“1. a
set
of
beliefs concerning the cause, nature,
and purpose
of
the
universe, especially when considered
as
the
creation
of a superhuman agency or agencies,
usually
involving devotional and ritual
observances,
and often containing a moral code governing
the conduct of human affairs.
2. a
specific fundamental
set of beliefs and practices generally
agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:
the
Christian
religion;
the Buddhist religion, etc.”
Webster
defines religion as:
“Recognition on the
part of man of a controlling superhuman power entitled to obedience,
reverence, and worship; the feeling or the spiritual attitude of
those recognizing such a controlling power, with the manifestation of
such feeling in conduct or life; the practice of sacred rites or
observances; a particular system of faith in and worship of a Supreme
Being or a god or gods; the state of life of the members of a
religious order;”
Black’s
Law dictionary defines religion as:
“A particular system
of faith and worship recognized and practiced by a particular church,
sect, or denomination.”
It
is said that man is incurably religious. To many people, religion is
their way to, and of, knowing Jesus Christ. And Christ said, “I am
the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me” (John 14:6 KJV).
A
follower or disciple of Christ is one who observes or does the
teachings and works of Christ, particularly the spread of the Gospel
(or Good news) or the Word of God. He is LOVING,
joyful, a peaceful person, longsuffering or very extraordinarily
patient, very gentle in his manner and conduct (avoiding to hurt
anyone’s feelings); he is a very nice, good and understanding
person (he places himself in the shoes of another person), he is full
of faith (believing and trusting in the promises of God (Jesus Christ
in person); he is meek (not boastful) and can control his temper and
emotions (is not easily angered or [soon angry, Titus 1:7]). The
Bible tells us: “Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down
upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:26 KJV). He does not slam the door or
pound the table hard even when angered. This is being Christlike.
Succinctly stated, he is like Jesus Christ in his character and
conduct (Gal. 5:22).
However,
in every rule there is an exception, like one day, the Lord Jesus got
so much angered upon the people who converted the premises of the
Temple of Solomon into a marketplace instead of a house of worship
and prayer, by reason of which Jesus drove all of them away from the
Temple. This is what the scripture specifically says:
“In the Temple area
he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices;
and he saw money changers behind their counters, Jesus made a whip
from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out
the sheep and oxen, scattered the money changers’ coin over the
floor and turned over their tables. Then going over to the people
who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Don’t
turn my Father’s house into a marketplace” (John 2:14-16 NLT).
A
Christlike person does not depend on his good works to be in heaven,
but he will be in heaven by the grace of God through his faith in
Jesus Christ as evidenced by his Christlikeness (Exh.
2:8). Thus, the Bible says, “By grace you have been
saved through faith …; it is the gift of God,
not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
A
Christlike person does good works out of gratitude and love for God
(Jesus Christ in person) and for his neighbor. There is no
artificiality or hypocrisy in his thoughts, words and actions.
Someone
who is religious may believe in God, attend church regularly, utter
beautifully worded and eloquent prayers, show kindness beyond
compare, and be seen as a very good person whose qualities and
character are hard to equal. However, people who are religious and
have many good qualities are not saved by their religiosity and their
religiosity will not substitute for faith (belief and full trust) in
Jesus Christ alone as his Lord and only
Savior, not by his good works. But a SAVED person necessarily
does or performs good works. Thus, the Bible tells us: “For we are
God’s masterpiece (obra maestra). He has created us
anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good
things He planned (prepared) for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10
NLT).
We
are NOT saved by what we have done or are doing, but by having
Full Faith (trusting) in God and because of what Jesus Christ has
done in the cross of calvary.
A
saved person is sanctified [made holy] in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:2).
How do we know a saved or sanctified person? Jesus Christ said, “Ye
shall know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16; 12:33;
Luke 6:44 KJV). These fruits are either the souls he
has evangelized or brought into the kingdom of God. These will be
the believer’s treasures in heaven. The “fruits” also refer to
the spiritual fruits or characteristics of a saved
person spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Gal. 5:22 as elaborated
above.
People
with faith put their trust in Jesus, repent and prays for forgiveness
of their sins. They have the incredible assurance of entrance into
heaven and seek to become more like Jesus each day, and moment by
moment.
There
are not many ways or “padrinos” to get into heaven; God’s Word
says there is only one – by the grace of God through faith in
his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from
God. Receive the gift by receiving Jesus Christ into your heart.
When
someone reaches the door of heaven he will not be asked, “To what
religion or religious sect or denomination do you belong?” which
is usually asked in application forms for application of earthly
positions. Rather, the question will be: “Do you belong to Jesus
Christ (regardless of your religious denomination or affiliation)?”
We
must remember, these various sects, denominations or nomenclature of
religious groups are only man-made not by Jesus Christ or by his
Apostles. Stated differently, the question to be asked by the guard
in heaven, will be: Are you a believer or follower of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of God?
Only
those who belong to Christ by faith are allowed to enter heaven by
the grace of God. Meaning, we do not really deserve to enter heaven,
it is only by the GRACE (unmerited favor) of God and by our FAITH in
Jesus Christ and in the truth of all Jesus’ promises. In the words
of Jesus Christ, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Then, he elaborated further what he
meant by “born again” by saying, “Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John
3:5 KJV). This will be explained in a subsequent article.
In
conclusion, one is not saved by his religious sect or affiliation but
by his spiritual relationship to Jesus Christ, regardless of his
religious affiliation.
[FGBMFI
Davao City Chapter Bulletin, March 16, 2013]
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