When we are thinking about outside and inside religion, we need to consider how what outward religion is. This devotional reading looks at how outward religion differs from inward religion.
Nuggets
- Following God and not believing in Him won’t cut it.
- Believing in God and not following Him won’t cut it.
- Believing in God and following Him is what we are commanded to do.
When we were doing our Finding Jesus through Spiritual Worship study, I considered that there are two ways we can consider salvation. The first way is that it is just a yes and no option. We either are saved or not.
The second way is that there are degrees of yes. We’ve made a true profession of faith. But we are backsliding. What happens?
This second devotion in the series looks at different ways we miss the mark.
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.
Holy or Idle Form
“having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (II Tim. 3: 5 ESV)
Following God and not believing in Him won’t cut it.
If non-believers are on one end of the line and true disciples on the other end of the line, those who have the appearance of godliness – but it is only an appearance – are in the middle.
Some people, when they make a profession of faith, don’t really mean it. Kollock explained it this way He wrote, “This form is a profession of religion; the outward appearance of piety; the external performance of holy duties.”
Resource
Oh, from the outside they may look like the profession was sincere. But it didn’t get down to the heart level.
Why? Because they deny the power leading to transformation.
The power is real, and it can transform us to walk in God’s Spirit and obey His laws and commandments that produces a moral likeness of God.
Don’t get me wrong. True disciples have to have a form of godliness. While in these sinful bodies, our godliness — and righteousness — is only a form.
We will not truly be godly — or righteous — until we are changed when we are resurrected.
But we have to have that form of godliness in order to have salvation. Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our 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 and to serve and worship God.
- 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.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- 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.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues and to serve and worship God.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
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
Glossary
The problem we have is that we think we have to have the godliness of God now. We think that, once we make a profession of faith, we should not be able to sin. Then we do.
We kick ourselves and kick ourselves.
No, sinning is not right. Kicking ourselves isn’t right, either.
Our goal in this life is to navigate the Sanctification Road so that we may become like God. It is a process, not a flip-the-switch occurrence.
Sanctification is the transformational process of the mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
Glossary
It comes down to our attitude. Are we trying to follow God’s laws and commandments, or are we trying to rewrite God’s Word?
We must choose to follow God and repent when we don’t.
Kollock had some more things that I have to process.
God isn’t looking for just outward service. “No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6: 8 NLT).
Service is included in the list of things that God requires. But so is to walk with God.
Walking with God is part of our mission when we trust Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. If we don’t, we are violating our mission.
It also violates our covenant. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31: 33 ESV).
We want to be godly and righteous. We want to imitate Jesus, Who’s godliness and righteousness were at the heart level.
It is only this way that we can be forgiven if our sins and gain salvation.
Head Knowledge, not Heart Knowledge
“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (Ti. 1: 16 ESV)
Believing in God and not following Him won’t cut it.
At first glance, the verse in Titus may seem the opposite of the verse in II Timothy. That verse said the so-called disciple had the works but not the belief.
This verse seems to say the so-called disciple had the belief but not the works.
Works is generally being considered the good things we do for others. Good works, on the other hand, is the service we perform to glorify God.
We would call these the nominal disciples. Nominal disciples are those boasting they love God without even trying to imitate Him — those who dig on religion and its rituals without having a change in heart.
They come and worship, usually just on Sunday mornings. Some may come other times the doors are open, but it is just to hear the message.
But the message never transforms them. If it does, they still don’t obey the “… ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’” (Mk. 16: 15 ESV) mandate. They don’t do the work of the Church.
Bottom line is belief is not enough. Belief in our Savior and Redeemer has to permeate our being and impact out thoughts and actions.
To do any less denies Jesus’ teaching. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Lk. 9: 23 ESV).
The Homilist told us one way nominal disciples deny Jesus. He wrote, “But they practically declare that self-interests are supreme, that every man should work for himself, regardless of the common good. He teaches to [honor] all men on account of what they are. They declare that those only are to be [honored] who are endowed with wealth, and move in the pageantry of worldly pomp and power.”
Resource
This is a form of hypocrisy. They are claiming to have God’s spiritual graces but don’t conform to His message. They are claiming to have knowledge of God but don’t implement it into their lives.
Pretend Religion
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him” (I Jn. 2: 3-5 ESV)
Believing in God and following Him is what we are commanded to do.
So, what have we discussed so far?
- Following God and not believing in Him won’t cut it.
- Believing in God and not following Him won’t cut it.
- Doing either one of those means we are pretending to be disciples.
What should we do? We just have to take out the nots.
Believe in God and follow Him.
The follow Him part is the deep part.
- We have to personally know God by having a close relationship with Him.
- This knowledge must be validated by our implementing His laws and commandments in our lives exactly as He intends them.
- Implementation into our lives requires our thoughts and actions be in sync with our words.
Maurice had some great insight. Let me do an Elaine-speak on it.
- Keeping God’s laws and commandments means we obey them.
- They must remain with us and be a part of us.
- Our knowing God does not exalt us but exalts Him.
Resource
We can’t pretend to be religious to exalt ourselves. We must exalt God in all ways.
We talked about power in the first section. Gibbon described the power of God’s commandments. He wrote, “These commandments are not arbitrary edicts of capricious power. They are the spontaneous growths of immaculate holiness and eternal love.”
Resource
The power isn’t to gain us worldly things. It is to grow our holiness and godly love.
Notice that word is singular. “… but whoever keeps his word …” (I Jn. 2: 3-5 ESV).
We know all the laws and commandments were summarized into the greatest commandments. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk. 12: 30-31 ESV).
Only by keeping the greatest commandments are we perfected. In other words, we have to believe and follow.
Glossary
Making the Connections
Is it any wonder that non-believers question why the should become a disciple when they see disciples of varying commitment? Why should they put their trust in Jesus when they are every bit as good a person as Tom? Why should they give up their pet sins when Sally hasn’t?
In other words, worldview people feel they can justify not following God because even His disciples don’t always follow Him.
But then, aren’t they following the disciples, and not God?
How Do We Apply This?
- Recognize we are nothing when we do not have the love of God.
- Recognize that pretending to be holy, but not truly being holy, does not cover our sins.
- Not be a hypocrite.
Resources
Father God. Lord, we want our relationship with You to reach the heart level. When it does, we will serve others in Your name. Amen.
What do you think?
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