Is it Religion or Faith?

This is a topic about which I hear a great deal of confusion. People tend to lump "religion" and "faith" into the same category. Yes, they go hand in hand, but I believe that is a far too general classification. Let me tell you my reasons why. I'll begin with the definitions (see Merriam-Webster):

Religion: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.

Faith: strong belief or trust in someone or something; belief in the existence of god.

Faith is pure belief. Religion, while it may be based on a system of beliefs, centers around rules and practices.

Christianity is a faith, and there are what we call religious denominations, or groups, based upon that faith.

I heard a fantastic description that I believe sums it up nicely.  It is a case of "DO" vs "DONE". 

In many religions the focus in on what you have to do in order to "earn" God's forgiveness. Rituals, tasks, "good works" (doing "good" things), etc. 

In Christianity there is nothing you can do... It has already been done for you! 

I would like to elaborate a bit on the latter.

As a Christian our faith is placed in our creator. 

1. We believe that God exists. We know that He is loving, that He is Holy (good/pure/without sin) and that He is just (sees justice done). 

2. We know that we are inclined to sin, or do things wrong. We make selfish choices. Sometimes we simply choose to do bad things. We are broken and we have no ability to change this or fix it on our own. This "sin" has separated us from God. As He is holy, (good), He cannot be in the presence of sin, (bad).

3. We believe the Bible is truth and that it is the word of God. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. Meaning, just as we earn a paycheck, we also earn spiritual death, or eternal separation from our loving Father in Heaven.

This sounds bleak, I know, but there is good news!!!! 

4. The Bible also tells us that because of His great love for us, even while we are off doing bad, He has given us a great gift!! He sent Jesus, His son, who is God come to Earth as a man, to take our place and pay the price for our sins. He died for us, so that we may be reunited with our loving Father!!!

5. We have been given the opportunity for forgiveness and healing. All He asks of us is that: We BELIEVE that Jesus is God, that He died for our sins, and that He was raised from the dead. We RECEIVE this FREE gift of salvation that He has given us through Jesus, meaning that we accept what He has done for us to set us free from our sin. We ask His forgiveness for what we have done and we ask that He become the leader of our life. As a result we become the adopted sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father!

To sum up "DONE", God loves us in spite of all of our wrong choices. He paid the ultimate price to have us, His children, with Him. All we have to do is believe and receive and we will become. 

Please know, I am not saying that we don't need religion. Once we have faith, faith and religion go hand in hand. Our faith leads us to live a life that follows the rules that God has given us and a desire to adhere to the covenant that we made with our savior. We were bought at a price and out of love and gratitude we strive to serve as best we can and follow the will of our Father. Religion provides a support system and accountability, both of which help us to keep walking rightly. Faith without works is dead, and just as in marriage the commitment to Christ is one that has rules and requires obedience and self sacrifice to fulfill them. We cannot just run amok doing as we please. We must honor the oath we made to follow Christ and all His ways.

*If you have questions or want to know more, please leave me a comment or if you are a friend on Facebook or Google, send me a message. <3

Bless and be blessed, y'all!