The distinction between Christianity as a religion and the Christian faith as a continuation of God’s covenantal plan is not merely a matter of semantics—it is central to understanding the message of Jesus, the mission of Paul, and the ecclesiology of the early believers. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find Jesus or His apostles speaking of founding a new religion. Instead, they frame their message as the fulfillment of Israel’s promises, the continuation of God’s work among His people, and the expansion of the covenant to include the nations.
Paul and the Absence of a New Religion
Paul, often mischaracterized as the architect of a separate Christian religion, never claims to be departing from Judaism. Instead, he asserts his deep roots in Jewish tradition:
“If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:4-6)
This is not the language of someone who has abandoned his faith; rather, it is the language of one who has come to see its true fulfillment. Paul’s encounter with Jesus did not cause him to reject the God of Israel but to recognize that Israel’s long-awaited hope had arrived. In Acts 26:6-7, when standing before Agrippa, he explicitly states that he is on trial because of the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. His faith remains rooted in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he sees himself as a witness to Israel’s destiny, not as the founder of a new religious movement.
Even the word Christian appears only three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16), and in each instance, it is likely an external label rather than a self-designation. Early believers primarily identified as followers of the Way (Acts 9:2) or as part of the assembly (ekklesia), a term deeply tied to the Jewish concept of kehal. The notion that they were forming a separate religious institution would have been foreign to them.
The New Testament and Judaism as the Only Religion
The only religion explicitly mentioned in the New Testament is Judaism. This is significant because it shows that Jesus and the apostles did not operate in a vacuum, nor did they set out to replace the covenantal faith of Israel. Instead, the early church functioned as a Messianic movement within Judaism, proclaiming that the kingdom of God had arrived and that Jesus was its anointed King.
This perspective challenges a common misconception: that Jesus came to abolish Judaism and introduce a new system of belief. Jesus Himself refutes this idea:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
Fulfillment does not mean rejection. The faith that Jesus preached was not a departure from the Torah but its proper realization. The Sermon on the Mount does not negate the commandments; it deepens them, calling for an inward transformation that aligns with God’s original intent.
Faith vs. Religion: The Shift from a Covenant People to an Institution
The transformation from the Christian faith to Christianity as a distinct religion was a historical development, not a theological necessity. In the first century, believers were still attending synagogues, keeping Jewish customs, and engaging in the communal life of Israel. It was only through a gradual process—fueled by political tensions, theological disputes, and Roman pressures—that Christianity came to be seen as a separate religion; call it the ‘human factor.’
As the Gentile mission expanded and Jewish believers became a minority within the movement, institutional structures emerged that were less tied to the synagogue model and more aligned with Greco-Roman civic and religious frameworks. The hierarchical church, with bishops and councils, was not the original design but an adaptation to new circumstances. While structure and order are necessary, they must be built on the foundation of faith rather than institutional power.
Reclaiming the Christian Faith
To speak of Christianity as a religion often evokes images of rigid systems, denominational divides, and historical baggage. But to speak of the Christian faith is to speak of something organic, living, and deeply connected to God’s unfolding covenantal plan. The faith of the apostles was not about establishing a separate religion but about calling all people—Jew and Gentile alike—into the fullness of God’s promises.
This distinction has practical implications. If Christianity is merely a religion, then it is one among many competing belief systems. But if the Christian faith is the fulfillment of what God began with Israel, then it is not just a religion—it is a reality, the ongoing work of redemption in history. It is not about a new set of doctrines replacing an old one; it is about entering into the life of God’s covenant, walking in the faith of Abraham, and being transformed by the Spirit.
The challenge for believers today is to rediscover this faith. Have we reduced it to an institutional system, or do we see ourselves as part of the great assembly (kehal, ekklesia, kinisa) that God has been gathering throughout history? Do we approach faith as a series of dogmas, or as a dynamic participation in the kingdom of God?
The Christian faith is not an invention of the first century; it is the fulfillment of what began in Genesis. It is not a departure from Israel’s story but its climactic realization. Christianity as a separate religion is a historical construct; faith in Jesus as the Messiah is the eternal reality. The question is not whether we belong to Christianity—the question is whether we are walking in the faith once delivered to the saints.
