Choosing between Jesus and religion is a topic that often sparks deep contemplation and discussion among believers. It revolves around the distinction between a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the institutionalized practices and doctrines associated with organized religion.
“I believe that a great number of people are going to die and go to hell because they’re counting on their religiosity in the church instead of their relationship with Jesus to get them to heaven. They give lip service to repentance and faith, but they’ve never been born again.” – Adrian Rogers
The question of Jesus or religion has come up several times this week. First, it had to do with my church. We received a new Senior Pastor a couple of years ago, and the church is still in the throes of regime change. Change is inevitable; it is unavoidable. I believe God will have me run to something, not away from something. If He wants me to escape a situation, He will provide me with an attractive alternative; otherwise, it is out of the frying pan and into the fire. God has me staying put for now.
The change that is slowly coming about is a change toward ritualization. We are slowly acclimating ourselves to respond to specific phrases with an automatic response. There is talk of guiding the community groups to have a consistent topic in all groups simultaneously. That topic, with the structured delivery, will be chosen by the church staff. I go to a non-denominational church on purpose. I have been to many denominational churches and find that most are caught up in religion.
Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Rules vs Grace
When faced with the decision of Jesus or religion, I chose Jesus. I want an amazing scripture-based, gospel-fearing, Jesus-loving experience. That is just me; I am not a joiner. I understand other people need to have structure and their need to belong to something. Religion many times helps us grow closer to Christ. I understand that some people are more comfortable with learning within a structure, which is not bad. It is when religion becomes the foundation that defines Christ it becomes bad. That has never been my thing. But it raises an interesting question; is your need Jesus or religion? Is your need to have an intimate, personal relationship with your creator, or is it the comfort of conformity? That sounds harsh, I know, but for some, it is the reality of their belief system. If others believe it, I’m more comfortable believing it. If my church leader sets the parameters to get into heaven, I am more comfortable believing that I will get to heaven if I follow the rules.
James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Before his death, Regi Campbell wrote a daily devotional called “Radical Wisdom.” Regi was one of the founders of High-Tech Ministries. I knew Regi and belonged to HTM for a couple of decades. He was a man filled with Godly wisdom. He continues to mentor young Christians even after his passing. In one of his devotionals, he asks, “Jesus or Religion.” I found it interesting that the same day I had lunch with a fellow parishioner discussing the changes at my church, Regi brought up this topic in his devotional. I am not saying the direction of my church is right or wrong; it is to say that God wants me to think about this seriously.
Galatians 5:4, “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”
Allegiance
Just where is my allegiance? Is it Jesus or my church? Do I go to heaven because I belong to the right group and follow their rules or because I have a personal relationship with Christ? This question was amplified this year on one of my mission trips. The group I volunteer with, IMED, helps create Kingdom Impact businesses in underdeveloped countries. The key is Kingdom Impact. The business must have an evangelistic component to be funded by the host organization. They can always use the business plan we create to obtain conventional funding, but if you want it from us, you must have a Kingdom Impact.
This year I saw a more significant percentage of the participant felt it was the responsibility of their church to drive Kingdom Impact. Their only responsibility was to tithe to their church. Even though our training was precise about this point, they did not get it. They wrapped themselves too tightly in the rules of their religion. They did not see the compassion of Christ as a personal matter. The church saved them, and the church will save the others. They needed to live in a “Christ-like” manner; that is it. They seem to forget that Christ spread the gospel to anyone willing to listen; he did not leave it up to the Pharisees and Sagesses. Jesus was opposed to the religiosity of the church.
Strong Words
Galatians 2:21, “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”
Jesus has strong words for those who use religious rules to manipulate others (Matthew 23). He does not provide much room for compassion for those who want to take the short road to salvation. He has even stronger words for those who lead them.
1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Belong to any church you want. Support any denomination you want. Make sure you go to church; God built us for community. But, serve Christ, not man. When it comes to Jesus or religion, always choose Jesus.
In his book Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee states that our response to everything should be through the cross. Right or wrong, good or bad isn’t the question. When we sit long enough to consider what Jesus did and let that feeling fill us, we walk differently, respond differently, and speak differently.
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
