There are many misconceptions people believe about Christianity, which need to be addressed. Maybe you have come across some erroneous teachings in your own life.
It is dangerous to believe misconceptions about Christianity because it could put a wrong view of God, the Bible, and your own life in your mind.
In this article, I am going to be sharing what Christianity is not. It is important to note that the misconceptions surrounding Christianity are not limited to only the items I listed here as this list does not detail every misconception about Christianity.
1. Christianity Is Not Based on Rules
The first thing Christianity is not is that it's not based on rules. Many individuals believe or have been taught that Christianity is based on rules you have to follow. The truth is that Christianity is not based on rules, but rather based on Jesus Christ.
Christians are under the moral law, but that does not mean we have to follow unreasonable rules. Some rules that have floated among different circles is the belief that Christians always have to wear church clothes, always be perfect, and never do anything fun.
This is not true at all as salvation is not based on rules and regulations. Salvation is only given by placing faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17). There is nothing we can do to earn or work for salvation.
The Bible tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As this Bible passage tells us, salvation is only possible by placing faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. It is not based on rules that one has to follow in order to call themselves a Christian. Thus, Christianity is not based on rules, but rather on faith in Jesus.
2. Christianity Will Not Solve All of Your Problems
Christianity will not solve all of your problems. This is important to note because many individuals feel or think that Christianity will answer all of their problems; however, it does not.
As nice as it would be to have all of our problems fixed because we became a Christian, it is just not reasonable. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that becoming a Christian will solve all of our problems.
If anything, life gets harder because Satan wants to try to cause you to fall more and we are constantly experiencing a constant battle with our sinful flesh. God never promises to solve all of our problems in our earthly lives, but He does promise that He will always remain by our side (Psalm 23).
Even if everyone else leaves us in the wake of our problems and pain, God will remain by our sides and give us strength (2 Timothy 4:16-19). While Christianity will not solve all of your problems, it will answer a lot of questions about God, life, and life after death.
3. Christians Are Allowed to Have Fun
A third misconception about Christianity is that Christians are not allowed to have fun. The truth is that Christians are allowed to have fun. Things the world calls fun such as getting drunk, getting high, or doing other immoral activities are not truly fun.
Granted, Christians should not do these things because they are sinful, but because they are not truly fun anyways. Christians can have fun, such as listening to music, dancing, going to festivals, going to the cinemas, and doing other fun activities.
It is a misconception to believe that Christians are not allowed to have fun. This idea has been promoted across the West, which causes individuals to turn away from Christianity because they think once they become a Christian, they are longer going to have any fun.
This is not true because Christians can still have fun just as long as it does not go against the teachings of the Bible.
4. Christians Are Not Perfect
A fourth thing individuals should know about Christianity is that Christians are not perfect. Many people outside of the church think that Christians are perfect or supposed to be perfect. The truth is that we are not perfect.
In fact, we are far from perfect. Even though we are Christians, we still sin and mess up. The Bible tells us that we all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Nobody is perfect, except God alone (Mark 10:18).
None of us are perfect because we all have a sinful nature, and we are all prone to sin. If a Christian has told you that all Christians are perfect, they are wrong because we are not.
Often those outside the church place a higher responsibility on Christians because we call ourselves Christians, only to find out that we are not perfect and that we mess up.
Christianity is not about being perfect because as fallen human beings, none of us will ever be perfect. If you become a Christian, God only wants you to try your best to not sin, but He doesn’t expect you to be perfect or to get everything right all the time.
We all get it wrong sometimes and it’s unrealistic to believe that anyone is perfect except God Himself.
5. Christianity Is Not Untrue
A fifth misconception surrounding Christianity is that Christianity is not true. This is a false teaching of the world because Christianity is true and is based on true historical facts and proof.
Christianity had its exodus at the moment Jesus died for the sins of the world, was resurrected, and His followers placed faith in Him.
The resurrection truly did happen as we have the proof found in the ancient documents of the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of John, and the Epistles of the New Testament, which all attest to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The entire faith of Christianity is based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every single word contained within the Bible can be fully trusted and known to be true.
There is nothing untrue about Christianity because we obtain all of our information from the infallible Word of God, known as the Bible.
The Bible, which contains the Old Testament, and the New Testament has been proven to be historically accurate and has stood the test of time.
Thus, Christianity is not untrue as Christianity is the only true faith system in the world that can provide a relationship with God, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
What Does This Mean?
There have been many misconceptions taught around the world about Christianity, but we need to be careful about what we believe. Not everything we read is true as there are many who strongly oppose Christianity and want to discredit it.
If you are searching for Christianity or want to learn more, there are hundreds of articles on this website that will help you learn more about what Christianity is and what it is not.
There are so many misconceptions surrounding Christianity that it would be impossible to list every single misconception about Christianity here.
It is best to do research and look into multiple sources or talk to true Bible-believing Christians in order to truly learn more about Christianity because there are many misconceptions and many false teachers in the world today.
For further reading:
Why Is Reading the Bible in Context Important?
Is ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’ True for Christians?
Why Do People Often Use Religion to Justify Sin?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/kk-istock
