What Is Religion?

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Jeremiah 7:1

Jesus said many hard things to the religious leaders of His day. He described them as the blind leading the blind (Mat. 15:14). Just as then, too often we make religion a man-man affair of certain trappings, styles, and activities that have little or nothing to do with God or His will for us.

Our first mistake as always is to put the emphasis on ourselves instead of God’s will. To focus on people instead of Jesus. Throughout my life when God is brought up or Jesus is mentioned the reaction is predictable. The response: “I try to be a good person”, “I feel like I’m doing what I should”, “I go to church”,  “I do alright”. How funny it is when God is brought up the focus turns only to humans. Others have responded not by mentioning themselves when it comes to God but other people: “That church hurt me”, “That preacher offended me or made me angry”, "I was a believing person until I saw what happened with that TV Preacher” etc.

How human to put all the focus on us when it comes to God. Even in what appears to be better circumstances, the case of true believers, how often we get sidetracked by our efforts instead of relying upon God. Some Christans have a long resume of good activities helping at church, helping the poor, even going overseas to help those in dire need. And that is all awesome until you lose focus of relying upon God and instead get fixated upon your own accomplishments.

Charles Spurgeon was perhaps the greatest Preacher England ever produced or ever will produce. And no wonder. On his way to the dais to preach he would say over and over: “Help me Holy Spirit”. A visitor to his church was met by Spurgeon and Spurgeon asked the man if he would like to see the church furnace. The man was surprised by the question, but not wanting to offend, he agreed to Spurgeon’s suggestion. Spurgeon led the man to the basement and to the man’s surprise when the door was thrown open he saw a room filled with praying people. That was indeed the furnace that fired Spurgeon’s church and sermons.

The American Preacher Charles Swindoll wrote a book about “Grace” years ago. I remember him saying that every Christian should read the book of Galatians at least once a year. It only takes about twenty minutes, and it has the great effect of reminding us that it is God’s grace and power and not our own that accomplishes God’s will on this earth. 

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3

Even in the Old Testament we are reminded of what “our religion” is worth:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6

And yet once more from scripture we are reminded of the danger of being too religious without acting in the power of God's Love:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Then what is true religion? In my own humble opinion I believe it begins with Jesus and is the act of relying upon God’s Holy Spirit, Christ within us, to overcome our selfish, self-centered nature, and to put others first. Not focusing upon “religious acts” but everyday acts of kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, and simply being guided by God’s Love in our actions and reactions. All the while keeping in mind the Grace of Jesus Christ that Saved Us. His Love that Sustains Us. If we do that, all the while holding fast to humility which delivers us from the pride of our self-righteousness, God may be able to use us to accomplish some good on this earth. 

We can feel pretty good about going to church, giving an offering, taking communion, and any number of religious activities. Religion is a good word, but we have it treated religion badly by making it completely dependent upon us.

I don’t know about you Christian, but I praise God that my eternal security is locked up in Jesus and not dependent upon my useless acts of piety or more frequent acts of sinful stubbornness. I’m right there with the Apostle Paul when he described himself as the Chief of Sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). I have felt that way too many times in my life. My hope is that the older I get the more my awareness of and dependence upon God and His Holy Spirit grows.

I will end with another word of wisdom from the Apostle Paul as the Spirit led him to write this:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 3:7-9

Prayer: Dear Lord, You did not have much use for the religious people of Your day. Help us to avoid being like them and instead to be like You. May Your Spirit and Power and Love grow in us more every day. Amen.