Religion and Christ

Here's a preview of a chapter in my next book...if I ever get a chance to sit down and write it.

Religion and Christ



Religion is destructive. It is no wonder that people don’t like religion. Religion divides homes. Religion puts people in bondage. Religion steals people’s joy and peace. Religion kills. Why? Religion is about people trying to perform good enough to please their gods. The problem with religion is that it is based on a person’s interpretation of what it takes to please that god.



Rules and Rituals

To be a good follower of any religion, one has to jump through a number of hoops in order that he or she might please their god. These hoops, or rituals, restrict the freedom God desires for his people to enjoy. It is also the fear of these hoops that keep many people from coming to a relationship with Christ. Rituals come in different forms and not all rituals are bad. Just the ones that someone says must be done or God won’t accept you or be pleased with you. These are the ones that add to the law of God. A good example is the Sinner’s Prayer. This is the prayer that someone who trusts Christ as Lord and Savior prays. In the prayer, the sinner asks God to come into his or her heart and to forgive them of their sins. It is a good idea and a good practice, but it is not biblical. Not one time in the New Testament when someone ask, “What must I do to be saved?” did Peter, John, or Andrew reply, “Say this prayer after me.” Instead the answer was “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Afterwards, they were baptized. Not any place in the narrative is it mentioned that a prayer was ever said. As Bill Cosby said, “Get yourself a thick Bible.”

What are the benefits of rules and rituals? They lead people into legalism. Legalism is a strict interpretation and adherence to the letter of the law. Legalism is following the do’s and the don’ts, the thou shall’s and the thou shall not’s. The problem with legalism is that if you fail to cross a T or dot an I, you might be in trouble. With legalism one never knows when he or she has done enough to please God. That goes back to the concept of religion is man’s way of trying to get himself back to God.

Another issue with rules and religion is that bad teaching can lead people to do all sorts of things. Religious indoctrination can get people to do things they normally wouldn’t do. In order to please their god or to gain some semblance of assurance of salvation, people will steal and kill. Jesus warned His followers that it will be religious people who will be their greatest enemy not lost people. In John 16:2, Jesus said, “They (religious people) will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.”

The errors of legalism and religion are that they will always fall short because man is imperfect. He can never do enough to satisfy a holy God. The Psalmist said, “There is none righteous, no not one. There is none who understands. There is none that seeks after God; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no not one. Isaiah went on to say that all our righteousness were as filthy rags before God. As a result, no one has assurance of Salvation. They can’t even be sure when and if things are ok between them and their God. To do all this work and still not know is not freedom; it is bondage.