Christendom and Religion - Principled Academy

When we talk about Christendom and religion, we’re talking about relating to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and doing life as a part of the Church. That’s different than just following a set of rules or particular practices. But what does it look like to have an authentic Christian faith?

Take a listen . . .

What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?

A Christian is an individual who believes what the Bible says about God, sin, Godly sorrow, confession, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge and believe that we are born with a sin nature and we can’t do anything to save ourselves. We can’t earn our way to salvation. Only the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross makes it possible for us to be forgiven and have a “new birth.” This is also referred to as being “born again.” And when we are born again we are able to have a relationship with God. We’ll be able to be with Christ in eternity upon our death and we’ll live with Him and enjoy God forever.

What Christians Believe

There are specific teachings in the Bible that are salvific which all Christians adhere to. There are some different understandings regarding doctrine, but are not salvific in nature. The doctrinal difference should not cause division among us. There are key philosophical beliefs about God that we are all to adhere to. The following outline is pulled from the outstanding PILLARS study by Dan Smithwick of Nehemiah Institute® (<<< not an affiliate link).

What We Believe About God

These are core tenets of what believe as Christians about God:

God is self-existent (not dependent). See Exodus 3:13, 14.
God is eternal (no beginning, no ending). See Romans 1:20.
God is infinite (unbounded). See 1 Kings 8:27.
God is omnipresent (everywhere). See Psalm 139:7-10.
God is omnipotent (all-powerful). See Genesis 18:14.
God is omniscient (all-knowing). See Isaiah 40:13, 14.
God is immutable (unchangeable). See Hebrews 13:8.
God is sovereign (supreme ruler). See Isaiah 46:9-11.
God is holy (sinless, absolute perfection). See Leviticus 19:2.
God is righteous and just. See Deuteronomy 32:4 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.
God is faithful. See Deuteronomy 32:4.
God is love. See 1 John 4:8-10.
God is wrathful. See John 3:36, Romans 1:18, and Ephesians 5:6.

What We Believe About Man Before the Fall

Man could think, understand, speak, and work. See Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:16, 17.
“Adam was to trust God’s Word, act upon God’s Word, and restrain himself according to God’s Word.”(1) See Genesis 2:16, 17.

What We Believe About Man After the Fall

Man became “sin filled.” See Genesis 3:9, 10 and Genesis 3:9, 10.
In his sinful state man doesn’t seek God and finds the concept of holiness repugnant. Man’s sinful, fleshly nature enjoys evil desires. See. Genesis 6:5, Romans 3:10, 11, and Psalms 52:7.
“All people, in all nations and cultures inherit the sinful nature of Adam and Eve. God would be perfectly just in condemning each of us to eternal separation in the fires of hell because we possess this sinful nature.”(2) See Romans 5:12.
God has provided means of redemption. This is because of His goodness and loving-kindness toward man. This was done through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. Because of His grace, sinners are freely offered a new life in Jesus Christ and are able to live victorious lives by submitting to the Lordship of Christ. See. John 3:16, 36 and Ephesians 2:8,9.

What We Believe About God’s Revelation of Himself

God reveals Himself in three distinct ways:

Generally through His creation. See Romans 1:20.
Formally through His Word, the Bible. See Deuteronomy 4:13.
Personally through His Son. See Luke 22:70.

What We Believe About the Marks of a Born-again Christian

Historically, there are five distinguishing marks as evidence that an individual has received new life in Christ Jesus:

An Inner witness that allows us to know deeply in our hearts that God dwells in us and that Jesus Christ alone is His eternal Son. See. 1 John 5:10 and Romans 8:16.
Genuinely loves the Word of God. We crave to be reading His Word, to understand it, to know it, to live by it. See Acts 13:44.
Genuinely loves the brethren. We enjoy each other’s company, hearing how each other came to know Jesus Christ, and grow together. Christ and our love for Him unites us. See. 1 John 3:14.
Has a desire to pray and to pray for each other. See Psalm 5:3, John 10:27, and Acts 1:14.
Has a changed life. True commitment to Jesus Christ and enduring whatever may come are marks of a changed life in Him. See 1 John 5:4, 18 and 2 Corinthians 5:17.

What We Believe About the Church

The nature of the Church consists of all people in every nation who have received eternal life through Jesus Christ, by the grace of God. See. 1 Corinthians 1:2.
The purpose of the Church is to exalt to God through corporate worship, songs of praise, and to give thanks to God for eternal salvation. It’s to edify believers and build them up through preaching and the study of the whole counsel of God. As the body of believers it testifies to the world of God’s goodness and loving-kindness. See Acts 14:23 and 1 Peter 2:5.
The importance of the Church rests in the fact that the Church is the bride of Christ. She is His most cherished possession. Our salvation isn’t based on works, but we should do all we can to make ourselves pleasing to Christ. See Hebrews 10:24, 25.

As Christians, we are all to be working out our salvation like Philippians 2:12,13 teaches us to do.

Christians Work Out Their Salvation

What does it mean to work out our salvation? This is what Matthew Henry’s Commentary explains regarding Philippians 2:12, 13 (instructions written by the Apostle Paul):

1. Securing the Welfare of Our Souls

“He [the Apostle Paul] exhorts them to diligence and seriousness in the Christian course: Work out your own salvation. It is the salvation of our souls (1 Pt. 1:9), and our eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9), and contains deliverance from all the evils sin had brought upon us and exposed us to, and the possession of all good and whatsoever is necessary to our complete and final happiness. Observe, It concerns us above all things to secure the welfare of our souls: whatever becomes of other things, let us take care of our best interests. It is our own salvation, the salvation of our own souls. It is not for us to judge other people; we have enough to do to look to ourselves; and, though we must promote the common salvation (Jude 3) as much as we can, yet we must upon no account neglect our own.”

2. We Are to Diligently Work Out Our Salvation

“We are required to work out our salvation, katergazesthe. The word signifies working thoroughly at a thing, and taking true pains. Observe, We must be diligent in the use of all the means which conduce to our salvation. We must not only work at our salvation, by doing something now and then about it; but we must work out our salvation, by doing all that is to be done, and persevering therein to the end. Salvation is the great thing we should mind, and set our hearts upon; and we cannot attain salvation without the utmost care and diligence.”

3. We Are to Work Out Our Salvation with Fear and Trembling

“He [the Apostle Paul] adds, With fear and trembling, that is, with great care and circumspection: “Trembling for fear lest you miscarry and come short. Be careful to do every thing in religion in the best manner, and fear lest under all your advantages you should so much as seem to come short,” Heb. 4:1. Fear is a great guard and preservative from evil.”

4. We Are to Readily Obey the Gospel

“He [the Apostle Paul] urges this from the consideration of their readiness always to obey the gospel: “As you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, v. 12. You have been always willing to comply with every discovery of the will of God; and that in my absence as well as presence. You make it to appear that regard to Christ, and care of your souls, sway more with you than any mode of showing respect whatsoever.” They were not merely awed by the apostle’s presence, but did it even much more in his absence. “And because it is God who worketh in you, do you work out your salvation. Work, for he worketh.”

5. We Are to Depend Upon the Grace of God

“It should encourage us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain. God is ready to concur with his grace, and assist our faithful endeavors. Observe, Though we must use our utmost endeavors in working out our salvation, yet still we must go forth, and go on, in a dependence upon the grace of God. His grace works in us in a way suitable to our natures, and in concurrence with our endeavors; and the operations of God’s grace in us are so far from excusing, that they are intended to quicken and engage our endeavors.”

6. Our Working Depends Upon His Working in Us

“And work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for he worketh in you.” All our working depends upon his working in us. “Do not trifle with God by neglects and delays, lest you provoke him to withdraw his help, and all your endeavours prove in vain. Work with fear, for he works of his good pleasure.”—To will and to do: he gives the whole ability. It is the grace of God which inclines the will to that which is good: and then enables us to perform it, and to act according to our principles.

7. Working Out Our Salvation is Not Done Because of Our Own Merit

Thou hast wrought all our works in us, Isa. 26:12. Of his good pleasure. As there is no strength in us, so there is no merit in us. As we cannot act without God’s grace, so we cannot claim it, nor pretend to deserve it. God’s good will to us is the cause of his good work in us; and he is under no engagements to his creatures, but those of his gracious promise.

Learn more about Christendom and religion as well as four other spheres of life in PILLARS: A Study in Foundations of Civilizations.