"Made For Religion"

     A good friend of mine once declared in a sermon, "There are only two religions in the world, grace and works.  But only grace works."

   The word religion means worship, which every human being practices.  We either acknowledge and bow to the glory of the living and true God, or we religiously reverence false gods.

   "The true worshippers shall worship Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).

   "They… worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever" (Romans 1:22; 25).

   The religion of works involves the reverence of many false deities to whom unbelievers bow for the purpose of seeking peace, satisfaction, and a modicum of joy.  The practitioners often do not perceive themselves as worshippers, and may even deny the reality of their religion (or of any religion).  They worship nonetheless because God hard-wired humanity, as it were, for dependency and admiration of that which exists outside ourselves, and which we perceive to be necessary for our well being.  Even those who appear to trust in themselves can be found under scrutiny to worship and serve some form of external created thing that seems to supply for the aching void in the hearts of all who were made for religion.

   The religion of grace, or as James terms it, "pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father,"  flows from and toward a different source (James 1:27).  As my friend suggested, grace fosters our only hope for genuine worship of God.  True religion begins with reception, that is, our Lord supplies to us "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  Such bestowal originates in the fount of grace because we do not deserve even the smallest expression of favor from the God against whom we have all grievously sinned.  Those who believe in the Lord Jesus acknowledge such  undeserved lovingkindness, trust in Him, and thereafter seek to honor their Savior by the worship of acknowledged reception from Him.  Such perceived and received grace leads to His exaltation and our humbling, even as John the Baptist confessed, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 1:30).  Upon this basis, we more and more live a life of faith and faithfulness, again, as my friend suggested, "grace works."

   Among many believers, the good Biblical word "religion" long ago became almost an epithet (a most decidedly dangerous and misguided thing to do with the Word of God).  Doubtless our enemy prompted this detour from truth to mask the fact that every human being, by nature, religiously worships.  We do so either in the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus, or according to the religion of multitudes of false deities.  We do well to realize that all were made for religion, and to direct all to the only worship of God that honors Him and redeems us.  Allow me to reiterate my friend's wisdom: there are only two religions in the world, grace and works.  But only grace works.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

(James 1:27)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

(Romans 5:1-2)

"Maximizing, Minimizing"

     Lack of patience with the faults and failings of others indicates lack of understanding of how much longsuffering God has graciously shown to us.  

   One parable of the Lord Jesus Christ best illustrates this truth, and we do well to frequently read and ponder its challenging message.

   "The kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me.  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Matthew 18:23-35).

    If the sins of others loom larger in our minds than our own, we can be sure that we walk after the flesh at best, and are subject to devilish influence at worst.  The Holy Spirit does not dwell with and within us to convict us of the sins of others.  He rather keeps the focus on ourselves, ensuring that our own failings loom in the ten thousand talent range, while the sins of others register as a hundred pence (at the current rate of U.S. exchange, the former amount would be equivalent to billions of dollars, with the latter registering at less than $100).

   I'll leave you with the passage as I consider my own temptations to maximize the sins of others, while minimizing my own.  Indeed, a significant portion of our debt to God may in fact involve this particular failing.  If so, let us be grateful that our Lord provides forgiveness for such, and cleansing from the pettiness that stains our conscience and stifles our capacity to personally know and then humbly transmit the love and grace of God to others.

"Search me, o God, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me.  And lead me in the way everlasting."

(Psalm 139:23-24)

Weekly Memory Verse

  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

(Romans 5:1-2)

"The Servant"

     Glorious in His majesty, infinite in His being, fearsome in His pristine holiness, and possessed of power beyond imagining, the living and true God nevertheless possesses within His holy heart the humility of a servant.

   The Lord Jesus Christ revealed this wondrous truth when He entered the world "not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).  The Lord Jesus also declared that His life, character, and way reflected and revealed His Father: "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father… the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works" (John 14:9-10).  Thus, the Servant Savior unveiled the holy and humble heart of God in a manner heretofore unknown.

   Few truths will more lead us to our knees, and cause us to press our faces upon the ground in amazed and adoring worship.  Certainly the fear of God begins our knowledge and wisdom concerning who and what He is.  Moreover, we seek to never forget that "the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible" to those who refuse to know His love, grace, mercy, and kindness (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; Deuteronomy 10:17).  However, we also recognize that our Lord would have us know His deepest disposition of the Master guided by the meekness of humility.  "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him" (Psalm 34:8).

   The cross of Calvary most reveals the Divine meekness we consider.  The story may be so familiar to us that we forget the enormity of its message about the God it proclaims.  Our Father determined the rescue of those who willfully reject Him by the sacrifice of His eternally beloved Son.  "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:8-10).  We do well to frequently still our hearts in the light of such inexplicable wonder.  And I do well to close this consideration so that we may kneel in grateful contemplation of the holy and humble Heart of our God…

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:6-11).

Weekly Memory Verse

  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

(Romans 5:1-2)