Question asked on FB: Is Christianity a religion?

Christian response,

No, theologically speaking (not a secular definition), Christianity is not a religion but a “relationship” with God the Father based on grace (a gift-unmerited favor unattainable by human effort) through “faith” (alone), “trusting-believing” in Jesus Christ as God, Messiah, Mediator for our sin i.e. believing that Jesus is God who died to pay our sin-debt (Romans 10:9-10).

Religion v. Christianity

Religion, theologically speaking, is based upon works; that is, the individual must perform to an exacting standard in order to “earn” God’s favor (Deuteronomy 27:26). In Christianity, God did the work for us; we must “believe” in what God did to have God’s perfection imputed into our lives (by faith), see: (John 3:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Judaism (Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:10; James 2:10), Islam, Christian cults (SDA, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses), are “religions” based upon works of righteousness, keeping a Law to earn God’s approval; whereas, Christianity is a “relationship” based on faith in what God has done for us (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; Genesis 3:21).

The uniqueness of Christianity,

The ONE exacting differentiation between Christianity and every religion, cult, existing in the World today is the Christian knows Jesus Christ as Messiah, He is Deity-God Eternal who took-on flesh some 2020-years ago via a virgin birth in order to circumvent the sin-nature of Adam’s seed (Matthew 1:26; Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:12) and Jesus lived a sinless life before the Father and offered Himself to God the Father as a sacrificial Lamb upon the altar (the Cross) to pay the sin-debt of mankind, a sin-debt mankind could not pay himself (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-18).