ARE YOU RELIGIOUS?
_____________________________
by Robert P. Myers
RELIGION IS EVERYWHERE!
We live in an age when people everywhere practice some
kind of religion. In
But first, let’s look at a few definitions of religion
by Webster and others:
1) Belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to
be obeyed and worshiped as the creator(s) or ruler(s) of the
universe
2) expression of this belief in conduct and
rituals
3) any specific system of
belief...
4) a state of mind or way of life (that expresses love
for or trust in God)
5) the practice of religious observances or
rites
RELIGION IS WRITTEN ABOUT IN THE BIBLE
The Apostle Paul practiced the Jew’s religion and was
successful in it before he made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians
1:4). The group of Jews called
Pharisees were the most strict sect of the Jews religion (Acts 26:5). Paul was a Pharisee before
salvation.
Knowing that the Pharisee’s religion was the most strict
of its time, we can look at their practices and discover the difference between
religion and salvation. We should
be able to learn that:
1) Religion is NOT salvation
2) Practicing religion DOES NOT bring
salvation
3) Salvation comes to us from some other source than
having or practicing religion
In the bible, in Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 1-34 Jesus
speaks at length about the Pharisee’s religion and we can learn about the
pitfalls of practicing religion as a way to appease God, to try to earn His
favor, or to try to get to heaven.
In His talk, we learn that He is not against religion in its proper place
and as something for which it is intended.
I would recommend that you get a bible and read the chapter. In it you
will be told that:
1) The Pharisees religion had things in it that Jesus
would want humans to pay attention to and to do if they were going to practice a
religion, (v. 3) but,
2) Religious practitioners who talk a big religion, and
want everyone to do what they say, but do not practice the religion they preach
are rejected of God (vv. 3-4),
3) Religious practitioners who do religion for show are
rejected of God (v.5),
4) Religious practitioners who expect to be treated like
they are really important are rejected by the Lord (vv.
5-7),
5) Religious practitioners who take advantage of people by pretending things about
religion that aren’t in agreement with the word of God shall receive greater
damnation (v.14)
6) People converted to this kind of religion are twice
the children of hell as their teachers (v. 15). Remember that this kind of religion was
the strictest form of the Jews religion in the days of Jesus
Christ;
7) Religious practitioners of this type often focus on
emphasizing even the smallest of works above consideration for truly spiritual
things (vv. 23-24),
8) To religious practitioners of this type, appearances
are everything, regardless of the corruption inside them (vv.
25-28),
9) Religious practitioners of this type would have no
conscience about killing the servants of God (vv. 32-34),
and
10) Religious practitioners of this type cannot escape
the damnation of hell (v. 33).
WHY PRACTICE RELIGION AT ALL?
When we think about how Jesus condemned the way the
Pharisees practiced religion, we may be wondering why people would practice
religion at all. The answer is: if
you intend to practice religion in the same way the Pharisees did, there is no
reason to practice it at all! I say
this because:
1) The Pharisees were practicing religion to gain
approval from men
2) They were practicing religion as a kind of works that
they were trying to present to God as something good and worthy of
approval
3) They practiced religion with the idea that it would
give them salvation
4) The religion they were practicing was made up of
things that had once been spiritual in form, but they had twisted them by their
own man-made inventions, attitudes, and reasoning.
5) They had lost sight of the spiritual aspects of their
religion;
6) They were practicing religion without any
spiritual knowledge of God and Jesus Christ
IS THERE A SIMILAR THING GOING ON IN OUR SOCIETY
TODAY?
Yes. With
all the religious denominations in our culture, there are many people who belong
to them and observe some part of that denomination’s practices in order to make
men respect them more and to at least look like they are upstanding and
righteous. These individuals aren’t
always totally conscious of the fact that they are modern-day
Pharisees.
People Are Practicing Religion to Get a Record of Good
Works and Find Favor With God
There are many people in
People Are Practicing Religion to Earn
Salvation
Many people, by practicing religion, think that they are
earning salvation. They do the
things that the bible seems to tell them to do and that their religion approves
of and they think that doing this kind of “righteousness” will “earn” them
salvation. But, they do not
understand that salvation cannot be earned (see Titus 3:5 and Ephesians
2:8-9).
Some People Are Practicing Religion That Agrees With the
Principles of the Bible
Some people are practicing religion today which actually
agrees with things in the bible that God tells people they ought to do. They are doing such things as going to
church, being good to neighbors,
trying to avoid breaking any of the Ten Commandments, giving of their means to
help others, etc. On the surface,
these practices seem to be exactly the right thing to be doing. However, all people who practice these
kinds of religious observances when human philosophies, reasons, and inventions
have corrupted them are practicing such religion in vain. As with the Pharisees in Matthew 23, God
rejects any such practices which are done for the wrong reasons, or when the
original spiritual principles within the practices have been corrupted by man’s
devices. Ritual and ceremony
without spiritual meaning is despised by the Lord.
People Who Are Practicing Religion for the Wrong Reasons
Do Not Know God
All people who practice religion as a means to impress
someone, either humans or God, or who practice religion to get favor with God,
or to “earn” salvation are without any true spiritual knowledge of God. First, we can’t impress God with
anything we do when our spiritual relationship with Him continues to be built on
the wrong foundation. A proper
relationship can only exist if it is built on having favor with God because
Jesus Christ has settled the conflict between Him and us. That can only be done if our sin debt is
paid. That sin debt is not paid if
Jesus Christ does not represent us as our Peacemaker before God. He does not represent anyone as
Peacemaker who has not been born again.
We are brought into a right relationship with God when
we see our sinfulness, see a need to be forgiven, see Christ as the one who has
paid our sin debt and as the only one who can forgive us, believe that He died
for our sin, believe that God raised Him from the dead as proof of His power
over sin, ask Him to forgive us, and then believe that He has (Acts 4:12; Romans
10:9-10). This inward process is a
spiritual work of the Holy Spirit, and godly sorrow for sin is experienced when
the process starts (2 Corinthians 7:10).
When the new birth experience happens, we accept that Jesus Christ became
sin for us that we might be made righteous in Him through believing (2
Corinthians 5:21).
When we have repented of our sin and trusted Christ, God
transfers to us the same righteousness that Christ has. In fact, it is the righteousness of
Christ that He gives us credit for. That is the reason we are then accepted by
the Lord. When that happens we
become a creature that can do things that please God. It is at this point that we can begin to
have our works accepted by the Lord as something that He approves of and gets
glory from. We will not be doing
works in order to get credit toward righteousness, or to earn anything. We are able to understand that we have
been created new creatures in Christ Jesus, appointed to do good works for His
glory (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14).
A LAST CHALLENGE
How have you been handling religion in your life? Have you been using it like the
Pharisees of biblical times? If you
have, you should know now that something more is needed. If you realize that, it is time to take
a long look at your soul, your life, your inward condition. What are you going to do about the fact
that you are at enmity with God?
Would you risk facing eternity in that condition? I don’t think so!
If you have not felt godly sorrow and repentance at this
point, read the tract again. Ask
God to give you understanding. Pay
close attention to the section entitled, “People Who Are Practicing Religion
For the Wrong Reasons Do Not Know God.” Then, ask God to save you. He is a very merciful God. No sinner who has ever called on Him
from the heart has ever been turned away.
You won’t be either!
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or to share your spiritual experience as a result of reading this tract, contact
Pastor Bob Myers at