The Christian world, the entire Christian world, is permeated with a religious spirit. It’s in me, in others, in traditional churches, in house churches. It is such a pervasive dysfunction that it’s no wonder Jesus addressed it so forcefully.
The religious spirit is not just "them," it’s also "us." We think, oh so subtly, that we are somehow better than "them." We look at externals of some kind: how we worship, how we do liturgy or don’t do liturgy, how we view Scripture, our pet theological perspectives and we hold tightly to these things because on some level we believe them to be "right." We lose our humility and our "rightness" becomes a judgment of others. We are better than them. We "do it" more correctly. And there it is–a religious spirit.
We take on a religious spirit when we get focused on the way to live the Christian life rather than the Person that we live the Christian life with. We turn relationship with God into rules. A relationship is an ongoing, everyday, living thing. When we are not living out of that living relationship, we begin to retreat into the rules of Christian living as a substitute. We do, after all, know the "right" way to live. It doesn’t take long before we are judging others because they are not living the "right" way like we are. We quickly lose sight of the fact that the reason we are in this place of judging others is because we ourselves are unsettled. We have lost our peace because we are no longer fully embracing the Person. We try to repair our sense of unrest by setting up the rules, the structure, in order to live right and thus feel right. We project that onto others. We quickly become the pharisees who encourage others to live for God based on the letter of the law and in so doing we lead people away from vibrant relationship with God.
We take on a religious spirit when our theology becomes more important than the Person behind our belief systems. We believe we know the truth; we often believe we know MOST of the truth even though Scripture affirms that we "see through a glass darkly." Yet we base much of our personal security on knowing "the truth" and we leave little room for humility, for paradoxical theological positions, and for learning deeper truths. Because our "truth" makes us feel secure, we judge the theological positions of others as being "less than." We become the scribes and we miss the heart of the One from whom all truth flows.
We take on a religious spirit when we believe we are part of a "movement" of God that others have not yet experienced but "should." Perhaps what we are involved in is NOT what God is calling someone else to be involved in. Yet we take whatever God has done for us and judge others by whether or not God has done it for them or in them or to them.
We take on a religious spirit when we have been hurt or disappointed by other Christians. Rather than heal, forgive, let go, set boundaries and move on, we become bitter. We find reason to judge them and their "hypocritical" brand of Christianity. We hold up a standard of "righteousness" that we judge others by (because we have been hurt). We become standard-bearers of righteousness seeking to hold people accountable to what’s "right." In the process we become the legalists. We forget that we are all just humans deeply in need of the washing of the blood of Jesus Christ and His eternal mercy.
We take on a religious spirit when we fail to recognize God in each and every person that He has created and redeemed. When we believe that we have something to teach others but fail to see what they have to teach us. When we take something from our spiritual life or experience and imagine that we are, in some way, better than those who do not share exactly what we are "into."
A religious spirit robs us of our real spirituality. We do not live out of the vitality of union with Christ, we live out of the push,the guilt, and the shoulds of duty. We live out of a subtle pride; we lose the joy of first love. We may feel good about "being good," but we lack the passion of a lover’s life.
Worse, we pass on this spirit into others. We model a Christianity that lacks the zest and peace that comes from relationship. We exemplify a dour, sober, lifeless Christianity. We sometimes even heap the guilt and shoulds on others and, in doing this, keep them from finding the joy of the Person. We take the religious burdens that we have put on ourselves, and we wrap them around others in a way that stifles their openness to a God of relational, creative, beautiful love. No wonder Jesus said, woe unto you!
So, I say, woe unto me. Woe unto us all. To repent and break free of religion in order to experience the power of relationship with Creator-God… isn’t that the call of the hour?
Comments
12 responses to “Religious Spirit”
OUCH!!!!! But then, I guess the alternative to the pain of the “Surgeon’s knife” is “death.”
Yes, this is muy importante! I have gone through many stages and struggles with this – learning to walk in the light as He is in the light. As a new, hungry, learning Christian I became imediately legalistic and I think it is quite natural. The disciples also were hippocrites early on, not understanding the full implications of Jesus’ mission. But once the Lord breathes on you and the Holy Spirit is recieved, a transformation begins. I was so humbled by God and so grateful for my new eyes, I listened carefully to everyone, looking for something God might be saying. Over time, I found that I had slipped and as more was revealed, I found myself going back to that place of humility. 12 Step calls it being right-sized.
I believe discernment is a gift to help others as well as myself. I think we need to hold each other accountable. But that isn’t what is happening. We do this by speaking honestly, openly and owning our feelings. Wherever we are at is OK, we are all going through things differently. God designed us that way so we could help each other. Instead, people are just “shoulding all over the place”, with no relationship established. It’s flagrant on the radio ministries and the various big-tent types bring in a lot of dough with such messages. Many are scripturally correct but lack the balance – that connection with the reality of our lives – that we’re human and we fail – continually.
Let’s be honest. Most of us men are knowledge based and want to tell others how much they know, proving somehow how Christian we are. (That’s pride). It’s insecurity that drives us. If I’m secure in Christ, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. But we are taught to show the world that we are Christian, not really understanding that people see us warts and all. We should not put on a “Christian face” because people see that for what it is – a mask.
I especially relate to the “hurt” part of your post, Roger. We need to get into real relationships, real community with other Christians in order to root out this legal problem. We must be family close in order to heal our intimate hurts that relationships bring up and keep our behavior in check. We will learn how to have healthy, Christ-centered relationships. This is God at work – in community – yet we Christians shun true closeness and full honesty. What are we afraid of? Let us not clothe ourselves in mask-like garments but allow the Lord to clothe us in His garments, like the lilies in the field.
Amen, Roger! Maybe these were some of the sentiments Dave Kanis was echoing in his recent comments.
We all must come to a point of crisis in our lives where we learn as Peter did that Spiritual truth will many times come first, only to realize in humility we have no capacity within ourselves to walk it out. As the rooster crowed Peter came to despair of the evil at work in him. This after He recognized the master for who He was.
The truth of what we see in the church may serve only to puff us up long before God will bring us to our knees in seeing the same self-love in us as we see in others. We may see the truth of God’s vision for the church in the purity of His word in Acts, yet hear our own rooster crowing as we sometimes for years try to walk out the letter of the law. God forgive us for how many people we hurt along the way in this. But at the same time it brings us to a crisis, that pentecost may come to our lives.
At the end of the day it has nothing to do with doctrine, style, the law ect.. it has everything to do with being filled with God’s love. His love is the answer, it is the power of that love that works in us to will and to act and to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is the beauty we see at work in the early church. It cannot be attained by effort or brow beating with scripture, it can only be attained when God chooses to bring a man to the end of himself and Sanctify him with the life of our precious Lord.
I will close with an excerpt from William Law who live a few hundred years ago, but HIs words still resonate today. This is from a writing entititled The Spirit of Love.
Love-1-5] Oh Sir! Would you know the Blessing of all Blessings? It is this God of Love dwelling in your Soul and killing every Root of Bitterness which is the Pain and Torment of every earthly, selfish Love. For all Wants are satisfied, all Disorders of Nature are removed, no Life is any longer a Burden, every Day is a Day of Peace, every thing you meet becomes a Help to you because every thing you see or do is all done in the sweet, gentle Element of Love. For as Love has no By-Ends, wills nothing but its own Increase, so every thing is as Oil to its Flame. It must have that which it wills and cannot be disappointed, because every thing naturally helps it to live in its own Way and to bring forth its own Work. The Spirit of Love does not want to be rewarded, honoured, or esteemed. Its only Desire is to propagate itself and become the Blessing and Happiness of every thing that wants it. And therefore it meets Wrath and Evil and Hatred and Opposition with the same one Will as the Light meets the Darkness, only to overcome it with all its Blessings. Did you want to avoid the Wrath and Ill-will or to gain the Favour of any Persons, you might easily miss of your Ends; but if you have no Will but to all Goodness, everything you meet, be it what it Will, must be forced to be assistant to you. For the Wrath of an Enemy, the Treachery of a Friend, and every other Evil only helps the Spirit of Love to be more triumphant, to live its own Life and find all its own Blessings in a higher Degree. Whether therefore you consider Perfection or Happiness, it is all included in the Spirit of Love and must be so for this Reason, because the infinitely perfect and happy God is mere Love, an unchangeable Will to all Goodness; and therefore every Creature must be corrupt and unhappy, so far as it is led by any other Will than the one Will to all Goodness. Thus you see the Ground, the Nature, and Perfection of the Spirit of Love. Let me now in a Word or two show you the Necessity of it. Now the Necessity is absolute and unchangeable. No Creature can be a Child of God but because the Goodness of God is in it; nor can it have any Union or Communion with the Goodness of the Deity till its Life is a Spirit of Love. This is the one only Band of Union betwixt God and the Creature. All besides this, or that is not this, call it by what Name you Will, is only so much Error, Fiction, Impurity, and Corruption got into the Creature, and must of all Necessity be entirely separated from it before it can have that Purity and Holiness which alone can see God or find the Divine Life. For as God is an immutable Will to all Goodness, so the Divine Will can unite or Work with no creaturely Will but that which willeth with him only that which is good. Here the Necessity is absolute; nothing will do instead of this Will; all Contrivances of Holiness, all Forms of religious Piety, signify nothing without this Will to all Goodness. For as the Will to all Goodness is the whole Nature of God, so it must be the whole Nature of every Service or Religion that can be acceptable to him. For nothing serves God or worships and adores him but that which wills and worketh with him. For God can Delight in nothing but his own Will and his own Spirit, because all Goodness is included in it and can be nowhere else. And therefore every thing that followeth an own Will or an own Spirit forsaketh the one Will to all Goodness, and whilst it doth so, hath no Capacity for the Light and Spirit of God. The Necessity therefore of the Spirit of Love is what God himself cannot dispense with in the Creature, no more than he can deny himself or act contrary to his own holy Being. But as it was his Will to all Goodness that brought forth Angels and the Spirits of Men, so he can Will nothing in their Existence but that they should live and work and manifest that same Spirit of Love and Goodness which brought them into Being. Every thing therefore but the Will and Life of Goodness is an Apostasy in the Creature and is Rebellion against the whole Nature of God.
[Love-1-6] There is no Peace, nor ever can be for the Soul of Man but in the Purity and Perfection of its first created Nature; nor can it have its Purity and Perfection in any other Way than in and by the Spirit of Love. For as Love is the God that created all Things, so Love is the Purity, the Perfection, and Blessing of all created Things; and nothing can live in God but as it lives in Love. Look at every Vice, Pain, and Disorder in human Nature; it is in itself nothing else but the Spirit of the Creature turned from the Universality of Love to some self-seeking or own Will in created Things. So that Love alone is, and only can be, the Cure of every Evil, and he that lives in the Purity of Love is risen out of the Power of Evil into the Freedom of the one Spirit of Heaven.
Roger,
This speaks to the theme of my life lately. I have recently been forced to examine, explore, and accept the fact that God loves me. Loves me not for what I have done for him or what I have become, or what I might become, but simply because he does. I can’t explain, or really even understand it, but I KNOW IT.
This realization has realy begun to open my eye to other people and my relationships. If God can extend HIslove and acceptance to them, who am I to criticise them. I want to simply and truly ask God to give me his heart for people. (I wanted to write “his people” but that was me putting a judgement on people.) I am once again thankful for God gift of salvation, the way I was when I was first saved before 20 someodd years clouded my connection to His love.
I think that all of Christianity operates under religious spirits other than the Holy Spirit.
I have yet to see anything in Christianity that measures up to the actual Gospel that the Son of God proclaimed and lived. What I have seen instead is an infinite number of different ways in which people explain away the fundamental demands of the Gospel.
The Gospel that Jesus preached cost everything; and He gave those He called, a context for responding fully.
Which Gospel is truly unreasonable?
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Jesus was willing to leave everything behind to bring into being a common life with those who would leave all behind to follow Him. He left behind His home(1), all His possessions, and declared His true family to be those who would “hear the Word of God and do it(2) .” He poured His entire attention on those who responded to His call; discipling them, having one purse(3) , one life, and one way with them.
He called the twelve apostles to leave all and follow Him. Unlike the young ruler, they all did so(4) . He told them that was the cost of eternal life not just for them, but for everyone(5).
Jesus told the young ruler that in order to have eternal life, he had to be willing to give up all he possessed. The young ruler went away sad, unwilling to trust enough to obey Jesus(6).
The Son of God said that the Kingdom of God was a treasure that had the same price for everyone, rich and poor alike; if you want it, it costs all that you have(7).
Yahshua (His true name, in Hebrew, meaning “Yahweh’s salvation”) told the great multitudes that no one could be His disciple unless he was willing to trust Him and love Him enough to hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, his own life, bear his cross, and forsake all that he has(8).
He made clear that the true Gospel would bring division between those willing to obey Him, and those unwilling to obey Him; and such division would not spare family relationships(9).
Jesus plainly stated that apart from hating ones’ own life in this world, no one could possibly keep it unto life eternal(10).
He commanded His disciples not to even try to serve both God and money, or lay up treasure on earth(11).
He commanded his disciples to take no thought for their own food or clothing. He made clear that “looking out for number one” was fine for the people of the Nations; but His disciples were to live for God’s Kingdom, while He provided for their every need(12).
The Son of God gave a new commandment, a new Way; instead of “looking out for number one”, His true followers would be known by forsaking their own lives and all they possessed to come into a new life of loving one another in just the same way that He had loved His disciples! This, Jesus plainly said, would be the only way one could know who was truly following Him(13).
He also made clear we have no business calling Him Lord, unless we actually do what He commanded(14). He said unless we do what He commanded, we are wasting our lives building on sand. He promised the Spirit to those who would love Him and trust Him enough to obey Him(15). John, His beloved disciple, goes so far as to say if we claim we know Him, and don’t do what He commands, then we are liars and the truth is not in us(16).
Now this all may seem unreasonable of Jesus; that is, not rational — irrational, showing little sense in demanding things not possible to do. To the natural man these commands are not just, but are excessive, exorbitant, irrational and contrary to reason; senseless demands. Nature provides no environment to live according to such demands, to the point of being absurd, insensible, laughable and ridiculous. Jesus must have been mentally unsound to expect people to obey these utterly illogical dogmas in His teachings, which are directly contrary to reason; that is, unreasonable demands.
Isn’t that how people are taught to view these “hard sayings” of Jesus in their churches?
Actually, to be a successful “minister” in Christianity, one must have the ability to make people believe that they are actually “following Jesus”, or “believing in Jesus”, in some mystical way that secures their salvation, completely apart from trusting Him enough to obey any of these plain commands.
But the apostles obeyed them all. They forsook all to enter into a common daily life with the One who forsook all for them. Jesus began a community, and the apostles surrendered themselves to Him in that community because it takes a Community to obey the Gospel; to have a place to love and be loved and bring new disciples into.
After His resurrection, Jesus gave them the commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”(17) They obeyed Him in this, and their proclamation of these same commands that they had themselves obeyed brought into being the “faith once for all delivered to the saints”(18) on the day of Pentecost:
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need(19).
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need(20).
By the end of Acts 4, this community of those who all forsook all, numbered 5,000 men, many of who would have been heads of households. They all forsook all for the Kingdom, for the Gospel, for the Community of faith, for the One who forsook all for them.
So did Paul. He went to far as to say that he did so, because it was a necessary act of faith; REQUIRED in order to attain to the “righteousness which is from God, by faith”(21). He also commended the Thessalonians for following the same pattern as the communities in Judea(22).
Forsaking all to enter a common life of love and unity was seen as necessary by the Son of God; it was necessary for the Twelve; it was necessary for the rich young ruler, who rejected the Kingdom; it was necessary for the “great multitudes” in Luke 14:25; it was necessary for the many thousands in the church birthed on Pentecost; it was necessary for Paul; it was necessary for the communities he shepherded. Why is it necessary?
It is necessary because it takes a community to live out the Gospel; to have a place to surrender all to the One who surrendered all for you, in His People; to have a place to “serve Him where He is”(23), to live no longer for yourself, but for Him who died for you and rose again(24). Only in a community where all give all to love one another as He loved His disciples, can one live in the reality of the Sermon on the Mount; taking no thought for one’s own food and clothing. There, all give all to build up the Body into the fullness of Christ; and everyone’s real needs are met through the Body(25). This is where you can fall in the ground and die, and not abide alone, but bear much fruit(26).
If a person is truly willing to do God’s will, their heart yearns to find a way to make the Son of God’s words flesh; not explain them away. Such a person rejoices at finding a place to lay down their life; a place to love and be loved just as He loved His disciples; a place where all the “hard sayings” are actually practiced and made a light burden by the power of the Spirit of love(27). They know such teaching is from God because they are willing to do His will(28). When they find a place where all give all for the One who gave all for them, they know they have found the Kingdom. They eagerly go and sell all that they have to gain the Treasure they have found(29). Unlike the rich young ruler, such people are willing to do God’s will no matter the cost. To find a place and a Way to obey the Son’s commands at the cost of everything is good news to them. For they have found the Gospel, the true Gospel; the one that is actually found in the Gospels, consisting of the very words of the Son of God. To know Him, and obey Him, is Life Eternal(30).
To those not willing to do God’s will, this is all bad news, not good news. Many such people are very religious. As in Jesus day, many of them are religious leaders. They consider all this at best laughable, unreasonable, ridiculous, irrational and foolish; and at worst, they consider it dangerous heresy. Such people will say all manner of evil against us falsely, because they hate the truth that exposes the fact that all they have to offer people is a form of godliness that denies the power. They have a different gospel.
What is this “gospel”? It is all about “jesus”; not the real Son of God, but an imaginary one, who can be your “Lord” without you doing what He commands. Just believe He died for your sins, and you are fine. Your name is written in the book of life! Relax and enjoy life! You don’t have to do anything at all. As a matter of fact, if you allow yourself to feel like you have to do anything, you are being deceived! Someone is trying to trick you into taking away from the “finished work of Christ!” He did it all! For you to imagine God might expect anything from you (other than your 10% tithe)is to be falling into “works righteousness”.
Such a so-called gospel completely ignores and mocks the plain commands of the Son of God.
One of these Gospels makes sense; one doesn’t. One is real; one isn’t. The true Gospel leads to abundant and eternal life; the false gospel gives a false hope that will ultimately disappoint. What determines which Gospel you choose to believe is whether or not you have a heart that is truly willing to do God’s will, regardless of the cost. He is no fool, who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he can never lose.
It still takes a community to obey the Gospel, to do the will of God, to love and be loved; it takes a community to truly know Yahshua; whose very name means Yahweh’s salvation.
http://www.TheLitmusTest.org
1. Luke 8:19-21
2. Luke 9:57-62
3. John 12:6
4. Mark 10:28
5. Mark 10:29,30
6. Mark 10:17-30
7. Matthew 13:44-46
8. Luke 14:26-33
9. Luke 12:51-53, Matt. 10:37, Luke 14:26
10. Matthew 10:38,39, Luke 14:26, John 12:25
11. Matthew 6:19-24
12. Matthew 6:25-33
13. John 13:34,35
14. Luke 6:46-49
15. John 3:36 ASV, Acts 5:32
16. 1 John 2:3,4
17. Matthew 28:18-20
18. Jude 1:3
19. Acts 2:44,45
20. Acts 4:32-35
21. Philippians 3:7-11
22. 1 Thessalonians 2:14
23. Luke 12:25,26
24. 2 Corinthians 5:14,15
25. Ephesians 4:16
26. John 12:24-26
27. 1 John 5:2,3
28. John 7:17
29. Matt. 13:44-46
30. 1 John 4:21-5:3
I went to a meeting and a Prophet from South Africa ministered to me. She gave an analogy of a missionary that went to minister and two dogs came after him. They were attacking him for his life. It was my understanding that the dogs came after the missionaries spiritual life and his natural life (soul/spirit). She further stated that the one you feed will be the victorious one. I understood this to mean feed on the Word of God and strengthen your spirit man and not your flesh man. She asked me if I could forget my past and say no to it. I took that to mean, forget all the toil of my fathers house, as well as past hurts by men of God. The prophet also stated that I came from a background where there was many religious spirits. I didn’t like hearing that. I felt violated by a spirit that I was not fully aware of its existence within although sometimes recognizing it outwardly. Healing is the childrens bread and deliverance is hidden treasure in the archives of church improprieties that should be resurrected to help hurting people identify the problem and clean the house. Hallelujah! Anyway, I was praying and seeking God, because I didn’t know if I fully understood the function of this religious spirit.
I got on the internet and I looked at a few cites, but nothing seem to turn on the light for truth to evade this area of darkness. Then I just decided to type in Religious spirit. Thank God I did. When I read what you had to say, I could feel my spirit man revive because the fleshman was being exposed. The wording was so I could understand it and it went deep into the core of my being where religious spirits try to hide like committment. Thank you for being here. I am going to post your cite in my favorite places so I can keep up with what God is doing in your ministry.
I have been very hurt by someone who professes to be my friend. I have been a Christian since the age of 12 and I am now 54; I do not say that I have not made mistakes along the way but I do know that if I ask God and I am truly sincere that he forgives. While on my previous job I worked with this lady, we had been friends prior to working together. We had alot of fellow workers who were not Christians and she wanted them converted but she tried to cram it down their throats. The same people who could not get along with her and would not listen to her, I could talk to and they would listen and us discuss what God wants and expects of us; and that he loves us. Now, she has started to condemn me; it is like she is the only person who has got it and the rest of the world is going to hell simply because they are not in her little circle. She told me yesterday that she as well as a woman whom she met last week whom she is totally enthralled with were talking and said that I have a religious spirit and I am full of bitterness because of things in my past and things that are going on now. I do not believe this and told her so; she then told me are you sure; you need to check and be sure. I know my heart and God knows my heart; how do I deal with this woman who thinks she is the only one who is ever right.
It hurts, but i would suggest you wipe the dust off your feet and move on. She is NOT a friend.
To Alice I say, Lord bless you! You are on your way to understanding, which is wisdom. Follow the Spirit of God who nudges your heart along. I have found that honesty, openess and willingness (HOW) are the keys to walking in the right spirit. The woman you speak of may be condemning and legalistic. She may also see things in you, defects, which she thinks you should be delivered from. Isn’t that true of us all? Humility is realizing that the defects I see in others are real but I can do nothing about them. And, that I too have my own. Only through love may we be healed, the kind of love our Lord showed us. To be like Jesus is to fight in the spiritual realm and to be detached (surrendured) to the consequences heaped upon us due to the outward (manifest) reality of His love. Be at peace with everything, even death.
gomez article
it’s my opinion on that theme
I believe satan has accused the sincere believer of being “religious” because they have CHOSEN to do and not to do things out of love and respect of Jesus in an attempt to get them to “forget about it,” and slowly begin to compromise and be cooked like the frog unaware, and then die. “Be not unaware of his devices.”
What type of Gnostic teaching is going on here? “It’s all about the spiritual. That’s all that matters.”