“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I may present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2-3
Churchianity is the devil’s counterfeit of true Christianity. Satan created Churchianity to keep undiscerning believers blinded and enslaved to darkness and sin. What is Churchianity and how is it different from Christianity? Churchianity is the carnal, soulish mindset that for centuries has produced a false church. The basis of Churchianity is the lawlessness that comes from man relying on his own righteousness and works; whereas the foundation of Christianity is the righteousness that comes only from faith in Christ and His completed work on the cross. Although Churchianity and Christianity can appear the same outwardly, there is one great difference – only Christianity can produce Christ’s life.
In Christianity, the true church is Holy Spirit-led and Christ-centered; in Churchianity, the false church is clergy-dominated and program-centered. In Christianity, Christ is the head of the true church; in Churchianity, man is the head of the false church. In Christianity, you become a member of God’s church by committing your life to Christ; in Churchianity, you become a member of the false church by committing your life to the organization. In Christianity, your life will be conformed to the character of Christ; in Churchianity, your life will be conformed to the culture of the false church. In Christianity, the true church functions as every member does the work of the ministry; in Churchianity, the false church pays a “professional” to do the work of the ministry. In Christianity, the true church acts according to Christ’s initiative and power; in Churchianity, the false church acts according to man’s plans and resources. In Christianity, the true church depends on the Holy Spirit to sustain it, since without the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ would grow weak and die; in Churchianity, the false church depends on money to maintain it, since without money, the institution would falter and collapse. In Christianity, the true church is bound together by a love for God; in Churchianity, the false church is bound together by a love for itself. In Christianity, the true church loses its soul-life for the love of Christ; in Churchianity, the false church fulfills its soul-life for the love of this world. In Christianity, the true church is not of this world and is hated by this world; in Churchianity, the false church is of this world and is loved by this world. In Christianity, the true church practices obedience to Christ; in Churchianity, the false church practices lawlessness. Churchianity is a devilish imposter masquerading as Christianity. Churchianity can only yield the perishable fruit that man in his natural ability can produce instead of the eternal harvest that Christ will sovereignly reap through His bride. Ultimately, the fruit of Churchianity is a soulish imitation of Christianity without Christ’s sovereignty and power. Churchianity is a perverted and destructive witness of Christ. The outcome of Churchianity is a harlot in love with herself and the world but not in love with Jesus.
Churchianity is a godless yoke that no true believer in Christ should ever bear. The devil’s principal strategy is to distract and deceive Christians from fixing their eyes on Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Anything that takes the place of Christ accomplishes this diabolical aim. One of the enemy’s most insidious ploys has been to use Churchianity as the ultimate trap for sincere Christians. Churchianity keeps you earthly-minded, self-absorbed and spiritually asleep. As long as the devil can continue to herd unsuspecting new sheep into Churchianity, he has them penned up, powerless, and ready for the spiritual slaughterhouse. This is why it is crucial for God’s true shepherds to warn God’s people of the grave danger of Churchianity. Churchianity is a deadly virus that you cannot outrun by simply leaving the institutional church for a house church. There is only one antidote for Churchianity – faith in the cross of Christ. You cannot reform Churchianity by just trying to start a church modeled after the New Testament. All attempts to reform Churchianity only deal with the symptoms, not the root of the problem. We are incapable of reforming Churchianity, which is born out of man’s sinful nature and unsubmitted soul. God knew man was beyond reforming. Therefore, God’s way was not to reform our sinful nature but to replace it with Christ’s nature. God’s righteous verdict for man’s sinful nature has always been execution, not reformation. This is why Jesus Christ had to die on the cross for us and this is why we had to be crucified with Him so that He might sovereignly live through us, both individually and corporately. The chains of Churchianity will only be broken off your soul when you are exhausted from its oppressive yoke and cry out to God for deliverance. Then God will set you free by giving you a divine revelation of Christ and His redemptive work on the cross, by which He birthed His new creation, the body of Christ. When you believe and act on the truth that you have died with Christ and your sinful nature has been crucified and buried (removed) in Christ, you will be freed from the power of sin and the bewitching snare of Churchianity.
Jesus Christ died in our place and He now wants to sovereignly live in our place. Unless we see that Jesus Christ and the power of His cross is far greater and more precious and glorious than the lifeless religion of Churchianity, we will never become His overcoming bride. May God deliver His true church, the bride of Christ, from the godless yoke of Churchianity and set her free by faith in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city… Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:1-2