“PLEASE REFRAIN FROM RELIGIOSITY”
I needed to get that off of my chest. Millions of church-goers don’t know the difference between Christianity and religion. Any post that I write will not be coming from a religious perspective. So please try understanding. If you don;t understand what a religious person looks like, study the four gospels. Observe how the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes (the mocked Jesus. Since Christ said these words. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me “(Matt. 25;40). Give a considerable amount of time with those words. Must every Christian you meet think like you, and talk like you? Whatever the case might be. If you turn up your nose at Believers when they don’t mimic your style of worship, you might just be RELIGIOUS.
Before I get started, let me preface this post by saying this, some of you will take offence. Please, don’t misunderstand me. It is not my intention to offend anyone. But I’ve been around religious people long enough to know that they have raw nerve endings. Particularly if I don’t take part in their denominations creeds and practices. You might not believe this, but it actually breaks my heart to observe this. What can you say to people who think like Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, and they can’t or won’t see it More’s the pity…
About faith, here’s an example from at least two verses of scriptures. Faith and belief are inseparable; better still, one hand washes the other. We actively believe into our faith by using our hearts and mouths (Rom.10:8-10). First, look at the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. Then we’ll compare it with another passage from the letter to the Ephesians. We will use a lot of scripture during this course of study, so hope you brought your appetites. There is a very good reason for using a KJV Bible for this study. It’s one of the few translation that use the term “the faith of God.” Also, this post won’t be as long as it would be had I pasted verses all myself. I will extract the words we should focus on using less scripture. While you follow along using your Bible, making sure that I remain contextual. The only one I’m concerned about offending is the Holy Spirit. Remember, we can either grieve Him (Eph. 4:30), or quench Him (1st. Thess.5:19). I’d rather not do either.
In The Book of Romans chapter 10: 5-17, the Apostle Paul shared a letter addressing a specific problem. The righteousness provided in the Law of Moses was inadequate. It couldn’t bring about the New Birth (change the inner-man), or fellowship with the human spirit. It never had and never will. not until Christ death, burial, resurrection and ascension (John 7: 37-39). The Law provided righteousness based on works. Which is the exact opposite of the doctrine of Christ grace (unmerited favor). Nor did the Old Covenant infrastructure bring deliverance from sin. It only exposed the problem, which was the deadness of man’s heart. Christ tried explaining this to the religious leaders of His day (John 3: 1-7), but it got him nailed to a cross.
Read Heb. 10:1-23, and you will see how Christ laid down his life once and for all, never having to make that sacrifice ever again. Now when we say something is once and for all, our take away is usually more shallow. We never do a particular thing again. And that can is in this verse. But in this context the writer of the book of Hebrews is also saying, this sacrifice was ONCE for of all mankind. This means not only for you and me, but for every person that has ever, and will ever walk upon the face of this planet. Now whether a person accepts that sacrifice is solely on then. It’s in the context of “Whomsoever shall believe”. Christ’s sacrifice was much more far-reaching than the Old Covenant Day of Atonement. Remember, those worshippers could only atone once a year. At the end of that year, they would make that same trek from all four corners of the earth. And with each of them, a brand-new sacrifice. This was for the least to the greatest of them.
In Romans 10:6 you will note the use of the phrase “the righteousness which is of faith speaketh”. What stands out most to me in that verse is not only that we lay hold of righteousnes through faith. but both righteousness and faith have voices. Hang on to that thought.
In verse eight of that same chapter, the Apostle Paul writes theses words. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” The gospel should be in our mouths and in our hearts. This “word of faith” is synonymous to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now for all you religious folk out there who have a problem with the so-called Word of Faith movement. The “word of faith” movement started 2000 years ago. You unwittingly are having a problem with the preaching of the Gospel. Or is it that people don’t study the Bible in the same manner as the Bereans in Acts 17. Satan is out to decieve us all, let’s not make it any easier for him by decieving ourselves? An Apostle by the name of Paul wrote this letter, not me or any other preacher we’ve known in our lifetime.
At this point, you should study the entire chapter of Romans 10 on your own. Rom. 10: 9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Let’s make some comparisons between the words belief and faith. I’m looking at Eph. 2: 8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Remember in a previous post I mentioned going “through faith” is like going through a channel. Think of it like a stream leading into a river of grace. As we pass through that channel we gain access to God’s to Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16). How did I come to that conclusion?
, 
