James 1:27 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, … but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Continuing, Pastor Herk looks at how general religion can pose a danger to everyone. We share in original sin, so we are dead, dominated, doomed and destined for Hell ... before God enters into our lives. Regardless of what religious system people subscribe to, nothing short of their born-again relationship with God by faith through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ could overcome any of the following difficulties and reconcile. (1) With no conception of sin, the lost have no expectation of a Savior. How many do not have the Holy Scriptures (the Bible) to show them what sin is and that there is a Savior. There is no religion on the face of the earth that can address the fact that we are separated from God as a result of our sins, and therefore we need a Savior. We are all separated from Christ by sin until God completes His saving work in our lives. Only a personal relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ can deal with that need. In John 3:3 Jesus tells us, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Salvation is not deserved, earned, or purchased; it is the gift of God.
Romans 11:7 “What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.”
(2) We, as gentiles, have no part in God’s “chosen people” Jewish status. Jesus said in John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” So, we are called and elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. John 1:11-14 explains “[Jesus] came to His own [Israel], and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Election to be grafted into the family of God is not merited, deserved, earned, or purchased either; it comes by receiving the gift of God through faith alone.
(3) Unbelievers have no share in God’s blessings, being strangers to the covenants of the promise of God through Jesus. From “dead in sin” top “alive in Christ”, we are God’s masterpiece by choice, in grace, through faith. (4) The unsaved have no hope. No Christ = No Salvation. Know Christ = Know Salvation. Likewise, No Jesus = No Hope. Know Jesus = Know true Hope. 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 explains, “For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]. And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces].” General religions are unable to give us any lasting hope. No amount of rituals, works or piety can produce hope in our lives. The only way is with a “true religion” relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on "Religion" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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