RELIGION: A Diversion Away from Christ and His Gospel

[Robert Pate]

There were no religions in the early church, but some wanted to divide the church. Some said, "I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, I am of Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:12. Paul wanted no part of this contention.

Paul said, "Now I beseech you brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you: but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" 1 Corinthians 1:10.

According to Leo Rosten's book "Religions in America" that I bought about 30 years ago, there are over 79 different denominations in America. I wonder what Paul would say about that. Out of the 79 different denominations there are hundreds of different churches and religions. Religion does not unite; religion divides and causes contentions. Some religions have split several times, usually over doctrine.

The Gospel does not divide, the Gospel unites. In the Gospel we are all sinners saved by grace (God's goodness) In the Gospel there is none better, nor is there some worse. In the Gospel we are all justified by faith, because we are all justified by Christ. In the Gospel Jesus is Lord and there are no others. The Gospel concerns Jesus Christ and what he has done to save us. Religion is about man and his attempt to save himself by the works of the law.

Worse yet, religion is very subjective, the main focal point of a religious person is himself, who is a sinner that is attempting to rehabilitate his lower Adamic nature by what he does, or by what he has become. Religion tends to make one a hypocrite because they don't have the power of the Holy Spirit to help them overcome sin.

The Gospel is objective (outside of us) it took place over 2,000 years ago before we were born. The Gospel is what reconciles us to God, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. In the Gospel we have been justified by Jesus Christ, Romans 3:26 and not ourselves. Paul said, "The Gospel (not religion) is the power of God unto salvation" Romans 1:16. Religion is a diversion away from Christ and his Gospel. Renounce your worthless religion and trust in Christ alone.

 

[Randy Kluth]

There were no religions in the early church, but some wanted to divide the church. Some said, "I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, I am of Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:12. Paul wanted no part of this contention.

Paul said, "Now I beseech you brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you: but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" 1 Corinthians 1:10.

According to Leo Rosten's book "Religions in America" that I bought about 30 years ago, there are over 79 different denominations in America. I wonder what Paul would say about that. Out of the 79 different denominations there are hundreds of different churches and religions. Religion does not unite; religion divides and causes contentions. Some religions have split several times, usually over doctrine.

"Denominations" simply indicate "names." If a father has 12 children with different names, there is no need to conclude that a division exists between them simply because they have different names.

It is the same with the Church. We were commanded to spread the Gospel to all countries, to all continents, to all peoples. Each group would have its own name, which again does not indicate a division within the Church of any import.

The point is that names do not create meaningful divisions. But as you indicate this has unfortunately happened. A bad form of "religion" has emerged in all cases, requiring that we recognize , as you point out, that we need to eliminate this bad kind of religion and turn back to Christ himself. I appreciate your sentiment in this regard.

As a note, I for a brief time got caught up in a Christian cult that promised to rectify these divisions by forming a brand new sect that rejected all such "religious" divisions. But in the end, that sect became just another denomination! Even worse, it developed cultic tendencies.

The Gospel does not divide, the Gospel unites. In the Gospel we are all sinners saved by grace (God's goodness) In the Gospel there is none better, nor is there some worse. In the Gospel we are all justified by faith, because we are all justified by Christ. In the Gospel Jesus is Lord and there are no others. The Gospel concerns Jesus Christ and what he has done to save us. Religion is about man and his attempt to save himself by the works of the law.

Worse yet, religion is very subjective, the main focal point of a religious person is himself, who is a sinner that is attempting to rehabilitate his lower Adamic nature by what he does, or by what he has become. Religion tends to make one a hypocrite because they don't have the power of the Holy Spirit to help them overcome sin.

This is a very good point. If we are to put true religion into practice, we must develop a partnership with Christ, using our free will in conjunction with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to present Christ as pure and true. Doing good apart from Christ is ephemeral, because it is not done with a complete commitment, and is actually selfish--good done for the "religious" person to be seen as "good."

The Gospel is objective (outside of us) it took place over 2,000 years ago before we were born. The Gospel is what reconciles us to God, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. In the Gospel we have been justified by Jesus Christ, Romans 3:26 and not ourselves. Paul said, "The Gospel (not religion) is the power of God unto salvation" Romans 1:16. Religion is a diversion away from Christ and his Gospel. Renounce your worthless religion and trust in Christ alone.

Yes, we need to expose the false "religion" in our midst, and unite with true brethren in Christ himself. He is the source of our unity. All else is a facade.

 

[Robert Pate]

"Denominations" simply indicate "names." If a father has 12 children with different names, there is no need to conclude that a division exists between them simply because they have different names.

It is the same with the Church. We were commanded to spread the Gospel to all countries, to all continents, to all peoples. Each group would have its own name, which again does not indicate a division within the Church of any import.

The point is that names do not create meaningful divisions. But as you indicate this has unfortunately happened. A bad form of "religion" has emerged in all cases, requiring that we recognize , as you point out, that we need to eliminate this bad kind of religion and turn back to Christ himself. I appreciate your sentiment in this regard.

As a note, I for a brief time got caught up in a Christian cult that promised to rectify these divisions by forming a brand new sect that rejected all such "religious" divisions. But in the end, that sect became just another denomination! Even worse, it developed cultic tendencies.

This is a very good point. If we are to put true religion into practice, we must develop a partnership with Christ, using our free will in conjunction with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to present Christ as pure and true. Doing good apart from Christ is ephemeral, because it is not done with a complete commitment, and is actually selfish--good done for the "religious" person to be seen as "good."

Yes, we need to expose the false "religion" in our midst, and unite with true brethren in Christ himself. He is the source of our unity. All else is a facade.

Good to hear from you. Always look forward to reading what you post.