What sets the Christian religion apart is that it is a religion centred on worship of the only triune God who calls us into a relationship with him by his grace through faith in Jesus Christ and, by that alone, grants his people salvation from which any works that follow are evidence of the fact rather than necessary and meritorious. 

It has long been a feature of evangelistic preaching or general evangelical parlance to insist that Christianity isn’t really a religion. You may well have heard Christians themselves say something like, ‘Christianity is not really a religion, it is a relationship’. I wonder what you have made of it when you have heard it said?

I think I understand what people are driving at when they emphasise relationship over religion, and I will return to it at the end. There can be no doubt that Christianity certainly does involve a relationship with God. But that doesn’t change the fact that Christianity is a religion.

The Bible Refers to Christianity as a Religion

This is what James 1:26-27 says:

²⁶ If anyone^[a] thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

However else we cut it, James is clear there is a form of religion that is pure and undefiled. As a practicing Christian, it seems likely James is referring to Christianity. Certainly, what James calls ‘pure and undefiled religion’ are some traits he expects Christian believers to be doing. Christianity, according to James, is a religion.

The Church Has Historically Referred to Christianity as a Religion

The church father, Augustine of Hippo, once wrote ‘that which is known as the Christian religion existed among the ancients, and never did not exist.’ The French reformed theologian, John Calvin, wrote his treatise, Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Victorian Christians—notably highlighted here with reference to J.C. Ryle—regularly spoke about true religion being a heartfelt Christian faith. Likewise, in one of his sermons (of which many other examples can be cited) C.H. Spurgeon spoke about religion as a reality and true religion, which he makes clear is a heartfelt Christian faith. J. Gresham Machen wrote a book called The Origin of Paul’s Religion: The Classic Defence of Supernatural Christianity. John Stott states in his book The Gospel: A Life-Changing Message, ‘We begin by reaffirming that Christianity is a historical religion.’ We could go on, but you get the point. The church has historically named Christianity as a religion.

The Meaning of the Word ‘Religion’

If we run with the dictionary definition of the word ‘religion’, here is how the OED defines the word:

the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods, and as a particular system of faith and worship.

Meriam-Webster offers the following definitions:

1: an organized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

2: commitment or devotion to a god or gods, a system of beliefs, or religious observance : the service and worship of a god, of multiple gods, or of the supernatural

Read More