Religion vs Relationship With Jesus

You’ve probably heard people say, “Christianity isn’t about religion. It’s about relationship.” But what does that actually mean?

In this episode of FaithFuel, Bob Shaw shares his own experience growing up in the Catholic faith and talks about the difference between outward religion and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

This devotional explores grace, salvation, obedience, prayer, church tradition, and why Christianity was never meant to become a performance-based system of trying to earn God’s approval.

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Transcript

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You've probably heard people say Christianity isn't about religion, it's about relationship. And you've probably heard that phrase your whole life. But let's make sure we really understand what it means. I'm Bob Shaw, and this is Faith Fuel. Sometimes faith becomes more about obligation than relationship. Go to church, read your Bible, do the right things, try to be a better person. And if you grew up around religion, it's possible to know a lot about God without really understanding relationship with Jesus personally. I can relate to that myself. I was raised in the Catholic faith, but growing up, I still didn't really understand where Jesus fit into everything. I understood religion, I understood rules and tradition, but relationship with Christ was much harder for me to grasp at the time. And this is not me attacking the Catholic faith, not at all. People absolutely can have a real relationship with Christ within organized religion. A lot of people do, and I still love going to Catholic Mass every once in a while. The churches are beautiful, and there's something meaningful about reverence and tradition and ceremony. But regardless of denomination, it's possible for people to become so focused on outward practice that relationship with Jesus gets pushed aside, or maybe they never really understood relationship with him in the first place. Ephesians two verses eight and nine. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. That verse cuts directly against the idea that people can somehow earn their way to God, and yet many people still approach Christianity that way. If I go to church enough, if I clean my life up enough, if I become good enough, maybe God will finally accept me. But Christianity is not about humanity climbing its way up to God. It's about God coming to us through Jesus. Religion often centers on external behavior. Relationship with Christ changes you from the inside out. And relationship is exactly what it sounds like talking to God through prayer, reading scripture, trusting Him, and walking with Him daily, not just during crises, but in everyday life too. Not because you're trying to earn His love, but because you already have it through Christ. Now does obedience matter? Of course. But obedience is supposed to grow out of love for God, not an attempt to earn His approval. And people can look very religious outwardly while still being far from God inwardly. Jesus addressed that constantly with the Pharisees. In Matthew 15, verse 8, he said, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, because it means somebody can know church language, church culture, church routines, and still miss relationship with Jesus entirely. Any church tradition, background, or religious system can become empty if Jesus gets pushed to the side. God was never looking for people who simply perform religious activity. He wants relationship. Lord, thank you that salvation is based on grace and not performance. Help us not get so focused on outward religion that we lose sight of relationship with you. Draw us closer to Jesus personally and help us walk with you daily in a real and genuine way. And help our obedience grow out of love instead of obligation. In Jesus' name, Amen. If your faith has started feeling more like routine than relationship, maybe today is a good day to spend some real time talking with God again. And if Faith Fuel has been encouraging your walk with Christ, keep listening and share it with someone else who could use encouragement too. I'm Bob Shaw. Peace and joy.