Before we explore the difference between religion and spirituality, we must first define the two terms. Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshiped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.”
Spirituality can be defined as “the quality or fact of being spiritual, non-physical” or “predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.” To put it briefly, religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship with God, and spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of physical/earthly things.
The most common misconception about religion is that Christianity is just another religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Sadly, many who claim to be adherents of Christianity do practice Christianity as if it were a religion. To many, Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules and rituals that a person has to observe in order to go to heaven after death. That is not true Christianity. True Christianity is not a religion; rather, it is having a right relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior-Messiah, by grace through faith. Yes, Christianity does have “rituals” to observe (e.g., baptism and communion). Yes, Christianity does have “rules” to follow (e.g., do not murder, love one another, etc.). However, these rituals and rules are not the essence of Christianity. The rituals and rules of Christianity are the result of salvation. When we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, we are baptized as a proclamation of that faith. We observe communion in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. We follow a list of do’s and don’ts out of love for God and gratitude for what He has done.
The most common misconception about spirituality is that there are many forms of spirituality, and all are equally valid. Meditating in unusual physical positions, communing with nature, seeking conversation with the spirit world, etc., may seem to be “spiritual,” but they are in fact false spirituality. True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. True spirituality is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a person’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit (John 4:24) and having our character conformed to His image (Romans 12:1-2).
What religion and spirituality have in common is that they both can be false methods of having a relationship with God. Religion tends to substitute the heartless observance of rituals for a genuine relationship with God. Spirituality tends to substitute connection with the spirit world for a genuine relationship with God. Both can be, and often are, false paths to God. At the same time, religion can be valuable in the sense that it points to the fact that there is a God and that we are somehow accountable to Him. The only true value of religion is its ability to point out that we have fallen short and are in need of a Savior. Spirituality can be valuable in that it points out that the physical world is not all there is. Human beings are not only material, but also possess a soul-spirit. There is a spiritual world around us of which we should be aware. The true value of spirituality is that it points to the fact that there is something and someone beyond this physical world to which we need to connect.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both religion and spirituality. Jesus is the One to whom we are accountable and to whom true religion points. Jesus is the One to whom we need to connect and the One to whom true spirituality points. Are you interested in discovering true religion and true spirituality? If the answer is yes, please begin your journey on our webpage that describes receiving Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior - https://www.gotquestions.org/personal-Savior.html.
Both New Age teaching and biblical Christianity wholeheartedly affirm that there is more to the human being than just the material and the physical. Both would agree that the human being has a spirit and that there are other spirit beings that can interact with the world and with people. Both agree that human beings need to develop spiritually or they will miss out on the most important things in life. However, the similarities between New Age thought and biblical Christianity end quickly at the discussion of how and in what direction one should develop spiritually.
The Bible teaches that God desires our spiritual development. Human beings are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:28–29). We were made to have fellowship with Him, but that fellowship was broken by sin. Sin, or rebellion against God’s law (1 John 3:4), is the obstacle to our spiritual development. Every human being’s spirit is separated from God, the Author of life, so human beings are described as spiritually dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). The only hope for dead spirits is that they be made alive in Christ and then start to grow and develop into the kind of spiritual people God intended for us to be—people that accurately reflect His image.
The goal of the Christian life is to become more and more like Christ, as the Holy Spirit works in our spirits, producing fruit (Galatians 5:22–24). As we yield to the Spirit, He will guide us (Galatians 5:16, 25). Spiritual development occurs through reading God’s Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and active participation in a local church. Christians do not choose the direction or the means of their development; the means have been chosen by God as revealed in His Word. Through the church, God equips His 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. Then we will no longer be infants. . . . Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–15).
The Christian’s spiritual development is based on the promises of God’s Word and the willing participation of the individual believer as he submits to Christ. The goal is to leave sin behind and increase in Christlikeness: “He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:4–8).
New Age spiritual development starts with a completely different premise. Rather than seeing mankind as created in the image of a personal God, New Age spirituality sees human beings as independent manifestations of an impersonal spirit (energy, force, or chi) that energizes the universe. Spiritual development, according to New Age teaching, is simply tapping into this energy to achieve greater fulfillment and harmony here on earth and possibly in life to come. One New Age website describes the goal of New Age spiritual development like this: “The world is a magnificent cornucopia, filled with wondrous and delightful items. Here we can find exactly what we are looking for. If we seek enjoyment of the senses, there are many opportunities. Similarly if we seek to learn and draw closer to our higher self, this opportunity exists as well. In part, the earth phase of our existence is an opportunity to learn, create and experience all the parts of self and grow closer to that which we wish to become.” The direction of New Age spiritual development is chosen by the individual. By properly aligning oneself with the spiritual force, the individual can become anyone or anything that he or she desires.
New Age philosophy teaches that aiding one’s spiritual development are spirit guides and angels who can provide direction and strength on the journey toward self-actualization. Physical items such as crystals may help focus the psychic/spiritual energy. Properly arranging items in one’s home (the idea behind feng shui) can also help the flow of energy. Psychic abilities such as ESP can be developed.
Whereas biblical spiritual development has as its goal becoming more like Christ, New Age spiritual development’s goal is determined by each individual, empowering each individual to become the master of his or her own fate. It is the difference between the Holy Spirit’s sanctification and the individual’s self-realization. It is the difference between submitting to God and seeking to become one’s own god. It is the difference between hearing God say, “Commit your way to the LORD” (Proverbs 37:5) and hearing Satan’s lie “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).
Both New Age teaching and biblical Christianity wholeheartedly affirm that there is more to the human being than just the material and the physical. Both would agree that the human being has a spirit and that there are other spirit beings that can interact with the world and with people. Both agree that human beings need to develop spiritually or they will miss out on the most important things in life. However, the similarities between New Age thought and biblical Christianity end quickly at the discussion of how and in what direction one should develop spiritually.
The Bible teaches that God desires our spiritual development. Human beings are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:28–29). We were made to have fellowship with Him, but that fellowship was broken by sin. Sin, or rebellion against God’s law (1 John 3:4), is the obstacle to our spiritual development. Every human being’s spirit is separated from God, the Author of life, so human beings are described as spiritually dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). The only hope for dead spirits is that they be made alive in Christ and then start to grow and develop into the kind of spiritual people God intended for us to be—people that accurately reflect His image.
The goal of the Christian life is to become more and more like Christ, as the Holy Spirit works in our spirits, producing fruit (Galatians 5:22–24). As we yield to the Spirit, He will guide us (Galatians 5:16, 25). Spiritual development occurs through reading God’s Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and active participation in a local church. Christians do not choose the direction or the means of their development; the means have been chosen by God as revealed in His Word. Through the church, God equips His 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. Then we will no longer be infants. . . . Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–15).
The Christian’s spiritual development is based on the promises of God’s Word and the willing participation of the individual believer as he submits to Christ. The goal is to leave sin behind and increase in Christlikeness: “He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:4–8).
New Age spiritual development starts with a completely different premise. Rather than seeing mankind as created in the image of a personal God, New Age spirituality sees human beings as independent manifestations of an impersonal spirit (energy, force, or chi) that energizes the universe. Spiritual development, according to New Age teaching, is simply tapping into this energy to achieve greater fulfillment and harmony here on earth and possibly in life to come. One New Age website describes the goal of New Age spiritual development like this: “The world is a magnificent cornucopia, filled with wondrous and delightful items. Here we can find exactly what we are looking for. If we seek enjoyment of the senses, there are many opportunities. Similarly if we seek to learn and draw closer to our higher self, this opportunity exists as well. In part, the earth phase of our existence is an opportunity to learn, create and experience all the parts of self and grow closer to that which we wish to become.” The direction of New Age spiritual development is chosen by the individual. By properly aligning oneself with the spiritual force, the individual can become anyone or anything that he or she desires.
New Age philosophy teaches that aiding one’s spiritual development are spirit guides and angels who can provide direction and strength on the journey toward self-actualization. Physical items such as crystals may help focus the psychic/spiritual energy. Properly arranging items in one’s home (the idea behind feng shui) can also help the flow of energy. Psychic abilities such as ESP can be developed.
Whereas biblical spiritual development has as its goal becoming more like Christ, New Age spiritual development’s goal is determined by each individual, empowering each individual to become the master of his or her own fate. It is the difference between the Holy Spirit’s sanctification and the individual’s self-realization. It is the difference between submitting to God and seeking to become one’s own god. It is the difference between hearing God say, “Commit your way to the LORD” (Proverbs 37:5) and hearing Satan’s lie “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).
