The Problem with Religion

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The problem with religion is that it’s easier than following Jesus. I know the title is a little misleading, and perhaps a few disappointed atheists are hitting the back button right now. And to keep this essay manageable, let’s deal only with the religion of Christianity being easier than Jesus, not all of the religions, although I think the same premise is still true.

How can I say that Christianity is not the same as following Jesus? Because there are huge churches and many very popular pastors and leaders in this country promoting the Christian religion while almost totally ignoring Christ. When sermons are preached on even Palm Sunday and Easter that do not mention sin, the cross, the blood, or even the fact that Jesus died, then we are not teaching the Gospel that Paul instructed us not to leave. His goal was to know Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) and nothing else was that important. The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the most important thing we have to share with the world we live in, and for the most part the church in the United States is not teaching Christ and His crucifixion.

A good sermon series on marriage is beneficial from time to time to help couples understand the Biblical precepts of marriage. A youth group that meets on a regular basis, attends concerts, and makes trips together gives kids and teen-aged youth healthy alternatives to being on the street, roving the mall, or cruising. But if thousands of members are involved in hundreds of activities, and they never hear about how Christ died to save sinners we have failed to do God’s work. A million activities offered to the community only make the Church a social gathering. A long list of rules to follow, or principles for living will only create legalism. Legalists are very religious; just look at the Pharisees in Jesus’s day. But Jesus reprimanded them for keeping the letter of the law while missing the spirit of the law.

I’ll probably make enemies quick if I start naming names, but let me throw out just 2 that illustrate the point I’m making. John Piper is known for being radically God-centered. He teaches that the very existence of the universe points towards a God that deserves honor and glory. Piper’s ministry is so God-centered that I am challenged to live up to its standards. Now consider the ministry of Joel Osteen. I’m not making a personal attack on his character; he seems like a great guy. But in his church, his interviews on television and in print, his televised program, and his books (best sellers on the New York Times list) there is little glory and honor directed toward Jesus. It’s motivational. It makes you feel great about yourself. But what each individual is meant to do is reflect God’s glory, and there is less and less of that teaching in our world.

John the Baptist, after Jesus began his public ministry, said that “He must increase and I must decrease.” The problem with religion is that it’s often about what we can do for ourselves, not about what Christ can do in us or through us. When the rich young ruler told Jesus he had kept all the commandments from his youth, Jesus said he must sell all that he had and follow. When it came time to deny self and rely totally on Jesus Christ, he left very sad. You see he came to Christ with religion – Here’s what I did. What he needed was Christ. The bad news for “religious” people, is that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done; it will NEVER be enough. The good news is (the Gospel message) is that Christ has already done it. We can’t do it, but we don’t have to. Jesus Christ did enough on Calvary to satisfy God, which is good for us because we never could anyway.

Jesus said some things in His ministry that even he described as hard. Jesus I think was testing the rich young ruler to give up depending on what he had made and depend entirely on Him. Jesus said on one occasion that one must hate even father and mother to be his followers. Rather than explain to a congregation example by hyperbole, it is easier to teach 5 principles for better finances or 10 steps to a happier you. It is easier to be religious, to attend church service, to follow a long list of rules, than to follow Jesus and be conformed to His image. To tell someone they must take up their cross, or die daily, those things are hard. It is easier to teach tithing 10% than honoring God with all you have. Religion is easier than Jesus.

What I beleive

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My attempt to “briefly” explain my faith.

The Bible tells the story of humanity’s relationship with God. It is basically the story of Jesus. Jesus is described in the Nician Creed as eternally the begotten son of God the Father, so it takes more than the 4 Gospels to tell the whole story. He was with the Father before the beginning of our time, and will reign eternally sitting at God’s right hand. The Bible is the account of man’s fall from his first estate, his inability to approach a God that is holy, and God’s plan of salvation to bring sinful man back into fellowship by redeeming individuals through the sacrifice of Jesus. The Law given by Moses doesn’t justify, it only shows how far we fall short of righteousness. Only after understanding that we cannot redeem ourselves, does Christ appear incarnate to become the sacrifice for many. In short, the Old Testament is the story of mankind’s fall and inability to fix it. The Gospels tell the story of “God with us,” the earthly lifetime of Jesus, and his death, burial, and resurrection. Beginning with Acts, the New Testament tells the story of the creation of the church, and instructs us how to build the kingdom of God.

This is the most concise way to cover the very basic tenants of my faith. I could expound each sentence of the above paragraph into volumes, and may endeavor to do so. I believe at the essence of the Bible story is the story of Jesus. I believe sharing the Gospel message, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, should be the very heart and soul of Christianity. If a church has preaching and teaching devoid of Christ, it becomes a self-help program, a social event, a theological seminar, or something other than a New Testament church. Helping couples strengthen their marriage, training parents to raise their children, offering youth activities to keep kids off the streets are all a part of what the church should be doing, but not the whole. All of the church’s programs and activities should be focused and centered on sharing Christ.

It is not true that everyone has heard about sin, knows about the cross, and what the world needs to hear is something else. Every sermon doesn’t have to be on the crucifixion for the church to be Christ-centered. But in almost every sermon preached, lesson taught or song sung, the Gospel message should be plainly visible. In Galations 2, Paul is saying that the very life he lives is actually Christ living in him. When the world looks at us and listens, Christ should be seen and heard.

I know that I am not alone in this, but there are not as many of us as there used to be. Which is why it is more important than ever in our dark world to shine the Gospel light. Let’s encourage one another in this mission, pray for one another, and invite others to join the effort to spread the Gospel so there can be a next generation of believers.

First blog

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They say you never forget your fist time. Stop that! If you’re going to be that way, you need to sign off the internet, go to your room, and think about what you did.

This is my first post on this WordPress weblog. I have a site on myspace for chatting with friends, sharing pictures, and what have you, but I pretty much leave it wide open to whoever wants to pop in and say whatever. I have deleted comments and pictures that crossed the line, but I want this blog to be different. I’m looking to seriously devote some time and energy to sharing my ideas on apologetics, theology, the Bible and the Gospel message. I preach in the pulpit and teach students and adults on a regular basis, and have been told that I have a unique way of making people think about the scriptures in ways they haven’t before. There is a lot of junk out there, particularly on the internet, and if I can add some truth, share a word of hope, spread the gospel online to places I will never visit in person, then this becomes another opportunity to be a witness. I want to be an instrument of God’s will, a humble vessel than can be used in His service.

My next post will be a “brief” statement of my faith, designed to give focus and direction to everything that will follow on this website. I have already written a rough draft on paper, and will endeavor to get that up shortly. I look forward to sharing this site first with my friends, and hope that you pass it along to each of yours. I love it when people agree with me, but also look forward to a lively debate at times as well. I KNOW there will be some who disagree with some of the things I plan to say; and if not, there’s not enough people reading my blog yet. I ask for God’s blessing, His leadership, and direction.

Here’s to the future. Long live the blog.