Question: Dear Greg,

The problem is not that people give up on God but that the frauds that run religions have separated people from God by making a mockery of everything Christ taught.

Christ taught that there are human responsibilities. Because of Paul, Christian religions are used to convince people that they do not have any responsibilities. The Moslem religion is more constructive because it teaches discipline. Why do they need to know about Christ when the so-called Christians know nothing about him and worship Paul instead?

Gary

Answer: Dear Gary,

I did not find a question in the commentary you provide. This feature does not offer a debate format—time being one reason. However, assuming you are asking a question, here is the answer.

Christianity is not science. Christianity is first and foremost faith. Your arbitrary distinction between the teachings of Jesus and Paul is not biblically accurate but simply another attempt to reduce Christianity to a list of specifics. Neither Paul nor authentic, orthodox Christianity denies that there are human responsibilities for Christians, or for that matter, for non-Christians. The characterization that Christians believe that “anything goes” in some kind of permissive antinomianism is, at best, ill-informed and at worst, a fabrication.

Paul and Christianity teach that human deeds and works flow from God alone, not from human goodness and virtue. Christ is the power and indwelling life of the Christian and it is his resurrected life in the Christian that produces responsible Christians. Further, Christians believe and teach that these works not only flow from and are produced by God’s grace and power, but God alone gives salvation. Humans do good things because of God’s grace, and human virtues are not salvific. To God alone goes the glory.

Moslems, Buddhists, Jews and many others, including many atheists, are “good” people. Many of them live responsible, moral lives. They exhibit character and restraint—in some cases in ways that are superior to those who claim to be Christians. But Christianity differs from all other “isms” in that Christianity does not claim that it is the human’s responsibility to find God and please him and keep him appeased. Christianity teaches that this life, and the life of the age to come, is grounded in what Christ has done and is doing for us, and that we act and behave responsibly because of that. Christianity believes and teaches that God, in the person of Jesus, came to this earth to find and save us. That is the essence of the Christmas story. Christianity does not claim that Christians are better than anyone else is.  Christianity claims that Jesus Christ was and is better, and that by God’s grace imperfect humans cannot only live responsible lives now, but be given eternal life.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht