Recently, I had someone assert something to me in an attempt to clarify my stand. Because he falsely equated “christian” with “born again,” he basically said that he understands my posts to be against those who claim to be christians, but who are christian in name only. And then he warned me about painting with too broad a brush by making statements against all christianity.
This is what he doesn’t understand (and, I am wholly familiar with his perspective): because of the culture and what we’ve been taught our whole lives, christians naturally associate the term “christian” with that which is positive—something that is to be prized, and a goal toward an acceptable lifestyle. They think “christian” means “born again,” but, that is not what “christian” actually is, in reality.
The term “christian” in scripture was never something embraced by believers, but used only by the world against believers—as an epithet, an insult. It was first coined by the Greeks at Antioch, who were known to give satirical labels to groups of people. Peter spoke of it in terms of being a shameful label (like murderer, thief, evildoer, or busybody). The literal translation of the word is “little messiah,” and it was used only to mock and ridicule.
Many years after Peter had died, some pagan Jew haters collaborated and invented a new state-sanctioned religion, and called it “the christian religion,” or “christianity.” It mixed scripture with paganism, and in so doing, created just another pagan religion. That religion has thrived over the centuries, and now, its adherents number in the billions (around 2.5 billion presently). It wasn’t until christianity’s beginnings in the 2nd and 3rd centuries that the term “christian” was embraced. The term now simply identifies those who are adherents of christianity, as it identifies those who have placed themselves within its false teachings.
To claim that it means “follower of Christ” is a blatant falsehood, as the entire belief system was invented to strip the faith of Christ’s actual heritage, and all of His Father’s traditions that were associated with that heritage. Those who are adherents of christianity don’t really follow the practical faith that Messiah did during His earthly ministry; in fact, christianity was invented out of hatred of Messiah’s practical faith.
Christianity and Islam comprise over half of the planet’s population, and the union of the two will be the final kingdom of Daniel’s prophecy, with the head of christianity (the pope) as the antichrist’s right-hand man. Revelation 17 calls this abomination “the great whore of Babylon.”
So, no, my issue is not at all with those who call themselves christians, but don’t live up to what other christians think they should; my issue is with the entire belief system, which is a counterfeit of the true faith. Because christianity is a counterfeit of the faith, if I were to call myself a christian, I would actually make myself an enemy of Christ, for all counterfeits of the faith have one source—and he often masquerades as an angel of light.
I cannot allow myself to stand against Messiah by embracing the traditions of men that deny the truths of the Holy Spirit—the true Gospel of Messiah Yahoshua detailed in the Father’s traditions, and that is what christianity does.
The ultimate end of “being a christian” is shown in Matthew 7:21-23. Paul says that those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit are the true Jews (Romans 2:29), and they comprise the true Y’isra-el, who is Messiah’s bride (Galatians 3:28-29). Christianity is a counterfeit of that.
For more information: Why I Am No Longer a Christian