Posted on 08/21/2015 8:42:12 AM PDT by LearsFool
Like a bottle of "fruit juice cocktail" that's mostly corn syrup and water with a bit of actual fruit juice mixed in, some "Christian" religions are based only loosely on Christ and His Word. As we see all around us various man-made codes, catechisms, creeds, councils, conventions, etc., it's worth our time to consider whether our religion is based on the God's revelation in the Bible, or on man's ideas.
The Jewish religion of Jesus' day was ostensibly based on the Scriptures, yet piled so high with preachers' and authors' ideas, that the Word of God was not only obscured but nullified (Mt. 15:6, Lk. 11:46, 52). The effect of this was to render their worship utterly pointless (Mt. 15:7-9). As a result, they couldn't even recognize their own Messiah:
"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life...I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me...Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you — Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" - John 5:39ff
If asked, they would have claimed their religion was most certainly based on the Law of Moses. But was it really? Did they really believe Moses? No. Their proved they didn't believe Moses by rejecting the One Moses wrote about.
They would likewise claim to believe and serve God. Yet their rejection of His Son proved they rejected God Himself.
The apostles would encounter the same attitude as they went about preaching the gospel of Christ:
"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.'" - Acts 13:45-46
These people's religion was ostensibly based on Scripture. After all, they HAD the Scriptures, didn't they? They could recite them, couldn't they? Their fundamental tenets and outward forms looked and sounded Scriptural, right? Didn't this prove they were following God?
So it would appear. And yet when offered the word of God through the Son's own messengers, many rejected it, and chose to stick with their own religion instead. In so doing, they "judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life."
We see then that a religion may look and sound like it's based on the Bible, while in fact being opposed to the word of God. Merely talking a good talk about loving God and knowing Jesus doesn't prove a religion is based in God's truth. It could actually be based on the teachings of men instead.
In the first chapter of his first epistle, John tells us that in order to have fellowship with God, we must have fellowship with himself and the other apostles. He takes his readers back to the eyewitness testimony as the foundation of that fellowship. This testimony is found in the gospels, in Acts, and in their letters. If we don't stick to what they said and wrote, if we start inventing our own religion, it's because we don't believe them. And if we don't believe them, we don't believe God and His Son.
We must not be deceived by appearances, but rather make sure our religion is based on the Bible and not man's doctrines. Those who cling to man's opinions, forever citing man's writings as authorities rather than God's Word, judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life. Let's not join them in their empty religion, pointless worship, and eternal doom.
The Pharisees deserved the bad rap. (Either that or Jesus was bearing false witness against them.)
Matthew 23 is a scathing denunciation of them - more or less a closing argument in the case against them, which had gone on throughout His public ministry. They had rebuked Him and His disciples for innocent acts. They had rebuked those who worshipped Him and who came to be healed by Him. They had opposed people’s recognition of Him as the Messiah. They had tried to trap Him time and again. They had plotted to discredit and even kill Him. And finally they bribed one of His apostles to betray Him, and would succeed in judicially murdering Him after a sham trial. Even after that, they continued their war against the Messiah by attacking His apostles and disciples.
Their hearts were so far from God that they would do all this to His Son. Jesus exposed and challenged their false religion, so they rejected Him. But the final battle would go to Him, as He predicted in Matt. 24.
There are many today who are just like the Pharisees. Their hearts are far from God, so they make up their own religion and peddle it under the name “Christianity”. They reject the truth and fight against those who preach it. They invent ways to worship Him that He never authorized, invent church structures and offices He never set in place, and even modify the gospel to get more people saved than He can (or so they think.) Like the Pharisees, they’ll pay for their hubris, and take many souls into damnation with them.
I suspect there has been a lot of confusion with the role of the Sadducees, whose Temple police actually had Jesus arrested. Likewise the imperfections on us all.
And as I also mused, why didn't Jesus include mention of himself in The Lord's Prayer which bears distinct similarities to the Amidah? One would think here was the perfect opportunity to bring forth uniquely Christian prayer. Yet instead, he stays within the context of The Law.
“And as I also mused, why didn’t Jesus include mention of himself in The Lord’s Prayer which bears distinct similarities to the Amidah? One would think here was the perfect opportunity to bring forth uniquely Christian prayer. Yet instead, he stays within the context of The Law”
He was born under the Law and spoke to those under the Law. The concept Paul teaches—”you are not under law but under grace”—is not revealed till after the Resurrection. God unfolded His plan in the fullness of time. Reading the letters and then the Gospels it is glaring that two different audiences are being spoken to.
There would only be a disconnect if it were not the Father’s will to continue His revelation to us in Christ after He was raised from the dead. I’m thankful He did. Only a born-again child of God can appreciate the entirety of Scripture.
Jesus had not yet been glorified, and made “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), when He taught the disciples to pray. The new covenant was not in effect until Jesus’ blood was shed (Lk. 22:20, etc). Until then, they were under the Law of Moses.
Now that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Mt. 28:18), we are under His law (Gal. 6:2), “the perfect law of liberty” (Jas. 1:25, 2:12).
While He was on the earth, He - and the Father (Mt. 3:17, Ps. 2, etc.) - proclaimed His coming kingdom and authority. But the cross had to come before the crown (as shown in the temptations in Mt. 4).
Not sure if all this addresses your musing, but perhaps it does. :-)
“people believe not out of fear of some unimaginable torture, but out of DESIRE to accept the free gift. “
Scripture teaches both so must we also.
Proverbs 1:7
Proverbs 2:5
Proverbs 9:10
Job 28:28
Psalm 111:10
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Hebrews 10:31
Talking animals..... Check.
Human sacrifice..... Check.
Mass murder..... Check.
Slavery..... Check.
Yes...
I agree with 3 but I also love the terror of God. It really highlights the beauty and relief of His grace to us, IMO. I say this as someone who thoroughly deserves His wrath but fully trusts in His pardon!
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