"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free"
Question: What truth sets us free? And what does it set us free from?
Answer: Bad religion!
Anything and everything that is “true” when we act upon it can set us free in particular areas of life. For example; when you learn the truth that it’s an apple a day that keeps the doctor away not a Twinkie a day, then when you exercise this new found truth, you are liberated, or set free. Unless you hate apples!
Here is something that may surprise you coming from me, a pastor; religion can and often creates the most painful bondage in peoples lives today.
I think there are two messages being proclaimed today. (I am sure there are many more than that, but that makes it easy for me in this blog to say two)
1) The message of Bad Religion – It’s Legalism, it’s based upon your performance (i.e. How long you pray, how many chapters of the Bible you read , how you dress, how many good deeds you do, or how many bad things you don't do, etc. )
2) The message of Grace – It’s freedom; it’s based not on what you do, but based on what Jesus already did on the cross. God loves you, period. Whether you pray for 2 hours a day, or pray 1 minute a day, whether you read 3 chapters of the Bible, or non at all, whether you wear a suit or sweats, or in my case baggy shorts!
The problem with the Message of Bad Religion is that its power based … if you “perform” better then others you have the power. Actually it’s if you act as though you “perform” better then others you have the power. If I can make people think I pray an hour a day, when I actually do not, then I am spiritual… in their eyes anyway. It’s not about reality, it’s about facades.
This is how religion causes bondage in people’s lives. It causes people to lie and cover up. If anyone sees who they really are, or what has happened to them or if people see their hurt, their pain, then people will know they aren’t perfect.
The truth is God loves you no matter what. You’re free to be you. You’re accepted by God and by people who really believe in the message of grace.
Are you proclaiming the message of bad religion or the message of grace in your life?
Question: What truth sets us free? And what does it set us free from?
Answer: Bad religion!
Anything and everything that is “true” when we act upon it can set us free in particular areas of life. For example; when you learn the truth that it’s an apple a day that keeps the doctor away not a Twinkie a day, then when you exercise this new found truth, you are liberated, or set free. Unless you hate apples!
Here is something that may surprise you coming from me, a pastor; religion can and often creates the most painful bondage in peoples lives today.
I think there are two messages being proclaimed today. (I am sure there are many more than that, but that makes it easy for me in this blog to say two)
1) The message of Bad Religion – It’s Legalism, it’s based upon your performance (i.e. How long you pray, how many chapters of the Bible you read , how you dress, how many good deeds you do, or how many bad things you don't do, etc. )
2) The message of Grace – It’s freedom; it’s based not on what you do, but based on what Jesus already did on the cross. God loves you, period. Whether you pray for 2 hours a day, or pray 1 minute a day, whether you read 3 chapters of the Bible, or non at all, whether you wear a suit or sweats, or in my case baggy shorts!
The problem with the Message of Bad Religion is that its power based … if you “perform” better then others you have the power. Actually it’s if you act as though you “perform” better then others you have the power. If I can make people think I pray an hour a day, when I actually do not, then I am spiritual… in their eyes anyway. It’s not about reality, it’s about facades.
This is how religion causes bondage in people’s lives. It causes people to lie and cover up. If anyone sees who they really are, or what has happened to them or if people see their hurt, their pain, then people will know they aren’t perfect.
The truth is God loves you no matter what. You’re free to be you. You’re accepted by God and by people who really believe in the message of grace.
Are you proclaiming the message of bad religion or the message of grace in your life?
3 comments:
I've been a prisoner of performance. In fact, it was hard for me to break and even harder at times not to go back into it. When I first heard about knowing the truth and being set free, I thought it pertained only to the gospel of Jesus. But as I went through counseling and started getting free, I realized it was because I was finally being honest with myself--about people in my life and myself. It was the hardest and most freeing thing I have ever done in my life. Were it not for the freedom of truth,I would be completely tied in knots (or nots as the case may be) today. I'm so thankful God changed my life through truth!
I really like how you framed the issue of religion between power and freedom. So often, power is a means to freedom.
What's the antidote for "Bad Religion"? In churches and denominations that are performance-based and power-hungry, is it easier to change the paradigm or just scrap the whole thing and start over? Reformation or revolution?
Also, how does accountability fit with the message of Grace? God loves us no matter what, but he definitely wants us to take an active part in his work. We're not meant to be pretty plants, we're called to bear fruit, right?
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