KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:18 KJV “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”

These Jews were very furious with Jesus because, they said, he had broken the sabbath and even wanted to kill him because he called God his Father. This meant he was equal with God. As discussed in our earlier studies religion does not build any relationship with God.

Religion creates followers of God, who misunderstand very basic operations of God, because they do not have any relationship with Him.

The sabbath is to liberate man from the stresses of life. It is not to suppress a man from expressing joy and fulfillment. The Lord asked the man to carry his mat not as a load or burden, but an expression of victory over the disease which has tormented him for thirty-eight years. These religious individuals had a big problem with that.

The Holy Spirit speaking through apostle Paul, said the following in Philippians 3:2 that “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of concision.

Why does the Holy Spirit refer to these religious individuals as dogs? Their lack of understanding makes them attack those who live in the truth. These people wanted to kill Jesus because He said God was His Father. Everyone who is born again is a son of God. God is our Father. This is by grace. We stand in a far superior level than ordinary mortals. We are partakers of the divine nature.

Religion is about what one does to be acceptable before God.

Religious people are conscious of what their efforts have brought them, and so they do not understand what grace makes those who believe.

The Christian does not become anything by effort. He has become a participator of all that God is because he believed in what the Lord said He has done for him.

We are not anything by ourselves, rather our sufficiency is of God, for He has made us able ministers or servants of His, according to 2nd Corinthians 3:5 & 6. We are one with Christ 1st Corinthians 6:17 We are even superior to all devils Luke 10:19. There is a surpassing great power at work in us which is according to the power God He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from death. Eph 1;19,20. All these and many more is what we are, not by any effort that we made. It is all by grace through faith. Many Christians are living defeated lives because they are religious, counting on what their efforts could bring to them. They do not understand the scriptures. According to , Heb 11:3, we  understand by faith. Religious ones will not believe. They want to earn everything. They are so much engulfed in their self-effort that, they cannot appreciate and understand the truth.

WHAT IS THE ACID TEST THAT ONE IS RELIGIOUS?

SUCH A PERSON ALMOST ALWAYS HAS A PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER, OR HE HAS AN OFFENCE AGAINST ANOTHER

Anybody could be a religious person, a pastor, an elder, a deacon or church member. Religious people would miss heaven because they have no relationship with Jesus. Repent today and surrender to Him.

THOUGHT: LIVE BY GRACE AND ENJOY DIVINE PLACINGS.

FURTHER STUDIES

2nd Corinthians 3:5 KJV” Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;”

Colossians 3:12 KJV “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”