Seeking Truth

When we explore the tension between religion and faith, between ritual and relationship, and between ceremony and servitude, we find that truth is not a human construct and that Jesus Christ stands alone as the only path to truth. Ever since the garden of Eden, mankind has struggled to relate to God. He has revealed himself in miraculous ways only to be ignored each time something inviting and beautiful draws the attention of man down an easier path. God sent prophets and wise men to speak to his people on his behalf, only to have them rejected and killed. Finally, he sent his own Son and they killed him as well. Just like the parable of the vineyard in the 12th chapter of Mark’s gospel, God then offered the vineyard to the Gentiles through Christ.<br>
The Christian Church began making unforced errors immediately after it took its eyes off Jesus and set them on the things of this world. Just as Adam and Eve forged ahead without consulting their Creator, the institution of the church through the ages has relied upon the understanding of men without surrendering the lead to God and subsequently the church itself became compromised. Church history is filled with violence and hypocrisy in a narrative of power struggles and lies in the pursuit of wealth and influence. Learning little from the misdeeds that precipitated the reformation, many of today’s churches bear little resemblance to the body of Christ in the first century and the gospel is often something talked about but not studied or preached or even revered.<br>
The tragedy of how the institution of the Christian church morphed into an entity of power and abuse hangs over the heads of Christians today as we struggle to make sense of a multitude of denominations and messages and of what we must do to merit God’s favor. Religion has become a confusing, soupy mess of contradicting philosophies, traditional rituals, ceremony and unbiblical practices that have little to do with the New Covenant we have through Jesus. Many Pastors, Ministers and Priests don’t know scripture or don’t believe parts of the Bible. The resulting apostacy has led to bewildered splinter groups that wrestle with good deeds as an expression of faith, compassion for each other or through observing certain aspects of God’s law in order to portray themselves as justified before God or to gain some sort of merit. Millions of people are at the risk of losing their very souls to the lie that has deceived so many in the last 2000 years.<br>

The simplicity of the gospel has turned into an overwhelming maze of complex, dogmatic obstacles between man and God. Just as the Jewish religious system of Jesus’s day emphasized ritual and tradition, a great many Christians today honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. While Popes dabble in world politics – cardinals, bishops and priests chase little boys and nuns down the halls of “sanctuaries” in a paradox of piety at the expense of the meek.

Any concept of God’s purity has been lost in a multitude of ideologies that mankind has formulated from philosophical assertions that lack a Godly perspective. We cannot even begin to describe the holiness of God. The Bible says that even our best deeds are like filthy rags when compared to God’s holiness (Isaiah 64:6).

Believers are called to emulate Christ – not to try to make Jesus more like us. The perverse practice of ordaining gay and transgender clergy, performing “Affirmation of Baptismal Faith” ceremonies that recognize the new names of church members who choose to identify as the opposite sex is an assault on the Bible and on the gospel. It amounts to bending God’s knee into acknowledging and approving of sexual immorality and accepting sin as churches accept anything and everything in an effort to be seen as tolerant, inclusive and progressive.

Today the prosperity gospel focuses on material wealth and superficial comforts rather than storing up treasures in heaven as Jesus instructed. Taking up your cross and following Jesus in discipleship is fast becoming a foreign concept in most churches. This liturgy of self only serves to pacify our egotistic perceptions and lacks the one true gift that satisfies our deepest longings. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that blesses true believers who humbly submit themselves to God and his purpose in their lives.

Jesus stands alone in offering salvation to the world. Only he can save. No other figure in history makes this claim. Buddha never claimed to save souls. Muhammed never offered forgiveness of sins. Confucius never reconciled man to God through the gift of salvation. Hinduism offers no clear path to eternal life. Only the Messiah that baffled the Jews with his simple logic, his gentle demeanor and his humility does. He was not what they were expecting. However, his nature was the nature of God. The epitome of proper living. An example that every person throughout history could understand. As our redeemer he personified how God desires us to live by faith.

We can live without fear in a world where hope can seem lost and the religious establishment doesn’t offer answers to most of the questions that perplex humanity. When you sincerely seek the truth, you will find that Christ is who he claimed to be, and no one comes to the Father except through him. God calls us to obedience through love so that we may be compelled to live according to his standard in love, and ultimately fulfill the requirements of his law even though we are not governed by this law because we are under the covenant of grace and so through Jesus Christ all things are accomplished. Religion wants your servitude and participation in ritual, tradition and ceremony, but the Bible says, the righteous will live by faith. Through faith we can walk a different walk and talk a different talk and take comfort knowing there but for the grace of God go I.