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Religion or Relationship?
LivingWalk.com
- April 4, 2005
Note: I am aware
of the dictionary definition of the term “religion”. What I
am referring to below is any system of belief and practice that has
no foundation in the Word of God, and/or effectively denies the power
and glory of God in the redemption and sanctification of man.
The religious urge
is immensely powerful in man, and the devil knows it. He is masterful
at using humanly-derived religion to keep us from the presence of the
Living God. With subtlety and craft, he secretly sets about his work
of replacing true things with shadows, divine things with earthly
shells, and an intimate fellowship with what amounts to an
institutional bureaucracy.
From where I
stand, my friends, this is largely what this thing called
Christianity has become, and I am not at all limiting this reference
to Romanism either. It seems everywhere you turn, more and more
believers are adopting practices and opinions that indicate that they
love their religion more than they love the Living God.
My friends, this
saddens me tremendously. For it is this very religion, and all of its
machinery, that is blinding us to our need for an intimate and
life-filling encounter with a redeeming God. Religion, by its very
nature, puts its trust in man, and not God, so it is, in essence, the
perfect realization of the humanistic trend sweeping the world and
the church.
Yet, it is
insidious because it is, at its core, POWERLESS!
No mere religion
can turn a devil into a disciple, or a rebel into a beloved son. No
empty orthodoxy can turn a sinner into a saint, or hope in any way,
shape or form to rescue the sin-ravaged soul of man, and restore him
to his place in the garden.
Jesus Christ,
alone can do this! Why then do we persist in undermining and
sidelining His redemptive and restorative work on the cross at every
turn. Why are we believers so readily titillated by the latest trick,
trend or technique that seeks to supplement or replace the divinely
ordained process of sanctification? Why is the Helper and Comforter,
Teacher and Shepherd, the One who came down from heaven to dwell
among us, and die for us, seemingly never enough?
Did not the
Jew’s religion blind them to the love of God as revealed in
their Messiah? Consider the harshness of our Lord’s language as
He condemned them in the most extreme terms for obscuring the true
God with their rites and practices. If we called any individual or
group a "brood of vipers" or "serpents" today we
would be promptly condemned as divisive and critical. Yet, it was
their religion, you see, and ours today, that establishes the
framework for exalting men in the place of the Most High.
“But I know
you,” He charged, “that you do not have the love of God in
you.” (John 15:42)
&ldots;and do we?
All of their
religion had taught them nothing about God; that He in fact loved
them dearly, and standing right before them, with His arms stretched
out, ready to embrace them, was proof of that love.
Our Lord, when he
left this earth, did not leave us with any system or methodology, or
“religion” - He left us with the Holy Spirit that enables
and empowers us from within to relate to Himself and the Father on a
deeply intimate level. He did not leave us with a song book or memory
verse but newness of life! Indeed, He alone was the way home to the
Father. He was the truth about God and man and how the two could be
reconciled, once and for all!
It is most
interesting that James in the New Testament defines “pure and
undefiled religion” as loving service, and not faithful
adherence to creeds and tradition, or the smells and bells of church
buildings, or any vain form of liturgical reality. It is the love of
Christ and the Father spilling out into the streets, and into our
homes, and into the broken lives of the most vulnerable among us.
The Bible is clear
here, my friends, so please don't consider me “too harsh”
in this assessment.
Religion, by its
very nature constrains, binds, obligates and obscures divine reality.
It distances one from the ultimate object of worship. It esteems
external observance and conformity over what is really at the heart
of a man. Despite its bold claims, it directs our faith away from
God, and towards created things, especially human beings and the
objects of their adornment.
It defies the
mystery of godliness and the abandoned life at the heart of
Paul’s gospel. It fosters a righteousness that cannot adequately
withstand the rigors of life, the temptations of the flesh and world,
nor the assaults of the adversary. It is loud and brash, and promises
so much, yet delivers so little. By necessity, it must borrow from
the world, because it holds no innate power or creativity of its own.
It knows nothing
of the living context of restored fellowship offered by Our Savior.
It is deaf and dumb before the Living Word, accompanied by the Author
Himself, as He fulfills its meaning by fleshing it out in our daily lives.
Religion may
inspire you; in this there is no doubt. It may sweep you away in a
chorus of praise and sentiment. It may appeal to a part of you that
wants to be appealed to. It is happy to meet your consumer needs and
desires, and to satisfy the senses. It may make it look like you are
venturing forth into the holiest of all, with fine linen and brass
and glimmering light.
But, my friends,
it will never, ever change you, or save you from this body of death.
It CANNOT!
Only the Shepherd
of your soul can do that.
Please pray for us
here at Living-Walk, that we would watch and see the Master at work,
and understand what He would have us do.
Your friend in
Christ Jesus,
Wayne
Copyright 2005 Livingwalk.com
Permission is
granted to share this material freely and with attribution.
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