Today our churches are full of people who do religious things. They go through the motions and may even look like faithful Christians to others. But God is always looking at the heart. Many of them have never understood or embraced the gospel and so have not experienced genuine heart change. Others are trying to appear one way while living another. When they do, it’s just empty religion and not pleasing to God. Could any of this apply to you or me?
Today’s Readings:
Nehemiah 3-5
Psalm 89.1-4
Proverbs 21.27
Acts 26.1-32
Worthless Religion
Proverbs 21.27:
Religious Activity
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with wicked intent!
Religious activity, no matter how pious it appears to others, means nothing to God. And when it is done out of a desire to appear holy or worse yet, for personal gain—it’s not only worthless but an abomination and detestable to God! This is a theme repeated throughout Scripture. 1 Samuel 15.22-23:
22 Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”
Saul had disobeyed God’s command to destroy all the spoil won in battle. Instead, he kept back the best of the goods and animals and tried to justify it by saying, he planned to sacrifice them to the Lord. But in reality, he was doing what seemed right to him and, probably, what would keep his men happy.
Empty Religion
Malachi 2 says:
13 “This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
15 But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
The people in Malachi’s day were carrying on a pretense of religion, praying and sacrificing, while disregarding their marriage vows, just one example of their religious hypocrisy. And God would not accept their offerings or hear their prayers because of it.
Peter said this in the New Testament.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them [their wives] with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Pet. 3.7).
Notice that last phrase, “that your prayers may not be hindered.” While this is directed to men specifically, we women should not think we get a pass on this. When we are acting sinfully in our marriages or other relationships, we shouldn’t be surprised that our prayers are not being answered.
Religion, Prayer & Giving
And in Matthew 6.1-8, Jesus used prayer and giving, both good things when done with the right motive, as examples of things that can be just empty religion:
Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Religion & Disobedience
But it’s not just the desire to look good to others that’s an indicator that our religion is merely for show. Unless Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, there will be other areas of disobedience, as well.
We cannot do religious things (like going to church, giving to charity, and praying) as those in Malachi’s day did without a willingness to make the changes necessary to live a God-honoring life.
We must examine our own hearts. Do we have anger and bitterness? Are we acting in unloving ways at home with our spouses or children while trying to look good at church, exactly what Malachi and Peter warned against (Matt. 5.23-24; 1 Pet. 3.7)?
Could we be justifying sinful business practices by saying, “It’s what you have to do to make it and, after all, I tithe”? If so, we are trying to put a religious spin on disobedience just as Saul did (1 Sam. 15.10-23).
If we realize we have been merely going through religious motions, we need to pray that God would grant us genuine repentance. Repentance is more than sorrow or conviction over sin, it’s turning around and going God’s way. Anything else is just more empty religion.
If we realize we are being hypocritical or disobedient in our Christian lives, Proverbs 28 offers us both a warning and great hope.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Prov. 28.13 ESV).
But there can be a deeper problem.
Completely Worthless Religion
While believers may fall into some of these sins to one extent or another, there is an even greater danger. If you have never truly understood and embraced the gospel, all the church-going, all the benevolence, all the religious activity in the world can’t save you. God has no divine scale in heaven to weigh our good deeds against our bad. No one can earn anything.
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away (Is. 64.6, NKJV).
Only faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross can save us. More than intellectual knowledge, we must come to the point where we understand that we are sinners, hopeless and helpless, and can do nothing to save ourselves (Rom. 3.23, 6.23).
Perhaps you were told all you need to do is “ask Jesus into your heart,” join a church, or get baptized. But none of those things can save us. Saving faith in Christ and Christ alone must come alive (Eph. 2.8-9). Then we express that to God in prayer, confessing that we are sinners, asking Him to save us and give us a desire to live for Him. Then we should become part of a good Bible-teaching church and take part in believer’s baptism. But they are the fruit not the cause of salvation.
If you think this might describe you, pray and ask God to help you understand the truths of the Gospel, talk to a pastor or someone you believe has a genuine relationship with God, or leave me a message at the bottom of this post and I’ll point you in the right direction.
You also might go to one or both of these posts:
“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”
“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”
Please don’t leave your eternity to chance.
Today’s Other Readings:
Nehemiah 3-5:
Responding to Opposition
Nehemiah and the people who had returned to Jerusalem after their 70-year captivity continued to rebuild the wall, but not without opposition. But Nehemiah’s response was the same one we should have when we encounter problems. Chapter 4, verses 8-9:
… and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
Nehemiah and the people prayed, did what they believed God wanted them to do which was to continue building, and left the rest in the hands of God.
Psalm 89.1-4:
Do You Sing of His Mercies?
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations (v. 1).
When God really has our hearts, we want to sing and tell others about what He has done in our lives! Ephesians 5.18-20:
… but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 26.1-32:
Paul’s Testimony and Yours
In this chapter of Acts, Paul gave his testimony to King Agrippa. We can follow the same basic outline when sharing our testimonies with others. In verses 4-11, Paul told Agrippa what his life was like before conversion, how he tried to be religious by persecuting Christians, as well as, leading an exemplary religious life (sound familiar?). In verses 12-18, he explained how he came to know Jesus Christ as Lord. And in verses 19-23, he explained how it impacted his life and what his life was like after conversion.
Have you ever sat down and written out your testimony? If not, consider doing so. It will better prepare you to share it when you have the opportunity. Again the three parts are: what your life was like before conversion, how you came to know the Lord, and what God has done in your life since then.
Finally, the passage ends in verse 32 with this statement by Agrippa, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” We see the sovereign hand of God at work, taking Paul where He wanted him.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about how flattery can be a snare to the hearer, how to move from grief to joy, and what some have called the great exchange.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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