When we think of religion – or a relationship with God – as being a work of the heart, we get an idea of what we must do. This daily devotional looks at the different parts this encompasses.
Nuggets
- Believing the gospel isn’t enough, because we have to accept it.
- The work we are supposed to do is taking actions to seek God.
- The completion of the work God does in us is our perfection.
When I ran across the Congregational Remembrancer’s sermon, I liked the part where it said that religion is a work of the heart. I wanted to check it out, so I threw it in the drafts folder.
I am brushing it off to see what we can learn from it.
Resource
Let's Put It into Context
What was previously referred to as religion, we know now is discussing a relationship with God. Ceremony and rituals don’t cut it with God.
We must have a genuine relationship of reverence and respect for God.
The Religion Part
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16: 16 ESV)
Believing the gospel isn’t enough, because we have to accept it and act on it.
The work of the heart isn’t what the worldview people would consider as the work. We are not talking about our emotions or our point of view. We are talking only about God’s view.
Our profession of faith shouldn’t be based on emotions. Emotions are tied up in the heat of the moment.
We talked about this some in Focusing on God’s Word. We said that aptitudes, temperaments, and moods are changeable.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
The Congregational Remembrancer’s sermon said that it is more than just a head knowledge. They wrote, “The truth may be held in unrighteousness. Christ is not only set forth a propitiation before His people, but is made unto them ‘wisdom,’ etc.”
Resource
We don’t want to hold unrighteousness as truth. That is the opposite of what we want.
Being righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws. Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
Glossary
Being set free is a four-step process. We have to accept and admit that we are sinners and all that means. Sinners are all people who have not made a genuine profession of faith — who have not sincerely ABCDed.
- Faith is a gift from God that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others.
Glossary
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
The second step is believing that the only way the penalty for our sins is paid is through Jesus. “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14: 6 CSB).
John said that after he wrote another very important verse. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 16 ESV).
But we can’t stop there. The third step is confessing God as Sovereign God.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” (Rom. 10: 9-10 CSB).
See. Believing alone doesn’t cut it. We have to take action on that belief.
That is why the Congregational Remembrancer called it a work. We can’t just expect God to accept us as we are and stay that way.
We have to do the D part of ABCD.
The Work Part
“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes” (Dan. 9: 3 ESV)
The work we are supposed to do is taking actions to seek God.
We demonstrate our commitment to God — the fourth step — by seeking to be more like Him. This will take work.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
The work we do isn’t what worldview people think. It doesn’t mean we do acts of kindness for people.
Seeking God means we work on our relationship with God.
Remember, we started off saying it isn’t about religion. It is about relationship.
It is about communing with God — fellowshipping with Him. It is about changing our character to be like His.
Only by doing this do we gain eternal salvation. The good works that we do is done through this.
God begins this work in us and finishes it. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1: 6 ESV).
The Heart Part
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51: 10 ESV)
The completion of the work God does in us is our perfection.
God changes our hearts to be like His. We show this change by loving Him and others.
This leads to our perfection.
The Congregational Remembrancer had an interesting statement. “As it is not more difficult to create than to uphold, so it is as easy for Him to communicate great supplies of grace as it was to bestow it at the first.”
Resource
We talked about this in Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful. God is able to do everything with ease.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
When we apply that here, we learn that God can change our hearts with ease.
We’ve got to believe this, or we don’t really believe in grace. Grace is a free and unmerited gift of love from the Heavenly Father, given through His Son, Jesus Christ, that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers by the work of the Holy Spirit.
God uses His grace to perfect us.
Making the Connections
Yes, we have to work at having a sincere relationship with God. We can’t just have a conversion experience and leave it at that.
We have to grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus (II Pet. 3: 18). We have to work to do that.
How Do We Apply This?
How do we do the work expected of us? The Congregational Remembrancer gave us two activities to complete.
- Pray
- Read God’s Word
Resource
I think we need to do more than just read God’s Word. We have to study it and apply it to our own lives. We have to evaluate our relationship with Him.
Father God. Thank You for saving us from our sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to accomplish this. Help us to grow in grace and knowledge of You. We want to be more like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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