This is the sixth article in the “New Life” series, written to address the needs of those seeking or those new to their faith in Jesus. This series may also be helpful to anyone who suspects that something is missing from their faith walk. 

You may hear the phrase “religion vs. relationship” from others who follow Jesus.  What does this mean?  Religion is when you worship a deity, listen to leaders who tell you about the deity, and follow whatever rituals and practices the leaders establish to worship the deity. You form an opinion of the deity based on what the leaders tell you. Allow me to share an analogy with you that I hope will illustrate this more clearly. Years ago, when I was a teenager, we would save our hard-earned money to buy teen magazines featuring articles about rock stars and movie stars.  Often, we were invited to join a fan club for a certain star.  For a fee, we could learn some facts about the star, such as favorite foods, hobbies, and the like.  We devoured every word we could read about the star, but we never interacted with the star, who did not even know we existed.  Religion is a lot like a fan club. On the other hand, a relationship involves interacting directly with another person, getting to know each other, and learning each other’s perspectives and preferences. You form bonds and ties. You learn to trust each other.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me (John 10:14).

Many of us grew up learning about God and Jesus in a church.  We learned about them, but we did not interact with them.  We heard about God’s love for us, but we did not experience His love directly.  We did not form a bond and did not learn first-hand that we could trust God.  We took the leader’s word on everything, whether right or wrong. When trouble came, we did not know where to turn.  Eventually, we began to question whether God or Jesus is real.  Many of us felt alone and cheated.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all (Psalm 34:17-19).

Don’t put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you. When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end. Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them and who depend on the Lord their God,the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them. He always keeps his promises; he judges in favor of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry (Psalm 146:3-7).

Many people attend church for years without encountering Jesus and forming a bond with Him. Perhaps they do not realize that such a relationship is possible. It is when we interact with Jesus directly that we mature spiritually and grow more like Him.  We learn to trust Jesus and know where to turn when trouble strikes. Those who do not have a relationship with Jesus miss out on the most rewarding relationship of all. 

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws” (Matthew 7:21-23)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

How do we have a relationship with Jesus?  We spend time with Him every day, talking and listening.  We put our burdens at His feet.  We share our joys and sorrows with Him. We thank Him for all that He has done for us and all that He is doing for us now.  Jesus is not only our friend, but our King. We look to Him for guidance and protection.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

Today, lies and misinformation abound.  False prophets seem to be around every corner. It is difficult and confusing to distinguish what is true.  How do we discern what is true? We can learn a lesson from bank tellers. Bank tellers are trained to know the authentic money in detail.  Because they are so familiar with the original, they can spot counterfeits right away.   As we interact with Jesus and get to know Him well, we can more easily detect the lies about Him. We can also ask the Holy Spirit to help us distinguish the truth from the lies.

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1).

Fellowship with other Christians is important.  Ask Jesus to direct you to a church or home fellowship that will foster both a relationship with Jesus and submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Look for people who are diligently searching for the truth and are not swayed by personal agendas. Interacting with our brothers and sisters in Jesus helps us. We can learn from each other and support each other.

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles (Acts 2:42-43).

Religion is man-made and leads to disagreements and divisions. We can see from the number of different denominations that abound.  Religion is man’s attempt to relate to God on man’s terms.  Relationship acknowledges that God is in charge and we follow His ways. We can also have a personal relationship with the Father because we are now His children. Our Father’s ways lead to love, respect, and unity.  Man-made ways lead to resentment, judgment, and disharmony.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him (1 John 3:10).

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:6).

Relationship with Jesus invites the Holy Spirit. You cannot understand this personal relationship intellectually.  You relate to Jesus in the spiritual realm with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Those who do not seek the help of the Holy Spirit are likely to scoff at the idea of a personal relationship with Jesus.  The Holy Spirit helps us to understand spiritual matters. 

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means (1 Corinthians 2:14).

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come (John 16:13).