Has Your Faith Been Detoured By an Angel of Light? Part 12: Religion

A SWORDS Study by Mari    (All caps for emphasis only)

What is religion?

According to Merriam Webster dictionary it is “the belief in a god or in a group of gods….an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods”.

Better yet, what is the ACCEPTABLE religion of God?

The ONLY religion that was ever acceptable to God, was the religion HE created for ISRAEL. Religion is only used in the word of God in conjunction with Israel.

Let’s take a look at the only times religion is mentioned in the whole of the Bible:

Act_26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

Gal_1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Gal_1:14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

Jas_1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

Jas_1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

(Something to think about for those who believe they belong to a religion and are religious…how often have you, or has your religion encouraged you to have a PURE religion that is UNDEFILED before God and the Father, by visiting the fatherless and widows in your community? Or to keep yourself unspotted from the world? Just asking. God told Israel what to Him was a pure and undefiled religion! It begs the question, if you are not doing this, is your religion evil and defiled before God…)

Religion is all about being under the LAW. It is about required good works, tithing, baptisms, sacrifices, traditions, and specific orders et al. Being under the law meant their lives were totally conditional on obeying the Laws of God! Disobeying God could even result in death, sometimes instantly! (Read 2 Samuel 6:1-7) If one kept the Law they were blessed, if they broke even one of the 640 laws given to them to keep, God said they were guilty of breaking ALL the laws, thus also losing the conditions of His favor!

Jas_2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

But men could NOT keep the Law, and this is WHY they needed a Saviour. This was the point of the Law, to teach men they needed God to save them from their inadequacy, from their sin.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Most folks who do not know how to rightly divide the word of truth are under the illusion that Christianity is a religion. They would actually be correct if they are speaking about the hundreds of divergent denominations, with their differing “organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods”. However, it must be understood that these religions are not sanctified by God as the religion of the JEWS certainly WAS!

Christianity is a group of individuals whose faith is in Jesus Christ based on the Bible rightly divided.

A Christian is an individual who believes on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Cor 15:1-4) as payment for our sins. Nothing more, nothing less for eternal salvation. It is about the free gift of salvation according to the grace of God.

Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

A Christian is not a member of a man made religion, but is a member of the Body of Christ!

1Co_12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

A Christian is NOT a Jew in a religion, but a Jew may become a Christian by faith and is then a member of the Body of Christ.

Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

A Christian is not baptized by human hands in water today for the remission of sins as was done rightly in the religion of the Jews. Or baptized by religions wrongly teaching an unbiblical instruction of doing so as an “outward sign of an invisible inward change”. Neither is for us today.

Baptism in water is from a manmade religion’s confused understanding of the word of God, because they do not know how to rightly divide the word of truth. Instead, TODAY the very MOMENT we believe we are baptized by the OPERATION of GOD into the Body of Christ!

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the Jews there were MANY types of baptisms. The Jews at one time even had a baptism into Moses under the cloud, which was the visible sign of God by day when they journeyed through the desert. Read here:

1Co 10:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

And here we find water baptism which was for the REMISSION of SINS:

Mar_1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Act_2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

For Christians today our baptism identifies us with Christ, His death and His resurrection which by believing ALONE, gives us remission of sins.

Col_2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Christianity is NOT a religion. Religion is of the Law.
Rom 8:3-4   For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Christians are NOT under the Law.

Rom_6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Christians ARE saved under GRACE.

Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Christianity is a belief based on faith in Jesus Christ and what HE did for us on the cross. Taking the punishment for ALL our sins that we deserved. Nothing more, nothing less! We believe that it is by God’s grace that we have forgiveness of sins and are reconciled with God. That we are justified by faith, made righteous in Christ and sanctified, made holy saints.

Praise God we are not under the law. We are not saved by a religion, but by the blood of Christ! That by hearing the word of God we who believe the word are saved!

Do not be detoured by an angel of light or one of his transformed ministers who teach that you must belong to a particular religion or denomination to be saved.

You belong to Christ and are a member of the body of Christ. This is the church!

THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES
“I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved … that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

– 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)