The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Graceless

 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 The Gospel is the Good News pledged by Jesus in His victorious, overcoming, and triumphant Finished Work. The Gospel, the Faith, has always been a simple, loving message of the Father's great Love for man. When they fell, He had a plan to restore, redeem, and rescue man from this sinful fallen state. 

 Jesus, God Almighty in the flesh, took upon Himself the sentence, the punishment, the sin of all humanity, and paid the price. He presented this once for all sacrifice to the Father, and the Father, being pleased once for all time, declared all who simply believe, Righteous, accepted, approved, and completely forgiven! 

 This is the Christian Faith. This is the simplicity in Christ. Now, mankind muddies the waters by wanting to add their own contributions. They add intellect, human reasoning, emotions, skepticism, and their own efforts, works, and deeds. This is the anatomy of religious tradition. 

 We have been examining the anatomy of man-made religious tradition. Religion is powerless. It can't transform lives, nor can it manifest the power of the Spirit. Religion is Faithless; it staggers at the promises of God in unbelief and substitutes Faith with works. Religious tradition is knowledgeless; it is ignorant of God's Goodness and gives rise to inconsistencies in its thinking. Religious tradition is loveless. It focuses on rules, not compassion or relationships.

 As we continue this look at religion, let's examine the next mark of religious tradition. Religion is Graceless. Religion focuses on our works and performance, placing our achievements at the center of it all. It isn't Jesus' work that brings the anointing, that prepares for successful ministry; no, it is our work that accomplishes this. 

 Looking again at our illustration of religion in John 9, we see Graceless religion in action. What really stands out in this event are these words of the religious;

28 Then they insulted him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” John 9:28-29 MEV

 This is the essence of religion. They follow after the Law more than Jesus. They focus on their work to earn what only God provided freely. Legalism or trying to deserve what God provides only causes frustration. Why? The Law is contrary to Grace and Faith. 

 Now the Law is good and holy and just, but it can't make us good or holy or just. The Law is only a mirror exposing our flaws and shortcomings. Its purpose is to simply show us the need for a Savior.

 You see, Moses gave us rules to live by, but Jesus the Anointed offered us gifts of grace and truth. John 1:17 VOICE

For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 AMPC

The Gospel is the Good News of Grace. We are not provided for by our efforts, or our sinlessness, or even our giving alone. We are saved, blessed, healed, and provided for by Grace through Faith! It's His Grace, not our works. 

 When we rely on our own performance or goodness, we will quickly come to the end of ourselves. We will lose momentum and "burn out." We will feel a heavy burden and sense that the Christian life is too hard, and we will want to give up.

 God didn't design us to live this way. God designed a relationship, not a religion, but a relationship rooted in Jesus' work alone. The New Covenant was cut between the Father and the Son, and when we believe, we are active participants in this Covenant. 

 Focus not on sins, shortcomings, failures, and flaws. Focus on the Finished Work. When we get our eyes on Jesus, we take our eyes off ourselves. Putting our focus on Jesus puts Him back in the center of it all. Then, as we focus on Him, we can allow Him to mature us.

 Come celebrate Jesus and not a dead, wearisome religion. Rejoice in all Jesus has done for us. With such amazing good news, we can't contain it and we will desire to share it with others. 

 Religion is Graceless, but Jesus is Graceful. Grace is the Gospel. Grace is the Good News. Jesus is the person of Grace. Embrace the Grace, and relinquish religion, and joy unspeakable will be the result in our lives. 

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The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Loveless

 

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 Religious tradition makes God's Word of no effect. It replaces truth with tradition. It is man's attempt to interact with God on its own terms. Jesus never came to start a new religion. He came to reveal a relationship with the Father that is based on His Goodness, Jesus' Finished Work, and our simple trust in this loving God. 

 We have been examining the anatomy of religion. We have seen that religion is powerless. It is powerless to transform lives, to minister in the supernatural, and relegates God and His Word as a relic to admire. 

 Religion is Faithless. It trusts in works and performance. It believes Faith can't change situations or circumstances. Religion is knowledgeless. It is ignorant of the Cross, Jesus' Goodness, and who God is. Religion says God sent the storm to judge a city, then in the next breath says let's take up a collection to help the city. Religion is inconsistent in its thinking.

 The next mark of religion is loveless. Religion is cold, callous, unfeeling, and is not marked by compassion. Look again at John 9. We can clearly see loveless religion in operation. 

 Religion didn't rejoice that the man was made whole. They were indignant that the rules weren't followed. They even rebuked and condemned this man for attributing his healing to God. They finally kicked him out of the Synagogue. 

 The most beautiful aspect of this account in John's Gospel is that when religion kicked this man out, Jesus was right there to greet him. Jesus is always there for us. Jesus is the demonstration of the Love of God. 

 Religion has a form of Godliness, but in operation, it can be quite unloving and uncompassionate. Take divorce, for instance. Religion takes a quote from Jesus and misapplies passages from Paul, forming a rigid traditional rule that adultery is the ONLY acceptable reason for divorce. 

 I have seen religion tell women who are in violent relationships where a man is beating them that this is not grounds for divorce. It is not hyperbole to proclaim that religion has blood on its hands. Telling women God hates divorce, so stay and get beaten up. I tell you, tradition is cold, callous, loveless, dead religion. Preserving their rules is all they focus on.

 Look how the Holy Spirit, through Paul, defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient and kind, not self-seeking. Love is not coveting the possessions, the position, the preeminence of others. Love has been shed abroad in our hearts. We love because we rest in Christ's Love for us. Love is long suffering, love is preferring others, love is not self-promotion, love is compassionate.

 This Love transforms our lives. It transforms our thinking. It transforms our relationships. It transforms how we live. God first loved us; this is His Grace in action.

 Again, religion is about rules and less about relationships. What loveless religion misses is that Paul declared walking in love is holiness.

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 NKJV

 Loveless religion focuses on keeping outward rules. It focuses on the "R-rated" sins. Yet it seemingly ignores the inward flaws that Jesus called out when He walked among us. The religious-minded don't cuss or drink, but they gossip, they backbite, they group up in cliques. Some even harbor bitterness, envy, and unforgiveness.

 These are the things God's Love delivers us from. Love received supplies us to love others. Love received is Love flowing through us to others.

 God's Love is unconditional and unchanging. His Love reaches into the darkest places, shining Redemption's light. His Love compels compassion, kindness, and giving. There is no greater blessing than to be a help to someone in need. It's because of His Grace and mercy that we receive this amazing Love. 

 Religion talks about holiness. Love walks it out. Religion talks about God. Love reveals Him. Religion can’t heal a broken heart, set a captive free, or make the sinner whole. Only Jesus can do that. Love did what religion never could — it went to the Cross.

This is what the world needs to see — not more religion, but Jesus in all His beauty, compassion, and power.

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The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Knowledgeless

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 God's Goodness is revealed in Jesus Christ. God becoming a man and taking man's place, providing Redemption to whosoever will believe, is the Gospel, the Good News God wants heralded. The message is clear, transparent, and simple. Man, on the other hand, has sometimes added input. Thus, religious tradition was born.

 We have been examining the anatomy of religion and tradition. We have seen that religion in essence is man trying to come to God on their own terms. We have seen that religion is powerless and Faithless. Religious tradition brings no joy, no hope, and doesn't cause Faith to come. We have seen these marks illustrated In John 9.

 The next mark of Religion we want to examine is knowledgeless. Religion is ignorant of so much of God's Word and God Himself and the work of Jesus on our behalf. God doesn't want His children ignorant of Him or His works. 

 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6a MEV

Therefore My people go into captivity because they have no knowledge Isaiah 5:13a MEV 

 Religion lacks knowledge of God's Word and His Goodness and all that His Finished Work provided. Now I can hear the objections. Some in religious circles can literally quote the Bible verbatim. How is that ignorance? That is a very good question.

 Allow me to illustrate this to answer this question. I can quote the United States Constitution verbatim. However, if I don't really understand what is being said I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of what rights the Constitution guaranteed. 

 So it is with the things of God. Religion lacks knowledge, that is full understanding of the Word, and this gives rise to the many inconsistencies of traditional religion. Let's begin unwrapping the areas of ignorance of the religious minded.

 Religion is ignorant of who the enemy is. The enemy, satan, (no I will not capitalize his "name", Jesus defeated Him!), doesn't even exist to some religious Christians. He is merely an allegory of evil, or worse some fairy tale figure. Therefore all that happens is automatically attributed to God.

 The enemy is the tempter. He is the one accusing and condemning. We as believers must take these thoughts captive in light of the Finished Work of Christ. We are accepted and approved in Christ. We are in perfect right standing with God. Reject condemnation and accusation.

 Religion paints satan as some lackey who God uses to "perfect" the saints. Some say God uses satan to put hard times on believers to build them up. This is nonsense. The enemy is a spiritual rebel who is defeated and he is not working for God.

 Religion is ignorant of God's character. They believe God ordains or causes Sickness and disease to come upon His children. They believe God sends plagues, pestilence, and pandemics to perfect or punish whichever is needed most.

 Religion sees God as the sovereign ruler of all the universe, which He is, but they see this as God controlling all aspects of life. Therefore, the car wrecks, the earthquakes, the heartaches are His handiwork. They are sent for some mysterious purpose that we will finally understand when we get to Heaven, this is traditional nonsense.

 God is a Good Father. Jesus perfectly demonstrated the Father's will and ways when He walked the earth. Jesus brought life, healed bodies, raised the dead to life and brought miraculous provision. He was Good and went about doing Good. He demonstrated mercy, love, kindness, accepting the weak, the broken, and lost. He offered redemption and forgiveness to all who came. He is always Good!

 Religion is ignorant of the New Covenant and Finished Work. Religion still sees the Church as under portions of the Old Covenant Law. Religion sees the Cross as a partially completed work. 

 Religion says Jesus paid it all, but expects you to make up for it when you fail. Religion still sees God sending wrath and judgment on cities, lands and nations as punishment for their sins. Religion says it is paid in full but keeps believers in guilt and shame through preaching how God is displeased and disappointed continually at His Church.

 Jesus is enough. When He said it was Finished He meant it. He didn't say still more for you to do. He didn't say I started this now you complete it. He who began the good work in you is Faithful to complete it. 

 Religion is ignorant of God's Word, His nature, who the enemy is, the Cross and His Grace. They may quote whole portions of Scripture but they don't have the light of those Scriptures. The Holy Spirit said in Psalms, in His light we see light. Religion clouds and covers the light, producing confusion and inconsistencies in the Faith.

 Religion says God makes you sick, or afflicts you with disease, to teach you, to mold your character, or for some other mysterious purpose. They say things like God had to put you flat on your back so you can look up. 

 Yet, after the diagnosis, they encourage you to go the hospital, to seek medical treatment, to seek relief from the disorder. See the inconsistency there? 

 Religion says God makes you sick to teach you but then tells you to go to the doctor to get better. This means you would be removing what God put on you to teach you. Isn't that contrary to what God "wanted?"

 Religion says God remembers your sins no more, but when you do sin, He is withholding fellowship with you. They say He remembers your sins no more, but won't answer your prayers because you sinned. Which is it? He remembers your sins and holds them against you, or He doesn't remember them? 

 Religion is knowledgeless. It doesn't have the light of the Word. It just knows what the Bible states, but they don't have the understanding of the living Word. Religion serves the great I Was not the great I AM. 

 Where has religion left you feeling lost or confused in your Christian life? Have you experienced the inconsistencies religion promotes? 

 When you study God's Word, pray for your understanding to see His Light, and to open your understanding of the Word. When you hear the Word taught, check the Word for yourself to determine how true it is. This is how you learn, grow, and gain the knowledge of God and reject religious tradition. 

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