His Grace Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on how Christianity is not a religion

“The scroll, that was placed at the right hand of the one who sits on the throne, is the will of God and the Judgment of God. The Holy Bible is the will of God, and the Judgment of God at the same time. God willed it, for His word to go forth, and reach the human race. He wanted, He chose to do so. So it was the will of God for His word to be written. He willed it. But since He wrote it, and because the word cannot change, the word has to judge whoever is going to break it. I hope you’re with me. The word must judge whoever is going to break it.

One day, this person approached me who was non-Christian. I’m not going to mention which religion, with all love and respect, to all the religions out there. By the way, Christianity is not a religion in the sense of a religion. Because the moment you invoke the word ‘religion’, automatically you are invoking a set of rules, guidelines, regulations, and laws. Every religion on the face of this planet, with all love and respect, you go to them: Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Islamism – every religion on the face of this world, this Earth, you go to them and they will tell you the following: ‘if you want to have a good place in the end, you must do this and this and this. If you don’t do these, you’re going to end up in a bad place.’ So, it’s about doing, fulfilling laws, guidelines, rules, and regulations. You don’t do them, you’re going to end up in hell or somewhere bad or you come back the next life as a lesser being.

In Christianity, it is not a religion in that sense because when we go to Jesus Christ our Lord and God, He will never say ‘you must do this and this and this. He will never say this. In fact, the Lord Jesus and the Gospel of John 15:5, He says ‘Without me, you cannot do nothing, anything. Without me you cannot do anything.

So, what is Christianity? Christianity is a belief in a person, not a set of laws. That is why Christianity is based on love, before anything else. Because love can only exist with another being like me. I cannot love a rock. I cannot love even though we love animals, but I’m talking about an intimate love where the two become one. You cannot marry a dog. You cannot marry a rock. You cannot marry water. You cannot marry any nature that is not yours. You can only relate and establish a relationship with the one who shares the same nature as you – human nature.

Love cannot be found in laws because laws lack love. There is no love in the law. The law says ‘you break the law, the law will break you’. There is no love. There is judgment. So you go to a religion that tells you ‘you must obey and do these laws, this religion lacks love. And where there is no love, there is hell. There is no life. What makes life, life is love.

Christ, Christianity is a belief in a person, not laws. I cannot relate towards laws. I can only relate to a human being like me. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, as your Saviour, as your God, this Jesus Christ whom you have accepted into your life, He will begin to do all the laws that God requires of you. He’ll do them through you. Without Jesus, forget it! Because there is no human being that can ever fulfill the law of God.

Love your neighbour, love God with all of your heart, souls, strength and spirit and love your neighbour like yourself. Has anyone fulfilled this one?”

Facebook
X (Formerly Twitter)
LinkedIn
Telegram