Religion Without Substance

"Religion".  This is dirty word in church circles today.  When it is spoken it is used to describe a way of living out a system of empty regulations in the name of a god who is always at a distance.  There is no relationship in religion.

But James has a different take on religion.  "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

God sees true religion as people who hear His voice, and worship Him by taking care of other people--expressing love to them as He loves them.  Protecting those who are helpless; providing for those who cannot provide for themselves.  It is genuine because it reflects His heart.

But as Followers of Jesus we need to be very mindful of falling into the trap of being lukewarm and not living out true religion.  In Matthew 21 we see Jesus walking along a road, when he sees a fig tree.  In verse 18 it says 'he was hungry', which might not seem important until we get an idea of the bigger picture.  From a distance the tree held much promise for nourishment and refreshment, but when He got close, it offered nothing of substance.  He then cursed it and the tree withered immediately.

So what does this cryptic passage mean for us?  If we take it in the context of surrounding passages, Jesus is dealing with religious leaders and how they have forgotten what it meant to be followers of God that reflect His heart.  What Jesus was essentially saying by cursing the tree is that, the true followers of God (in our case, the Church) should not present a good front so that people who are hungry will look at them and think there is really hope to be found there (see nourishment, refreshment), and then when they come close they realize that there is no fruit there to be found.

It is incredible to imagine what the church which genuinely follows Jesus could do.  It is a place where people come to find the living God who meets their deep needs; a place where they are refreshed and nourished; a place where what they see from a distance is consistent with what they experience up close.  We cannot afford to soft-peddle Jesus' example in Matthew 21--it is meant to be a word for those who consider themselves followers of Jesus Christ. 

Religion without substance:  Jesus hates it.  But those who live out true religion are those who receive the life of Jesus, and then live it out in the lives of others.

There are many hungry people in the world today.  Are you one that is reflecting a religion of substance?

BT