Chapter 2: What Is Christianity?

Christianity is not a religion in the traditional sense. Religion, simply put, is humanity’s attempt to find God, a search driven by rituals, rules, and moral striving. But Christianity is the opposite: it is God reaching out to find lost humanity. At the heart of the Christian faith is not human effort, but divine pursuit.

From the beginning, God’s intention was clear. When He created the earth and entrusted Adam with it, His desire was that Adam would multiply and fill the world with people who reflected His image, God-like beings. God’s plan was to dwell in fellowship with one united family: Himself and the human race.

While we have defined religion as mankind’s often futile attempt to reach God, we also acknowledge that religion is a complex term with many interpretations.

One definition describes it as the part of a person’s life where they seek to live in harmony with whatever power or powers they believe govern the world. The English word religion comes from the Latin religio, possibly rooted in legere, meaning “to gather, observe, or consider.” Some interpret it as the human effort to recognize divine signs and form a connection with a higher being.

Whatever the variation, the common thread is this: religion is man’s effort to reach God. That’s why religion is found in every culture. As historian Richard Cavendish put it, “Religion is one of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals. Apes and dolphins, as far as we know, have no religion. But no group of human beings has ever been discovered who did not have religious beliefs.”

In contrast, Christianity flips the narrative. It is not man seeking God, it is God seeking man. Christianity is the story of a merciful God stepping into human history in the person of Jesus Christ to rescue a lost world and restore the relationship broken by sin.

Sadly, this did not unfold as intended. Today, it appears that a vast majority of Adam’s race live in separation from God. As Scripture tells us, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13, NIV). Still, God’s desire remains unchanged. “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This is the purpose of Christianity, and the reason for this book.

You see, religion began with man, but Christianity began with God. We find the first example of this divine initiative in Genesis 3:7, 10, 15, and 21:
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves… I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid… I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel… The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (KJV).

In other words, the very moment man fell, God stepped in with a plan, not just to judge, but to redeem.

Nakedness And The Fall

What happened to Satan in Isaiah 14 happened to Adam and Eve as well. Satan said in his heart, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). But God responded, “Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (v.15). Instead of rising to divinity, Satan fell. In the same way, instead of becoming like gods as Satan promised, Adam and Eve became exposed, naked.

Let’s take a closer look at the concept of nakedness. In Hebrew, there are two key words used to describe it: ‘arowm (aw-romé), which refers to physical nudity, and ‘eyrom (ay-romé), which often represents spiritual nakedness or moral exposure.

Genesis 2:25 uses ‘arowm’ when it says, “The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.” There is no shame in marital nudity. Similarly, in 1 Samuel 19:24, King Saul is described as lying down “naked”, meaning without his robes, not entirely unclothed. Isaiah 20:2 and Job 1:21 also use the word in the context of physical exposure.

However, in Genesis 3:7 and 10, a different word is used: ‘eyrom’. This indicates spiritual nakedness, exposure of the soul. We read, “They realized they were naked… and I was afraid because I was naked.” Fear, not just shame, entered in. That fear was the result of spiritual separation from God, the source of their covering.

When people break human laws, they live in fear of being found out. How much more so when they transgress God’s laws? This is why God said to Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Disobedience led to fear. This was spiritual bareness, not physical.

In Ezekiel 16:7, 22, God uses the same imagery to describe Jerusalem:
“I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare… but you forgot me, declares the Lord.”

This nakedness represents a condition of vulnerability before God, a soul without righteousness.

Misguided Interpretations

Some have mistakenly taught that the sin of Adam and Eve was sexual immorality. But this is not supported by Scripture. Adam and Eve were married by God Himself. The Bible says they were naked and not ashamed, because there was no guilt in their union. The real issue was disobedience. Spiritual nakedness came not through their bodies, but through their broken relationship with God.

Christianity: God’s Plan To Restore Covering

What is Christianity?

It is God's answer to man’s lost covering. It is His plan to clothe our nakedness, not with fig leaves, but with righteousness. It is not human achievement but divine intervention. It is not religion, but a relationship.

This is why Christianity must not be confused with religion. Religion tries to cover sin with human effort. Christianity begins with God coming down to clothe us with grace.

Just like in the Garden, God took the initiative, He provided garments of skin. And today, through Christ, He provides robes of righteousness.

And the allegory continues. We know, of course, that Jerusalem is a city and does not wear clothing. Yet God speaks of her nakedness. In Ezekiel 16, God likens Jerusalem to a young woman, using the image of physical nakedness to describe her spiritual condition. Interestingly, the same word for "nakedness" is used in Genesis 3, making it clear that the nakedness of Adam and Eve also symbolized their spiritual fall. Their disobedience had left them spiritually exposed and separated from God.

Behind it all, we see the hand of Satan. He was the one who deceived them into sin, and he is still doing the same today. Satan continues to ensure that millions remain spiritually naked before their Creator. He is the common enemy of all humanity. Whether white or black, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, from the developed or developing world, religious or atheist, we all face a shared adversary– Satan.

Consider Exodus 32:25:
“And when Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies.”

The NIV puts it this way:
“Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control.”

This helps us better understand Genesis 3:7. After Adam and Eve sinned, they noticed a profound change. Their spirits were disconnected from God. They were no longer led by the Spirit, but by their five senses and human desires. They were spiritually exposed. The righteousness that once clothed them like a garment had departed. They had fallen short of God’s glory, and for the first time, they were afraid.

Righteousness, simply put, is the ability to stand before God without fear or guilt. As long as Adam and Eve wore the robe of righteousness, they walked in unhindered fellowship with God. But when that covering was lost, fear took its place. Adam said, “I was afraid because I was naked.” In essence, he was saying, “I’m afraid because your righteousness has left me.”

Adam then tried to fix the problem. He sewed fig leaves to cover his nakedness, a symbolic attempt to restore what was lost. These fig leaves represent human efforts to reach God, what we now call religion.

Religion is mankind’s attempt to find God. Like a blind man groping in the dark, he reaches out for a guide he cannot see. But he won’t find that guide unless the guide reveals himself. That’s the truth about religion. Across the world, people pursue different paths to reach the Supreme God. But like Adam, they won’t succeed on their own.

If you are trying to find God through religion, you will not find Him that way. Adam’s fig leaves were insufficient. So God, in His mercy, took action. He sacrificed an innocent lamb, unrelated to Adam’s sin, shed its blood, and used its skin to clothe Adam. In doing this, God was saying, “Adam, you cannot reach me through religion. I must come to you. And the only way back is through blood.”

But it wasn’t the lamb’s blood that would restore humanity. It pointed to something greater, the blood of God’s only begotten Son. In Genesis 3:15, God immediately prophesied that the seed of the woman, Jesus, would come, fight Satan, and win. He would redeem Adam’s race from the fall.

That prophecy marked the beginning of Christianity. Christianity is not a religion. It is the way back to God. So when people say, “I found Christ,” they miss the deeper truth. Christ is the one who finds us.

Christianity vs Churchianity

The second important point is this: Christianity is not Churchianity. Christianity is the Way. In fact, the early Church was known by that name, the Way. The first disciples were originally called followers of the Way. Consider these scriptures:

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
Acts 9:1–2, NIV

“I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison.”
Acts 22:4, NIV

“However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect.”
Acts 24:14, NIV

“Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings.”
Acts 24:22, NIV

These verses clearly show that the early believers were known as followers of the Way. Why? Because Jesus is the Way, the only path out of sin and back to fellowship with God. He alone can reconnect humanity with divinity. No wonder Jesus declared in John 14:6:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So how did the word Christian come about?

According to Acts 11:26, in the city of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas spent a year teaching and strengthening the new believers. As time went on, the people around them began to notice something different. These followers of Jesus spoke, acted, and lived like Him. It was as if Jesus had multiplied Himself through them. In response, they were given a nickname: Christians, meaning “little Christs” or “those like Christ.”

Even today, something similar happens. When someone truly surrenders their life to Christ, others begin to notice the change. They may even teasingly call you Chrife or Osofo (pastor) because they see Christ in you.

So then, a true Christian is someone who reflects the character and life of Jesus.

Unfortunately, many today call themselves Christians not because they resemble Christ, but simply because they attend a church or belong to a denomination. This is a tragic misunderstanding. Being a member of a church does not automatically make you a Christian. But when you are truly a Christian, born of the Spirit, you are already part of the Church, the spiritual body of Christ. Every true Christian belongs to the Church, whether or not they are part of a visible denomination.

You must first become a Christian before you can be a member of the body of Christ, the Church. But it’s possible to be a regular churchgoer without being a Christian. You may have been baptized in a church as an infant, or actively involved in church activities, like the choir, men’s or women’s fellowship, or youth ministry, and still never have a personal encounter with Christ. In this case, you are like Nicodemus, a respected religious leader who still needed to be born again.

The truth is this: Unless you are born again, you cannot become a Christian or become like Christ. Some may argue this point or call it a hard saying, but it remains the truth.

As you continue through this book, you’ll come to understand why this statement is foundational. Others might claim that no one can truly be like Christ. But that is a misunderstanding. In Acts 11:26, the disciples in Antioch were called Christians because they resembled Jesus in both speech and behavior. And Scripture clearly teaches that God desires all believers to grow into Christlikeness.

Look at Ephesians 4:11–13. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up... until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

In other words, Christianity is about becoming like Christ, not just attending church.

Unfortunately, the devil has established many counterfeit movements in the world today, each bearing the label “church.” Because people often confuse Church with Christianity, any evil committed under these false systems is wrongly blamed on true Christianity.

Let me be clear: Any organization, even one recognized as a traditional or established church, that does not reflect Christlikeness in its conduct is not Christian.

Christianity is not about rituals or labels. Christianity is Christlikeness.

A national leader once said, “The church has failed Ghana.” Perhaps Churchianity has. But true Christianity has not been tried. If all Ghanaians genuinely submitted to the Way, became born again, and grew into the image of Christ, the transformation of Ghana would be swift and profound.

Christianity Is Not a “White Man’s Religion”

The third truth to understand is that Christianity is not a “white man’s religion”. In fact, it isn’t a religion at all, it is the Way, and it is universal.

Note: Because the Europeans brought Christianity to Africa and many other parts of the world, the indigenous people of those places often see christianity as the “white man’s” religion.

Here are five reasons that prove this:

1. God's Promise Was for All Nations

   In Genesis 12:3, God made a covenant with Abraham:

   “In you, all families of the earth will be blessed.”

   This promise foretold the coming of the Messiah, not just for the Jews, but for every nation: Black and white, developed and underdeveloped, African, Asian, Arab, European, American, and Australian.

2. The Way Was Inaugurated for All Peoples

   On the day Christianity began, the Day of Pentecost, God presented the Way to people from every known nation at the time.

   Acts 2:5–12 describes the event:

   “Now there were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven... Each one heard them speaking in his own language... Parthians, Medes, Elamites... Egypt, Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome... Cretans and Arabs, we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.”

   These devout Jews later became followers of the Way and returned to their countries carrying the gospel (see Acts 2:41, 8:1). The gospel was birthed in multilingual, multicultural context. God was making it clear: the Way is for everyone.

   The gospel speaks to each people group in their own language and cultural setting. However, it does not accept idolatry or pagan practices, because idolatry is not part of any true culture, it is a distortion foreign to humanity’s original design in Adam. That’s why God provided the Way even when Adam tried to reach Him through religion. All nations are called to leave religion and idolatry behind, and return to God through His prescribed path, the Way.

   It is no surprise that 3,000 Jews left Judaism that day and followed the Way. Even the Ethiopian eunuch from the Upper Nile region left his religion behind to embrace this truth.

   To say Christianity is a “white man’s religion” is simply ignorance. The biblical and historical record shows that Christianity is global and inclusive.

3. Heaven Will Include All Nations

   In Revelation 5:9–10, we get a glimpse of the end-time Church:

   “You were slain, and with your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

   John saw a Church made up of believers from every part of the world, worshiping God in their own languages. From the original promise, through Pentecost, to eternity, Christianity is for all people.

4. Africans Were Foundational in the Early Church

   History also disproves the idea that Christianity is European. Africans were part of the early Church from the beginning. Take Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry Jesus’ cross. Matthew, Mark and Luke all agree that Jesus did not carry his cross all the way to Golgotha (see Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). While Roman custom required the condemned to carry their own cross, Jesus was exhausted and fell under its weight. At that moment, God used an African to help fulfill prophecy, ensuring that Jesus died outside the city gates as required (Hebrews 13:11–13; Leviticus 4:11–12).

   We also see Africa's involvement in God's redemptive plan throughout Scripture. When King Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus, God sent His family to Egypt, an African nation, for safety until Herod’s death. Long before that,

   Abraham, the father of faith, also sojourned in Egypt on two occasions.

   In Acts 8:26–39, we read of the Ethiopian eunuch, an African, who encountered Philip on the road to Gaza. After understanding the gospel, he was baptized and became one of the earliest known converts to Christianity. His home region, Nubia, held strong to the Christian faith for centuries, even surviving Islamic invasions that subdued much of North Africa.

   In Acts 13:1, we find mention of Niger and Lucius of Cyrene, part of the leadership in the Antioch church, the first place where believers were called Christians. Along with others, they reflected the character of Christ and helped spread the gospel far and wide.

   Jonathan Hildebrandt notes that many Africans played crucial roles in shaping early Christianity. Tertullian, a brilliant lawyer converted in AD 192, was the first theologian to use the term “Trinity.” Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, converted in AD 246 and became a key church leader. Augustine of Hippo, converted in AD 387, is considered one of the greatest theologians after Paul. These men were African.

   Not only were many early Christian leaders African, but the first theological seminary in history was also founded in Alexandria, Egypt, around AD 180. These facts confirm that Christianity is not the invention or property of any single race or region. It is the Way, God’s universal gift to all humanity.

5. Christianity’s Global Design: God’s Plan for the Continents

   The Bible was written across Africa, Europe, and Asia , and each has a prophetic role in God’s redemptive plan. The destiny of the world is tied to how well each continent fulfills its God-ordained role.

   After the flood, God repopulated the earth through Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 9–10). Their names carry symbolic meanings: Shem means “distinguished,” Japheth means “enlargement,” and Ham means “hot.”

   Shem’s descendants were given the responsibility of bringing the Messiah into the world. However, the lineage of Jesus includes key figures from Ham’s line, such as Rahab the Canaanite and Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, whose names appear in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5–6).

   Once the Messiah came, it was Japheth’s turn to “enlarge” the gospel’s reach. Historically, European nations played a major role in global missionary movements. Yet as seen earlier, Africans were involved from the beginning, through the Ethiopian eunuch, Cyrenian believers, and early African theologians.

   Now, the prophetic spotlight turns to the Hamitic peoples. Just like a relay race, Shem ran the first leg by ushering in the Messiah, Japheth expanded the message globally, and now Ham is running the anchor leg, reviving and spreading the gospel with passion.

   This helps explain why Christianity is declining in many parts of Europe but growing rapidly in Africa. God is not partial, He is no respecter of persons and does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). His purposes are being fulfilled through all peoples, working together across continents in interdependence, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in perfect unity.

   It is now Africa’s time, including Asiatic Hamitic peoples, and all people of Ham across the world, to take up the major role in advancing the gospel. While the descendants of Japheth and Shem remain part of God’s mission, the mantle of leadership in this season rests with the people of Ham.

   Because the enemy knows that Africa’s divine moment has come, he is working to distract and derail this calling. We must recognize this deception and reject any alignment with the enemy’s agenda and align with God’s purpose.

God still has a plan for the whole world. Hear what He declared through the prophet Isaiah:
“In that day (and that day is now), there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt (Africa) and a monument to the Lord at its border….So the Lord will make Himself known to the Egyptians (Africans), and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord… They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their cry and heal them. In that day, there will be a highway from Egypt (Africa) to Assyria (Euroasia). The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day, Israel will join them as a third, forming a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying: 'Blessed be Egypt (Africa) My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.’”
Isaiah 19:19–25

And again, we hear in the Law:
“Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian (an African), because you lived as foreigners in his land. The third generation of their children may enter the assembly of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 23:7–8, NIV

And in the words of Isaiah:
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 45:22, NIV

Christianity, therefore, is not the exclusive property of any race. It is the way back to God, open to all people, in every nation, on every continent. It belongs just as much to Africa as it does to Europe, Asia, and the farthest ends of the earth.

Let us, then, embrace this truth. The gospel is for all. It is universal.

The Origin Of Christ

Having laid the foundation that Christianity is not a religion but the Way back to God, and that it is not exclusive to any race or region, it is important to now examine the origin of the One at the center of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ.

Christianity is Christ-centered. To fully understand its roots, we must ask: Who is Jesus? Where does He come from?

The Gospels of Matthew (chapter 1) and Luke (chapter 3) give detailed genealogies of Jesus, tracing His ancestry from both paternal and maternal lines. A closer study of these genealogies reveals that Jesus was of mixed heritage, Semitic and Hamitic. His paternal line traces through the Semitic line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. But through several maternal connections, His lineage also includes women of Hamitic origin.

Among these are:

• Tamar, a Canaanite woman who bore Perez to Judah (Genesis 38).

• Rahab, a Canaanite woman from Jericho who later married Salmon (Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5).

• Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, another descendant of Ham (2 Samuel 11).

These women were descendants of the sons of Ham, Canaan, Mizraim, Put, and Cush, as outlined in 1 Chronicles 1:8,13. Their people included the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and other nations listed in Judges 3:5–6. Scripture records that Israelites, including leaders from the tribe of Judah, often intermarried with these peoples (see also Ezra 9:1–2; Nehemiah 13:23–24; Malachi 2:11).

From this mixed ancestry, we see that:

• Perez, born of Tamar, began a lineage of Hamitic-Semites.

• Salmon, himself part Hamitic through Perez, married Rahab, another Hamite, producing Boaz.

• Boaz, now of double Hamitic descent, married Ruth and fathered Obed, leading to Jesse and then David.

• David, still carrying Hamitic heritage, married Bathsheba and fathered Solomon and Nathan.

This means that by the time we get to Mary and Joseph, Jesus' earthly parents, His ancestry includes multiple Hamitic and Semitic lines, a reflection of the diversity within Israel itself.

Biblical and historical evidence suggests that both Semitic and Hamitic peoples were likely dark-skinned or of Middle Eastern and African appearance, reflecting the regions they inhabited. Intermarriage between the two groups was common, and this reality is reflected throughout the Scriptures.

The Bible makes it clear Jesus’ origins. He was a Jew and looked like one. Let us see Jesus for who He truly is and turn away from the excuse that Jesus is a “white man’s” religion.

In this chapter, we have established three important truths:

1. Christianity is not a religion, it is the Way out of sin. Since all people originate from Adam and inherit his sin-nature, everyone must return to God through the same Way: Christ Jesus.

2. Christianity is not churchianity, a religious system without true transformation. Since churchianity has failed to bring real change to the world, perhaps it is time the world gave true Christianity a chance, the Way out of the sin problem.

3. Christianity is not a “white man’s” religion, it is universal, intended for all nations and peoples of the earth.

Christianity is not a man-made religion, nor is it limited by race, culture, or geography. It is the Way, God’s divine plan to rescue all humanity from sin through Jesus Christ.

Summary

This chapter explains what Christianity truly is. It teaches that Christianity is not religion in the ordinary sense, because religion is man’s attempt to reach God, while Christianity is God’s effort to reach and rescue man. After Adam fell, man became spiritually naked and separated from God. Adam tried to cover himself with fig leaves, but God Himself provided a covering. This shows that man cannot restore himself to God by human effort. God must provide the way back.

The chapter explains that Christianity is God’s plan to restore the righteousness and fellowship that man lost through sin. It is not based on rituals, traditions, or human achievement, but on God’s mercy and redemption through Jesus Christ. Just as God covered Adam after the fall, He now covers the believer with righteousness through Christ. Christianity is therefore not religion, but the Way back to God.

The chapter also makes a distinction between Christianity and churchianity. True Christianity is not merely attending church, joining a denomination, or taking part in religious activities. A person can be active in church and still not be born again. True Christianity is Christlikeness. The early believers were called Christians because their lives reflected the character and life of Jesus. Therefore, a true Christian is someone who has been born again and is growing into the image of Christ.

The chapter further explains that Christianity is not a “white man’s religion.” It is the Way God provided for all humanity. The promise of salvation was given for all nations, the gospel was first preached among people from many nations, and heaven will include people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. The chapter also shows that Africa has always had a place in God’s redemptive plan and in the history of the early Church.

Finally, the chapter points to Jesus Christ as the centre of Christianity. His earthly genealogy shows that He came through a mixed human lineage, reflecting God’s plan for all peoples. Christianity is therefore not owned by any race, culture, continent, or denomination. It is God’s universal plan to save humanity from sin through Jesus Christ, the only Way back to the Father.