Skin deep religion

[Ghada]

I would say skin deep religion, or just surface religion is what doesn't go to the heart. The heart and soul are not in it.

That would certainly include religion of redemption and salvation that has nothing to do with how we live. The soul is neither justified nor condemned by the words and deeds we do, and so our works cannot be from the heart to be judged by.

It's called saving faith alone, that is always 'deep down' in the heart, but is always separated and apart from how we live. Since the works we do neither justify nor condemn us, then our souls are always kept apart from what we say and do. Nothing is from the heart, so that the soul is never held responsible for doing good nor evil.

Such redemption religion therefore does not come from the heart, nor ever goes to the soul. The heart and soul are never in it. All words and works are just superficial 'expressions' of the mind only: Skin deep surface religion. They are not really 'who we are'. It's the surface religion of all Pharisees, doing only those things to be seen of man, but never revealing the hidden man of the heart.

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Skin deep religion, where our lives are separated from our souls, of course has no depth to it at all. It's all surface only by superficial faith only. All the religious talk resulting from that separation, is only a doctrinal cover for doing good when the going is good, and doing evil when things go bad.

 

[Ghada]

And so, we see a whole religion to separate the depths of the soul from how we live, so that all our works are counted as surface stuff only: Skin deep Pharisees.

It's the necessary result of distancing ourselves from how we live. The surface humility of saying we are not justified by our good deeds, is just a cloke for refusing to be condemned by our unrighteous deeds.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

Under the guise of being 'humble' about good deeds, where we are not justified by them, we further cover ourselves with religion to not be condemned by them either.

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

And so, whether doing good or evil, it never can be from the heart, because it is never allowed to judge the heart and have anything to do with the soul.

The problem of course is obvious: whatever religion and doctrine we may try to cover ourselves with, in the end God will just judge us our hearts and souls by our works and deeds at the end, whether good unto everlasting life, or unrighteous unto shame and contempt.

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

I.e. all the surface talk we may want to tell ourselves and hear from others, ends in the grave.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Souls separated from how we live, to believe we are saved and justified by faith alone, is certainly one of those fab fables of religious sinners, that may sound and feel good, but it's only skin deep.

And so, we might as well just obey the gospel good news of the Jesus Christ, and repent of all our lusting from the heart and sinning with the flesh, receive His new pure and holy heart and please the Father as the Son. That is the only way to the Father, who can then judge our works as all good through His Son, and resurrect us forever in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

 

[Ghada]

Skin deep religion rejects three main things revealed from the Bible. It denies the truth Jesus Christ brings to reform repentant sinners into saints.

The first is the spiritual truth of all men created in the image of God, that the animals are not: All our words and deeds are directly from the heart and not from the mind only.

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Trying to separate our words and deeds from our hearts, when we speak or do evil, is the carnal surface mind of the natural man. The natural man denies there is spirit and soul to be judged for what we say and do. Natural surface religion denies what we say and do judges our heart and soul. The practical affect is of course the same.

Such surface religion is just so many words 'of faith' without any practical difference from the unbelief of natural man.

By rejecting the judgement of our souls by our works, the practical spiritual result is to make ourselves as the brute beasts, that have no accountability for what we do. Afterall, it's all just surface stuff that does not go to the heart, because it does not come from the heart to judge us thereby.

The second is Jesus' practical truth of this life: What we do shows exactly who and what we are.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

Surface religion people, of course, do not believe that our deeds define and judge us, and make known our hearts and souls. They keep the 'deep down' roots separate from the surface branches and fruit. Which once again, makes the tree without depth nor root to abide the winter seasons and evil times.

The third is Jesus' truth of final judgment of this life: We our hearts and souls are judged by our works.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man is sowing, that shall he also reap. For he that is sowing to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that is sowing to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Our works do judge us as men and women, because apart from the beasts of the field, we are created in the image of God with heart and souls. And all we say and do at any time judge us within: Our lives are who and what we are.

Since our hearts and souls are in fact judged by what we do, we do best to own them before God, whether to be justified or condemned. Trying to distance ourselves from our works, whether by denial, philosophy, or religion, as only being skin deep, only lasts until the grave.

I rejected philosophy long ago, that tried separate the 'inner philosopher' from the outer person, and I'm certainly not in a religion just to tell myself my heart is good, when doing evil. If my life is not saved and my works are not justified, then neither is my heart good nor my soul. Not only according to Jesus' words in sight of God, but also with myself.

The only way to make the ground all good to produce the all good tree, is to first have depth enough to be honest at heart, and not just playing surface games with doctrine and religion:

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.