I've
heard these sentences severally and more recently, frequently "do away
with religion ", "stop being religious ", "are we
truly Christians or are we being religious" e.t.c. Anyone who uses these
phrases and hasn't heard about "being spiritual but not being
religious" is still a learner or an ardent Pastor-listener (pls
google SBNR)
Let's
break it down with the dictionary
Definition
of Religion according to Merriam- Webster
1a : the state
of a religious e.g a nun in her 20th year
of religion
b(1) : the
service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) :
commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2: a personal set or institutionalized system
of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs
held to with ardor and faith
Definition of Religious
1:
relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate
reality or deity e.g. a religious person, religious attitudes
2: of, relating to, or devoted to religious
beliefs or observances e.g. joined a religious order
3a : scrupulously and
conscientiously faithful.
When I hear those sentences, I
can't help but wonder which particular definition they want me to do away with,
and because most people who say them are only "quoting" what they
heard their Pastor or will I say 'religious leader' said, they aren't able to
explain their points exactly.
I take it that they mean, that
we should reject a particular way of doing things which was handed over to
us, or that we should ignore a routine ( I stand to be corrected, I am open to
more explanations)
For me, I will say, there is no Christianity
without religion, they go hand in hand......
Let's take it down to the scriptures
JESUS WAS RELIGIOUS
Many of us fail to remember that Jesus was a Jew,
and He diligently followed the Jewish tradition:
·
Jesus was dedicated in the temple on his 8th day
according to law of the Lord regarding the ceremony of purification( Luke
2:21-24)
·
Jesus observed the Passover ( Luke 2:42, John
2:13,23. Matt 26:17-19)
·
Jesus often prayed in the mountains and in lonely
places (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Matt 14:23) He did that always, he could have
always blurted out his prayers wherever he was, but he chose to go to specific places,
not caring what was happening, the same reason he kept his parents looking for
him, the same reason his disciples were always looking for him -his love and
devotion to God. to be religious is to be DEVOTED
·
Jesus was religious with prayers, he taught us to
pray in a specific way and in specific places
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he
finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John
taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive
us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us
And lead us
not into temptation...... ( Luke 11:1-4)
“And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly
I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray
to your Father, who is unseen. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you....(Matt
6:5-6)
Jesus categorically stated that he did not
come to do away with the laws of Moses and the teachings of the prophets, but
to make them materialize (Matt 5:17-20)
What Jesus did was to do away with practices that
were not in line with the greatest commandment of all - LOVE, that was why he
performed miracles even on Sabbath days.(Mark 3:4), the same reason he defended
his disciples when they harvested on Sabbath day ( Mark 2:25-27)
We are Christians , followers of Christ and
should live accordingly, the death and resurrection of Jesus isn't the death of
one religion and the birth of another, it is the fulfillment of the utmost will
of God.
I pray for a generation of Christians who seek to
have a deeper relationship with God, who don't just go to church to download
the teachings of their leader, but also go home to study the scriptures to show
themselves approved before God (2 Tim 2:15)
Christians who open themselves up to hear from God.
You have all the power you need, the Holy spirit in
you reveals all truth, when in doubt about a teaching, seek him, even
when convinced about a teaching, seek Him more to teach you more.
If you preach against religion as a Christian and
still go ahead to celebrate Christmas and Easter, then your level of hypocrisy
should be measured, these are religious traditions not invented by your Pastor,
but handed over to you from generations. As Christianity cannot do without
religion, so also it cannot be alienated from tradition.
Please drop
your views and suggestions so that we can learn more.
