That Dirty Word

Religious. Christians can get really heated when you call us religious. Jesus is not a religion; He's a relationship! True, true, true. But let's look at the definition of religious for a minute. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1936) defines religious as possessing or conforming to religion; pious, godly; set apart. Isn't that what we want to be --are called to be --set apart, holy, God-like? 1 Peter 1:15-16, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" There's even more from the dictionary, however: belonging to a religious order; bound by vows. Hebrews 10:15-18, "But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,' says the Lord: 'I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,' then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." Those who have been joined to the Lord by grace, through faith are one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 2:8-9); we pledge to follow Him, and we are His in relationship. Also, we are part of God's family, bound by His love and our commitment to one another (Jn. 13:34-35).

Even the noun itself, religion, Webster's says is the outward act or form by which men indicate recognition of a god or gods to whom obedience and honor are due; the feeling or expression of human love, fear, or awe of some superhuman or overruling power. Sounds to me like the very same thing Christians do. God requires and is owed our full obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22, "...Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." He is worthy of our worship, Psalm 29:2, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness," and 1 Corinthians 6:20, "For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" and He is the only God who is so worthy; there is no other (Is. 45:5).

Religion is not the why of our devotion to Christ, but the how. We should be religious, providing it is an outpouring of our love for a worthy, exclusive, preeminent, and gracious God, our Creator and Redeemer. In the early books of the Bible, God tells His people how to love Him, with sacrifices and obedience. He gives ten commandments and a whole lotta laws. Later, with the arrival of Christ to mankind, Jesus gives just two commandments, but they are somehow much harder to keep. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31) You see, the Law that marked the beginning of Israel's relationship with God spelled everything out. Imagine your husband handing you a list at the altar on your wedding day: Okay this is how I want you to demonstrate your love for me. Number One: Have no other husbands but me. Number Two: No pictures, statues, or other material representations of my character or the character of any other thing. Number Three... It'd be a little weird, right? But at least you'd have clear parameters, a list of dos and don'ts you could check off each day. And your husband would presumably feel loved, given he wrote the list himself and you made the choice to abide by it. Very contractual (and I am oversimplifying, but bear with me, please). Then came Jesus with His two commandments: Love Me. Love others. Concise, for sure, but without the Law, not simple. How? How do I love the God that created galaxies? How do I love the God who is just in punishing the wicked and abundantly merciful in calling me to adoption? There must be Law. There must be religion. It is the outward act by which we recognize the One True God to whom we owe obedience and honor; we express our love, fear, and awe of Him. We regularly attend a fellowship of believers. We daily read our Bibles. We pray without ceasing. We serve others at every opportunity. We fast. We properly steward the resources we are given. We practice critical and prayerful self-examination. We speak blessing over others and share the Gospel in word and deed. We are religious.

Religious. It's not a dirty word, but it might be a word that requires a little more explanation. And that just might be a wonderful opportunity to share with someone the Reason for your religion!