I have noticed a few people on here boasting about their "personal relationship with Christ" and I've done it myself at times in the past, but it like any catch phrase must be put into perspective.
First of all, if you word search the whole bible, you will soon find that no where does any apostle or disciple of Christ talk about their "personal relationship with Christ" in the way it is talked about today. Nor do they use it as a tool for evangelism. How do they evangelise? Well it's quite clear that they preach religion, they preach the Gospel, which is a set of fundamental beliefs about Christ.
Why is it not in the bible? Because it's a fairly modern catch phrase. The "personal relationship with Christ" idea came out of the evangelical movement, but apparently also has its roots in human psychology and individualism:
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap100000.htm
What is wrong with the personal relationship with Christ approach? Well for example, I once spoke to a lady and I thought I'd try the "do you have a personal relationship with Christ?" approach in evangelism, to which she replied, "well yes, I do have a personal relationship with Christ, thanks for asking". But observing her living with a live in boyfriend and asking her further questions, it became quite evident that she did not believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Yet, she was adamant that she had a personal relationship, as she prayed to Christ. So you see if you try a "personal relationship with Christ" approach in evangelism you probably will find there's an awful lot of people who already do think they know God personally, He is their best buddy, and He's always looking out for them: But they do not believe the fundamentals of the religion.
Quite often I notice that people will use their "personal relationship with Christ" to define or set their own doctrines or agendas, and downplay the long established status-quo in doctrine and religion, which for the most part has been established for the past 400 years if you are protestant, and even more than that if you are not. Some use their "relationship with Christ" to think they have a right to change what is already established doctrine. Even worse, some use their "relationship with Christ" to think themselves as being "more christian" than others (I don't have anyone in mind here I'm just speaking in general).
However, this idea that your personal relationship with Christ is somehow better than or a replacement for religion, is very much a deception. How did you enter into your personal relationship with Christ? Hopefully you heard and believed the Gospel. What is the Gospel ? Basically, it is a set of fundamental statements and beliefs about the deity, death, burial and resurrection of Christ, in other words, the Gospel is religion, and therefore Christianity is a religion, which the dictionary defines to be:
"a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects"
So what does the bible say about how to become a Christian? Do you become a Christian through a personal relationship or through religion, as the dictionary defined above?
Well the bible really says you become a Christian by believing certain facts about Jesus Christ, not by having a personal relationship with Him:
Rom 10:8 But what does it say? "The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim;
Rom 10:9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
If you have not entered into a personal relationship with Christ through believing those certain facts, i.e. through religion, then you simply do not have a relationship with Christ. This runs contrary to the idea of a "personal relationship with Christ" that some in here suppose - that it means you "don't have a religion". This idea runs against the grain of everything which the apostles taught about believing certain facts about Christ to be saved. Yes, being saved is about relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but relationship with God aka being born of God from above, is a result of believing certain facts about Jesus Christ.
Here's the difference, your "personal relationship with Christ", does not come under the category of relationship, it comes under the category of fellowship. The sort of subjective and private idea of a "personal relationship with Christ" only makes sense in the context and framework of religion. To take it out of that context and apply it outside of a religious framework, is to become like the poor lady who thought she had a relationship with Christ, but obviously did not believe or live according to the religon.
I understand that some prefer to emphasise the relational and subjective aspects of being a Christian, in order not to be confused with the false humanistic and man-made traditions Sunday church-going-only culture which is prevalent in Western society today. However, stating that you have a personal relationship with Christ apart from religion, or that you don't have a religion as a Christian, is not only shown to be false when we examine what the bible teaches, it also makes one appear incredibly stupid or confusing to unbelievers, who know full well that Christianity is a religion that requires conversion to. At best, the unbeliever will understand what you are talking about (although that is unlikely unless they have personally and subjectively experienced Christ), at worst, you will make a false convert, who thinks Christianity revolves around a buddy buddy pal friendship with Christ and that fundamental beliefs and doctrines are only secondary in importance, or not important at all.
First of all, if you word search the whole bible, you will soon find that no where does any apostle or disciple of Christ talk about their "personal relationship with Christ" in the way it is talked about today. Nor do they use it as a tool for evangelism. How do they evangelise? Well it's quite clear that they preach religion, they preach the Gospel, which is a set of fundamental beliefs about Christ.
Why is it not in the bible? Because it's a fairly modern catch phrase. The "personal relationship with Christ" idea came out of the evangelical movement, but apparently also has its roots in human psychology and individualism:
The expression comes from the humanist psychology of the last hundred years, principally that of Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and Eric Fromm. It also has its roots in over emphasis on the attitude of rugged individualism of the early development of America.
What is wrong with the personal relationship with Christ approach? Well for example, I once spoke to a lady and I thought I'd try the "do you have a personal relationship with Christ?" approach in evangelism, to which she replied, "well yes, I do have a personal relationship with Christ, thanks for asking". But observing her living with a live in boyfriend and asking her further questions, it became quite evident that she did not believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Yet, she was adamant that she had a personal relationship, as she prayed to Christ. So you see if you try a "personal relationship with Christ" approach in evangelism you probably will find there's an awful lot of people who already do think they know God personally, He is their best buddy, and He's always looking out for them: But they do not believe the fundamentals of the religion.
Quite often I notice that people will use their "personal relationship with Christ" to define or set their own doctrines or agendas, and downplay the long established status-quo in doctrine and religion, which for the most part has been established for the past 400 years if you are protestant, and even more than that if you are not. Some use their "relationship with Christ" to think they have a right to change what is already established doctrine. Even worse, some use their "relationship with Christ" to think themselves as being "more christian" than others (I don't have anyone in mind here I'm just speaking in general).
However, this idea that your personal relationship with Christ is somehow better than or a replacement for religion, is very much a deception. How did you enter into your personal relationship with Christ? Hopefully you heard and believed the Gospel. What is the Gospel ? Basically, it is a set of fundamental statements and beliefs about the deity, death, burial and resurrection of Christ, in other words, the Gospel is religion, and therefore Christianity is a religion, which the dictionary defines to be:
"a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects"
So what does the bible say about how to become a Christian? Do you become a Christian through a personal relationship or through religion, as the dictionary defined above?
Well the bible really says you become a Christian by believing certain facts about Jesus Christ, not by having a personal relationship with Him:
Rom 10:8 But what does it say? "The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim;
Rom 10:9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
If you have not entered into a personal relationship with Christ through believing those certain facts, i.e. through religion, then you simply do not have a relationship with Christ. This runs contrary to the idea of a "personal relationship with Christ" that some in here suppose - that it means you "don't have a religion". This idea runs against the grain of everything which the apostles taught about believing certain facts about Christ to be saved. Yes, being saved is about relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but relationship with God aka being born of God from above, is a result of believing certain facts about Jesus Christ.
Here's the difference, your "personal relationship with Christ", does not come under the category of relationship, it comes under the category of fellowship. The sort of subjective and private idea of a "personal relationship with Christ" only makes sense in the context and framework of religion. To take it out of that context and apply it outside of a religious framework, is to become like the poor lady who thought she had a relationship with Christ, but obviously did not believe or live according to the religon.
I understand that some prefer to emphasise the relational and subjective aspects of being a Christian, in order not to be confused with the false humanistic and man-made traditions Sunday church-going-only culture which is prevalent in Western society today. However, stating that you have a personal relationship with Christ apart from religion, or that you don't have a religion as a Christian, is not only shown to be false when we examine what the bible teaches, it also makes one appear incredibly stupid or confusing to unbelievers, who know full well that Christianity is a religion that requires conversion to. At best, the unbeliever will understand what you are talking about (although that is unlikely unless they have personally and subjectively experienced Christ), at worst, you will make a false convert, who thinks Christianity revolves around a buddy buddy pal friendship with Christ and that fundamental beliefs and doctrines are only secondary in importance, or not important at all.
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