Because I want all the peoples of the world to know the reality of Jesus, I spend a great deal of time traveling around the world in ministry. And then when I return home, I pray that every Christian would know Jesus too!
I hope you got the joke — but you need to know I’m only half joking. Our lives as followers of Christ are not about an identifiable religion, but about a knowable Person, Jesus. There is a huge difference.
The Bible tells us three things work against us in our walk with Christ: the world, our flesh and the devil (see Ephesians 6:12). I’ve wondered, “Why isn’t religion included in that list since it works against our relationship with Jesus, too?” Then I realized religion is in all three!
When I use the word “religion,” I really mean religiosity. This is the idea that we place religion — our theological beliefs and practices — at the center of our lives instead of the loving God. It’s in Jesus that we live, breathe and have our being, not a system of beliefs or works.
When you look at it that way, religion becomes an expression of our flesh, meaning our sin nature. Our flesh uses religion as a front to resist repenting and makes us feel good about ourselves. My Uncle Don Wilkerson calls this “front-sliding.” Backsliding is when people fall away from Jesus by turning to gross sins. Front-sliding is falling in the other direction, turning toward religion and away from Jesus.
Let’s face it, being religious may be more comfortable than being full of the love of Jesus, just because being led by his love can make us seem a little crazy to the world.
Please don’t misunderstand me when I say we’re to hate religion. What I mean is we’re to hate those things that lead to spiritual death rather than to true life in Christ. Hating religion doesn’t mean loving your flesh; it means loving Jesus more.