Religion is a Secondhand Relationship
Here is the Thought
Jesus had nothing good to say about the religion portrayed in Matthew 23. In fact, His Words were some of the sternest words that He spoke to anyone. He called them snakes and sons of vipers, and proclaimed that they would not escape hell. My own conclusion about religion is that it becomes a cheap knock-off for the real thing.
I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without hell. ~William Booth, the Founder of the Salvation Army
He was as blunt as Jesus concerning religion. Religion is dangerous, because it has a life of its own apart from Jesus. Religion may sound good, but if Jesus isn’t preached, it becomes evil.
Is Religion Dangerous?
I believe so. When we take it back into the Old Testament, this is exactly what the chosen people did repeatedly. They took the Commandments, the Covenants, the Law, and made it into a tradition of religion, void of the one who gave them those things. Things deteriorated to the point that Jesus said this to the religious leaders of His day:
John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Religion, when in full form, is a deterrent to God. It makes more out of its appeal, its interpretation, and its practice … more than it does to know and obey God. In the Bible, God has repeatedly said that His people did not know Him, their practice of religion had incorporated many forms of worship, and none of them focused on Jehovah God. They tell us there are 35,000 different denominations or flavors of Christianity, yet the Apostle Paul said:
Ephesians 4:5-6 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
I suppose one could argue that all these denominations are just different styles of worship and practice, but they didn’t change who they were worshipping. I would contest that this is usually because each denomination has its own bent on what they think is important. Those who believe in Calvinism make it their main platform in how they interpret God. Pentecostals like to focus on their interpretation of power, with signs and wonders. Liturgical denominations like their symbolism and ceremonial emphasis. I could go on and on about how religious practices and teachings can compete for the worshippers’ attention. I realize there could be good things that religion does, but my concern is that God, at times, is lost in all the emphasis that is placed on things that don’t matter. I constantly quote the Ephesian Church in the Book of Revelation as an example of good religious practices, but Jesus said those practices had replaced Him.
Jesus Never Wanted Religious People
It is true, Jesus never came to start a new religion, He came to free us from the sin of idolatry, self-centeredness, evil practices, to destroy the works of the Devil, and to show us that God is real with a desire to know us. He doesn’t want us to know him through a religion … that is a secondhand relationship. Jesus wants to be known for who He is, what He has said, and how we live His Words out through our lives. If you have never experienced a real relationship with Jesus without all the trappings of religious activity, it is time you ask Him to show you who He is through a relationship. Relationship with Him changes everything … it becomes the highlight of living. It is time to get rid of the secondhand relationships.
Jesus, help us to know you and you alone. Amen
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler