There is a paramount distinction between what is commonly called the Christian religion and genuine Christianity, a distinction that is often passed over as if not existing. Let me explain.

The Christian religion, as any other religion, is predominantly a cultural by-product. By this I mean if a person is born in India the odds are sky-high that Hinduism will be his religion. Likewise, a person born in Saudi Arabia will probably end up to be a Muslim, and the one born in Thailand a Buddhist. And there goes the cultures.

The problem with these religions, as hitherto presented, is that they affect only the outward appearance of a person. The heart remains unchanged. In other words, they have no regenerative power.

Jesus could not have verbalized the problem any clearer when He said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

Now these scribes and Pharisees were considered the most “holy” representatives of the Judaistic faith, a faith they had received through their immediate culture. Yet their inner reality had not been affected.

The story of Nicodemus—a Pharisee who eventually became Jesus’ disciple (John 19:39)—is a good example of such ineffectual religiosity. Although he was sincere in his belief, he was not going to inherit the kingdom of God simply because he had not been regenerated, his sinful nature had remained untouched.

Here is a portion of the talk Jesus had with this religious man:

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:1–7)

In this passage, Jesus is calling Nicodemus to a transition, to a passing from mere religiosity to a life changing experience.

My testimony

Being born in the province of Québec in Canada, I became a Catholic. If I would have been born in the province of Ontario I would have, most surely, become a protestant. As a baby I was baptized, later on I became an altar boy, rang the bells of the church and so on. But nothing had happened to me inwardly. I was still a liar, a hypocrite, a thief and God knows what else. The simple fact is: a religion cannot change a person from inside out. I don’t care which religion you are talking about or how sincere the religious person might be. As far as regeneration is concerned, all religions—as defined hitherto—are absolutely inefficient. In that sense, genuine Christianity contrasts with all religions, including the Christian religion.

What makes a person a Christian?

In Spain, most people would answer: A Christian is someone who has been baptized. Others would add: Someone who goes to church and prays, burns candles and follows the imposed observances, such as penitence and the holy sacraments. But none of these things can make a person a Christian. The only thing that can turn a person into a genuine Christian is faith in the Gospel of Christ. Of course this begs the question: What does the Gospel of Christ mean?

The apostle Paul defines it as follows:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

The Gospel of Christ has to do primarily with God’s power. That is why it is so efficient as a cause. It has the power to engender salvation in the person who believes it. It must be understood here that the word “believe” entails obedience. As the apostle Paul writes, where there is no obedience there is no faith:

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (Romans 10:16)

Here Paul equates obedience to belief. This union, between faith and obedience, should not surprise anyone. It is the way we experience life everyday. For instance, if an experienced mechanic tells me: “Don’t by this car. It is a piece of junk.” And I go ahead and buy it, I manifest clearly that I don’t believe or trust him, although I may claim otherwise. Therefore the person who truly believes the Gospel will act accordingly (repent, amend his way, etc.) and as such he will experience the power of God at the point of inner regeneration. That’s right! The Gospel has the power to beget a new person:

For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 4:15)

And again:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This is Christianity, the result of an inner revolution which manifests itself outwardly through the power of God. In the passage above, the apostle Paul uses the words “new creation”, for it involves a transition from the old man to the new, a transition that cannot be achieved through rituals, sacraments, or any sort of religious workouts, regardless of how sincere the devotee might be.

Conclusion

The Christian religion, as any other religion, is based on human merits. In absolute contrast, true Christianity is based solely on Christ’s merits.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4–6)

In a nutshell this is Christianity, the result of an inner transmutation triggered by love and sustained by it.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

I leave you with a little speech of 7:38 min. by John Lennox that might help you to understand something about the difference. Here is the link.

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