It is not a wonder why so many people today stay out of church or turn to more “comfortable” religions. The Christian Church has historically been blotted by people claiming to serve God through their religion, yet behaving in ways that simply do not align with the Truth of God’s Word. In laymen’s terms, they don’t practice what they preach. There’s a great song by Casting Crowns called “What This World Needs” that speaks to what God has shown me the past few weeks.
Religion and faith do not mean the same thing, nor do they come across in the same way to people who do not truly know Christ. Webster’s defines the following:
Religion: an institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine
Faith: belief or trust; religion or religious group; trust in God; set of beliefs
Religion and faith are interestingly found as synonyms in the English dictionary, but the truth is these two concepts are far from synonymous. Religion as used in the Bible, is described as external worship that consists of ceremonies and traditions (Acts 26:15; Gal 1:13). Faith, in contrast, is found as trusting, firmness, fidelity; conviction of the truth of anything; a belief with the predominate idea of trust or confidence in God and Christ. (There are SO many verses on faith – just look in the Bible.) The Bible speaks a lot about God’s Law and His Commandments. The sad part about man’s interpretation of this is that many people become more focused on their works, losing sight of the origin and purpose of God’s Law. God made the Law so that we would see how desperately we need Jesus Christ. It is through His grace that we are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ, not the law.
People try to use their religion as an indication of their godliness, believing that by doing things in church that they are supposed to do makes them godly people. For example: going to church every Sunday; reading your Bible every day; praying before every meal. Please do not misunderstand me, these are definitely things we are called to do as Christians. However, there is a fork in the road that defines who we are in Christ. If we are doing these things because we are told to and the purpose of it never touches our hearts, it is all foolish and worthless. If we are doing things because we feel guilty if we don’t, for approval of man, or to make ourselves look good, it is pointless.
In Romans 2 Paul is talking about the difference between someone who is of the Jewish religion, and someone who has a changed heart and is truly seeking God.
28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
During this time people were so wrapped up in their religion and the law of circumcision that they believed if you didn’t become circumcised you weren’t a true follower of Christ. Paul was explaining to them that their religion didn’t matter; it was the heart of a person that mattered. It is still the same today. People who become so involved with religious events, traditions, and ceremonies begin to lose sight of the purpose of Christ and what that really involves. This is exactly what Satan wants – to distract people to the point that (a) they lose sight of the Lord and His will; or (b) drop out of religion altogether because they can never be perfect. Personally, there have been points in my life where I have been in both categories, so I feel free to speak openly.
Paul continues at the end of chapter 2 to say: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
God does not want our religion, He wants our hearts. So what does it mean to circumcise our hearts? Circumcision of our heart is not an outward thing to please men, but an inward change that happens when we allow God the freedom to work in our hearts by the total surrender of our wills and emotions. When we surrender ourselves to Him, our will becomes His will, and His law becomes written on our hearts. We do those things that please God, not because we were told to or feel guilty if we don’t, but because when God changes our hearts we WANT to. His will truly becomes our own will.
We are by no means saved by our religion – the only way to salvation is through FAITH in Jesus Christ.
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