Mere Religion
The folly of most religions, is the attempt to become right in God's eyes by doing religious acts, but our trying to become better people is like sweeping a dirt floor. We are corrupted through and through. Therefore, the old must be done away with and we must be given a new heart. This my friend is the beauty of Christianity! For in Jesus' death, we were judged and condemned (the old done away with), but through His resurrection we are made new; He awakens our spirit where He can dwell within us.
Jesus tried to wash Peter's feet, but Peter resisted, Jesus then said he could have no part with him if he did not allow him to do so, so Peter said "wash all of me!" but Jesus said "no, you are clean, but since you walk in world, your feet need to be washed". This symbolizes how through Christ we are new and pure, but while in this world of temptation we'll still mess up. What is awesome is we can be cleansed because at our core we are clean.
I once looked up what believe means in Greek and the first definition was to "adhere to and to cleave to". I thought this was quite interesting and thought of this illustration.
O.K to get to heaven one must be perfect. The airplane represents perfection and the door is free choice, to commit one sin is like jumping out of the airplane. Just as the law of gravity would mean sure death, likewise, the wages of sin is death and separation from God. Since we've all been selfish from the get-go, all we know is the falling, that is our life; this in between time before death. Now some don't believe in the law of gravity, they say truth is relative, but reality is reality no matter what one believes. Some are all about having fun and are sky-driving and flipping around making the most of it. Some notice they are falling and turn to religion, which is like spreading out their arms and while they may believe this will work, they too will hit the ground and die. Some are taught that all they have to do is acknowledge that there is a man out there who has a parachute and they will be fine, so they get a false assurance that they are alright and can live their own life as they please because they believe the right things. But they too will fall to their death.
But there is one Man who has a parachute, who symbolizes Jesus. The only way to be saved is to cling to Him, which is the true meaning of believe. Yet how can we cleave to him, if we have our arms full of stuff and possessions? Can we cling to other people and cling to him at the same time? The only way to cling to Christ is to let go of everything else. Paul said "I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and consider it all dung, that I may gain Christ". Jesus said "if you do not forsake all and deny yourselves, then you cannot be My disciple" This is the cost of believing in Jesus, but He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him. Jesus said, "He who tries to find his life will loose it, but he who looses his life for my sake, will find it" If we humble ourselves, surrender and lay down our rights; making Him our Master and Lord, we will be able to enter into a relationship with the most beautiful, creative, wise and Awesome Being in the universe, who passionately loves us.
"for God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him" John 3:16-17
So much of modern Christianity is rooted in Greek thinking. In Greek thinking all that matter is knowing the right things, but Hebrew thinking assumes that "to KNOW and not to DO, Is to not yet KNOW" For example according to Hebrew thinking, you do not BELIEVE Jesus died, was buried and rose again, unless you DIE to sin, bury it and leave it behind, and then walk in the newness of life through Christ. If we do not DO these things, then we don't believe, instead DENY HIM even though we acknowledge that He died, was buried and rose again. Oh how many people are decieved! The biblical meaning of believe is not a mental acknowledgment of past FACTS, but our Greek thinking corrupted almost all teaching and Christian thought.
