Faith in Jesus Christ is not a religion, but salvation from religion

Even though godless people repeatedly confuse the issue—whether out of ignorance or malice—in an attempt to hold born-again Christians responsible for the crimes of nominal and false Christians. Nevertheless, faith in Jesus Christ is not a religion, but a relationship with a person who can be experienced in reality, namely the risen Jesus Christ.

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

True Christians have experienced something—namely, a personal encounter with their Creator. Anyone who has not had that is merely a religious person. Perhaps a seeker, but they have not been renewed by the Holy Spirit. That is a world of difference.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Being a Christian also does not automatically mean being a church member or agreeing with the churches in everything without reservation. For even churches can be religious rather than revived and redeemed.

And even clergy within the churches can live in sin, disregard God’s will, and commit crimes. But the “Christians” are not responsible for this; rather, the perpetrators are. To draw conclusions about all of Christendom based on the actions of individual priests and pastors who have sexually abused minors is, in principle, no different from claiming that all Germans are Nazis because there are also right-wing extremists within the German population, and therefore holding all Germans collectively responsible for the crimes of the National Socialists.

To blame Christians across the board for the crimes committed by religious people who do not follow God’s commandments and act against His will is undifferentiated stigmatization and thus incitement against Christians.

Christians have one thing in common with godless people, for it is not only godless people who reject religion, but born-again Christians do so as well! Religion is merely a sacred path to ruin, and moreover, religion leads to war, violence, and murder. And that is why Christians are against religion, because only faith in Jesus Christ saves.

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Christians who love God and their fellow human beings are firmly and wholeheartedly opposed to harming others through violence, even if those people are hostile toward the Christian faith and Christians.

And just because godless people seem incapable of distinguishing between born-again Christians and nominal Christians—who call themselves Christians but do not consider the new covenant in Jesus Christ to be binding—this does not mean that all Christians are the same, but only that godless people, due to their lack of wisdom and understanding, are unable to make this distinction.

No born-again Christian who lives according to the commandments of the New Covenant supports violence, crime, sin, hatred, or war; rather, Christians who are truly obedient to God abhor such things just as God despises them.

Followers of other religions actually have only an imaginary friend, but followers of Jesus know the living God personally. And that is why they take God and His instructions seriously, align their lives with them, and strive to resist sin rather than assert their own interests through sin. For Christians, sin is always the wrong path, and that is why they want to do God’s good and perfect will. Out of love for God and for their fellow human beings, Amen.

God bless you.