A great responsibility and burden are on the shoulders of those who profess Christ.  How we present God in our lives speaks of Him.  How we interpret and apply portions of scripture can either draw our neighbor, or a stranger, to seek God or reject Him completely.

The danger of being religious and stiff is in the misrepresentation of God. These know not Christ. How many people have been turned away from God by such religious people?

Spiritual Abuse

Recently I met a married couple in their late 50s who had two different experiences with religion. The wife was raised in a strict and legalistic environment. He was not. In fact, he considered himself, as I do, as once a “heathen.”

Her experience with the God of her mother’s religion left her confused. God did not seem to be forgiving and merciful. She had to do everything just right to have title to the kingdom of God. What bothered the wife the most was how her mother’s small church treated her beloved father. After much pressure, the father joined the church and was baptized. But, he was later disfellowshiped because it was discovered that he struggled with smoking. He could not seem to quit, but the father’s heart was gentle, loving, and giving. Eventually, the father died. At the funeral, the legalistic pastor preached a 2-hour sermon, which was bad enough, but the evil pastor also condemned the father to hell because he smoked!

In my meetings with this couple, we have studied the character of God. This spiritually abused young mother and wife had to see God for who He really is and unlearn what her highly religious mother had taught her. She wants to protect her children from what she experienced, the manipulation, control, and guilt placed on her. Her encounter with religiosity is often repeated in a similar fashion in many churches, regardless of the denomination, whether Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, or Jewish. These groups of people do not know God, but they know how to be religious. As a result, their circle grows older and smaller. They are not the salt of the earth but rather a mud puddle that is avoided.

Followers of Christ who have been born-again understand and KNOW Christ.  They are a reflection of His goodness.  On the other hand, the unconverted religious people KNOW religious instruction, dogma, ceremonies, religious discipline, denominationalism, and even theology, but they lack an effective influencing knowledge of God.

The Word of God reveals His character.  It is possible, however, to KNOW God’s word (small letter) but not KNOW The Word (Capital letter).  Herein is the line between being real and being REALigious.  Two different kinds of real.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24

God’s Glory

When Moses prayed, “Show me your glory.”  Moses saw the goodness of God.  This is His glory.  Moses didn’t ask to see his form but rather His glory.  This glory is what we must first know about God to be real.   

“I will make all my goodness pass before you.” Exodus 33: 18-19.

God’s glory equals His goodness.

After the Lord passed by, Moses exclaimed,

“The Lord, The Lord God, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” Exodus 34: 6,7

He is “slow to anger and great kindness.” “Because He delights mercy.” Jonah 4: 2, Micah 7:18

No one is attracted to an angry, vindictive, torturous, controlling, and legalistic god.  Yet, many religious people portray the Creator as such and demonstrate the same traits in their lives and character.  They don’t KNOW God. because they don’t show His glory of goodness.

Knowing the real God has a transformative power that extends to others without motivation to make them members of their denomination.  Jesus used some harsh words about those who do such things:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte (a person who changes religion or denomination), and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”  Matthew 23:15

Ouch!  Tough words to the religious people!  But Jesus spoke the truth with tears in His voice.  He could see the heart of those hardened by religion and pride in their traditions.  Jesus also had this to say to the religious teachers about traditions:

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13

I would hate to think my religious traditions made God’s word of no effect! Wow! Have mercy on me, Lord!

A summation of their negative religious actions is found in the previous verses of Matthew 23: The question is, “Do I have any of these traits?”

• They tell you what you should do but don’t do it themselves.
• They put heavy burdens on you but don’t lift a finger.
• All their works are to be seen by men.  It is all about themselves and how they look.
• They love the best seats and titles, i.e., being greeted as “Rabbi,” “Teacher,” Pastor, etc.
• Prevent people from learning and going into the kingdom of heaven and don’t go in themselves.
• They take advantage of widows and those who are vulnerable.
• They make long prayers to show how righteous they are.

They like control, appearances, and religion that suits them and their traditions.

In verse 27, Jesus describes these religious people using a tomb as a symbol. He says they look one way on the outside but are different on the inside.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.,

In conclusion, religious people think highly of themselves and their religion.  They are good at it…in their own eyes.  But what matters most to God are those who really know Him.  To know Him brings peace, joy, and a genuine concern for others.  They have no other motivation than to bring people to Christ so that they too “may be able to comprehend with all the saints (God’s people) what is the width and length and height and depth and to KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST which surpasses KNOWLEDGE, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 2: 18-19

But let him who glories glory in this, That he UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these, I delight,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24

The non-religious people have this one simple directive:  “…grow in the grace and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. ”  2 Peter 3:18

If you are religious today, stop it!  And turn to Jesus for forgiveness.  Learn of Jesus and start to know Him.  Know what delights Him and pleases Him!  When this happens, suddenly, your eyes will be opened, and you will see others in a different light because you see God for who He REALLY is.