God Hates Religion

Here's a thought that you probably will find rather shocking. It's a pretty blunt truth but hey, let's say it like it is:

God hates religion.


A lot. He abhors it. Religion is not who God is. He did not come to Earth and say "Hey, you can come live with me in Heaven and be saved as long as you are morally upright and follow each religious law". He did not say "You will be saved by doing this, that and the other thing". Being a "Christian" isn't going to save you. You don't live your life according to a set of rules because being "religious" will not save you. God is not a "religion" and boy, do some people have that screwed up in their heads.

I've been studying the book of Mark the past couple of weeks and almost every passage refers to the religious pharisees trying to catch Jesus doing something wrong. They always disapproved of everything Jesus did. The religious people hated him. Let us also not forget that it was religious people who killed him.


(Jesus heals a paralyzed man) "Now some of the teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them 'why are thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man 'your sins are forgiven,' or to say 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sins".  - Mark 2:6-10

(Jesus eats with sinners) "While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: 'why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners". - Mark 2:15-17

(Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath) "One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?' He answered, 'Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?...They entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions... The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath". - Mark 2:23-28

(Jesus heals on the Sabbath) "Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'stand up in front of everyone'. Then Jesus asked them, 'which is lawful on the Sabbath?: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent. He looked at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man 'stretch out your hand'. He stretched it out and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus". - Mark 3:1-6 


The so-called religious people lived by a set of rules and not by a faith in Jesus. Jesus called them hypocrites, saying "you have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions... You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (Mark 7:8-9).

You guys, here's the truth. Legalism, moralism, laws taught by religious leaders telling us how to live...that is not a relationship with God. That is not who God was nor what he's about. He doesn't care if you live your whole life trying to be a "good person". He doesn't care if your Catholic, Jewish, Atheist, Christian, or whatever. Those are all just titles and mean nothing. The one thing he cares about, the one and only thing that matters to him, is that you believe in him.

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God". - Ephesians 2:8

I know so many people who are genuinely great people. They are sweet, helpful, loving, and care about other people. But truth is, unless they believe in God, they are not going to Heaven. But that doesn't mean they need to be a pompous religious know-it-all either. Reading your Bible, going to church, praying everyday, and serving the poor aren't getting you to Heaven either. These are all things that will happen naturally as you draw closer to God. Earnestly pursuing Christ will lead to a desire to actually want to do those things. When you fall in love with who God is, it's no longer a chore, but something you're excited to do.

Religion. God knows I hate it. I hate what it's done to America. I hate what it's done to non-believers. I especially hate what it's done to believers. Christians can get so down on themselves if they don't live up to religious standards. Sometimes the amount of moralistic living is enough to drive even the strongest Christians away from the faith. Satan lies to us and says we need to live a certain way or God won't love us. Satan tries to make us feel guilty if we don't go to church or read our Bible that day. He tries to make us think maybe we were never truly Christians at all.

You know what? I'm not a Christian. That's just a title that complicates everything. This world has a skewed view of what Christianity is. I'm not going to identify with that anymore. I don't have a religion. I have a relationship. I believe God sent his Son. I believe he lived a perfect sinless life. I believed he died on the cross. I believe he did all of that to save me from my disgusting sinful life and to be with me forever in Heaven.

That's it.

That's all I need. Because of this belief, I know I'm going to Heaven and that's enough for me to live for. I don't need a religion to tell me that. My prayer is that all of you will stop pursuing a useless religion and start pursuing Christ. It'll change your life.