The reason we have so many people practicing the “Christian religion” and, in spite of it there is so much moral failure in our society is simple: they are practicing a religion, falsely calling it Christianity. True Christianity, on the other hand, is a calling to follow Jesus Christ, not participate in rituals and observation of festivals… “These,” the Bible explains, “are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)
Ravi Zacharias, who has studied world religions extensively, observes a fundamental distinction between Jesus Christ and the founders of other major religions. Only Jesus Christ offers deliverance, forgiveness for sin, and transformation.
Jesus Christ never claimed to be a religious leader; never got into religious politics; did not push any grand agenda. His ministry operated entirely outside the established religious framework — and frequently provoking conflict with the religious and political establishments.
Another sobering reality about true Christianity: Following Jesus Christ excludes other options as to ways of life or behaviour. Jesus Christ said to he/she who would follow Him to take up his cross and follow the Lord, at the exclusion of all others (Matthew 10:38; 19:29). He calls us to be (only) His followers; to obey His commands (John 15:14) in all that we do (Colossians 3:17); to cease to be ourselves (they “die” and take up the life of Jesus Christ. His was a calling of people to Himself. “He was identical with His message,” says Zacharias.
That is why Christians say they are “born again.” Christ died and rose again, on their behalf — that those who follow Him may also die and resurrect (be born again); undergo a transformation – a metamorphosis – this is the Greek word used in Romans 12:2. In this life, that picture may be metaphorical, but a day is coming when the dead in Christ shall rise, in new bodies, to live forever with Him.
Haron Wachira 