Most of us have heard someone say, “I’m not religious.” Maybe you have said this yourself. I know I have.
Following God doesn’t mean you have to be religious. It doesn’t mean your life is now ruined. It doesn’t mean that you now have to be a robot for God. No, it’s actually the other way around. As Scripture states, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (New International Version, John 8:31-32).
Given that we were made to worship God, there will be a void in our life if we don’t. We know this is true because of all the endless pursuits people chase in order to find happiness. At the end of the day, none of them satisfy nor will they ever satisfy. This is how it is designed. We are designed to have a relationship with our Creator.
Similar to all of the different denominations, man has ended up twisting this relationship. As I state on the homepage of this website, “God created humans. God created faith. Humans created religion (thousands of religions).” We see this in the religion of Christianity itself. Religion often emphasizes a structure of rules, rituals, doctrines, etc., one must follow in order to follow God. While God certainly does hate sin, religion can make someone try to earn their way to God when we know God came down from Heaven to die on the cross; He came for us. We cannot make ourselves “good enough” to get into Heaven or win God’s favor.
Within some denominations of Christianity such as Catholicism, there are false religious practices. For example, some Catholics worship Mary, which we know is not right and is actually sinful. Mary is not God and we should declare this as being wrong.
I’m not saying that all religious denominations are absolutely the worst nor that someone cannot be saved because they are a Catholic. Nor am I saying Catholics cannot have a relationship with God. What I am saying is that religion can bind people, lead them astray, and have them perform religious motions without truly having a relationship with God. For example, people may recite a prayer and not even really acknowledge the meaning of the prayer. It’s basically lip service to God. Also, I’m in no way trying to cause division within the Church, but this is the truth. People may not want to hear it, but here it is.
On the other hand, a relationship with God is getting to truly know your Creator by having a loving connection and interaction with Him. You don’t go through the religious motions, and don’t try to earn your way to God like many other religions outside of Christianity, and even within Christianity. It’s like a father and son or daughter relationship. It’s on a personal level, and not just from a knowledge or works perspective.
This is why a relationship > religion. God intended for a relationship right from the beginning. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve disobeyed (as we have all disobeyed) our Maker and ever since then man has a way of distorting the truth and leading people astray. If someone asks you if you are religious, you can tell them no and that you have a relationship with God. You are free in Christ, not bound by the devil.
