“Basically Christian” is not Christian… it’s false religion.
Last week I was speaking with a familiar friend at her house who was curious about spiritual warfare and prayer strategy. Towards the end, she was very intrigued and wanted to learn more, however, I asked her to define her faith because prayer apart from Jesus is ineffective and powerless. Her response was, “I’m a Christian. I believe in God.” However, when I brought up Jesus, she responded, “Does it matter? It’s all basically the same thing.”
This topic is so extensive that I almost deferred to something else… that was until the Lord helped me put what I know into as few words as I can.
In short, this verse speaks volumes to this truth —
“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this was met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.”
Acts 12:1-3 NIV
Let me repeat this very very important part…
“When King Herod saw that THE DEATH OF AN APOSTLE OF JESUS was met with APPROVAL by ….(listen carefully)… THE JEWS…. he proceeded to go after ANOTHER APOSTLE OF JESUS.”
The Jews = The people CHOSEN by God to be in relationship with Him…
The Jews = The people CHOSEN by God, but instead chose their OWN version of religion
The Jews = The people who denied Jesus as Lord and nailed Him to the Cross
The Jews = “Basically Christian”
These “basically Christians” are in fact not Christians at all.
How does one become a “Basically Christian”?
🌳Let me take you to the Garden of Eden.
Do you remember when God speaks to Adam prior to forming Eve from his rib? God tells Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but everything else is available for him to enjoy. Go ahead, read it! Genesis 2!
But why does this matter?
Because the enemy didn’t approach Adam… the one who heard the Lord’s Voice directly. He targeted Eve who heard what the Lord said through SOME ONE ELSE.
Satan will use his strategy to target the “basically Christian” (the one who’s faith is defined by rules, regulations, religious obligations, or their own idea of Christianity) with his knowledge of God (religion), rooted in evil intentions (falsehood), with the appearance of godliness (deception), and successfully produce generations of “basically Christians”.
When the people in the Church stop actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus on their own, confusion, misinterpretation, and false religions emerge.
If you remember correctly, after Satan approaches Eve to question her what God told them, because she did not hear God’s voice for herself, she responded with HER VERSION of God’s words.
Her version of the truth, wasn’t actually the truth, and eventually led to our fallen world.
Thus, the evolution of hundreds of “false religions” and “basically Christians” who aren’t hearing or reading the Lord’s Word for themselves, but instead building religions with their “fine-sounding arguments” and leading many many people astray.
Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Fully God and fully man, and He is the only atoning sacrifice for our sins. Salvation is ONLY available through Him. Anything “almost the same” is in fact, very much different.
Religion is from the enemy. He likes to get things soooo close to being “truth” that it’s hard to discern the full truth from the “almost” full truth without actually knowing the truth for yourself.
For example:
📜Biblical Truth: Jesus’ death and resurrection covered our sins once and for all. He is the only One with the power to forgive. He is the sole Redeemer. (John 14:6)
📃Catholicism’s “Almost Truth”: Jesus died and resurrected from the grave, however, Mother Mary is also a co-Redeemer with the power to intercede for sins and administer forgiveness.
📜Biblical Truth: Jesus is God’s only Begotten Son, He was with God in the beginning, and He was God. God in three Persons, the Holy Trinity— Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (1 John 5:7-8)
📃Jehovah’s Witness’s “Almost Truth”: Jesus is God’s “only-begotten Son”, but His life began in heaven. He is described as God’s first creation and the “exact representation of God”, but is believed to be a separate entity and not part of the Trinity.
📜Biblical Truth: God created man. Man is not and cannot be on the same level as God. God’s ways are always higher than man’s ways. (Numbers 23:19)
📃Mormonism’s “Almost Truth”: God is an exalted man enthroned in distant heavens. Man must learn how to become gods as well.
I could literally write for days about other “basically Christian” viewpoints— you will find so many versions of the “truth” everywhere you look…. The spirit of religion is no small foe. He’s been out there deceiving the people of God for centuries.
But being a Christian isn’t about religion.
Religion is about striving with whatever works necessary to be saved.
Christianity is about grace apart from works through Jesus Christ.
Satan wants you to believe being close enough to the Truth is the same as accepting Jesus as Lord over your life. But, “Basically Christian” is not Christian and cannot save you from eternal separation from God…
Did you catch that?
Believing in something that is “almost the truth” but maybe not the “full truth” about the Gospel can not save you from hell.
Even if the “almost Christian” religious practices you’ve been a part of says otherwise.
But Jesus!
Jesus has given us the power to break free from every religious stronghold and deception we’ve fallen entrapped to.
It is by His Blood that we can be saved.
He doesn’t just want us free, either, He wants us to be a permanent member of His family, loving His Word, seeking His face, and enjoying the abundant life He died on the Cross to give us— not by our works, but by His grace.
Besides, when we enter into relationship with Jesus, every other “religious” title becomes irrelevant in our identity. We are no longer “this denomination” or “this religion”. We become Children of God, heirs with Jesus in the Kingdom of God by His grace, with the power of the Holy Spirit through the Written Word of the Lord (Bible).
Oh how I long for you to know Jesus.
Not as a “basically Christian”.
But as a beautiful Child of God. 🔥
“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” 1 John 5:12