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I have spent most of my life identifying as a Christian. It feels weird to say that, believe it, and question it all at the same time. So why do I say that in such a weird cryptic way?

To say I am a Christian is the easiest way to explain to others a general idea of what I believe. I believe I am a Christian because I believe God created us. I believe we have all violated God’s laws. These violations of law are called sin. I believe God sent his Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. And I believe that if we accept this gift from God and turn from our sins that He will save us from eternal suffering and hell. That briefly makes sense of why I say and believe it. But what about the more cryptic part of questioning it?

One of the reasons I question it is because of the definitions of Christianity. The Cambridge Dictionary defines Christianity as “belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ,” or
“used to describe a person or action that is good, kind, helpful, etc.”

These aren’t necessarily wrong, but incomplete. Yes, Christianity is a religion based on Jesus Christ and his teachings. And most of us try to live a good life. But I don’t believe we are called to a religion. We are called to a relationship with Christ, and that is interactive, not just knowledge.

It’s like the difference between knowing the DMV is where you renew your plate and actually going there to renew your plate. Some people only have a basic knowledge that it exists and have little to no clue what they do there. Eventually, most of us learn more about the DMV and the need for them in our lives. But until we enter a relationship with the DMV, everything we know about them is useless.

At first, I thought this was a bad analogy because of the negative feelings most of us get when we think of the DMV. But most people react the same to both situations we dread going to the DMV. There are people who dread church. We don’t want to go to the DMV because they might tell us we need to change or update something. There are A LOT of people who avoid church and God for the same reason. They love their sin and don’t want to give it up. Don’t feel alone if you think this applies to you. I struggle with my own sins daily. I try to do better every day. Some days, it’s one step forward, and others, it’s two steps back. But I keep trying because I love God, and God loves me.

In an effort to simplify my ramblings. The point is that having a relationship with Christ is more important and more fulfilling than studying a religion. We don’t need to just know about God, but we also need to KNOW God. Like most things in life, this is easier said than done, but it is worth the effort.