Christianity
What is Christianity? Is it one of the many religions found around the
world, one of the many Philosophies of life, or one of the world’s
ideologies?
I believe Amir Tsarfati, a Messianic Jew has it right! “The word religion,
just so we understand, does not appear in the (Hebrew) Bible. Not at all!
Religion is a manufactured thing
. It is a way that man created to
somehow express his faith or his belief in a higher entity. But that word
does not exist in the Old Testament at all. So there was no Jewish
religion at the time. And, of course, Christianity was never meant to be a
religion, but rather a way of life. In fact, the Bible says in Act 9:1-2,
‘Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of
the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the
synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way,
whether man or woman, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.’
It
was not a religion; it was a way. They were called the Way. He could
have had – he could have mentioned, ‘If anyone who belonged to the
newly founded world religion Christianity, then get them bound to
Jerusalem.’ But no, it was not so. In fact, they did not even talk to them
as if there were no longer Jews. They were Jews who were taking the
Way. That is interesting, because now we can understand why Jesus said,
“I am the Way, the Truth, and Life.”
Amir Tsarfati
Christianity is not a religion in the truest sense but is life lived by those
whom God has brought to Himself.
Steve
As mentioned above, Amir is a Messianic Jew (A person of Jewish heritage) who
maintains his Jewish identity but believes and acknowledges that Yeshua (Jesus) is
the Messiah and Savior of man.
2