The Letter of Religion

Worldview people think disciples should follow the spirit of God’s law instead of the letter of it. This devotional reading looks at how God wants us to act.

Nuggets

Worldview people see our outward religion, but they must see our inward religion shining through us.
We must keep God’s law God’s way.
God sees the motivations behind our actions.

Others see our outward religion. While that is not as important as our inward religion, it is important for our witness to them.

But what do they want from us? Can we give them what they think they want?

Let's Put It into Context

To read devotions in the Habitual Holiness of Heart and Life theme, click the button below.

Here is a running list of nuggets for the theme.

Devotions in the Outward and Inward Religion study

Here is a running list of nuggets for the study.

We are using Boston’s sermon as the foundation for this series.

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Outside Religion Is Open to View by the World

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’” (I Sam. 16: 7 ESV)

Worldview people see our outward religion, but they must see our inward religion shining through us.

When we think about I Samuel 16: 7 explaining how David was chosen king when his brothers seemed to be better choices, we generally interpret this to mean that God has a different standard – one that we cannot see – than we use to make judgments.

Let’s flip this a bit. In this devotion, we’re going to look at an interpretation informing inward and outward religion.

Let’s do some substituting to adapt this verse to our topic. Do not look on his outward religion or how many times he goes to church, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward religion, but the LORD looks to see if he is a man after God’s own heart.

The world does have a different viewpoint than we do. Boston referenced that. He wrote, “It comprehends all Church privileges, duties, and attainments lying open to the view of men.”

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Instead, God looks at the heart. The heart – or soul – is the immortal seat of our thoughts, intellect, will, and affections that produces our character, from which all things spring, including controlling our spiritual position.

What the world sees as important is not a priority with God. He is more interested in our character and motivation.

But just taking a look see is not the full extent of the meaning here. God judges us based on what He finds in our hearts.

If we say we are God’s children after His own heart, we say we have characteristics that God possesses.

Honest, integrity, strength, and confidence;
Take responsibility;
Are disciplined and respectful; and
Show growth, courage, gratitude, love, mercy, and kindness.

Robinson said that God looks at our hearts because it reveals the whole of our nature. He wrote, “He looks at each man through and through, and registers him by his soundness, his genuineness, his entire character.”

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We have to totally conform to God’s Will. Having an outward appearance of being a good Christian isn’t going to cut it. Only going through the motions of being a good Christian isn’t going to make the grade, either.

We have to let God permeate every part of our being.

Letter of Religion and Letter of Law

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God” (Isa. 58: 1-2 ESV)

We must keep God’s law God’s way.

Worldview people slam disciples when they think we do not follow to the letter of God’s law. They feel we should follow the spirit of the law.

In a way, I can see that. The second greatest command says, “… ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’…” (Mk. 12: 31 ESV).

If “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Mt. 22: 40 NLT), then some feel that they can love everyone and have that supersede all the other laws. They feel doing the spirit of the law is doing better than the letter of the law.

Boston addressed this. He wrote, “The letter of religion is that part of it which is agreeable to the letter of the law, whether in externals or internals. And it comprehends not only the outside, but internal dispositions and attainments as to the matter of them; for example, Judas’s sorrow for sin, the stony ground’s joy at receiving the seed of the Word, and the hypocrite’s delight in approaching God (Isaiah 58).”

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The letter of the law and the letter of religion are the same thing. We cannot follow the letter of the law in our inward hearts and the spirit of the law with our outward actions.

We cannot second guess what God intended the law to mean. The law hasn’t evolved into something else to compromise with the world.

We have to call a sin a sin, seek God, and delight in His ways. Period.

Henry had an interesting sermon on why formalists go as far as they do. A formalist is a person who gives the appearance of being a disciple but, in reality, isn’t.

To me, a formalist would be someone who thinks being a good person is going to be enough. In my opinion, they would be a goat.

Glossary

Henry felt that some formalists take pride in being one of God’s children even when they are taking pride in worldly things. It is that hope of outward prosperity that keeps them from being true disciples.

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Their knowledge isn’t great enough to realize that God is more interested in our eternal home than our worldly home. Because of that and their skewed understanding of righteousness, they fall short on obedience.

When you get right down to it, regardless of their motivations, they are being hypocrites.

Being Open to the All-Seeing God

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6: 4 ESV)

God sees the motivations behind our actions.

Worldview people like to see this verse as justification of being a giving person. And yes, disciples have a duty to give to the needy.

I think there is more to it than that. I also think it is more than being an anonymous giver to those in need.

What if we flipped this verse, too? When you give to the needy, don’t focus on the outward actions. The giving should be through your inward religion. God, Who knows your heart, will reward you.

Putting that in the broader context really opens it up, doesn’t it?

Yes, God is all-seeing. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15: 3 ESV). He is going to see what we keep hidden from others.

But if we look at things that are hidden in our hearts, we know we are talking about motivation here. We are focusing on God.

Clarke agreed. He wrote, “We should ever remember that the eye of the Lord is upon us, and that he sees not only the act, but also every motive that led to it.”

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The reward is a stronger relationship with God now. It is a future reward t0 be gained on Judgment Day.

Making the Connections #1

Do we know any disciples who cannot see that they are committing sins?

We know that we do continue to commit sins. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” *I Jn. 1: 8 ESV).

But we don’t see our sins sometimes because we are just looking for the big ones. Or we refuse to see lying and gossip and the like as sins.

Sometimes, it is even worse than that. Henry described one type of hypocritical religion. He wrote, “When the prophet went about to show them their transgressions, they pleaded they could see no transgressions they were guilty of; for they were diligent in attending God’s worship, and what more would he have of them?”

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Maybe the ones Henry is talking about are the Sunday disciples, but not the everyday disciples. Showing up once, maybe twice, a week isn’t all that is required of us.

It isn’t just about the ceremony of religion. We have to actively seek God – pray and read, listen, and study His Word.

Worse yet is when we use being a disciple as an excuse for our sin. We can’t sin when we are trying to witness to a non-believer.

Making the Connections #2

Instead of being hypocritical, we need to be genuine in our service to God. Henry also heps us out with this one. He wrote, “These four forms of service are — the habit of daily prayer, a love for the preached Word, an open profession of Christ, and an apparent earnestness in inquiring after the ways and will of God.”

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We have to do these with the right motivations – glorifying God and desiring to become more like Him.

How Do We Apply This?

Value what God values.
Make sure our hearts are right with God.

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Father God. We want our inward and outward religion focused totally on You. Help us to grow closer to You and show others Your love for them. Amen.

What do you think?

Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.

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Seeking to imitate God in our lives

Nuggets

Let's Put It into Context

Resource

Outside Religion Is Open to View by the World

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’” (I Sam. 16: 7 ESV)

Resource

Resource

Letter of Religion and Letter of Law

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Glossary

Resource

Being Open to the All-Seeing God

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6: 4 ESV)

Resource

Making the Connections #1

Resource

Making the Connections #2

Resource

How Do We Apply This?

Resource

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Nuggets

Let's Put It into Context

Resource

Outside Religion Is Open to View by the World

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’” (I Sam. 16: 7 ESV)

Resource

Resource

Letter of Religion and Letter of Law

Resource

Glossary

Resource

Being Open to the All-Seeing God

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6: 4 ESV)

Resource

Making the Connections #1

Resource

Making the Connections #2

Resource

How Do We Apply This?

Resource

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