“When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. But they have been informed about you — that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs….With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Acts 21:20-21, 25 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/act.21.20-25.CSB

Initially, Christianity was seen as a split from the Jewish religion. Its roots were in Judaism, but they were not the same. It was this confusion among the masses that was responsible for so many Jews persecuting Christians in the beginning because they didn’t want Jesus associated with them as the Messiah God had promised and that Christians believed had now come. The Jews who did believe couldn’t quite separate their practice of worshipping God from Judaism. They hadn’t committed fully to Jesus. They simply added Jesus to their religion. Paul taught that they no longer had to practice worshipping God under the law with sacrifices and legalism but were free from such requirements. This led some to despise Paul and created confusion and even hostility in the Church. Jesus commanded that we come to Him alone for salvation and to become acceptable to God. Religion cannot make us pleasing to God, though it is useful for pleasing God when we have a right relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus, Who is God, said we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him if we are to be His disciples. His disciple is His approved child. This denial of self is no longer attempting to please God on our own merit. The taking up our cross is no longer living for our interests and pleasures. The following of Jesus is the engagement of God’s work: seeking and saving the lost and then discipling them into obedience to everything Jesus commanded. This is true Christianity and the religion God requires from all people.