THE GOSPEL
MESSAGE
Volume 48 Number 3 March 2006
Editor and Publisher - Thomas W. Woody
Relationship Within Religion
Kevin Ferguson
Have you heard of or seen the phrase -
Relationship,
Not Religion? Over the past decade this expression
seems to have grown in popularity and is now accepted
by many as true. I have seen this message proclaimed
from billboards. An internet search shows many articles written
on the topic. Is this sentiment true or dangerous? All people
seeking to serve God would certainly agree that a relationship
with Him is of utmost importance. However, when the words
‘not religion’ are included, a spiritually dangerous message is
conveyed. In this article, we will examine three major dangers
of this message as well as its positive point.
Is religion from God or man?
The first premise to consider is whether religion is from God
or man? Those who believe ‘not religion’ to be true take the
position that religion is mans’ own creation and is not of God.
I would contend that religion in its initial and pure form is from
God. Moses received the first covenant on Mount Sinai from
God, and God was with us and gave us the new covenant
through His Son, Immanuel. “For the law was given through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John
1:17). Religion, in a general sense, and Christianity, in particular,
were given by God to man in a pure form. It is certainly
true that today there are many forms of religion and Christianity
being practiced which are not of God. For illustration
purposes, let’s say there are 100 forms of religion in the world
today. If one of these forms is from God and 99 were created
by man, does that lead us to say that all religion is from man?
NO. It is good to recognize that many practices in the name
of religion or Christianity are of man. However, in its pure
form, religion is from God.
Should I be involved in ‘organized religion’?
Relationship, not religion is good in encouraging a relationship
with the Lord, but is negative in that it devalues involvement
with the Lord’s church. I have visited with many people
who have at least a moderate interest in spiritual things and
profess to have a relationship with God. Yet, they are not a
part of any church, nor do they desire to be. ‘Organized
religion’ is unimportant to them, and they see a relationship
with God to be sufficient. It is true that many ungodly things
have been done by men in the name of God through ‘organized
religion.’ We saw earlier that there are many forms of
religion not of God, and similarly there are many ‘organized
religions’ not of God. Likewise, there is a pure form of ‘organized
religion’ which is from God. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus
declared, “… I will build My church. …”
Acts 20:28 describes
the church as being purchased with the blood of Jesus. Christ
is also the head of His church, loves His church, gave Himself
for His church, and desires that His church be holy and
without blemish (Ephesians 5:23-29). The apostle Paul further
writes of God, Christ and the church in Ephesians 3:21, “to Him
be glory in the church by Christ Jesus …” The glory of God is in
the church (in its pure form) and is by Christ Jesus. Can a
person have a relationship with Christ, and at the same time
have nothing to do with His church? It seems evident that a
true relationship with the Lord includes a true relationship with
the Lord’s church.
Are doctrines, teachings, beliefs, & behaviors important?
A third point to address regarding the idea of ‘relationship, not
religion’ is the relevance of teachings, beliefs and behaviors.
To quote from one article I read on this subject, “Christian
religion could only offer their brand of religion which tied people
to a belief-system and bound them to moralistic rules and regulations in
attachment to the ecclesiastical institution” (Fowler, 1998, p. 8).
My understanding of this and other similar articles is the idea
that teachings, beliefs, and behaviors are relatively unimportant,
while the only truly important thing is the right relationship
with Christ. What does the Bible say about the importance
of teaching? Matthew 28:20 records Jesus’ words to the
apostles as he sent them out, “teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you. …” The apostle Paul wrote
to Timothy, “… you may charge some that they teach no other
doctrine” (I Timothy 1:3) and “these things command and
teach”
(I Timothy 4:11). The apostles Peter and John also warned
about false teachers entering in to teach Christians doctrines
which are false (II Peter 2:1, I John 4:1). Does it seem that what
was taught or believed were unimportant to Christ, Paul, Peter
or John? What about our morals and behaviors? “But as He
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because
it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’" (I Peter 1:15-16). With
these thoughts in mind, you be the judge. Does what we
teach and believe as well as our conduct affect our relationship
with God? Can we have a right relationship with God
while not teaching, believing or conducting our lives as He
has instructed us?
Is a right relationship with God important?
The phrase we are considering is Relationship, not Religion.
We have explored three reasons why the ‘not religion’
aspect makes this sentiment very spiritually dangerous. It
should certainly be acknowledged that the right relationship
with God through Christ is to be emphasized and encouraged.
It is possible for a person to participate in a form of religion
for many years and not have a right relationship. This form of
religion is vain and will not save. One danger of this slogan is
that it presents relationship and true religion as opposed to
one another leading the unsuspecting to believe they must
choose one or the other. Rather than being opposed to one
another, we find them working together. True religion from
God teaches a true relationship with God. A true relationship
with God is found within true religion from God.
References:
Fowler, James A. (1998). Christianity is Not Religion. http://www.christinyou.net/pages/Xnotrel.html
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