“Not all religion is good. In fact, Jesus said He came to destroy religion. Religion is basically a set of rules used by churches to force men into a posture which they feel pleases God. If you obey certain rules, act in certain ways, perform various disciplines you are religious. The Pharisees were very religious.
There’s nothing wrong with obeying rules, acting right, and living a disciplined, external life. Jesus said that was good — as long as we majored on the inner life and minored on the externals.
Religion does strange things to people. It often causes them to get puffed up, stuffy, sometimes even self-righteous. In fact, the more “religious” a person becomes, the more he thinks himself right — and others wrong.
Jesus loved to poke holes in the balloons of religious people who were puffed-up on the hot air of their own piousness”. – JB (Jamie Buckingham)
What is really
going on with us-we who believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior? Are we
confident about this work of saving grace he is up to? Or do you still find
yourself attempting to be justified and freed by being more obedient to rules,
behaving right and doing life well externally? Pray more and harder, read your
Bible more, share your witness of Christ every day, ‘do’ penance for your sin…the
list seems endless. It is not that most of these aren’t good things for a
Christian to do—much more could be added to the list.
Is it do, do,
do—or is it doing out of being? Of
course, when pressed, we know the correct answer. Do we? Then why does ‘doing’
seem to trump ‘being’ in our spiritual gut? I’ve been a believer and follower
of Jesus Christ for forty-three years and I still catch myself chasing my
spiritual ‘doing’ tail. Papa wants me to rest in being in Christ and doing as
he leads me by his spirit.
Paul told the
believers in Galatia to stop redoubling their work efforts and put all that
energy into faith. He said this to the Ephesians’ church, “it is by grace you
have been saved…in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is
by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God—not by works, so
that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:5b-9, NIV, emphasis mine.
Jesus does the
saving, Holy Spirit does the doing, and we rest in being Papa’s adopted beloved
children. “So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with
you. When Christ died he took that entire
rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving
you free to “marry” a resurrection life and bear “offspring” of faith for God.”
Romans 7:4, (Msg) Jesus left the tail chasing ‘doing’ in the grave-- and
instead, he offers us a sweet marriage to resurrection life in Him, bearing
children of faith by pure grace!
But, but, but—that
means “I” can’t get my significance by doing great things for God! Do you
really mean, “I” can’t…correct, we can’t? ”I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not
set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the
law, Christ died for nothing.” Galatians 2:20-21, NIV. So let’s be grateful for
grace today by resting in Papa’s love; not working to get his love.
In the grip of
Papa’s grace! Ron Ross
http://youtu.be/hwSHoT1FIvw
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