I'm Not Religious, I Just Love the LORD!
Back then, I thought all my religious acts could save me. Praying the Rosary, going to confession, going to Mass... nothing really matched God's perfect righteousness. I remembered reading the Good News Bible for myself the first time. Even if there were missing verses and it's a Roman Catholic approved translation, I was horrified to read that no amount of good works could do anything. I stopped going to masses because I noticed the hypocrisy in the family. Nothing was more appalling than the hypocrisy of my folks and I wanted to be free from it. Then I realized salvation from my sinfulness was never by my own individual effort. It was by God's grace that delivers people from sin (Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Corinthians 9:11).
After knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, it's not about human religiosity anymore. No, I read the Bible, I pray, I attend Bible studies and Sunday worship services because I love the LORD. What does the Bible say about religiosity by human standards? James 1:26-27 says:
After knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, it's not about human religiosity anymore. No, I read the Bible, I pray, I attend Bible studies and Sunday worship services because I love the LORD. What does the Bible say about religiosity by human standards? James 1:26-27 says:
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. 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.
To be truly religious in the godly sense and not in the human standpoint is to have self-control and to do what's right. Many people today have religion but no real morality. Many people today are religious but their lifestyles are sinful. They think that as long as they do more good than bad then they're safe. That's why I consider works salvation to be a license to sin. God's perfect morality will not tolerate even the slightest sin. Romans 3:10-19 and James 2:10-11 declares the truth that even the littlest sin will throw the person into Hell.
To be a Christian means to be unspotted from the world. This means living soberly and righteously by the grace of God. Titus 2:11-14 says:
To be a Christian means to be unspotted from the world. This means living soberly and righteously by the grace of God. Titus 2:11-14 says:
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
To do what's right is for God is a result of God's grace. A Christian's changed life is not by individual effort but by the grace of God. The flesh is sinful but God is graceful. God's grace enables the Christian to live soberly and righteously. A genuine faith springs forth good works as a result of one's salvation. There's no such thing as changeless Christianity or perpetually carnal Christians. When I got saved, I may not be sinless but I now sin less. I may not be perfect but I'm in the process of perfection. I can't live like the rest of the world because God's grace won't let me and I'm thankful for it. When I do good it's because of gratefulness for saving me a sinner who didn't deserve any forgiveness from a holy and righteous God.