No Religion
Last night at church was the first night in a long time that I haven’t felt completely preoccupied during worship. The last couple weeks I haven’t been able to focus myself on anything other than the things going on in my head, and worship has felt more or less empty. The feelings in my relationship with God aren’t always intense, or even apparent at all, and I’m ok with that. My relationship with God isn’t based on the feelings, rather the feelings are a result of the relationship. A fruit, not a foundation. But going any period of time without significant feelings can be somewhat discouraging, so it was refreshing to have a significant sense of God last night.
Paul Sartarelli’s sermon was about the openness of the church; What are the qualifications for being allowed in the church? He used the analogy of church doors. Are the doors to be wide open, or open only to an elite few? He talked about faith being the only basis for justification, “being allowed in the door”. Justification is not based on our works, or external qualifications by any means. He talked about Abraham, and how he “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness“. Abraham had this righteousness simply by hearing God and listening. For fourteen years there was no covenant, no law, and no religion. This was to show that God provides justification by faith and faith alone. There is no religion for which God will credit us righteousness. The righteousness we receive from God is by faith alone, it is not achieved through observing Judaism or Christianity or any other religion. Abraham is known as the father of faith, not just for those of a particular flavor of religion, but for anyone who hears God and believes.
I heard a quote once, “Abraham, Issac and Jacob had no religion, but all three had mighty encounters with a living God.”. I don’t remember where that quote is from, but I like the freedom from religion that it points to. Religion can get messy. People do dumb stuff to each other in the name of religion. It is completely understandable that people want nothing to do with religion. That is why I find comfort in the way God dealt with Abraham. It is cliche to say, but God doesn’t want our religion, He wants our hearts. He wants us to listen to Him and believe.
Wow, that’s some interesting food for thought. Not religion, but a relationship with God – sounds good to me!
I like what you shared. Christianity is a way of life–a new life–it is not a religion. Some people become religious about it, but that’s another matter.
God bless,
Paul
Its unfortunate that we have so many “shepherds” failing to illustrate the relationship with God. Christianity should never be ‘religion’. But it has been, and sometimes it will still be.
What could we do as a group if we lived out that relationship in front of others instead of beating them over the head with religion.
Josiah – that’s an awesome name by the way – means “YAHWEH Supports” – King of Judah famous for his religious reforms
In Christ,
Chris