Religion Says/God Says

Religion says vs what the word says, or even what the Christian society has claimed all these years. This can be such a nail biting, controversial topic, but it’s not intended that way. So, before you move forward, please know that I have no desire to offend, only to share what I’ve learned and prayerfully encourage others to study for themselves. I encourage you to go into your bibles and verify all that I am saying according to the word of God. As the lord placed this topic in my spirit, I began researching dozens of scriptures, articles and sermons that talk about man-made religious rules and values vs what is actually stated in scripture. I began learning of many different scriptures in the bible that have been taken out of context to fit our needs as a Christian society. Is it true that we could take aspects of those scriptures and apply them to our lives? Yes, but some of these scriptures were not meant for us, or, they weren’t meant in the context we’ve been taught.

For example in the area of healing. 1 Peter 2:24 says: He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His stripes you have been healed. My whole life I have been taught that the verse was saying that by His (Jesus) stripes I am healed of all sickness and diseases. What the context of the scripture really means is; I have been healed of my sins, for Christ carried our sins to the cross and bled and died for them.. Christ was bruised and crucified as a sacrifice for our sins, and by his stripes the diseases of our souls are cured. I can’t tell you how many times I have talked with people who were angry at God because He didn’t heal their physical bodies like this scriptures claimed, because that’s what has been taught to them, and until I began researching for myself, I also believed that way. I am in No way saying that Gods desire is not to heal us, but what I am saying is that’s Not what this specific scripture was talking about.  As I was studying the topic of healing, I ran across an article by John Piper that say’s this: Yet while we pray, we must attend to a critical distinction: although God can heal us, we must never presume that he must. Death is the consequence of the fall. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

On the topic of salvation. Religion says: we have to say a specific prayer to be saved, scripture says we are saved by faith. Nowhere in scripture is there a prayer of salvation. Instead,  it does say to confess and believe. Again, I am in no way criticizing people who lead others to Christ through prayer, I encourage it, but what I am saying is this; Romans 10:9-10  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. You can believe with your heart and confess with your mouth from your couch just as easily as you can from a congregational setting. So I encourage you to not wait for the next big altar call to believe Christ died and rose again, to confess that He is Lord. I encourage you to do that as soon as the Grace of God tugs at your heart strings. Then, I also encourage you to get plugged into a biblically sound church that will guide you as you learn how to walk that walk of faith. John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

 

I love the clarity I received in an article called; Misquoting God when I did research on Proverbs 23:7 As a man thinks in his heart, so he is… Religion says: Think positive thoughts, make positive confessions, you’ll become a positive person�"that’s the idea. Your mental attitude makes you. Thoughts shape destinies. The reason we miss the point of this proverb is because it’s universally misquoted. It actually reads, For as he thinks within himself, so he is. The writer speaks of a specific man, not any man. But who? The answer is right there in the passage. Here’s the entire section, Prov. 23:6-8: Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments. Clearly, this passage has nothing to do with positive thinking. This text gives a straightforward warning to keep your guard up around selfish people. We see these kinds of scriptures quoted on a daily basis. Most times for encouragement, but how encouraging is it to find out that what you’ve been taught your whole life has been based on a religious theology and not in it’s proper context of God’s word?

 

I’ve often wondered where I stood theologically and I don’t know if I would title myself anything but a believer of Gods word with a hunger for His truth. As I have been learning scripture and roles in the bible, I have changed my stance on many of my old ways of thinking. Like I said; this is not to be argumentative or condemning of anyone else’s stance. It’s my own beliefs, through my own study and understanding of God’s word. One of the positions that have changed for me is the so called Women’s Right’s Movement in the Kingdom of God. I have always believed that God has called and equipped women to do anything a man can do, and I was so wrong. Through much studying and researching Gods word, I believe that my way of thinking was not even biblical. God has specific roles for each of us and through much research and study I have learned that being and elder and having the title of Pastor is actually forbidden for women in scripture. If we believe that; All scripture was God-Breathed as quoted in 2 Timothy 3:16, then we must be also obedient to 1 Timothy 2: 11-12 A woman should learn in silence with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to be silent. Or, in 1 Timothy just about the whole 3^rd chapter is referring to Elders, Overseers, Bishops and Deacons and they are all men.

As I have been talking to others about this topic, I have heard then defend a women’s position by using the story of Priscilla and Aquila who were missionaries that held church in their home and opened their home to Paul. Nowhere in scripture was Priscilla referred to as a Pastor or a preacher. Another widely used scripture is Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams… Beautiful promises made by God, but again nothing about Women having the right to preach or have authority over men. We as women are very loved and treasured by God and we have been given many gifts and abilities within the Kingdom of God. My desire is for us all to be taught the truth of God’s word so that when we pass down our teaching to others we can stand in righteousness of the things we speak.  Doing this study has taught me to dissect the context behind each scripture I read.

I know that sounds time consuming, but for me, I want it all and I desire to be real and honest and as open as possible. So, if I desire to teach these things, then I must have biblical truth behind what I am speaking. There are so many topics that I can touch on when it comes to what religion says. Like in Luke 2:36-40 Anna was a prophetess by gift, but prophetess was not her title. In Exodus Miriam was a psalmist, but psalmist was not her title. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people in churches being given a title according to their gifts. That is not something that disrespects scripture, but it is also not found in scripture unless it’s referring to Christ Himself who goes by many names. Savior, Shepherd, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, etc..  In my personal opinion I find it to be self-serving. The reason I find it self-serving and un-necessary is because asking people to call you by a title is bringing attention and gratification to yourselves and taking the attention away from God, who is the One who deserves all the Glory and all the acknowledgement.

 

Here’s a few questions to ponder as you go throughout your day.

Ask Yourself.... Does being a good person really grant me eternity with Christ? John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Ask Yourself..... Am I really free to speak my mind? Does what come out of my mouth Glorify God? Religion says we are free to speak our minds... The bible says; The power of life and death are in the tongue. Prov 18:21

 

 Ask Yourself….. Am I being truthful to God’s Word? 2 Timothy 2:15-16 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.  But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness.

 

Religion says to follow your heart, scripture says that the heart will deceive you. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 

 

So many and I mean so many scriptures have been taken way out of context to fit our needs. To help us become a self-seeking society. We have been taught from the beginning to twist the scriptures so that we can feel better about our choices and probably by people who they themselves have been un-knowingly taught wrong. If you are at peace with your choices and your walk with the Lord, and feel as if you have never been one of them, then Amen and I praise God for you, but I have personally fallen into that category more than once.

 

So, today I pray for us all and I encourage you to desire to know God’s word for yourselves. To study who God is and what His will is for your life. To walk in obedience and to be aware of the direction in which you lead others. Let us hold each other accountable in the Word, so that we grow together and become a part of a healthy Kingdom wide church that Honors the Word of God in everything we do.

 

Deuteronomy 4:2 You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you…. Amen!

 

                              Karen Hurl

                              7/31/2018