Man-made Religion Is The Worst

And so the LORD says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. [Isaiah 29.13]

Isaiah prophesied about it. Jesus encountered it. And we still have learned nothing from it!

There was, and still is, powerless religion. It claims "God" but, because there is no substance - no relationship with God - there is no power. Man-made religion is the worst.

Jesus encountered this very thing in Mark chapter 7.

The Apostle Paul addressed the same problem in his second letter to Timothy. However, Paul describes the problem in much greater detail:

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! [2 Timothy 3.2-5]

As you can see here, Paul was not speaking of people outside of 'religion,' but, very much on the inside!

Religion can hide a plethora of nasty stuff. That is why anyone who claims relationship with God needs to constantly be on alert for the things Paul detailed and Jesus addressed. A powerful relationship with God will contain none of the things pointed out by Jesus and Paul. None.

The Bible never taught that a relationship with God is a free-willy get-out-of-jail-free pass on all that is right. I am sorry, but that is not grace as some have thought. If it were, then why is the power of God (as seen in the life and ministry of Jesus) all but absent from our worship of God today?

We need to do a serious check-up. And repent. A lot.

Father, there are so many things we do "in Your Name" that are nothing more than man-made religion. Forgive us - forgive me - for engaging is such foolishness. Help us all to take Your Word for what it is and always has been - and obey it as an act of faith.