What is True Religion?

What is True Religion?
What is true religion? Is there just one true religion or do all of them lead to the afterlife? Religion is defined as: “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.”¹

It is estimated that only 16% of the world considers themselves “nonreligious.”² There are two things that all religions hold as truth. 1) Humanity is separated from God. 2) Humanity needs to be reconciled with God. The differences come in how that reconciliation is acquired.

Many religions focus on rules and rituals. When those rules are followed or those rituals are performed, the person is attempting to be made right with God or gain His favor. For example, in Islam there are five pillars that one must do in order to show surrender or submission to God. Other religions focus more on observing rituals, rather than following rules. After those rituals are performed, it is taught that God will accept the person who performed them.

Christianity presents a very different view of finding the acceptance of God. While the other religions attempt to reach God, Christianity is about God reaching down to man. The Bible teaches that God sent His perfect Son Jesus to earth to die for the sins of mankind—as a perfect sacrifice. Other world religions try to balance the scales of their good and bad deeds, hoping to have more good deeds on the day they die. Christianity teaches a very different message.

What is true religion – How is Christianity different?
What is true religion? A true religion will teach a consistent message and have it based on a reliable source. Christianity has the following view of reconciling with God:

• Every person has sinned and is separated from God (Romans 3:23).
• The penalty for that sin is death and separation from God (Romans 6:23).
• Jesus came to earth to die as a sinless substitute to provide full payment for mankind’s sins. He rose from the dead to show His power over death, proving His sacrifice was sufficient (Romans 5:8).
• By faith, mankind can receive God’s gift of eternal life in heaven. Jesus’ death was full payment and provided reconciliation with God. There is no good work we can do to add to Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9).

What is true religion vs. true relationship?
You may have heard a Christian say that Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. This is a way to express that true religion is more than doing good thing and making sure your good deeds outweigh the bad. True religion is accepting the relationship that Jesus wants to have with you. From that relationship, Christians are called to do good things out of thanksgiving and love for God. In fact, the Bible speaks of this very clearly…

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).