1. “It’s a Relationship, Not a Religion” is Rubbish
You may have heard this pithy statement before. It’s memorable and clever and packs a punch. But is it actually correct? Is it sufficiently precise? Is it biblically wise? The simple answer is no. Underlying the statement is both a false premise and a false dichotomy.
Let’s take them one at a time.
- The false premise is that you need a relationship with God. This is false because every creature is already in relationship to the Creator—either in the natural state as an enemy of God or in the reconciled state as a child of God. Man’s need is not relationship, but reconciliation in his hostile relationship (Ephesians 2:14-16).
- The false dichotomy is that there is some ideological wedge driven between relationship and religion. This is false because every person is religious by nature. Man is made in the image and likeness of God; thus, he must either worship or blaspheme. Man’s need is not to be without religion, but to have proper religion.
This may seem like nitpicking. But words are important. Religion is an inevitability in the life of every man and woman. Likewise, there is no instance where the creature is out of relationship with the Creator. What man needs, then, is reconciliation so that he may worship accordingly, with proper religion, to the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18).
2. Pharisees Don’t Love God’s Law, They Hate It
Perhaps you’ve heard this or something like it: the Pharisees were strict law-keepers; they loved the law; they were too concerned with the law. What’s the problem? Isn’t that true? No, not at all. And the potential implications of this sort of thinking are quite dangerous.
The Pharisees actually hated God’s law. They set it aside and set up their own traditions as if those traditions were law (Mark 7:8-9, 13). This means the Pharisees were not strict law-keeping moralists, but actually antinomians (lawless ones). They forsook and supplanted God’s law. This evidenced their hatred for and rebellion against God.
The evangelical tendency views God’s Law as bad. Paul says that the law is holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12), useful (1 Timothy 1:8ff), and not contrary to the promises of God (Galatians 3:21). Yet as a new Christian, the message I heard, and still hear, is something much different—grace, good; law, bad.
Granted, the law must not be used as a tool of justification (Galatians 2:16). We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). But this does not mean the law itself is bad, or that it has no other purpose but to condemn us (see: Psalm 119).
3. Strong Meat & Drink vs. Cotton Candy & Soda
Cotton candy and soda Christianity is shallow, sugary, and wearisome. It leaves you empty and malnourished, longing for another meager portion of whatever can help you feel better. This type of religion thrives on volatile, fleeting emotional experiences: concerts, conferences, and messages that go straight to your feelings (Ephesians 4:14).
This means there is never any meaningful substance that allows you to endure. Thus, like a junkie, you must search for your next spiritual high—singing an anthem or listening to some stirring message or blaring “worship music” in your car. What’s the remedy?
Real food.
God has apportioned a steady diet of strong meat and drink to nourish, grow, and satisfy us (Hebrews 5:14). And it’s not found in those moments of catharsis. It’s found in His Word (John 17:17). This means doctrine is supreme. To grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18); to search the treasury of Scripture; to be built up in teaching and truth—this is what is necessary to solidify God’s child, not the roller-coaster of superficial spiritual ecstasy.
4. The Gospel is More Than Soul Therapy
The gospel is the good news that Jesus saves sinners; the Great Physician heals the sick; the Son of God adopts men to be sons of God; the Lamb of God is slain for our sins (1 Timothy 1:15, Mark 2:17, John 1:12, 1 John 3:1, John 1:29). All this is true and good and wonderful. Amen. But does the gospel stop there? Is it merely about me and Jesus?
I would suggest to you that Jesus is not merely the Great Physician; He is also the Lord of Glory. And His gospel is not merely an invitation to soul therapy; it is the divine decree demanding that all men everywhere repent or perish. Jesus both saves and takes vengeance (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, Revelation 6:16).
Between dispensationalism, revivalism, fundamentalism, and pietism, the church in America has largely reduced the gospel to me and Jesus—only a private, spiritual matter with no public or pervasive implications for life. But this is not the full gospel; it is a truncated gospel, outside of normative Christianity.
The Great Commission is rooted in the glory that Jesus is King (Psalm 110, Psalm 2:6) and the world, both heaven and earth, belongs to Him (Matthew 28:18). In light of that fact, the church is not merely to preach the gospel but to disciple the nations. And this is done by teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.
So while it’s true that the heart of the gospel is Jesus saves sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), it’s also just as true and important to recognize that salvation is not an end in itself. Jesus does not merely save individuals from God’s wrath, He purifies His people to be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).
Here’s a helpful threefold phrase: all authority is Christ’s, so that all nations are discipled, to obey all He commands (Matthew 28:18-20).