Sunday 7 August 2016

Religion or Faith?

Anything that separates us from the divine love and grace of God is empty religion and has no place among God's elect. Let us be vigilant therefore not to allow the things of the world creep into our lives.

Source: reachingadventistschristiansandothers.wordpress.com
Often we talk with people about Jesus and how He has impacted on, and changed our lives. When I have done this it has sometimes resulted in me getting labeled as a person who is ‘religious’. I really don't mind this badge when it comes from a non-believer, as this is actually a badge of ignorance. In these situations I generally attempt to get across the sense of faith and the personal relationship that I have with God and how this is different to being ‘religious’James 1:27 tells us ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world’. This is very interesting to me, it says nothing about which version of the Bible a person should read, which Church to attend, how often a person should pray or what a person can and can't eat. It speaks to a higher purpose, one that God finds acceptable.

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Often we tend to add extra's to the grace and love that God has shown us at the cross of Calvary. We say that a person must be baptised to be saved, or say the sinner's prayer to be saved. While these things may be right and Jesus certainly does say in Mark 16:16 ‘Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned’. It is important to notice that Jesus says ‘whoever does not believe will be condemned’. Jesus does not say ‘anybody who is not this or that’, or who has ‘not achieved this in their lives will be condemned’. Jesus does not give us a long list of do’s and don’ts, or criteria for salvation, just that we believe and are baptised.

When Jesus walked this earth in the form of a man, He often challenged the religious leaders of the day. These leaders had a deep seated sense of religion even to the point of telling Jesus that they knew more about what God requires of them than He did. They simply did not recognise Him and in those days Jews would make sacrificial offerings to God to atone for their sins. However once Jesus made his once and forever sacrifice these rituals and sacrificial offerings become meaningless – there was no reason to continue with them, as Jesus became the perfect sacrifice; Hebrews 10:14-18; ‘For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’. Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more’. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary’.

Anything that separates us from the divine love and grace of God is empty religion and has no place among God's elect. Let us be vigilant therefore not to allow the things of the world creep into our lives. 1 Peter 5:8; ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’.


Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life

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7 comments:

  1. A fantastic article. Thank you very much for sharing. God bless

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  2. Worthy is the Lamb indeed, praise God. Thank you so much for being an obedient vessel and Blessing the body of Christ.
    What a thought I am SAVED by Gods amazing grace, I am planted in fertile soil and my lamp overflows with oil because God loves me and not because of Any works I do Amen. All the Glory to God ALWAYS. Love sister Tina x

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  3. very encouraging this morning by the simple message of the cross of Jesus Christ his amazing Grace and mercy . where sin is defeated . we can walk in Repentance and forgiveness . without condemnation this was written with a heart of an evangelist. the song is also a great favourite of mine yes worthy is the Lamb Amen x

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  4. It's good to be reminded that the gospel isn't complicated. Jesus knows our weaknesses and wants nothing more than a relationship with us. Great blog thank you for reminding us that all we need is to believe and be baptised. Glory

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  5. Thank the encouraging words that remind us it's faith not religion that give us eternal life when we believe in the lord Jesus our Saviour God bless

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  6. Encouragement indeed ty Lord

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  7. Jesus Christ came down from heaven for one main purpose: to make it possible for sinful mankind to enter into His domain which is heaven. Had He not come to earth every human being would end up in Satan's domain at death. By the shedding of His PRECIOUS Blood (as the Sacrificial Lamb of Almighty God), Jesus Christ made ATONEMENT for the sins of every human being who ever lived and who will ever live in the future until the last day for mankind on earth. That last day comes at the one thousand-year rule of Jesus Christ a.k.a. the millennial Kingdom. Even though the INFINITELY powerful SIN-cleansing Blood of Jesus Christ ERASED all sin, only those who apply the POWER of Jesus' Blood have the benefit of it. There's a parallel story in the OT. God commanded Moses to tell the Hebrews (Jews) that only those houses in Egypt that had the blood applied on the doorposts that the DEATH-ANGEL would pass over that house. It meant that those who applied the blood of the sacrificial lamb by FAITH received the benefit of that applied blood. That was an object lesson to us today. Unless the Blood of the LAMB of GOD, Jesus Christ is applied also by FAITH by human beings living in our day, the shed-blood of Jesus Christ has no effect. It's like a doctor's PRESCRIPTION for a deadly disease. Use it and be healed by the medication prescribed or IGNORE it and be dead.

    Jesus Christ the Physician prescribed the CURE in John 3:3. Be Born Again by the infinite power of the Holy Spirit and escape hell-fire OR neglect John 3:3 and end up in hell. In John 14:6 Jesus Christ said that HE is the only (one) way to heaven. But of course Satan the deceiver tells the whole world thru' his preachers, that there are all kinds of other way to get into heaven. Jesus said that that teaching is like the blind leading the blind, In the end both the leader and the led, both end up in the pit 9 Matthew 15:14.

    The bottom line is this: Ignore the teaching of Jesus Christ and end up in Eternal Hell-fire Or heed His words and find Salvation in Him and live eternally in His presence in His "Father's House."

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