Book 2 of Musings Religion and Fellowship
Any religion that does not ultimately produce righteous behavior (not religious behavior but righteous behavior is worthless to God and to man
The problem with religious institutions is that they tend to forget their nobler objectives while they seek to perpetuate themselves and their traditions.
What is a religion? A religion is a set of beliefs and practices through which people seek to please God, and in seeking God to better their life in the next world; and, in some religions, to better their life in the present world also.
All religions, except one, began with a person who believed that he or she had special insight into the way in which we should strive to please God.
The one exception is the Judaic-Christian religion. The Judaic religion began when the true God spoke to chosen people.
The Christian religion began when the Son of the true God spoke to chosen people.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Judaism began as a revelation of the one true God. People soon changed Judaism from fellowship with God into a religion that can be pursued independently of fellowship with God.
The Christian salvation began as a revelation of the one true God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. People soon changed the Christian salvation from fellowship with the Father and His Son into a religion that can be pursued independently of fellowship with the Father and His Son.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
As we think about Christianity today we envision the hustle and bustle of various programs as people seek to practice the beliefs and traditions of their religion. These usually are good people of integrity. They are not hypocrites, as some have charged. They earnestly are attempting to do what they believe pleases God.
I think the same can be said of the followers of Judaism, and perhaps of all religions.
But in spite of the worthy intentions of the practitioners of the various religions, they often end up doing things that are unrighteous; on occasion acting in ways not in keeping with in common sense. Unfortunately religion sometimes weakens character, as people think in terms of their traditions rather than in terms of what is righteous and sensible.
For example: the current overemphasis on Christian "grace" leaves the believers free to commit all sorts of sin-sometimes sin that is not practiced by the heathen. Today's Christians are not known by their righteous behavior.
The followers of Allah are famous in our time for the murder of women and children, and other acts of terrorism. Surely their conscience tells them better than this!
There have been heathen tribes who eat the decaying flesh of dead bodies as a ritual.
The one thing that the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, emphasizes is righteous behavior-behavior that ordinarily is judged as worthy by the conscience of the average person: honesty, moral cleanliness, fair dealing, compassion, truthfulness, loyalty, self-control, faithfulness.
I think most religions would endorse these traits of character. But their adherents often place observance of the tenets of the religion above righteous behavior.
This certainly is true of the Christian religion. We stress belief in Jesus Christ as the means of pleasing God, but we do not do what Jesus taught. Jesus taught us to be honest, morally clean, scrupulously fair in dealing with other people, compassionate, truthful, loyal, self-controlled, and faithful.
Jesus scolded the Pharisees for tithing herbs and neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. We Christians do the same. We stress belief in Christ and neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
If the Christians had taught and practiced justice, mercy, and faithfulness throughout the centuries of the Christian Era, the history of the world would have been substantially different from what actually has occurred.
If the Christians of today were teaching what Christ and His Apostles taught, instead of the unscriptural traditions that are stressed each Sunday, it is possible war and terrorism would be avoided.
We are teaching our religious traditions in place of guiding the believers into fellowship with the Father and the Son. We can have fellowship with the Father and the Son only as we behave righteously according to the commandments issued by the Lord Jesus Himself and through His Apostles.
This is what our religious traditions emphasize: "Make a profession of belief in Christ and tell others to make a profession of belief in Christ." This is scriptural as long as it is followed up with "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus every day." When we do follow Christ, He directs us to be honest.
We are teaching that God cannot see our sins, instead of emphasizing the need for moral cleanliness. Consequently many pastors and other believers are addicted to pornography.
We keep pointing to an any-moment escape of the believers in an unscriptural "rapture," instead of telling them that the Father and the Son insist on fair dealing with other people if we are to have fellowship with God.
We talk about being rich in money and material possessions instead of the need for compassion on less fortunate people.
Evangelists exaggerate and lie continually as they plead for money, instead of telling the believers that all liars will be consigned to the Lake of Fire whether or not they profess belief in Jesus Christ.
We say that if we believe in Christ we will go to Heaven to live forever, and at the same time are not loyal to our wife, or husband, or children.
The believers of today are not known for their self-control. The unsaved notice that Christians are as apt to fly into a rage, or answer back spitefully, as anyone else. There are few signs of the character of Christ in spite of the abundance of religious talk.
The pastor urges the members of the congregation to go out and bring more people to church, instead of pressing on them to be faithful to their families and their employers.
I am not certain why it is, but religion has a way of destroying character and common sense.
If a Christian was defending himself in court and said "I always tell the truth; I am a Christian," the members of the jury would probably snicker. Christians are not known in America for being truthful or honest, only for preaching about being "born again," which to them means take the Evangelical "four steps of salvation."
God has shown us what is good. It is to practice righteous behavior, to love mercy, and to walk humbly in fellowship with God.
The Jews found a way around justice, mercy, and humility by stressing the minutia found in the Talmud, an interpretation of the Law of Moses.
The Catholics found away around God's wishes by stressing the doing of acts of penance.
The Protestants have found a way around righteous behavior by emphasizing grace.
Other religions, who would agree that practicing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God is the highest of all laws, find a way around these admonitions by stressing the tenets of their religion.
We are terribly in need of a revival in the United States of America. By revival I do not mean an exciting time in which multitudes of people profess faith in Christ, or are healed, or are filled with the Spirit of God. I am not referring to this kind of revival, although much good can come from such an awakening.
Rather I mean a revival in which the preachers begin to expound on passages from the Gospels and the Epistles; not on the traditional interpretations which often are erroneous, but on the texts themselves.
Theology and doctrine should never be constructed deductively. Rather theology and doctrine should be constructed just as one would construct an edifice with bricks. Let the passages of the New Testament be as bricks. Place them one by one without drawing doctrinal fiats from them; for often one passage will appear to contradict another. Just put them all in the building. They all are perfect. Soon there will be a structure that conveys the Thoughts of God.
The way it is now, a few favorite passages are preached, preached, preached, without noticing that they clearly contradict other passages-or at least appear to contradict them.
For example, the Apostle Paul in some places stresses faith. James stresses works of righteous behavior. Who is correct? Both are absolutely correct. James prevents us from misinterpreting Paul.
But today the interpretation that appeals to the self-love of man is selected and the insertion by the Holy Spirit of passages that prevent misinterpretation are ignored.
How many times have you heard grace emphasized? How many times have you heard deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus, emphasized? Does grace take the place of denying ourselves and taking up our cross? Shouldn't both be emphasized with equal fervor? Do you see what I mean?
We have been buried under a load of traditions based on conclusions drawn from a few verses of the New Testament. The bulk of the New Testament is quite cloudy in the minds of the believers. They cannot perceive what is written because of the strength of their traditions.
Many of our Catholic and Protestant traditions are not only unscriptural but destructive of the practice of justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God.
The Christian salvation is not primarily a religion. It is fellowship with the Father and the Son. As we interact with the Father and the Son continually we are changed. We begin to practice righteous behavior. We start being merciful. We find we no longer are lonely, for the Father and the Son always are walking with us. We are trusting no longer in our own abilities and experience but in a moment by moment gaining wisdom and help from God.
The individual who is living in fellowship with the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, will never murder women and children.
He will not lie, steal, or cheat others in the name of his religion.
He will not commit adultery or fornication, or look at pornography, because of the "freedom" given to him by New Testament grace.
He will be merciful to other people-even to those who despise the true God.
He will be loyal to those who trust in him, not neglecting them so he can practice his religion.
He will not fly into a rage or seek revenge when he is treated cruelly, or persecuted for his religion.
He will be faithful to those whom God has appointed over him, not excusing his rebellious attitude on the basis that his boss is "not a Christian."
We have a lot to learn about God and Christ, we Americans of today. We are facing war at this time (December 21, 2002). Our military forces are composed of excellent young men and women, some of whom we know personally. We have superior military ordnance.
But battles are not won by excellent people and superb ordnance. Battles are in the hands of the Lord. God gives victory in terms of His purposes in the lives of the people involved.
I rather suspect that God is grieved with the immorality in America and the lukewarmness of the churches. It may be that suffering will come to us in America-suffering that will cause our preachers and teachers to look once again at the text of the New Testament, and then discard the trash that has accumulated over the past years.
It is time to clean the trash out of the temple and find the Book of the Law.
It is time for the churches to preach righteous behavior.
It is time for America to turn once again to righteous behavior and moral cleanliness.
The hearts of the parents must turn to the children and the children to their parents. The concept of the "generation gap" is an abomination to God.
I don't believe God is finished with America; but I think our nation must be cleansed from the prevailing immorality.
Religion won't bring about such cleansing. Only the Divine intervention of the Father and the Son can bring the strength and direction that we Americans need if we are to please God and save our nation.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)