Religion?

Someone once bought me a lottery ticket and I started thinking of all the ways I could help people. For example, it would be great to see the face of someone who was struggling to pay the mortgage when they opened a letter and found a cheque that paid off their mortgage. It would be great to see the face of someone who’d had years of trouble with an old banger of a car,  as they opened a letter and found keys to a brand new car parked outside their home. It would be great to help out Christian organisations that were struggling, or to see the face of a friend when you gave them the holiday of a lifetime.  Yet, in all this thinking about the help and freedom that people could find, there was this deep down feeling that all this would not really bring about true freedom of heart and mind. This is because the Bible says, only God can really do that. He wants us to find freedom in the life He offers us. And this, rather strangely to some, brings us to the word ‘religion.’

Many religious people tell us that religion begins with how man has to reach out to God in a set way. Yet what picture does the Bible give us concerning the origins of true religion? The people of the Bible recognised, (as all Christians should), that their religion did not come about as a result of man’s quest for God. It came about with God’s quest for man; with God walking towards man, with a desire to help man.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Gen 3:8-9

Religion in all its wonder and glory speaks of a Father who offers life and freedom to those who deserve nothing; a God who takes the penalty for our wrongdoing on His own shoulders, so to speak, so that we can find forgiveness and live to our full potential.

Every society uses words to describe things, or in order to paint pictures in the minds of others. Some marketing groups have become so good at this that they can use a single letter to paint a picture (e.g. the bright yellow ‘M’ of McDonalds). But what picture did the Hebrew word for ‘religion’ (dat) initially paint for Israel? It is the picture of a door with a sign on it, and so it spoke of intervention and freedom given freely by another.  Think of Israel in Egyptian bondage and we begin to get the picture.

Think about how the Israelites must have felt. They could walk through the front door of their own home, and yet never really feel safe. The oppressor could come in whenever they wanted to. You could not plan what you were going to do because you were always told what to do; those who did not have your best interests at heart controlled you. For Israel life probably became more of a list of coping mechanisms as people sought to keep out of the way of trouble.

And then God came on the scene to bring His people to a place where they could be with Him.

The marking of doorposts with blood was, in a sense a culmination of this intervention, and was a mark of God’s true ownership and protection  (Exodus 12:23). But how was this so?

The Hebrew word for religion has the picture of a door with a mark on it, and that mark is two crossed sticks. The two crossed sticks were known as God’s signature, a sign of the covenant – the deep binding relationship that God offers man. Because God had instigated a relationship with fallen man (e.g. Covenant with Abraham), He was willing to come into Egypt to set His people free.  He offered forgiveness (the blood protected them because it pointed to God’s provision), and reconciliation.

God is the initiator of true religion. Religion is freedom in a relationship that God gives and freely sustains through His grace. Ultimately everything He does is because of His love for us, that is so clearly seen in Jesus. (Read Heb 10:11f, 2 Cor 8:9, and Heb 10:19-24).

The Goal of Religion

The goal of religion is not primarily to help us to express ourselves as do-gooders who deserve all that God gives; nor is it to rush around in our own strength in order to keep ourselves right with God. Religion is primarily God’s work, and the goal of religion (God’s workmanship) is to bring us closer to Him.

Think of a father who buys his baby son a mountain bike. As the baby grows there is going to be the day when he will be able to benefit from his father’s provision of a bike all those years ago. As sons and daughters of the living God we are called to do is to feed on what He has done, so that we grow in the environment of His care, like a plant in good soil. In maturing we are able to partake of more of what has already been provided for us.

This is why pictures of God’s loving-kindness speak of growth, like grapes on a vine. Everything that needed to be done from His side has been done and is there for us. What we need to do is make the right choices and accept what is offered. Therefore we need to ask for help to live in the freedom (Gal 5:1) He has secured for us. Take, for example, how David asked for help on one occasion.

Ps 119:25-32 “I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.  I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

The opposite of freedom

Think of skiing down a slope and then hearing the roar of an avalanche behind you. You desperately try to outrun it, but know there is no hope.

It has been said that most avalanches are triggered by their victims. In a not dissimilar way we can sometimes be part of the reason we are so overwhelmed by what goes on around us. In seeking to cope with issues we put up our barriers and become hard of heart as we desperately try to get through life. The opposite of freedom is hardness of heart, whereby we use our strength to cope.  Yet even in the most difficult of situations we can make the choice to call out to God, as can be seen from the short prayer made by the thief on the cross: Luke 23:42 “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Life can be tough at times, yet the freedom that God brings (religion is ultimately about the heartbeat of God outworking in creation) is not just about help and support, for He also gives us the courage and strength to confront what is wrong.

James 1

The people James writes to were going through hard times, but this was made all the harder for them because they were not feeding on what God had done. Because of this they were effectively going against a tank with a peashooter; they could not overcome some of their old ways, because they were not seeking the presence of the Lord. Neither could they reach out to others in the freedom and power that God gives by His Spirit; they were running on the fuel of self and the octane level was never going to be high enough. That’s why James effectively says to them, “You’re not branching out and supporting and uplifting those around you because you are running on the fuel of self and not the wonder and grace of God.”

Blessed so that you can be blessed

Think of a young child who wants to build a tree house. He has no resources, materials, or ideas concerning how to build it. Early the next morning he gets out of bed, rushes through his breakfast and then stands outside looking at the tree he wants to build his tree house in. Suddenly he hears a noise and turns to see his father standing behind him. His father has taken the day off work, and has purchased all the tools and wood necessary for the task. The child is already blessed. Because of what his father has done, he, along with his father, is able to build the tree house.

In Psalm One we find a picture concerning how a spiritually well-fed person lives: Ps 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Because they are blessed (the father is already present), they can live the right way (not overcome by dysfunctional ways), knowing they are loved (the Father’s loving instruction), and able to grow (like a tree in the right place that fulfils its potential).

It is worth noting that most of the New Testament letters begin with grace and peace, reminding people of true religion – the freedom from wrong-doing, and power to live by the Spirit, that God gives through Jesus. We also see, in the writing of the letters that God is, yet again, approaching His people to challenge, support and uplift them.

In Conclusion

• Think of the picture behind the word ‘religion’ as laid out above. Are we living in freedom from old ways, or under ‘an avalanche of snow’?
• We can always approach God with confidence (Heb 4:16). We can pray that God would help us experience more of the freedom that is ours in Christ. Perhaps we are worrying about our work, finances, or some of the things going on at home or work. Deep down we are panicking and feel like giving up. Acknowledge what is really going on and ask for His help.
• Think about others who are struggling and pray for them. Think about those you don’t always get on with and remember that God walks towards you with the purpose of helping you grow to maturity. At the very least you can pray for others.
• Perhaps some of us could try and experiment this week. Pray that God would help us to obey Him in all areas, and we may see His power at work in extraordinary ways.