Faith

False Reasons For Being A Christian

praying-hands-christian-stock-imageWhy are you a Christian? Why did you want to be a Christian?

The answers to these questions tell us a lot about the foundation of your Christian life. This is because if your reason for being a christian is faulty, it means your whole christian walk is faulty, no matter how many years you have been a christian. So I am going to be showing you some wrong reasons for being a christian.

  1. I am a Christian because I want to go to heaven or escape hell.

If this is the reason why you are christian then you may have missed it and your foundation is faulty. Christianity is not founded on heaven or hell but in Christ!

You may have been preached to and told that if you don’t want to go to hell, you have to “accept” Jesus. This may seem like a good reason but it makes the person’s decision to be a christian made out of fear of hell. The danger with this reason is that it tends to make you focus on the destination rather than on the person taking you to the destination. Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the rest of the apostles never preached the gospel in this context. Jesus spoke about hell and heaven but he didn’t make those things the main reason why you should believe in Him. Now, I  am not saying hell or heaven isn’t real. They are and we should be aware of them. But my point is this- the desire to go to heaven is not what will take you there. Likewise, the desire to escape hell won’t keep you from hell either. 

My reason for being a christian is not necessarily based on where am going but on who I am following. If I follow Him I will end in the same place He is going. Hebrews 12:2 says “ looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…..”(ESV). Imagine that you want to go somewhere. You don’t know how to get there but someone does. If you design your shirt and create posters and flyers saying I am going to this place, will you eventually get there? No! How will you get there? By following the person who knows the place. Same thing with Christianity! If your reason for being a christian is not Jesus and Him alone, your Christianity is faulty! If there was no heaven or hell, would you still want to be a christian???. Think about it!

If your reason for being a christian is not Jesus and Him alone, your Christianity is faulty! Click To Tweet

If there was no heaven or hell, would you still want to be a christian??? Click To Tweet

2. I am a Christian because Jesus can do miracles and make me rich and wealthy.

I hate this reason. Personally, I think this is why Christianity is now weak and lacks the power and depth that the early church had. If this is your reason for being a christian, then I am sorry to say you are very wrong and most certainly not saved. Honestly, you don’t even need to be a christian to be rich and get healing or miracles. Many other religions claim to do this and do it well. In fact, you don’t even need to believe in God to be rich. The world is full of self help books and materials on how to get rich and wealthy. I have heard and  spoken with people who said they are comfortable and have a good lifestyle and don’t believe in God. They progressed from being poor and now live comfortably thanks to psychology and reading some good how-to-get-rich books. Jesus himself didn’t even trust those who believed him for this reason. Look at this verse in the bible:

 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.   John 2: 23-26. (ESV)

This verse really changed my life! It changed my view about who Jesus is. So many people are living their lives thinking that Jesus is with them just because he did a miracle for them or gave them financial breakthrough when actually, the reality is that Jesus doesn’t even trust them!

Ask yourself. If Jesus came without promise of healing and riches, would you still want to be a christian?. Would you still claim and shout His name on the rooftops if he didn’t promise you all the good things you where looking for? If Jesus came as simple as he was, would you accept him? If your reason for being a christian is just because of what Jesus can do for you rather than who He is, then the foundation for your Christian life is faulty.

If Jesus came without promise of healing and riches, would you still want to be a christian? Click To Tweet

3. I am a Christian because I grew up in a Christian family.

For many, being born into a christian family makes you a christian. This is a wrong misconception. True Christians don’t become Christians because they were born into a christian family. You can be in a christian family and not even know the bible. To be a christian is a personal choice initiated by God and not by the family you were born into.

4. I am a Christian because I “practice” the religion.

Practicing the religious acts of Christianity doesn’t make one a true christian. It may fool others but it won’t fool God. Being moral, going to church, doing good deeds, and doing christian activities do not make you a christian. As stated in the point above, only God can make one a christian. Now there are many others but they all come down to any of the four reasons mentioned.

A word to my non-christian friends;

For non-Christians, it is good you know this too. Christianity is a unique religion. The Pope does not define Christianity worldwide. The Christians and churches you see everywhere do not define Christianity. The only authority qualified to define it is Jesus Christ Himself. And it is only through him that we get our definition of our religion. Find out what the Jesus said about Christianity instead of generalizing a person’s view. And how does one find out Jesus’s standard and definition of Christianity? By reading the Bible.

The only authority qualified to define it is Jesus Christ Himself. Click To Tweet

Written by; Abiodun Liadi for Reviving The Gospel

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Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
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