These past few years I have been deeply concerned over the spiritual condition of those who claim they are Christians. So in an attempt to clarify the difference between those who are religious people and those who say they are followers of Christ I want to share with you what the Word of God says concerning this matter. Once you have finished reading this message it is my hope that you will understand the difference. We are living in very troubled times and it is my belief that we must be able to tell the difference. Sound a little radical or maybe way out in left field? This is just a brief summary of what the scriptures have to say on this matter. God is more concerned with what's on the inside of a person than what's presented on the outside, Matthew 23:25-27. Well, let the message speak for itself and then you be the judge.
Paul, Gods apostle to the Gentiles and first missionary to countries outside the boundaries of Israel spoke to the believers, those who put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He also spoke to those who still followed the Law that was given to the Jewish people long ago. Paul continually drew a distinction between the religious law followers and those who truly followed Jesus Christ heart and soul. Let's see how Paul spoke to these different church's throughout the asian areas. Paul suffered tremendously for proclaiming the Gospel throughout the region and he never faltered from that conviction.
I would like to take us through his journey from the city of Corinth to Ephesus and on to Philipi and Colosse. We will also look at Paul's letter to Timothy while in Ephesus and his letter to Titus while serving in Crete. Each place had its positive aspects and its negative aspects. Paul mentions them in each of his letters to either the church or his co-workers. Lastly I will give a short summary of what the book of Hebrews has to say on the subject. Listen to what the Holy Spirit says through Paul to each of these church's and minister's while writing predominantly while in prison. Paul addresses those who are followers of Christ and those who claim to be religious according to the law. Paul gives each good advice and direction for their proclamations of Christianity.
You will notice very quickly that I have taken scripture portions from each book and am writing only what God directed Paul to write concerning being law abiding Christians or true followers of Christ. I realize this may seem like I am taking some scriptures out of context but I believe the verses stay within one theme. My purpose is to lay out a theme from these scriptures to see a message that rolls through not only time but many different areas and cultures. The first thing one must realize about Paul is that he took the law of Moses very seriously. He led the way in persecuting those who turned from the law and chose to follow Jesus Christ. One day on the road to Damascus he had an encounter with the very one he was fighting against, Jesus Christ. From that day on Paul not only had a change of mind, he had a change of heart and would become the greatest apostle for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world. Let's begin with the message that Paul clearly spoke to church's and minister's concerning the law and faith.
"I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be His own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2. Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don't have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash-right up to the present moment, 1 Corinthians 4:10-13. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power, 1 Corinthians 4:20. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? for we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty," 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. for no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down, Galatians 2:16, 18. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 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, Galatians 2:20-21. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you, Galatians. 3:26-29. But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir, Galatians 4:4-7. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there, Galatians 5:13-24. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation, Galatians 6:15-16.
God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure, Ephesians 1:5. God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it, Ephesians 2:8-9. For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups, Ephesians 2:14-15. And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus, Ephesians 3:6. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy, Ephesians 4:21-24.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting your selves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, Philippians 1:27. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too, Philippians 2:3-4. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith, Philippians 3:9b.
For He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins, Colossians 1:13. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault, Colossians 1:21-23. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by Hs victory over them on the cross, Colossians 2:13-15. You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desire, Colossians 2:20-23. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony, Colossians 3:5-11, 13.
We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God, 1 Timothy 1:8-11. "The Lord knows those who are His," and "All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil."
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good, Titus 1:15-16. For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds, Titus 2:11-14.
Now for an insight into the book of Hebrews, where I will only give a short summary. The author of Hebrews lays out for us "The Superiority of Christ." Christ is greater than the angels, Christ is greater than Moses, Christ is greater than the Old Testament priesthood, The new covenant is greater than the old. The author shows us in chapters 10-13 "The Superiority of Faith." The superiority of Christ over everyone and everything is clearly demonstrated by the author. Christianity supersedes all other religions and can never be surpassed. Where can one find anything better than Christ? Living in Christ is having the best there is in life. All competing religions are deceptions or cheap imitations. Jews who had become Christians in the first century were tempted to fall back into Judaism because of uncertainty, the security of custom, and persecution. Today believers are also tempted to fall back into legalism, fulfilling minimum religious requirements rather than pressing on in genuine faith. We must strive to live by faith each day. When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear, Hebrews 8:13.
In Matthew 5:17 Christ said "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." In other words, Jesus Christ came to fulfill the entire law and when He went to the cross and gave His life for ours, He fulfilled the entire law. We do not have to satisfy the law, it was taken care of for us. So, we are not under the law, we are under God's grace free from the enslavement of the law.
Those who claim to be Christians and are bound by some form of religious restrictions are still trying to satisfy the law, you can't do that and be under grace. You cannot satisfy the law, it was meant to show us our sinful nature. No amount of abiding by the law would set us free. Only through faith in Christ can we be free from our sinful nature, and that is because of the sacrifice that paid the full price for our sins. Religion offers us laws and restrictions. Religion says we must work our way to heaven by doing good deeds or making some form of sacrifice on our own, it doesn't work that way. Religion is a man made organization that separates us from true freedom in Christ. Those who put their faith in Christ are truly free from the restrictions and enslavement of the law. Does that mean we should not find a church somewhere that preaches Christ and adheres to the Word of God, no, it does mean we have an obligation to join together in worship and praise to God who sent His only begotten Son to die for us so that we would have salvation and a way back to God our Heavenly Father. We are free in Christ when we put our trust and faith in Him and that is what pleases God.
Are you a religious person trying to earn your way to heaven by doing good things, or by abiding by some set of rules and regulations? If so, you are running in a religious circle that only leads to disappointment and destruction. Stop running in circles and put your faith in the one who fulfilled the law for you. God loves you very much and wants you to return to Him, but you must meet Him on His conditions, not your own or someone's set of rules. His conditions are to put your faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Step out of your religious circle and step into God's saving grace. He's waiting for you to take the next step.
Friends, religion is a man made institution, even the Christian religion. Being religious is not the way to go, being Christ like is. Following Christ by putting your trust and faith in Him means you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and it means you will be an example of Christ to the world around you. It is a way of life not a set of rules or laws that we must follow. If you truly want to be free, put your trust and faith in Christ.
