As one of my theology professors used to say, “Words mean something.” What he was trying to teach is that we should be careful with the use of words, especially when we are trying to teach or proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Cases in point are a couple of popular sayings illustrated below:
It seems that the word religion has developed a negative connotation. One would think that to be religious means to be self-righteous, formal, and ritualistic, among others. In fact, religious means: manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality; devoted to religious beliefs or observances; or, to be scrupulously and conscientiously faithful.
So, to proclaim that “Jesus is my Savior, not my religion” is to suggest that Jesus is my Savior, but I’m not going to be devoted to Him. To teach that “Religion sets rules – Jesus sets free” is to suggest that there are no rules associated in being a disciple of Jesus. Frankly, that’s just ridiculous. Following after Jesus means to embrace his teaching, and to be in fellowship with His church. Praise God that Jesus has set me free! Praise God for the rules, that is, teachings associated with following Jesus for they guide my life to greater freedom from sin and death!
To be fair, the New Testament speaks of “self-made religion” (Colossians 2:23); worthless religion (James 1:23); and false religion (Acts 17:22; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6). Also, Jesus warned against religious hypocrites (Matthew 6:1-5), those who reject the commandments of God while holding to the “tradition of men” (Mark 7:1-13). But keep in mind that these people are not religious. They feign faith, are self-righteous, and devoted to no higher good than themselves.
To be religious is to declare that because Jesus is my Savior and Lord, I will be “scrupulously and conscientiously faithful” to Him; and that I will be devoted to the rituals and observances that are associated with worship and reverence due Him. To be religious means that I will love God with all my heart and soul, and love others as myself (Matthew 22:37-39). To be religious means that I will sing hymns and spiritual songs making melody to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). To be religious means that I will sit at the Lord’s Table and feast on the bread and cup of Christ; and then bow before my brothers and sisters to wash their feet (John 13). To be religious means that I will “stand firm and hold to the traditions” that inform my faith in Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:15). To be religious means that I will “visit orphans and widows in their distress,” keep myself “unstained by the world” (James 1:27), pray for the sick, and confess sins to one another (James 5:14-16).
There is another word in the New Testament that is associated with being religious – godliness. Paul wrote that “the knowledge of the truth” is “according to godliness” (Titus 1:1). The Greek word eusebeia, translated as godliness, means to be pious, or religious. The Good News Bible translates Titus 1:1 as: “I was chosen and sent to help the faith of God’s chosen people and to lead them to the truth taught by our religion, which is based on the hope for eternal life.” So, the pastor’s call is to lead Christ’s disciples into the truth of our religion, and exhort Christ’s disciples to live godly.
Maybe the reason some people want to reject religion is because they are protesting legalism and ritualism that is a form of godliness, but denies the power of the Gospel (2 Timothy 3:4-5). To that I shout, “AMEN!” But legalism and ritualism are not true religion.
However, maybe some people are rejecting religion because they are rejecting scrupulous devotion to Christ and a life of godliness.
