The word religion is extremely rare in the New Testament and the writings of mystics. The reason is simple. Those attitudes and practices to which we give the collective name of religion are themselves concerned with religion hardly at all. To be religious is to have one's attention fixed on God and on one's neighbour in relation to God. Therefore, almost by definition, a religious man, or a man when he is being religious, is not thinking about religion; he hasn't the time. Religion is what we (or he himself at a later moment) call his activity from outside. (C. S. Lewis, "Lillies That Fester")
I never liked the word religion. Religion is a man made thing, but seeing the word in the light that C.S. Lewis puts it makes me think just a little bit differently about it. I still think it is man made, but maybe it is man’s response to the workings of God. It is our reply to the majesty that is creation. It is our attempt to put a name on how we feel about what God is doing. We use the word to cover any number of things that we do. It is religious to study scripture, it is religious to attend worship, it is religious to pray both in secret and in public. It is religious to do the things that the Church is supposed to do. Where we have gone wrong is to allow the secular world to capture that word from us and apply it to things that are not of God.
There are no other religions if you take the word at its face when it is used by Lewis. Religion belongs to Christ and no other, it is our response to Christ’s saving grace. Religious is something that we are called and not something that we do, says Lewis. Religion is when we are clearly fixed on God and clearly fixed on God’s children. If that is true we can look to the book of James in the second chapter to see religion’s twin brother, faith! That is the real word that the world fears to use. When we are doing the work of God in this world it is faith that we are putting skin on and not just religion. In this content I can see how religion might not be so bad after all, but I believe in the context of the worldly perception of the word I will stick to faith. Remember, God wants us to see things through His eyes, to do things His way. If we do just that, and no more, we will be simply following two rules, Love God and love His people!
That’s what it is all about… Love God, love His people. Look to any scripture and you will see these two commandments.. This religion thing, this faith thing is not so hard after all… the hard part was overcoming sin and that was done by your Father in heaven and His Son. Today, each time you approach someone, every time you begin a task, when you are in the elevator or the hallway at work, when you are at the supper table with your family, when you are in your car going and coming from the day’s tasks.. wherever you are remember to Love God and His people and your lives will be transformed… you will have the religion that CS Lewis is talking about, and you will have the faith of the saints.
I never liked the word religion. Religion is a man made thing, but seeing the word in the light that C.S. Lewis puts it makes me think just a little bit differently about it. I still think it is man made, but maybe it is man’s response to the workings of God. It is our reply to the majesty that is creation. It is our attempt to put a name on how we feel about what God is doing. We use the word to cover any number of things that we do. It is religious to study scripture, it is religious to attend worship, it is religious to pray both in secret and in public. It is religious to do the things that the Church is supposed to do. Where we have gone wrong is to allow the secular world to capture that word from us and apply it to things that are not of God.
There are no other religions if you take the word at its face when it is used by Lewis. Religion belongs to Christ and no other, it is our response to Christ’s saving grace. Religious is something that we are called and not something that we do, says Lewis. Religion is when we are clearly fixed on God and clearly fixed on God’s children. If that is true we can look to the book of James in the second chapter to see religion’s twin brother, faith! That is the real word that the world fears to use. When we are doing the work of God in this world it is faith that we are putting skin on and not just religion. In this content I can see how religion might not be so bad after all, but I believe in the context of the worldly perception of the word I will stick to faith. Remember, God wants us to see things through His eyes, to do things His way. If we do just that, and no more, we will be simply following two rules, Love God and love His people!
That’s what it is all about… Love God, love His people. Look to any scripture and you will see these two commandments.. This religion thing, this faith thing is not so hard after all… the hard part was overcoming sin and that was done by your Father in heaven and His Son. Today, each time you approach someone, every time you begin a task, when you are in the elevator or the hallway at work, when you are at the supper table with your family, when you are in your car going and coming from the day’s tasks.. wherever you are remember to Love God and His people and your lives will be transformed… you will have the religion that CS Lewis is talking about, and you will have the faith of the saints.
No comments:
Post a Comment