Consider the following verse:
Matthew 10:16-17
But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wineksins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Saturday 27 November 2010
Religion, Jesus, and Love
We know that the Church is the Bride of Christ. His vision is for the body of believers to be united as one, in communion with the Holy Spirit, to serve and abide with Jesus Christ. The purpose of this blog is not to assess whether the Church in its current form fulfils this vision or not, for I am nobody to judge (and I would not wish such judgement on myself, which according to the Word is the consequence of judging others). I merely intend to provoke a question about the value of 'religion' as it pertains to the Church.
What is religion? For some, especially atheists, religion is a catch-all phrase that refers to a delusional institution bent on unattainable ideologies and destructive dogmas. To others, religion is a way of life, a code of conduct so to speak. Religion, in my view, is the man-made system of interaction based on a particular belief. In the Christian context, religion must refer to the standardised consensus on morals and the set way of 'doing things' within the Church. In other words, there is a difference between Christians and Christianity: the latter is not merely the sum-total of the former, but rather a particular set of directives stipulated by man.
To understand the value of religion for Christians, we must understand the origins of Religion, for it is a value-laden word. For the Hebrews, religion and faith were inseparable. To access the holiness of God, rituals had to be rigidly followed: read the book of Leviticus for more information. Dietary laws, circumcision, ritual cleansing, sacrifices, alms, and other rules and responsibilities were needed so that, through the institution of the Temple (and the Tabernacle), the Jewish people could approach the holiness of God in spite of their sin. For this reason, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year, at set times, with certain prerequisites. This system of 'religion' was indeed man-made, but it was demanded by God.
Needless to say, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ dramatically transformed our relationship with God, and therefore the place of religion in that relationship. First, salvation was for all people, not only the Jews (see Hebrews for more details). Second, and most important, our righteousness, and by implication our justification to enter God's presence and receive his blessing, now comes by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by works, as Paul (who was a religious fanatic at one point) so vehemently declares. So, although we must still be righteous to enter the kingdom of God, that righteousness is available through Christ, who completed the work for us. So when Jesus tells us that "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven", we should question the value of man-made systems of conduct.
We can see the Temple, or the Tabernacle, as a kind of mirror; the Jews could indirectly see God, as if through a veil. Christ has removed the need for that mirror/veil. What use is the Tabernacle, if God himself, through his Son, has “tabernacled among us”? Observe Matthew 23:
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” To be 'religious' when Christ has bypassed religion is like listening to your iPod at a U2 concert.
Indeed, Christ challenged the religious customs and authorities of his day, to a rather provocative degree; I need not recapitulate the havoc he wrought in the Temple when it was infested with moneylenders, the irritation he caused by healing on the Sabbath, and indeed the extremely derogatory language he used to describe the Pharisees: "brood of vipers", "hypocrites", and such like. Indeed, Matthew 23 lists "seven woes" on the teachers of the Law. They crux of the hypocrisy is that religion (which is by definition man-made) stipulates a standard that its proponents cannot attain; and yet this standard is forced on 'sinners':
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them... 25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hypocrisy is not only 'morally intolerable', but it is destructive. To attempt to remove the speck from another's eye with a plank obstructing your own vision will result in some pretty messy surgery. Observe Matthew 23:13
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to...15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”” For this reason, we are told to "guard against the 'yeast of the Pharisees', for a little yeast leavens the whole dough. In modern terms, we can see why so many people are repelled by Christianity in its current form: they see it is a rigid set of rules that condemn the disobedient to a fiery Hell, with the promise of eternal life reserved for a select few of religious saints, who embark on holy crusades to save the barbaric infidels. How contrary is the message of Christ to this message, which is the one that is so often disseminated, explicitly or implicitly, by Christians?
To accept religion it to accept its consequences; that is, to state that religion is the key to salvation is to deny the grace of Christ. Observe Galatians 5:1-4
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” Paul goes on to desire that those who preach circumcision should emasculate themselves. Also Observe Matthew 23:
“29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! 33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.” If somebody wishes to rely on their own righteousness salvation, they will come across difficulties.
What is the alternative? Continuing in Galatians 5:
“For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.... 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” So how can we, as followers of Christ, act in a way that connects with people? To act in love.
It is apparent that goodness occurs everywhere, and good works are done not only by Christians. We must not be like the Jews that tried to restrict the diffusion of Christ across the world, for Christ is for all people. Observe Matthew 3:
“7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” We must ensure that we are not using religion as a means of exclusion; for the consequences of such manipulation are dire.
Indeed, there is a connection between believers and unbelievers: a latent potential in those who are spiritually dead that we must appeal to. Observe James 1:26-7:
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Observe also Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Few people, Christian or otherwise, would deny that justice, mercy and faithfulness are desirable virtues. By demonstrating these traits, Christians can represent Christ Jesus.
So what is the value of established religion? Observe Matthew 23 once again:
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Is religion self-serving? If so, it should be discarded. Christ's vision is for a Church ordained as a bride fit for a wedding. We must act in love, and disregard the tendency for systems of man to stray towards means of manipulation, hierarchy, condemnation and self-righteousness: the very trappings from which, through Christ, the World is free. If Christ came again today, as he did in the year 0 AD, would the Church recognise Him? He would most likely be ignored due to the 'unspectacular' nature of most of his relationships; condemned for his dealings with 'sinners'; and most likely be called ostracised for his unconventional methods and direct criticisms of established authority.
The Law and the Prophets are summed up in the Law of Love (see an earlier post). That is what our religion should be.
What is religion? For some, especially atheists, religion is a catch-all phrase that refers to a delusional institution bent on unattainable ideologies and destructive dogmas. To others, religion is a way of life, a code of conduct so to speak. Religion, in my view, is the man-made system of interaction based on a particular belief. In the Christian context, religion must refer to the standardised consensus on morals and the set way of 'doing things' within the Church. In other words, there is a difference between Christians and Christianity: the latter is not merely the sum-total of the former, but rather a particular set of directives stipulated by man.
To understand the value of religion for Christians, we must understand the origins of Religion, for it is a value-laden word. For the Hebrews, religion and faith were inseparable. To access the holiness of God, rituals had to be rigidly followed: read the book of Leviticus for more information. Dietary laws, circumcision, ritual cleansing, sacrifices, alms, and other rules and responsibilities were needed so that, through the institution of the Temple (and the Tabernacle), the Jewish people could approach the holiness of God in spite of their sin. For this reason, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year, at set times, with certain prerequisites. This system of 'religion' was indeed man-made, but it was demanded by God.
Needless to say, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ dramatically transformed our relationship with God, and therefore the place of religion in that relationship. First, salvation was for all people, not only the Jews (see Hebrews for more details). Second, and most important, our righteousness, and by implication our justification to enter God's presence and receive his blessing, now comes by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by works, as Paul (who was a religious fanatic at one point) so vehemently declares. So, although we must still be righteous to enter the kingdom of God, that righteousness is available through Christ, who completed the work for us. So when Jesus tells us that "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven", we should question the value of man-made systems of conduct.
We can see the Temple, or the Tabernacle, as a kind of mirror; the Jews could indirectly see God, as if through a veil. Christ has removed the need for that mirror/veil. What use is the Tabernacle, if God himself, through his Son, has “tabernacled among us”? Observe Matthew 23:
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” To be 'religious' when Christ has bypassed religion is like listening to your iPod at a U2 concert.
Indeed, Christ challenged the religious customs and authorities of his day, to a rather provocative degree; I need not recapitulate the havoc he wrought in the Temple when it was infested with moneylenders, the irritation he caused by healing on the Sabbath, and indeed the extremely derogatory language he used to describe the Pharisees: "brood of vipers", "hypocrites", and such like. Indeed, Matthew 23 lists "seven woes" on the teachers of the Law. They crux of the hypocrisy is that religion (which is by definition man-made) stipulates a standard that its proponents cannot attain; and yet this standard is forced on 'sinners':
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them... 25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hypocrisy is not only 'morally intolerable', but it is destructive. To attempt to remove the speck from another's eye with a plank obstructing your own vision will result in some pretty messy surgery. Observe Matthew 23:13
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to...15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”” For this reason, we are told to "guard against the 'yeast of the Pharisees', for a little yeast leavens the whole dough. In modern terms, we can see why so many people are repelled by Christianity in its current form: they see it is a rigid set of rules that condemn the disobedient to a fiery Hell, with the promise of eternal life reserved for a select few of religious saints, who embark on holy crusades to save the barbaric infidels. How contrary is the message of Christ to this message, which is the one that is so often disseminated, explicitly or implicitly, by Christians?
To accept religion it to accept its consequences; that is, to state that religion is the key to salvation is to deny the grace of Christ. Observe Galatians 5:1-4
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” Paul goes on to desire that those who preach circumcision should emasculate themselves. Also Observe Matthew 23:
“29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! 33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.” If somebody wishes to rely on their own righteousness salvation, they will come across difficulties.
What is the alternative? Continuing in Galatians 5:
“For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.... 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” So how can we, as followers of Christ, act in a way that connects with people? To act in love.
It is apparent that goodness occurs everywhere, and good works are done not only by Christians. We must not be like the Jews that tried to restrict the diffusion of Christ across the world, for Christ is for all people. Observe Matthew 3:
“7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” We must ensure that we are not using religion as a means of exclusion; for the consequences of such manipulation are dire.
Indeed, there is a connection between believers and unbelievers: a latent potential in those who are spiritually dead that we must appeal to. Observe James 1:26-7:
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Observe also Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Few people, Christian or otherwise, would deny that justice, mercy and faithfulness are desirable virtues. By demonstrating these traits, Christians can represent Christ Jesus.
So what is the value of established religion? Observe Matthew 23 once again:
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Is religion self-serving? If so, it should be discarded. Christ's vision is for a Church ordained as a bride fit for a wedding. We must act in love, and disregard the tendency for systems of man to stray towards means of manipulation, hierarchy, condemnation and self-righteousness: the very trappings from which, through Christ, the World is free. If Christ came again today, as he did in the year 0 AD, would the Church recognise Him? He would most likely be ignored due to the 'unspectacular' nature of most of his relationships; condemned for his dealings with 'sinners'; and most likely be called ostracised for his unconventional methods and direct criticisms of established authority.
The Law and the Prophets are summed up in the Law of Love (see an earlier post). That is what our religion should be.
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