How often do you think on or reflect on the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ? Not pulling a guilt trip or being religious but I believe the frequency in which we think on this gift will determine our mindset, reasoning, goals, intentions, behaviors and/ or the depth of our freedom in Jesus Christ. The greater understanding, we have of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice will help us and others around us avoid entangling religious thinking and reasoning, which we often wrestle while we try to make sense of this life.
“Religious” thinking and reasoning can rob you and I of what Christ has done and is doing for you and I. Religious thinking and action can leave you discontented where you continually seek your next religious thrill while always inches short of living the contented life in Christ.
Religious thinking and reasoning also has a tendency to have others who watch the religious thinker and doer- slip into the same type of thinking and action without any real consideration. Like a herd of bison going over a cliff people follow other people. All they consider is the idea. If it requires a bit of sacrifice and sounds “Christian” - they do it without even deeply considering the reasoning why. IF these acts and deeds are not solidly rooted in Christ Jesus, they can be used to puff one’s self up, bring about attention to one’s self and even grow weeds of comparison and prejudices towards others causing the recipient of such actions to feel pressured into joining such efforts -or not feel like they are measuring up in some way. This not only causes division in the body but these human judgments can cause individuals to withdraw, become resentful, and fall away.
“And the trees, they retreated so deep into themselves that they haven’t been heard from since.” Quote from Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis,
Churches can divide and fall apart with religious thinking.
Religious thinking denies what Jesus has done and thrives and corrupts in the principle of making themselves right or justified with God by works. It is destructive, arrogant, self-deceiving, and denies the Holy Spirit who wants to work in our lives.
Religious thinking brings about hypocrisy.
“Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before [them] all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? "We [who are] Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, [is] Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! "For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. “ "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness [comes] through the law, then Christ died in vain." Galatians 2:11-21
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