A Linguistic, Biblical, and Existential Autopsy
Introduction
This past weekend in Oklahoma, I found myself in an unexpected conversation about Christianity with a young man in his early twenties. Many people assume he is an atheist. I did too. That assumption never altered my regard for him—I love him regardless. Labels have never impressed me much; character does.
What surprised me was that he chose to engage at all. He usually refuses conversations like this with anyone outside his wife. Yet for reasons I won’t pretend to understand or exploit, he opened the door and let me step inside. I respect that more than agreement. Vulnerability is rarer than belief.
I won’t recount the specifics of what we discussed. This is not about his conclusions or mine. What matters is the spark the conversation lit. It forced me to slow down and examine something most people talk about loudly and think about quietly—if at all. Christianity. Not the word. Not the brand. Not the social identity. The thing itself, assuming it still exists beneath the noise.
Since returning home, I’ve taken time to sit with that tension. To separate what is ancient from what is inherited, what is living from what is manufactured. The longer I reflected, the clearer the fault line became—not between belief and unbelief, but between true Christianity and religion. That fault line is wide. And people fall into it every day.
What follows is not an attack on faith. It is a defense of it—against the very systems that claim to protect it.
Definitions: Where the Confusion Begins
Christianity (English) is not a moral system, political identity, or cultural inheritance. It is a way of life rooted in union with Christ—a transformed existence marked by repentance, obedience, and love empowered by God’s Spirit. Christianity is participatory. It requires death before resurrection.
Religion (English) is a man-made system of beliefs, rituals, and authorities designed to regulate behavior and manage access to the divine. It thrives on hierarchy, repetition, and external compliance. Religion does not require transformation—only conformity.
The Words Beneath the Words
The Greek Christianos means “one belonging to Christ.” It appears only three times in Scripture and was first used by outsiders in Acts 11:26. Identity was observed, not claimed. Before that, followers of Jesus were known simply as The Way—a life walked, not a label worn.
Religion, by contrast, comes from Latin religio: obligation, ritual observance, duty. In Greek, thrēskeia refers to external religious practice—what can be seen and measured. Scripture does not glorify it. It redefines it. Hebrew has no word for “religion” as a system. Instead, it speaks of
halakha—the walk—and emunah—faithfulness. Relationship, not regulation.
Christianity vs. Religion: Where the Paths Split
- Christianity says: You must die to live.
Religion says: Behave better so God will tolerate you.
Jesus is explicit in Luke 9:23. - Christianity starts with the heart.
Religion starts with optics.
God looks at the heart in 1 Samuel 16:7. - Christianity produces fruit.
Religion produces resumes.
Jesus names fruit as the measure in Matthew 7:16. - Christianity is relational.
Religion is transactional.
God loved first in Romans 5:8. - Christianity produces humility.
Religion manufactures superiority.
The contrast is exposed in Luke 18. - Christianity obeys God over people.
Religion obeys God until it threatens power.
See Acts 5:29. - Christianity confronts sin.
Religion manages it. - Christianity makes disciples.
Religion makes members.
Jesus commanded discipleship in Matthew 28. - Christianity decentralizes power.
Religion concentrates it.
Jesus warns leaders in Mark 10. - Christianity is led by the Spirit.
Religion is led by tradition.
Freedom is named in 2 Corinthians 3:17.
Free Will: The Line God Will Not Cross
God created choice on purpose. From the garden in Genesis 2 to the plea in Deuteronomy 30:19, Scripture affirms human agency. Jesus never forced belief. In John 6, He allows people to walk away. True Christianity respects free will because God does. Religion cannot afford to—it requires control. Christianity trusts God with outcomes. Religion does not.
Holier Than Thou: Where We Share the Blame
False Christians misrepresent Christ loudly. True Christians often misrepresent Him quietly. Jesus condemns spiritual superiority in Matthew 23. Hypocrisy is not subtle—it is repellent. False Christians claim Christ without submission. True Christians sometimes fail to correct that distortion through action and courage. Faith without works is dead in James 2:17. Christianity is demonstrated, not defended.
Judging: What God Actually Commanded
Christians are not called to judge the world. Paul is clear in 1 Corinthians 5:12–13. Judgment within the church exists for restoration, not humiliation. Jesus outlines this in Matthew 18. Paul reinforces gentleness in Galatians 6:1.
Self-examination comes first in Matthew 7 and 1 Corinthians 11:28.
A Necessary Line: Abuse Is Not Handled “In-House”
None of this applies to abuse. Ever. Any form of abuse—child or adult, physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual—must be reported to law enforcement. Immediately. Scripture affirms civil authority in Romans 13. Jesus speaks with severity about harming the vulnerable in Matthew 18:6. Forgiveness does not cancel consequences. Religion hides abuse to protect power. Christianity exposes it to protect people.
There is no gray area.
Struggle After Christ: Not Failure, but Dependence
Christians still struggle because redemption does not erase humanity. Paul describes this tension openly in Romans 7. Weakness is not disqualifying. It is the context for God’s strength in 2 Corinthians 12. To pretend otherwise is deception, as stated in 1 John 1:8.
God’s Grace vs. Religious Grace
Grace is unearned favor that initiates transformation. It saves in Ephesians 2:8–10 and trains in Titus 2:11–12. Grace does not excuse sin. Paul dismantles that lie in Romans 6. Religion turns grace into control or license. Christianity lets grace do its real work—liberation, humility, obedience born of gratitude.
Conclusion: Grace That Calls Us Home
At the end of all of this, the point is not to win an argument. It is to clear the fog so Christ Himself remains visible. True Christianity is not fragile. It does not need control, fear, or performance to survive. It stands on grace—the kind that tells the truth about who we are without abandoning us where we stand. Religion is anxious. Christianity is anchored.
Grace says we are more broken than we want to admit—and more loved than we ever imagined. It frees us to confess, to repent, to change, and to keep walking when we stumble. It makes space for struggle without making peace with sin. True Christians know they are unfinished. They judge themselves before correcting others. They confront evil without shielding it. They respect free will because God does. They live visibly different lives—not louder, not cleaner, but truer. If Christianity has been misunderstood, it is not because Christ was unclear. It is because too many of His followers went quiet, went comfortable, or went religious. That can change. Grace does not end the conversation. It opens the door.
And Christ is still standing there.
God bless ,
Amy Lee Murr
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