When these students get into their denominational work, they then teach and preach that Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship, but then they usually mix in their religious church rules and performance expectations. A religion would be something similiar to what the Pharisees promoted; a set of church rules to live by in order to be a good Christian, obedience and commitment. On the other hand, a true relationship is based on “walking in newness of life” which is the New Covenant way.

It is easy to recognize the difference. Does your church frequently teach on obedience, commitment, sin, motivation and fear, rather than love, grace and the freedom of being a child of God and living a Christian life? Or, worse than that, do they teach one way one time and another way another time? (John 13:34; Mark 12:30-31)

But don’t give up on the Bible, it is actually spot-on for all of life’s circumstances and relationships and for what happens in this world. But, you must be born-again in order to interpret its meaning correctly in a nonlegalistic and selfless way. Somehow, if you are really “born-again”, over time, the Holy Spirit will help you understand what the scripture really means and it will change the frustrations of your heart. (See this article for what being “born-again” is all about.)

Don’t let ill-informed preaching influence your personal views. Study scripture yourself from a “New Covenant” perspective and see if it is really real. If it begins to make sense, that may be the Holy Spirit calling you to repent of unbelief. Being a born-again believer is simply repenting of your unbelief not making a commitment to resolve all sin in your life.

Walking by faith, then, is simply believing God for what He has done and what He says He will do in Scripture, in all of life’s situations, opportunities and circumstances. Walking by faith, is not trying to avoid sin and sinful thoughts. You learn to walk (think and act) where God is, not where your mind wants you to go.

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