Christianity Vs the Self

[arth47]

The Difference between Christianity and other religions and paths:

-Gal 2:21:"I do not frustrate the grace of God,If righteousness comes by the law then Christ is dead in vain".

-Romans 4:5:"But to him that worketh ("good"works of the flesh)not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness".

-Romans 2:8:"But to those who are "self-seeking" and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath",

-1 cor1:28-29: "And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are That no flesh should glory in his presence".

For ages we have been deceived to believe that Christianity is one of the "many religions" in the world that leads us to God and that it is among the many "paths"people can use to know God.This is very far from the truth.Christianity is not a religion and has never been.Christianity and religion are the opposite of each other.Religion is about what humanity does to please God(self works).Christianity is about what God does to
reconcile humanity to himself(John 3:16)Religion is centered on the self Christianity is centred on Jesus.Religion seeks to find its way to God.Christianity seeks to surrender obedient people to God so He can show them the way back to His paradise.Religion seeks to obey Gods standards by its own power Christians deny themselves and let God give them the power to obey His standards.

Religion and christianity:
The English word religion is derived from two latin words:Re:back and ligare:to bind hence bind back.Religion is mans attempts to "bind"themselves (by different man made creeds,rules,exercises and belief systems )back to what they think is God.
On the other hand, the english word "christian"from which christianity is derived is self explanatory.It means a follower of Christ.A Christian is someone who humbly accepts he doesnt know the way back to God(is blind)and asks Christ to lead him to God(John 14:6,John 9:41).He/she is someone who is well aware of the fact that nothing in his power can make him know God unless he/she surrenders to Jesus.He/she is someone who has
rejected the worlds "self seeking"system and has submitted to his/her maker(james 4:7)

The centre of Religion and all other cults and creeds is the self:
The distinguishing mark of any religion, path or belief system that is not Christian is that they either focus on what "the self" has to do in order to know God and be reconciled to Him or that the self is god and needs no God to save it:

Islam tells its adherents that sawm(fasting),zakat(giving),Hajj(pilgrimage),Salah (prayers) and other "good works"will make them holier people and make their god pleased with them.It rejects the need for Jesus to die on the cross and considers his death as an "act of weakness" Buddhism teaches its adherents to strive against the self(in their own power) in order to be released from all bad karma so they can attain the state they call nirvana( be loosed from their karmas)and become bodhisattvas(enlightened people).Eckankar tells its adherents to perform some spiritual exercises to "awaken" the so called"god knowledge" in themselves.ISKCON tells its followers that in order to attain the ultimate consiousness(krishna consiousness)they need to undergo some certain processes and be self disciplined.Rosicrucians teach their adherents that "they are" the architects of their own fates and captains of their own destinies and that they should be in control of whatever happens to them(masters of their own existence)Atheism teaches that there is no God whatsoever and that "man" is not answerable to anyone but "himself".Secularism seeks to destroy the influence of religion in governance and seeks to govern humanity with "man made"laws.Freemasonry teaches that by going through certain rituals and processes its adherents receive the "light of masonry" which makes them gods.The grail message urges its followers to seek the light in order to get rid of negative karma so "they can" stop the cycle of reincarnation and be led back to what they call"the spiritual world".Oprah tells her viewers that their god should be a feeling experience and that if its a believing(John 3:16)experience it is not God.(In other words god dwells in man Man doesn't need to believe in any God)Man made christianity(the worlds church system)tells its adherents that by paying tithes,attending church on sundays,confessing to the reverend father,taking holy communion,keeping the ten commandments,pilgrimage to jerusalem,and joining the choir makes them be at peace with God and assured of heaven.(There are so many other examples however space would not permit me to write them here)
By focusing on the self and trying to find God by our own works,We deny the need for a savior(Gal 2:21)and seek to glorify the self and deny our sinful nature(I john 1:8).

The centre of christianity is God:
Phil 3:10:That i may "know Him"and the power of his resurection and the fellowship of "his" sufferings being made comformable unto "his" death.
-John 6:38:For I came down from heaven not to do my will but the will of "Him"that sent me.
-Luke 22:42...Nevertheless not my will but "Thine"be done.
As we can see from the above verses the focus of Christianity is God not the self.A christian is someone who denies himself of his own will and works and accepts Gods will for his life.

The curse on the fallen man is the origin of Religion:
As a result of the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden,God cursed the ground from whence Adam was taken thus:Cursed be the ground(earth, world)for Your sake.He also told him that he was to eat(food for his soul) by the sweat of his face(works of his own hands)from the cursed ground "all the days of his life"(Gen 3:17-19)God then sent Adam out of his Paradise(presence)to till(works of His hands) the cursed ground he was taken from(Gen 3:23-24).

The works of the earthly man are "cursed works" because they originate from the self and the cursed serpent(Gen 3:14)and can never make us know God or return to his presence.Tilling(working)the cursed ground would only produce thorns and thistles(weeds, read Heb 6:8,Gen 3:18)These "weeds" are unwanted and abominable works that are unacceptable to God.

The analogy of Cain and Abel:
The Biblical account of Cain and Abel offers a lot of insight into the curse of religion and self seeking.The Bible says Abel was a keeper of sheep(remember Christians are likened to sheep Matt25:32-40,Matt 10:6,16)and Cain was a "tiller" (worker)of the ground that God had cursed.In the process of time both Cain and Abel brought offerings unto God.God rejected the "offerings"of Cain because they were the "fruit" of the ground
which God had cursed.(Gen 3:17).God accepted the offerings of Abel because they represented the sacrifice of the self in order to know God better(Is 53:7)Cain became angry because God accepted Abel's offerings and not his own.The earthly mind is so arrogant.It feels it is upright enough to know God on its own and attain
righteousness and hence is hostile to the the fact that God requires it to die in order to know Him and return to His presence.Because of this it attacks anything that requires it to deny itself and submit to God.That's why Cain killed Abel.That's why the Jews killed Jesus.They trusted in the works of the law(works of their hands) and hence sought to destroy any teaching or person who represented self denial.(Gal 6:13)

As a result of Cain "murdering" his brother Abel, God cursed Cain and made Him to be hid from His face(presence)and to be a vagabond in the earth(Gen 3:14)In the same way those who hateGods doctrines of denial and the people who preach them because they condemn their self seeking ways are under the curse of Cain.(1 john 3:11-13)
They are separated from God and will keep wandering away from His presence unless they are humble enough to admit that they need to deny themselves of the " cursed self"they glorify in order to know God.


Cain and Abel represent the two type of people that shall emanate from the Fallen Adam.Cain comes 1st(Gen 4:1) and is representative of the fallen and cursed humanity that exists prior to the coming of Christ.They are under the curse of seeking to know and approach God by their own works.Abel comes last(1 cor 15:45-48)and represents Christ(who came after mans fall) and all those who accept his work on the cross.All those in Cain reject and hate the preaching of the cross of Christ (1 cor 1:18,1 cor 2:14).All those in Abel realize that the works of their hands are cursed and cannot make them know or be reconciled to God so they seek to deny themselves in order to know God(Matt 16:24).

-Matt 23:35:"That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar,Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation".
Rev 18:24:"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth".


That is the reason why Jesus held the wicked system in his time responsible for all the righteous people killed on the earth.All the systems of the world emanated from Cain,thats why they have the self at their center and have persecuted and killed Gods saints who preach self denial.That's also why Gods word says that all the blood of his prophets are found in Babylon.Babylon represents the world,The system of self designed by the devil to lead the world astray and destroy Gods people who preach self denial.

In conclusion with the exception of Christianity ,All religions,philosophies and paths have self at their center.(they teach that man has something to do in order to become better or in order to know what they call god.That's why freemasons claim that all religions(with the exception of Christianity)have the same origin(the devil)All religions faiths and philosophies teach the luciferan doctrine of self.That's also why Theosophy seeks to to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or colour.
Also,God collectively classifies fallen man (irrespective of their creed and beliefs)as "the world"(1john 4:4,5 John16:8,20 John8:23)and has classified all of them as needing redemption(Rom 11:32)
The Theme of the system of self is "believe in Yourself".The theme of christianity is believe in God(John 3:16)

When satan was tempting Eve in the garden of Eden,he promised her thus:"You"shall be as God.So it was all about seeking something for herself instead of trusting God.Thats what the world system is all about: seeking something for self,seeking to exalt the self or trying to make a name for ones "self".On the other hand,Christianity is all about self denial.It has nothing to do with the self.It condemns and abhors the self
and exalts God(Matt 16:24 John 12:24-25).If we want to know God and be restored into his paradise we need to be humble enough to reject the self we so arrogantly adore and accept Gods way of salvation,His son(John 14:6,John 3:16).Jesus is the only way to God.Neither our works or any man made way or path can take us to God(Acts 4:12).
All the other paths lead to the discovery of the cursed self and eternal damnation. Come out of the system of self my brethren.

[Sojourning]

Originally Posted by arth47

The Difference between Christianity and other religions and paths:

-Gal 2:21:"I do not frustrate the grace of God,If righteousness comes by the law then Christ is dead in vain".

But then one needs to understand Paul, because Paul also knew that the law was instruction in righteousness.

Originally Posted by arth47

-Romans 4:5:"But to him that worketh ("good"works of the flesh)not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness".

Notice what you have done is added to this. It says worketh, not worketh good.

Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his works:

Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God. As God had shown Peter, all of every nation who fear God and work righteousness is accepted of God.

Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

So this is speaking of doing, it is working righteousness, it is doing good works. And it says, the "doers" of the law shall be justified. So "just" and "righteous" are the same Greek word, and this is saying, not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but those who actually do the law are righteousified.

So Paul does not teach against good works, that goes against all of scripture.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

So there is a day that God has appointed when he will judge the world in righteousness by the man he ordained/appointed/determined judge of the dead and the living, and has given faith to all in that he has raised that man out of death. And as John says, 1Jo 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him in his presence. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that "doeth" righteousness is born of him.

So it will be the doers of righteousness who will not be ashamed in that day.

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest [his] will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

What people fail to understand is that Paul was not speaking against the law. He was not going against Jesus by telling people that they were not supposed to do the good works taught by the law. What Paul is teaching in all of this is concerning circumcision.

Certain of the Jews wanted all the Gentile believers circumcised. Paul taught, and it was also agreed to by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, that it was not necessary to circumcise the Gentiles, converting them to Judaism. Abraham is the father of those of all nations who do the works of Abraham. This was not about keeping the good works of the law, it was not about keeping the commandments, because the Jews who wanted Gentiles circumcised, themselves did not keep the law, they did not keep the commandments, they only wanted Gentiles circumcised so they could glory in their flesh. Gal 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

So Jesus teaches to be a doer of the law. Paul teaches to be a doer of the law. James and Peter teach to be doers of the law. But uncircumcised Gentiles can be doers of the law, and that is what is counted for righteousnes. Those who are of the circumcision, but are not doers of the law, are not counted as righteous. Their circumcision, and their physical/fleshly descent from Abraham meant nothing, if they were not doers of the law.

So we are all to fulfill the law. Jesus fulfilled the law by being a doer of the law, we are to do the same. Because if we are doing the law, then we are showing our love, our love for God and our love for our neighbor.

So Paul says, Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. He is not saying, but to him who has not good works, that would be against scripture, it would be against the prophets and apostles, against Jesus, and even against his own teaching and manner of life, because even Paul himself walked orderly and kept the law.

Originally Posted by arth47

-Romans 2:8:"But to those who are "self-seeking" and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath",

-1 cor1:28-29: "And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are That no flesh should glory in his presence".

For ages we have been deceived to believe that Christianity is one of the "many religions" in the world that leads us to God and that it is among the many "paths"people can use to know God.This is very far from the truth.Christianity is not a religion and has never been.Christianity and religion are the opposite of each other.Religion is about what humanity does to please God(self works).Christianity is about what God does to
reconcile humanity to himself(John 3:16)Religion is centered on the self Christianity is centred on Jesus.Religion seeks to find its way to God.Christianity seeks to surrender obedient people to God so He can show them the way back to His paradise.Religion seeks to obey Gods standards by its own power Christians deny themselves and let God give them the power to obey His standards.

Religion and christianity:
The English word religion is derived from two latin words:Re:back and ligare:to bind hence bind back.Religion is mans attempts to "bind"themselves (by different man made creeds,rules,exercises and belief systems )back to what they think is God.

Religion probably originally signified an oath or vow to the gods, or the obligation of such an oath or vow, which was held very sacred to the Romans.

Religion, in its most comprehensive sense includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his will to man, in man's obligation to obey his commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and man's accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties.

The Bible mentions religion several times, James tells us that Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Religion is translated from the Greek Strong's G2356 - thrēskeia, meaning religious worship. It is from a derivative of G2357 - thrēskos, fearing or worshipping God. The way it looks to me is that the closest Hebrew word would be Strong's H1993. Not usually used for worship, but there is one verse in the Psalms, 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud (hamah ): and he shall hear my voice.

Originally Posted by arth47

On the other hand, the english word "christian"from which christianity is derived is self explanatory.It means a follower of Christ.

Do you mean like being a doer of the law and working righteousness? Knowing that there is one God, and that being the same God that Jesus worshipped and followed.

Originally Posted by arth47

A Christian is someone who humbly accepts he doesnt know the way back to God(is blind)and asks Christ to lead him to God(John 14:6,John 9:41).He/she is someone who is well aware of the fact that nothing in his power can make him know God unless he/she surrenders to Jesus.He/she is someone who has
rejected the worlds "self seeking"system and has submitted to his/her maker(james 4:7)

We can only know God if the spirit of God, who knows God and has searched the deep things of God, reveals God to us. So A Christian knows that it is not by his own carnal understanding of a written word, or a dead letter, that will lead him to God, and make God known, but it is the living active word of God, coming from God by the spirit and to man's spirit.