"You and your religion..." I often hear remarks like this from friends, family members, or others who don’t believe. My response usually surprises them: I’m not really religious at all. That answer often leaves them puzzled, because they expect Christianity to be just another system of rituals, rules, and traditions.
But Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. He came to restore a broken relationship—reconnecting us with God in the most personal and understandable way. Christianity, at its core, is not about ceremonies or regulations; it is about knowing and walking with Jesus Christ. It is not a Religion - it is a relationship.
Interestingly, when you read the Gospels, the people Jesus spoke most firmly against weren’t the outcasts or sinners, but the religious leaders of His day. In Matthew 23 (Matthew 23:23-28), for example, He openly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, saying they looked righteous on the outside but were full of greed and self-indulgence on the inside. In John 8 (John 8:31-36), He exposed how their hearts were hardened by legalism, showing they cared more about rules than about mercy and truth.
Why was He so strong with them? Because religion without relationship blinds people to God’s heart. Jesus wanted His hearers to see beyond empty ritual and find true life in Him. He was passionate about breaking down barriers that kept people from approaching the Father.
That’s what sets Christianity apart. It isn’t about us climbing up to God through religious effort—it’s about God reaching down to us through Jesus. It’s a relationship offered freely, one of love, forgiveness, and daily connection with the living God.