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Calling All Contenders - Mike Muzzerall

True Christianity

 June 2019

It seems sad that we need to define true Christianity. There are a lot of counterfeit religions that claim to be Christian but are not. Just because they have the name Jesus Christ in their titles doesn’t mean that it is true Christianity. Just because it has the word Christian in the title does not mean it is part of true Christianity.

Anchored To The Cross
True Christianity is built upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not built upon a series of rules or regulations. It is not built upon religious acts. True Christianity has been and will always be anchored to the cross. If a church distances itself from the cross of Christ or the Christ of the cross, then it ceases to be true Christianity.

Why The Cross?
The cross is the central dividing point of the history of mankind. It is where the incarnate Christ paid the debt so that sinful man could be forgiven. It is where my redemption was paid. Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, became the sin sacrifice for all of mankind.

Good News
The true Christian good news is always tied to the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The means by which this good news becomes a reality in a person’s life is by grace through faith. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Since the birth of the true church until now, it has always been the central theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the gospel being preached is not based on a simple faith in the completed work of Calvary, then it is not good news. Spreading The Good News Christ entrusted the spread of the gospel to His church. Before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He gave the charge to His disciples to wait until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:49). In Acts, Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The spread of the gospel will be accomplished by—and only by—the operation of the Holy Spirit through the true church.

A Christless Christianity
Many pastors today are attempting to distance themselves from the cross of Christ. They feel the image of the cross will push people away. Ponder this: Why do you want to be considered Christian if you deny the central role of the cross in the daily lives of the believers? Can you be part of the body of Christ and belittle Calvary seeing that true Christianity is built upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? The idea of a “cross-less Christianity doesn’t make sense just as the idea of a Christ-less Christianity doesn’t make sense.

Paul Was Not Ashamed
Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17). He wasn’t ashamed of talking about Calvary because he realized that the message of the Cross was the dunamis (miracle-working) power of God that produces salvation to everyone. That, my friend, is the basis of true Christianity.

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