If you observe and study all the world religions, you will find that they are all similar in one common thing—it is always man who does what he needs to reach their god or a higher being. Religion is usually connected with good works. The principles usually go something like this: One should do these things to be closer to a higher being or do good in their life so that they will have a good life in the afterlife. This is also what makes Christianity unique.
What makes Christianity unique? Remember the one common thing all religions of the world share? In that aspect, Christianity is different. Instead of man doing everything in order to be with their god or a higher being, in Christianity, our God clothed himself in flesh and blood, came down to Earth and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Instead of mankind reaching out to God, which we can never do because of our sin, God reached out to us. Another thing to remember is that only in Christianity can you find a loving God who died for the sins of His creations, allowing Himself to be mocked, spat on, tortured, and crucified by the very creations He was saving. God, or perhaps Jesus Christ, did all of that so that we could have a relationship with Him. If God were the same as other kinds of gods, He would not have done what He has done, but instead, He did the dirty work to bring us closer to Him and restore the relationship that we destroyed with our sin. That is why, despite the good works that we do, if our hearts are not aligned with God, our good works are like filthy rags for Him, according to the Bible (Isaiah 64:6). Imagine your spouse doing the things that your spouse does for you out of duty and with a hardened heart, rather than out of delight because of your relationship (Matthew 15:8-9). No one would want that. That is why the Bible says that there are even some “super” Christians, who did so many things for God, but that wasn’t enough. They have prophesied and cast out demons in Jesus’ name, yet God told them to depart from Him, for He never knew them (Matthew 7:22-23). “Knew” there does not mean the same as knowing about something, like in trivia, but it refers to intimately knowing someone, which means being in a real and genuine relationship with God. When we interact with God in the lens of a relationship instead of a religion, things change quite a bit. The thing is, this relationship we have with God is something that we don’t deserve. Seeing how wicked we are, why would God still pursue a relationship with us? We will get tired and burn out if we see it as a religious choice, but not if we see it as a relationship. In fact, a relationship with Jesus alone makes life worth living. The kind of relationship we have with God is not just any “relationship,” but a father and child relationship. Having a relationship with God allows you to approach God not as a subject approaching their king but as a child approaching their father, who also happens to be a king.
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