If we are not atheists, why would we want to escape from religion? The English word religion derives from Latin religare, which means to bind. Religion binds us to rites and rules in a vain attempt to attain and maintain a right relationship with God. Whether we participate in one of the major religions or are a devotee of materialistic evolution, we are all inherently religious in the sense that we must accept some things as being true without being able to prove them. Whether we believe in God and eternity or that there is no god and we cease to exist when we take our last breath, we must assume what we cannot prove.
The first step to walking free from religion is to understand that God created us to relate to him by faith.
We are not supposed to know everything, but God wants us to know him. He wants us to trust him rather than a religious system.
If you ask the average person how to get into heaven, he or she will likely say that we need to live a good life and try not to hurt anybody. This is a simple form or religion. It accepts by faith that God exists and that he accepts us based on our adhering to a certain set of requirements. In this case, the bar is set pretty low, low enough for most of us to easily get over it.
Religion attempts to give us some standard for measuring the quality of our standing with God.
If we set the standard, we will probably set it low enough for us to meet it. If God sets the standard, as he did with the Law of Moses, the standard is so high that we cannot possibly attain it. This is why God established the New Covenant with his Son. He was the only person able to keep the Law. By doing so, he earned all the blessings that come from doing that. He made it possible for us to relate to God through placing our faith and allegiance in him and his finished work. True Christianity is a faith relationship with God via Christ’s perfection and life. We no longer have to be religious because everything religion tries to accomplish Christ already did for us.
Sadly, Christianity often becomes distorted by legalism. People who do not understand the nature of the New Covenant try to impose keeping the Law on the New Covenant, changing it into something alien and false.
Legalistic Christians communicate the bad news that Jesus’ death and resurrection do not really save us at all. Our Lord only made it possible for us to save ourselves by keeping the rules.
Legalistic Christians either have never been born again, or, if they have, have never understood the New Covenant. Paul wrote that anyone who attempts to overlay the gospel with legalism loses the benefits of the gospel.
And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Galatians 5:3–4 (NASB95)
We can try to relate to God through our own efforts to be good enough, or we can believe the good news that Jesus was “good enough” for us.
What Religion Promises to Do for Us
It takes something extremely powerful to break the average person free from the pull of their chosen religion. So, what is it about religion that makes it so attractive?
- Religion offers to provide a way for us to be “right” with God. Religion supposedly offers a way to make that happen, which seems to be within the grasp of the ordinary person. The older the religious tradition, the greater the authority it may claim to have.
- Religion offers a way to measure where we stand with God and how we are progressing spiritually. Religion provides a system of rules and regulations, which give us some feedback. If we keep the rules, we receive positive feedback. We also know where we stand when we break the rules.
- Religion offers an effective way to connect with God. Churches that are more liturgical offer an ambience, sacraments, and ritual to produce a “holy” atmosphere. Often the more liturgical the setting, the greater the desire of the attendee to have someone else, a priest perhaps, draw near to God for them. Hence, the clergy has a more noticeable and sometimes exalted role as a mediator between the average person and God.
Interestingly, some people use “going to church” as a way to shield themselves from the need to have a personal connection with God.
If they are asked about their faith, they may say, “I go to church,” as a way to deflect. In fact, they have no personal connection with God. It is all done for them by the clergy. Non-liturgical religions have their own versions of what it means to “experience” God, which is usually more subjective and personal. Personal religious experience can also fall under all kinds of rules. Many feel that being quiet in “God’s house” is a rule that must not be broken. Others have certain ways of preaching and acting out what it means when God’s Spirit “falls” on them. For others, dressing in one’s best clothes for meetings is a necessary way to show reverence and holiness. For a great many, the stage must be properly set by a time of praise and worship, in which the “anointing” is felt. Many depend on the feeling they have when “the presence of God” is there. The list goes on. All this is done to try to reach God or to measure how well we have connected with God.
- Religion offers to be an “authority,” to tell us if we are on the right track or not. The more liturgical churches have all sorts of traditions and hierarchy that provide this service. When the “powers that be” say we are “okay,” it is supposed to give us some confidence. Even non-liturgical churches often embrace strong authority figures, who tell them what to do and not do. For evangelicals, the Bible is the highest authority, but we often depend on other authorities to tell us how to properly interpret and apply Scripture. Many people like this sort of “fence” around their lives to keep evil out and to keep them from straying outside accepted boundaries.
- Religion offers stability and structure to give us peace in a very precarious and confusing world. Religion offers some version of this. Old line churches, brimming with history and tradition, offer something historically stable in a world where religious fashions come and go. More recent forms, traditions, denominations, or non-denominations of church offer their own versions of stability and structure, perhaps in the form of size, popularity, old hymns, old translations of the Bible, and that “old time religion.” Some fashionable churches today provide stability to modernists by being relevant and up to date with methodology, technology, fashions, music, and phrasing. Everyone gravitates to his or her own personal “comfort zone.”
Why Religion Fails
Those of us who have seriously pursued a religious way of trying to be right with God have found that it is extremely frustrating and discouraging. The one thing we learn is that we are far more seriously affected by sin than people who are not religious know.
We have to try to be good to find out how bad we are at a very deep level.
It is important for us to understand the reasons why religion can never give us a right relationship with God.
- Since we are flawed at the core of our being, any system that relies on our performance will fail.
I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:21 (NLT)
According to the Bible, there is only one way to be in right standing with God – by fully trusting in Jesus the Messiah and what he accomplished for us on the cross and by his resurrection. Jesus had to die for us because no one is able to keep the requirements of religion, in this case the Law of Moses and all its derivatives.
Rules and regulations only point out to us how unable we are to be good enough.
...For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:21-22 (ESV)
- Religion only gives us false readings when it offers to measure how we are progressing in our relationship with God.
If a religion makes its rules too difficult, people will give up, which, by the way, is what we are supposed to do. (Galatians 3:23-24) It is only when we give up on trying to be right with God in our own strength that we can come to Jesus as spiritual paupers (Matthew 5:3) and receive what he offers freely. On the other hand, if religion makes its rules easy enough for most of us to keep them, it gives us a false sense of security. God’s Law is impossible to keep because we are so sinful at the core of our beings.
I think it is important for us to define sin in a very general way at this point, since many might object my previous statement. The Bible indicates that sin, at its root, is a defiance and betrayal of God, our Creator, coupled with a determination to live on our own terms, without reference to God or his commandments.
Simply put, sin is living independently from God.
Using this definition, even the most high minded and noble among us will be classified as sinners, which is the actual way God views us. As the prophet and apostle said, “There is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)
Religion is our attempt to recreate Adam’s sin in the garden, when he decided he had to know for himself all about good and evil. Religion tries to create a framework in which we can know if we are good or bad, right with God or not, going to heaven or destined to hell. True Christianity, not the man-made religious variant, is God’s way to restore us to his original intent. He wants us to trust in him alone. That is why Jesus had to die.
When we relate to God by faith in Christ, there are no outward measurements by which we can confirm our right standing with God. The only anchor to which we can hold is the promise of God, and that is enough.
God wants us to be satisfied in Christ’s offering, the eternal Word of God, and in the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. That is all we need.
The apostle Paul firmly resisted any and every effort to introduce an outward measurement of righteousness. He knew this door leads down to a deadly legalistic path away from relying upon and experiencing the true grace of God.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6 (ESV)
- Instead of giving us access to God’s presence, religion actually blocks the way.
The New Covenant gives us only one way to connect with God by faith, through his Son, Jesus the Messiah. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father, except through him. (John 14:6) The vehicle (actually, the Person) through whom this connection is made is the Holy Spirit. The door is wide open to those who thus approach him.
Jesus said:
Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” Luke 11:52 (ESV)
The reason many people resort to religion as a means to experience God’s presence is because they have never experienced the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Once we experience God in this way, it becomes crystal clear that religion has nothing to do with it.
- Religious authorities almost always will let us down.
By nature, all man-centered authority, religious or otherwise, tends toward establishing and maintaining power for itself. The religious authorities of Jesus’ day were the chief architects of his crucifixion. Despite their knowledge of the scriptures, their desire to preserve their own position and privilege pushed them to deny Jesus’ claim that he was and is God’s promised Messiah. Because they prioritized maintaining their own authority, they refused to submit to God’s. This leads us to the inescapable conclusion, which was confirmed by Christ himself, that any religious leader that accrues power and prestige to himself or herself should be avoided.
Religious authorities which do not bow the knee to Christ become architects of legalism and propagators of death.
A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Luke 22:24-26 (ESV)
- Religion cannot provide the peace and security that only comes directly from God.
Religion will always fail in this regard because religious rules and laws work exactly opposite to their desired intent. Instead of helping us, they excite rebellion in us.
Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. 13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. Romans 7:7-13 (NLT)
Self-effort is always a frustrating exercise in futility.
Those with the strongest wills are the last to be convinced. They may rise to the top of the religious establishment and end up being harsh taskmasters, venting their frustration on others who fail to measure up to the level they have attained.
Faith alone connects us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the only One who was able to live in perfect obedience to God. Unless we come to him, we will never know the meaning of true security, peace, and rest. Jesus told his listeners that he would give them rest, if they would come to him. The offer still stands. The rest he spoke of comes from faith in his what he accomplished on the cross. We rest because Jesus already won our salvation. He lived the perfect life, so that we do not have to try and fail.
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)
Escape from Religion
Jesus came to offer something very different. One day he invited his listeners to make their escape from the tyranny of religion by coming to him.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
How does a person leave religion and “come” to Christ in order to find rest? What does it mean to rest in the way Jesus meant it?
Faith opens the door into a divinely orchestrated relationship with God. Religion kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Cor. 3:6) Religion puts people in bondage, but following Christ sets people free. (Gal.5:1) Being a follower of Christ means we are experiencing a relationship with a real, living person. His indwelling Spirit transforms us internally and helps us to live according to our Lord’s teachings. Jesus invites people to run from religion into the glorious freedom and responsibility of being his followers. (Romans 8:1-2)
Following Christ allows a person to pass through the door of faith into an amazing new world of freedom in the Spirit.
This happens when we are “born again” or “born from above.” Until the Spirit does this in us, we will be merely religious people, who are on the outside looking in, having little or no understanding of the spiritual dynamic of true Christianity.
In this new experience called following Christ, we learn to accept that Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.
He paid off our enormous debt to God (because of sin), and gave us a free gift of being in a right relationship with his heavenly Father. We don’t have to earn it or be good enough to maintain it. All Jesus expects us to do is believe in his promises and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, who internally motivates and empowers us, something totally foreign to religious people.
When we fail, and we surely will, we will not be condemned. (John 5:24 and Romans 8:1) Instead the Spirit helps us to our feet again and encourages us to keep going.
In this brave new world of faith, we have no external measurements of our religious performance because they are no longer needed.
We do not measure ourselves or our progress, since Christ totally fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law of God for us. (Romans 10:4) Instead we fix our gaze upon the Perfect One and trust him to transform us more and more into his glorious image. Trying to “be good” drops off our radar screen.
Focusing on Jesus changes us from the inside out, often without our even being aware. Relationship replaces religion. We make our escape.
Accepting Responsibility
For those of us who have grown weary of the religious treadmill, it’s time to make a break. If we are tired of feeling frustrated, it’s time to jettison false religious hopes and come to the Author of hope, the Messiah, Jesus the Lord. If we want security and peace, we must approach the One who promises that he will give us rest. If we need a permanent break from unforgiving rules and harsh rulers, we are invited to come to the Shepherd who is gentle and lowly of heart and gave his life for us. If we want to be able to enjoy God’s life-giving presence, we can receive the One called “the Resurrection and the Life.” We have the opportunity to invite God’s life-giving Spirit to take charge of our lives. If we do these things, we will end up being happy, fulfilled, and passionate for God, something religion can never give us.
But Christ’s victory on the cross does not end with our escape. Rather, Jesus sets us free so we can fulfill our destiny. Our greatest privilege as born again followers of Christ is to partner with God in the great adventure of being Great Co-Missionaries.
God wants his mission to become our overwhelming purpose in life. Freedom is not for its own sake. It is so we can join God in his glorious enterprise.
Jesus was the Sent One. He sends us as his representatives to a frustrated religious world. We have the message of freedom, the gospel.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21 (ESV)
Prayer
Jesus, I am weary of religion and I want You. I turn myself over to you. I repent for attempting to earn my way to God, instead of relying on what you did for me. I accept that you died and rose again so that I don’t have to struggle with trying to be “good enough.” Holy Spirit, I ask you to come into my life. Empower me to live for Jesus. Teach me your truth. Make me a loving servant to others and a passionate witness for Jesus. Give me peace and joy. Father God, thank you for accepting me as your child and loving me past comprehension. Amen.
