Worthless Religion

Verse of the day: Judges 17:12-13, So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

In these verses we have a clear picture of the difference between a religious person and one who truly knows God intimately. Micah, the same man who stole from his own mother (v. 1-2), now begins to establish his own religion, and somehow convinces himself that this is pleasing to God. I would like to say that this is no longer something that exists today, but the fact is that there are many (too many) man-made religions that exists all around us. What is even sadder, is that many Christians, who claim that they have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior, have gone from trusting in Christ’s atoning Blood to adding works and becoming legalistic in their Christianity. The Apostle Paul put it best when he wrote this to the Christians of the church at Galatia in Galatians 3:1-4, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” His necessity in writing this came from the fact that these Christians were convinced by Judaizers that along with putting their faith in Jesus, it was necessary to be circumcised; thereby adding works in order to be saved. This is not to say that works are not a part of our Christianity. Works are not what saves us, but they do prove that we are saved. James 2:18 puts it this way, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Ephesians 2:10 also says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” In other words, as born again believers our good works are founded in the fact that we are already saved, and we do them in gratitude and obedience to Christ Jesus, for the glory of God. Micah was an idolater. The religion he was establishing was man-pleasing, not God-pleasing. It is evident that there was some doubt that existed in his thinking about this religion, as he says what he says in verse 13 about the Lord now being good to him because he hired and consecrated this wandering Levite priest. Sadly, too many people today claim to be Christians based on the fact that they come from families where their parents are Christians, or because they attend a Christian church; yet, they themselves have never put their faith personally in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Some have a reputation for being a “nice” person, and because they give and do their best to treat others with kindness, they deceive themselves into thinking that this makes them a Christian and that they are pleasing to God. They faithfully perform their rituals and do those things which, in comparison to others, makes them look godly, but do not have an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 64:6 erases any doubt that as to whether our works, outside of Christ, are of any value in gaining favor with God, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Micah worshipped idols, and hired a priest who would serve him and his idols, and was convinced that the presence of that priest would bring him favor with God. What are we relying on to bring us favor with God? Is it our good works? Is it our association to family members or friends that are Christians? Do we think that we are saved because we give to the local church or help in some way? Like Micah, we are deceived if we think that any of this brings us into favor with God. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The only way that we can have a true intimate relationship with God has nothing to do with empty rituals and works. The only way to an intimate relationship with God is in Christ Jesus. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Let us put aside religion and seek an intimate relationship with God through faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. May our good works then be done for His glory, not ours, knowing that all the favor we will ever need or have can only be found in the righteousness and finished work of Jesus Christ.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).