RELIGION – At its Core Means To in Bondage
A relationship with the God of the universe is so incredible, but if we’re not careful religion can get in the way.
The definition of “religion” can be traced back to the Latin “re” and “ligare”. RE meaning “again”, and LIGARE meaning “to bind”.
So to be in religion is to be returning to the bondage of the law, a problem the Jews had under the Old Covenant.
Christians were freed from the bondage of the law. Religion calls for us to return to that bondage.
Religion seeks to rob us of our peace with God. The ‘do more be more so you’ll be okay with God’s gospel. The double talk.
Religion will always stress us out and we will always feel distant from God. You’ll never do enough in the eyes of religious people. It starts with you just need to accept Jesus. Then religion kicks in and says to be okay with God you need to read your bible more. Then give more money. Then volunteer more. Then do this and that. Faith seems to never be enough and religion will always call you to examine your works and your legal pad of to do’s. Yes, good works are part of the normal Christian life, but our works are a result of who we are, not who we are trying to be or to get in good standing with God.
My advice? Get away from religion and get closer to God.
Your faith alone saved you. Your faith alone made you right with God. Don’t let religion rob you of the greatest message ever given to us from God.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
2 Comments
How would you define spiritual, but not religious?
I would probably answer this pointing scripture. We are ALL born spiritually dead in Adam. And that is not changed for anyone unless they have faith in Christ. So, any claim of being spiritual from an unbeliever would not be scripturally true.
ALL Christians are spiritual. The scripture says we have been made alive in Christ. The problem was never that we needed to sin less. The problem was that we were dead spiritually, and we needed to be born again. This is a spiritual birth. Yes, the behavior of a believer IS very important, but behavior does not determine whether or not we are spiritual. Spiritual describes a fact. Christians are not spiritual one moment and then not the next because they’re doing something stupid. So for that reason, I would say I am spiritual and feel confident in that statement.
Religion is a little different. It can take on a couple of meetings. For example, I could say Christianity is my religion. I could say some people religiously watch porn. There are many churches that are full of religion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing. Colossians 2:23 talks about these kind of people, saying that it is man-made religion that they are using, but their man-made religion is no value against keeping them from sinning. The context is this idea that pushing the mosaic wall down, somebody’s throat is actually going to be ineffective, religious method at getting people to stop sinning. That is a man-made theology. No set of rules can ever make us behave better. Only being in Christ can do that..
I don’t want to get all tangled up and Greek and Hebrew junk, but religion can also be broken down as meaning returning again (re) to bondage (ligion – ligo)
to the law.
So am I spiritual? Yes, all the time. Am I religious? I guess it depends on how you view the word.