Is Christianity a religion or a remedy?  Before we endeavor to answer this question we must first be sure we’re talking about the same things.  We must be clear on the meaning of the two major terms: “Religion” and “Remedy”.  First let us consider “Religion”.  Religion is defined as being a personal set of beliefs or an institutionalized system of beliefs and practices believed to bring about personal significance, security, satisfaction, and salvation.  Remedy is defined as that which cures, relieves, and heals by restoring the proper condition to those who are afflicted.

We see from both of these definitions that what is desired is one’s well-being.  How that well-being is accomplished is the significant point.  “Religion” stresses one’s individual self-effort whereas “remedy ” is that which is relied upon to bring out about the desired results.  In short, one practices “Religion” or one receives the “Remedy”.  How then does this apply to Christianity?

Today, there are many who identify themselves as Christians who are in effect practicing “Christian Religion”.  They are concentrating on what they must do in order to achieve what they have defined as the goals of Christianity and to acquire for themselves the benefits, and the blessings, offered by “Christian Religion”.  We can identify three discernible groups within this “Christian Religion”.  These groups are the Cultural, the Cosmic, and the Cosmetic Christians.  As we consider these groups individually we will look at how they attempt to gain individual significance, security, satisfaction and salvation.

The Cultural Christian are those who have bought into the cultures’ definition of health, wealth, and prosperity; self-determination; and the concept of “I’m saved regardless”.  They only look to God as the one who will meet their demands and their demands are directed towards the things of this world.  They adopt the philosophy of the “Bigger Barns” of Luke 12:15-34.  They do not regard what our Lord said in Luke 12:15 “…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” and in verse 34 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  They consider themselves as those who are served by God and not servants of God.  They are the ones who serve “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.

The Cosmic Christians are those who presume they have the formula for getting all they want from God.  They have perverted the concepts of faith and prayer.  They view faith as the power that moves the hand of God and obligates him to do just what they want, when they want it, and how they wanted it.  They consider prayer as the medium for their demands upon God and not the means for divine communication.  Have they not heard James 4:2-3 “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. ³ Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts”.  Have they not heard 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵ And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”  These Cosmic Christians presume to be so “spiritual” because of their “spiritual” vocabulary, but their walk is far from their talk and only their wills are important.

Finally we have the Cosmetic Christians.  These are they who put on their Christianity every time they enter the church house and discarded it as soon as they leave.  They are the “just in case of” ones with one foot in the church and the other in the world.  They are the ones who ignore Colossians 3:1-2 “If 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.”  They cling to the proposition that when one is heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.  They are those who are genuinely “playing church”.  Their focus is on “having church” and being entertaining rather than worshiping God and being edified.  They would much rather attend concerts instead of Bible studies.  Their activity in the church is in form and fashion, and not worship in “spirit and in truth”.

So then, how do we gain significance, security, satisfaction, and salvation?  The only way is by the receiving of the “Remedy”.  That remedy is not a place are a thing it is a person, and that person is Lord Jesus the Christ.  Significance, security, satisfaction, and salvation is found only in Him.  He gives us significance in that through him we have received the power to become The Sons of God.  He gives us security in that through him we have received the Holy Spirit who is the earnest of our salvation until the day of redemption.  He gives us satisfaction in that, in Him, we have learned to be content in whatsoever state we are in.  He has given us salvation in that there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

He is the Remedy Who is Provided by Grace and received by Faith ( Ephesians 2:8-9).