How many people in the world have devoted their time going through the motions of religious activities? How many go through life doing religious things with religious people in religious places yet have never really seen the power of God manifested in a personal way in their lives?
There is an old saying that says: "Religion is what people do when God is not in the room."
In chapter three of the Gospel of John, Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees, comes to the Lord at night to seek his help in getting some important questions answered.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:2-3
Unlike many obvious sinners that Jesus encountered, Nicodemus was a man who was well versed in the Jewish Law (the first five books of the Bible) and more than likely was a role model for other Jews to follow. He was considered "the teacher" of the Jewish religion. As a Pharisee, he must have been very faithful in following the rules and regulations of the Jewish religion. After all, the Jews of the 1st century would gather to pray at the Temple in the morning, noon and in the late afternoon every day.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?" - John 3:10
Nicodemus must have been consumed with working hard to be the best he could be in order to please God and to one day be with Him. Yet, despite all of his best efforts, he didn't have a relationship with the God of the Universe. He had religion, but no relationship.
I wonder how many people today have resolved the question of how to get a personal relationship with God?
In so many places today there are a lot of morally good people doing good things in many different ways. But I wonder how many are going through the motions of religion. Even in churches, there are a lot of religious people who think that since they are church goers, they are automatically going to go to Heaven when they die. They are in essence putting their faith in their own works done in service to their church.
In the news recently, a contestant from the CBS reality series, Survivor, made waves when she refused to bow down with her cast mates to other gods in a Buddhist temple. Leslie Nease, a Christian Disk Jockey from a Charlotte radio station, said that she didn't consider herself religious, but she did have a relationship with Jesus Christ. And she felt that according to her faith in Him and the Bible it would be wrong to bow down to anyone except Him.
Leslie has a relationship and not religion. Her cast mates went through the motions of religion. Leslie sought the Lord's guidance on how to conduct herself through her relationship with Him.
This event shows that just because you do religious things, it doesn't mean that you have a relationship with God. Men and women are born separated from God at birth. The relationship between man and God was severed when Adam and Eve decided that they were qualified to know what was good instead of relying on God to tell them.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate. Genesis 3:6-7
Men and women were in their purest form before sin entered the World. When sin became a reality, God's perfect order was perverted and nature, along with men and women, was tainted and damaged in a way that was never intended by the Creator.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. - Romans 8:19-22
The whole world was damaged by sin. And God in His foreknowledge knew that would happen. But the worst thing was that God's "masterpiece", man, who was chosen to subdue the world, was separated from Him, and could not enjoy a close relationship with Him, anymore.
Unless…..
God had a contingency plan from long ago to restore the relationship that He knew would be broken.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head. And you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:15
Jesus' life was prophesied in Genesis. This prophecy was fulfilled both literally and figuratively when spikes were hammered into His hands and heels to hang Him from the Cross.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the Devil. - 1st John 3:8b
The Devil was bruised and defeated when Jesus died for the sins of all mankind at Calvary. Also, in typical crucifixions, the spike was driven through the heels of the victim. So, Jesus' heels would have been bruised and damaged horrifically for our sins.
But unless one makes a conscious decision to believe in Him with the heart and not just the head, Heaven is not attainable.
Most people who have ever gone to church are familiar with the verse that says:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
But if you read further into the third chapter of John you will also see:
He who believes in the son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. - John 3:36
In other words, as a friend of mine once said: "If nothing changes, then guess what? nothing changes!" If the gift of grace obtained by Jesus' dying on the cross is not claimed, then man forfeits the restoration of the relationship between God and him. If a person does not repent and ask Jesus to be Lord of his life, then the wrath of God remains on him.
If the relationship with God is to be restored, then the heart must change, and only repentance and a re-birth from the Spirit can bring that about that change.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. - Psalm 32:1-2