The Religion of Christianity
Alan R. Naas April 2021
Have you noticed, as we grow in the doctrine of the Body of Christ, our departure from the doctrines of traditional Christianity grows wider and wider?
Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 we search the Scriptures daily for truth of God to the point where we have even challenged some very key words that have been seared into our mind such as angels, baptism, communion, heaven, hell, mystery, dispensation, church, gospel and so on.
Many rightly divide nothing in the Scriptures, some rightly divide between Peter and Paul. But we rightly divide everything: even Paul’s ministries.
We have studied questions such as “Is the Bible Holy?” “Uninspired words in the Bible”, and “How do you answer the question Are you a Christian?”
Well why stop there? Why not question the very origin of “Christianity?
Christianity is said to be the largest religion in the world.
How is Christianity defined? Here are some definitions:
The religion of Christians: a believer in the religion of Christ
The system of doctrines and precepts taught by Christ
The religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
An Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
The religion derived from Jesus Christ based on the Bible as sacred scripture
The faith tradition that focuses on the figure of Jesus Christ
In our recent studies we have been looking for the true foundation of traditional Christianity. We looked at the discovery of the Didache (The teachings of Jesus Christ through the Twelve Apostles to the Gentiles). We learned more about the “Apostolic Fathers” of Christianity: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna, and the things they wrote about. We looked at the historical accounts of Christianity by Eusebius, Philo, and Tertullian who were the ante-Nicaean Fathers of Christianity.
We noticed a complete absence of evidence of the acknowledgement Paul’s post-Acts good message of the body of Christ. The primary question becomes: Why does traditional Christianity not teach the mystery of the dispensation of the Body of Christ? Instead, they are either ignorant of it or are opposed to it.
What is the source of the difference between what Judeo-Christianity teaches and what dispensational truth teaches?
This conference is being broadcast by two forms of electronic technology: one called Zoom and the other called Paltalk. As I recall, the first time I signed up for Paltalk to log in I had to find the room where our studies are broadcast. As some of you may have been instructed, I was instructed to go to Religion and Spirituality, then Christianity, then Musterion Truth Bible Study Voice Room.
As I have been studying the Word of God for about twenty years now, am coming to understand what it means to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.
My favorite verse now is 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (1,2,3,4)
For it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who wills that all men should be saved and come unto further knowledge of the truth.
It sounds like a simple two-step process, right?
Now you may not agree with what I am about say. You may find it a shock to you brain. It may not necessarily represent the belief of everyone in our fellowship.
To make a point, I am going to challenge the listing on Paltalk. If the Musterion Truth Bible Study Voice Room represents the Body of Christ according to Paul’s dispensational truth, then it is not a subcategory of Christianity. I realize it needs to be listed that way for the world. It is correct and true that Christianity is a religion. But the Body of Christ is definitely not a religion nor does it agree with the tenants of Christianity.
When I began to understand the mystery of the dispensation of the Body of Christ, several questions popped into my little brain, like:
Why was I not taught this in fifty years of going to church?
How did the Christian theologians miss this in all their Bible knowledge?
Is this for real, or is it some heretical trick of the devil?
Then the difficulty came in my study of the Bible, to put aside all the wrong things that I was taught for fifty years in order to discover what God is trying to teach me through the Holy Spirit.
A year ago I sat down and began to list all of the new things I learned after I quit going to church and began to independently study the Bible. With 25 lines to a page, I wrote filled 5 pages. The next day, I thought of a few more and filled 5 more pages. That’s about 250 new things that I learned from independent Bible study. Some were very shocking to my core beliefs.
Where did Christianity come from? If it is a religion, did Jesus Christ start a religion?
The word is used 5 times in the Bible and 4 of those speak of the Jews. The fifth one gives the Biblical definition of religion in James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself spotted from the world.
In the Greek 2356 threskeia=ceremonial observance = religion, worshipping
I learned that the English word “religion” speaks for itself. It comes from the Latin re=again and ligo=bind (like a ligament). Religion means to bind again.
Religions are bound to a creed or closed set of set beliefs and some system of worship.
If this fellowship is bound to anything, we are bound to each other and we are bound to the truth of God’s word. Our set of beliefs are never closed, but always open to further knowledge of the truth.
Religion is in opposition to the freedom of the truth of God’s Word.
John 8:31-36
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Some of you have heard my quirky saying before: Religious freedom is an oxymoron. There is no freedom in religion.
Religion is an invention and a tool of Satan that is rooted in the account of Cain and Abel and in the account of the tower of Babel.
2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we must rightly divide the word of truth within the Bible itself. But in the world we must also rightly divide the word of truth from the lies of religion that come from the enemy Satan.
In my labors to rightly divide the word of truth it has become apparent to me that in the past I did not fully understand the deceit of Satan and his power of darkness. Satan uses this power very effectively in two areas: the Bible and religion. Since the Christian religion is supposedly based on the Bible, the power of darkness has had great influence on the translations and interpretations of God’s inspired word which has resulted in the not only the creation of the Christian religion but also great fragmentation of the Christian religion; ergo instead of unity, there are hundreds of denominations. If the Christian religion was truly based on the truth of the Bible, it seems that there would true unity of one body and that one body would be growing stronger to perfection. But instead it is greatly fragmented, weak, cancerous, and giving way to the Satan’s world.
The Bible is commonly known as “The word of God”.
Internally, the Bible itself gives evidence of this fact in 2 Timothy 3:16.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
It should be noted that nowhere does it say here that Scripture is profitable to form a religion. Religions are the invention of Satan, rudiments of the word, which began in our earth age with the account of Nimrod and the tower of Babel
Colossians 2:8
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Rudiments of the world are things that originate in the world. Religions are rudiments of the world. If Christianity is a religion, then it is one of the rudiments of the world.
Colossians 2:20
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
On page 1780 of the Companion Bible there are introductory notes before the Epistle to the Colossians. I would like to make one adjustment or correction in Section 2.
2. SUBJECT. Colossians, like Galatians, proclaims our freedom from the “elements”, or “rudiments”, of the world. What those elements are is sufficiently explained by the term “ceremonialism”, the rites and ceremonies of religion as distinct from Christianity the Body of Christ. Hence Paul’s earnest admonition against a return to such, Jewish or other, inasmuch as this to deny our completeness and perfection in Christ. Practically, it is to say that He is not sufficient, that something more is needed to be added to Him, some ordinance is wanted to make us quite complete. But as the apostle unfolds to us, we died with Christ, and consequently, ordinances are of no use to dead persons. In this epistle all practical holiness is shown to spring from the holding of true doctrine, i.e., our life is the outcome of our belief. Then our standing being complete and perfect in Christ, we cannot grow in this standing, but we grow in the knowledge, experience, and enjoyment of it.
Col 3:1-3
Since ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead (ye died), and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Religions are things of the earth. Our citizenship is in heaven. We died. Religion is no use to dead persons.
As we study what happened at the end of The Acts, the religion of Christianity grew out of the denial or ignorance that Israel was set aside by God. It grew out of opposition or blindness to the mystery of the dispensation of the Body of Christ as revealed to Paul. The Jew now does not exist in the eyes of God. There were those that believed Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah and who continued in Jewish ordinances and the traditions of the Law of Moses. They were “subject to ordinances”. They were the Judeo-Christians.
We studied the name “Christian” as being a derogatory name for those Jews who believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah of Israel. The name Christian is a dispensational name that should not have been carried beyond the end of The Acts. Notice that Paul never used that name in any of his fourteen epistles.
The term Judeo-Christian comes from the Acts period. These Jews who were called Christians were of the kingdom hope and calling.
This is where the religion of Christianity claims its roots.
If Christianity claims its foundation on Peter, The Apostolic Fathers, and the ante-Nicaean fathers, then understand that these are those who continued in the ordinances of Israel (Jews) and the traditions of the Law of Moses. They were not chosen to become members of the Body of Christ. If Israel was set aside at the end of The Acts, then the ministry and teachings of the twelve Apostles were also set aside. They failed to convert the nation of Israel to belief in Christ.
We studied the Didache, the writings of Apostolic Fathers and the “ecclesiastical history” by ante-Nicaean Fathers. Their writings reflect the continuation of the Acts doctrine that was set aside by God. They were Jews who from the Judeo-Christian teachings and traditions of Acts, continued beyond the boundaries established by God and their followers morphed into the religion of Christianity.
How could this have happened?
Acts 21 17:24
Paul was accused by James and the elders at Jerusalem that he preached to Jews among the Gentiles the forsaking of Moses and the Law. However the Apostles were converting Jews who remained zealous of the Law. There was a great difference in the doctrines of Paul and the Apostles. I hope you can see that Paul and the Apostles were not on the same page at all. The Apostles didn’t understand what Paul was doing for the Lord. .We are now studying the differences between Paul’s doctrine and The Apostles’ doctrine.
I believe that Paul was set up to go to the Temple, where again the Jews were waiting to capture him and kill him. Where were the saints? Why didn’t anyone come to Paul’s defense or rescue? The Apostles feared the Jews. Paul didn’t fear the Jews. But God was working His plan.
Paul preached that the Jew no longer needed Moses and the Law under the covenant of grace.
During the Acts, Paul was teaching the Jews to forsake Moses and Law for the freedom of God’s grace.
At the ending of the Acts, the mystery of the dispensation of the Body of Christ was revealed to Paul, not to the twelve Apostles. Their calling and purpose lies elsewhere.
According to Eph 3:9 Paul’s second ministry was to make all men see the dispensation of the mystery (of the Body of Christ) which from the beginning of the world hid in God. The Christian religion simply grew out of those Judeo-Christians who didn’t see it.
But the Judeo-Christian teaching of the Twelve Apostles continued as though The Lord had not stopped His clock with Israel and as though God had not revealed anything new to Paul.
I believe that the people Paul was admonishing and warning against in his post-Acts Epistles were the very ones who were creating the religion of Christianity. Keep that thought in mind the next time you read these epistles. The founders of Christianity were going off in another direction.
Here are just a few examples
1 Tim 1:3,5, 6, 7 4:1, 2, 3
Titus 1:9, 10, 11,16 3:9
Phil 1:15 3:1, 2, 3 3:17,18,19
Eph 4:14, 15, 17, 18, 19 5:6, 7, 8, 11
Col 2:18, 19
2 Tim 2:16, 17, 18, 4:3, 4
The Jewish believers may have hit a wall with Paul when it came to the Body of Christ. And many of the Gentiles believers followed along with these Jewish believers.
When you think about it, trying to teach a traditional Judeo-Christian today about the dispensation of the Body of Christ is not unlike Paul and his fellow laborers trying to teach the Judeo-Christians of their time about the same thing.
Their reactions are about the same. Let’s consider the possibility that Paul was referring to these Judeo-Christians in his post-Acts admonitions and warnings.
How about Phil 3:13 forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
Jew then: Paul, during Acts you told us to forsake Moses and the Law for grace, but now you are telling us to forsake Judaism altogether for something we can’t find in the Scriptures?
Christian now: You’re telling me to forget all those things I was taught in church and Sunday school?
Or Phil 3:14 press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Jew then; We’re waiting for the return of Jesus, you know, the Second Advent, and the kingdom of heaven.
Christian now: We’re waiting for the return of Jesus, you know, the Second Advent, and the kingdom of heaven.
Eph 4:17 this I say therefore and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.
I believe Paul was speaking to the very Gentiles who departed from him and went down that temporarily closed kingdom road and following Satan in the Judeo-Christian lie. That way is not the truth.
Eph 4:23 That ye put away concerning the former practices of the old man which is being corrupted according to deceit of the deceiver and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man that which after God was created in true holiness and righteousness. Wherefore, having put away the lie, speak every man truth with his neighbor.
What Jew was going to not only forsake Moses and the Law for pure grace, but also forsake all the practices and traditions of Judaism for completeness in Christ? Being dead to the Law is one thing, but being dead to my religion…that’s going too far.
Imagine a Jew putting away everything he was taught from a child about Judaism to follow Paul’s way.
At least these Judeo-Christians over here still believed in the Old Testament, baptism by water, the Lord’s Supper, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s return. Jesus is coming back any time now and I don’t want to miss the rapture.
So can you imagine the difficulty the Jews had in following Paul beyond the ending of the Acts?
Paul did not have a good reputation among the Jews. He was hated, pursued constantly, often captured, beaten, stoned, and imprisoned. He changed his doctrine twice. Even the Twelve Apostles and James the brother of the Lord had their issues with Paul. (I wonder if Paul wrote Hebrews to the Apostles) see He 6:10
These are the circumstances under which I believe Judeo-Christianity continued on in spite of Paul and his post-Acts mystery of the Body of Christ. They continued in the traditions of Judaism in the name of Jesus Christ as their Savior and King. They continued in their hopes of a restored kingdom under the King who is to return. They crashed through the barriers of Acts 28:28 and continued on the road of Satan’s deceit and lies, making things up as they went along, being wise in their own conceits.
Witnessing to a Judeo-Christian today is no different than Paul witnessing to the Judeo-Christians in his post-Acts ministry. It is hard to give up Christianity, going to church, the ordinances, the holidays, and the holy days and come unto the further knowledge of the truth.
We can say to Christianity what Paul said to Peter in Galatians 2: they walk not upright in the truth and why compelleth the Gentiles to do as the Jews?
The Body of Christ is not a church. The Body of Christ is not a religion. The Body of Christ is not Christianity. We have been called out of that. We have been rescued from the power of darkness.
The Body of Christ is a choosing out by God to fill full Christ, who is our Head. To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies the manifold wisdom of God may be made known by the Body of Christ .
Paul’s second ministry was to make all men see the dispensation of the mystery of the Body of Christ; which is also our ministry.