Another bogus sign that “religion” doesn’t count!
Friends,
Most spiritual doctrines western Christians first learn as modern day believers in Christ are just flat wrong. Not all, mind you, but most.
Our Almighty holy God is so merciful that He saves with the slightest bit of real knowledge of who He really is if coupled with a real faith.
That certainly is my story. Perhaps it’s yours too.
But as we become earnest, we must move on and walk closely in holiness since that’s the only proof of our love for Him – our solidarity in obedience to His call.
I’ve had to unlearn and relearn most of His doctrines to follow His ways closely. It was my loving and gracious response to not be swallowed up in the nice, sentimental, hyper-feminized Jesus incorrectly portrayed.
Early in my walk, I was really uncertain to boldly proclaim His way since so many western Christians were, and are, following the American Jesus.
Trouble is, many are also following the American Jesus in places like Africa, Asia, Europe, South America…too much money and too much media equals a spiritual disaster. The misidentified Lord and Savior is pumped out 24-7 around the world originating everywhere it seems from America’s sea to shining sea.
Another of the long list of errors is the destruction of another perfectly fine biblical word that aptly illustrates our faith.
Rules are God’s holy commands
Let’s take the word “religion.”
What images materialize in your mind when you hear this word these days? How about thoughts like relationship and not religion. Religion is for Pharisees. Religion kills. They’re just a religious person.
And the people who teach these things often do so with a sneer, even rolling the eyes, and sometimes accompanied by a mocking voice.
It’s clearly a word that’s derogatory in meaning, wouldn’t you agree?
But…
What does the Word of God, the holy Scriptures proclaim to us, His creatures, who are commanded to follow and obey His every rule?
Four Greek words were used to convey God’s doctrine of both acceptable and unacceptable religion, and religious activity.
The first is thrêskeia, (thrace-ki’-ah), a noun, and renders the English words religion (3x) and worship (1x).
The definition of this word means to show reverence, to venerate, to worship…through practice. It can be interchanged with words like faith and belief. Or trust. It can take the form of performing these actions consistently or inconsistently.
It also is both positive and negative.
So, therefore, everything that has major emphasis and energy in a person’s life can be considered as “religion.” And every person has a religion…every person. It might be the Lord, the world, the family, money, sex, alcohol, drugs…
And the biggest religion in the west, and arguably in the world: a-muse-ment.
Or it might be a combination of these sub-religions to produce an all encompassing major religion.
You often hear me speak of the American gospel. This false gospel incorporates many satanic doctrines in a mish-mash toxic soup that emasculates the real gospel, ruins millions, and certainly will increase the population residing for eternity in the lake of fire.
Let’s see how this first Greek word it’s used in those four passages…
(Acts 26:5) since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion (practiced faith-belief-trust).
(Colossians 2:18) Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship (practiced faith-belief-trust) of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
In the first two above, we see both are negative uses of the word. It’s the practiced faith, belief, trust in reverence and ongoing worship with some religious service. Although we’re not entirely sure of the exegesis (what it meant to original audience) of Paul’s writings, it certainly meant in part the ascetics were insisting on some form of angel worship.
The last two uses of this Greek word are in the book of James.
(James 1:26-27) If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion (practiced faith-belief-trust) is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion (practiced faith-belief-trust) in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Here when a believer (that’s us) bridles his-her tongue, his-her religion goes from worthless to worthy! On the heels of this is the fact that religion can be pure and undefiled…here the context is helping others such as orphans and widows especially when they encounter very distressful circumstances. And to be unstained (vs. stained and polluted white robes of the saints) by Satan’s worldly ways.
Let’s stop for a moment and take this in: no matter what current flavor is popular with ‘religion,’ our religion is to be pure and undefiled! Praise God.
God’s commands are not burdensome, and with the Spirit, all things are expected. We’re to be, as the apostle Peter exhorts, holy in all our behavior.
To the astute observer, you may have picked up the fact that the passage in James also shows another form of the word religion: religious.
This is the second Greek Word: thrêskos (thrace’-kos), and adjective, and renders this word in its only appearance in the New Covenant.
(James 1:26-27) If anyone thinks himself to be religious (thrace’-kos), and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion (practiced faith-belief-trust) is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion (practiced faith-belief-trust) in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
It’s clear from our study thus far that being “religious” can be a holy, consecrated way of life. When we bridle the tongue, help the orphans and widows, and keep unstained by the world’s ways, this is part of being a holy “religious” follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s a wonder-full thing to behold.
The third Greek word describing religion is deisidaimonia (dice-ee-dahee-mon-ee’-ah), as noun or adjective. This normally is neutral in meaning, but in these aspects here it can connote a ‘superstitious’ religion…obviously not a positive.
This is how the beloved physician, Luke, delivered it to us:
(Acts 17:22) So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.
(Acts 25:19) but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion (practiced faith-belief-trust) and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.
The fourth and final Greek word is ethelothrêskia (eth-el-oth-race-ki’-ah), a self-willed piety that is arbitrary and unwarranted. This is tied to the false religion that includes angel worship. Some Bible commentators consider Paul was using a “made-up” Greek word here in sarcasm (from sarx or flesh: cutting the flesh) since the word is used only here and also not present in classical Greek or the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament).
In other words, Paul could be saying to these folks, “You have freely chosen this worship life style, but it is wrong.” Here’s that passage.
(Colossians 2:23) These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Notice these words and their definitions are not a warm fuzzy sentimental feeling. It’s sacrificial action as Godly behavior before God Himself. It’s a sobering view of what God requires as our patron and we as His clients.
This, dear ones, is the correct biblical definition of love.
Go and sin no more.
One who is truly religious in a holy manner acceptable to God then consistently displays outwardly the inner disposition of Christ by obeying His commands.
Even the pagans understand the word ‘religion.’ In the Merriam-Webster dictionary we find this for the word “re·li·gion.”
noun: religion – the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods… synonyms: faith, belief, worship.
So then, what happened to the good, holy word called religion? How did it end up in the modern day trash heap with other good words like fear, rebuke, reproof, anger, discipline, wrath, hell, etc?
In many ways it’s the deliberate, unbiblical, reactionary movement over the years of misguided leaders, teachers, and prophets to recreate God in our own image:
He’s nice…
He’s not angry or mean…
It’s idolatry. It’s an identity crisis.
Misrepresenting God caused Moses to miss the promised land after 120 years of life.
(Numbers 20:12) But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
And as a result, God killed him prematurely, for his health was still rigorous.
(Deuteronomy 34:7) Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.
(Deuteronomy 34:5) So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
Strive to enter into the narrow door says Jesus
The modern pundits of the Word have thrown the baby out with the bathwater with regard to redefining the word “religion.” For certain, some of them mean well to protect us from the legalism displayed by certain of the Pharisees. But not all of the Pharisees were legalists. Some indeed were the disciples of Christ.
But Jesus says do. It’s the only thing in the end that keeps your relationship intact. Good grief…how did we ever get to the point of saying “Religion says do. Jesus says done.” and think that’s Biblical?
James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror…
What the modern day teachers, preachers mean, we believe, when they roll up all the ways “religion” can be expressed is this:
Be careful to not let any false religion with falsely religious practices get in the way or substitute your growing relationship with both God the Father and His Son.
But religion is a holy word…when practiced under the magnificent power of the Holy Spirit, it’s pure. It’s undefiled. It’s worthy.
Here’s a suggestion for you, dear ones, in moving forward to action now.
All teachers are not false teachers…some have false teaching.
All prophets are not false prophets…some have false prophesy.
Thus, all religion is not false…some are falsely religious.
And that’s the term I personally use to describe these that err greatly. They’re falsely religious.
For we all, please remember, follow some religion since it’s what we believe and trust, and how we employ faith.
Is ours a relationship with the Father and His Son?
Yes.
Is ours the religion of the Father and His Son?
Yes.
So, go ahead. Defend the rightly translated modern words that we use to communicate the ideas, doctrines, and commands (rules) of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To the Holy One be the glory forever and ever…
Hebrews 12:14-15 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (personal practiced holiness) without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God (for final salvation to enter His eternal kingdom); that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
Don’t get sucked into the vortex of Satan’s schemes by dismissing another perfectly good word and doctrine for the sake of being “religiously” politically correct!
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
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Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Marc White, Director, Walk Worthy Ministries, www.WalkWorthy.org
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