Was Jesus abolishing religion?

Would you consider with me tonight what is the difference between religion as people may define it and what God had in mind when He speaks of religion in His inspired Word. All these things should not cause us to grumble and argue with one another, but to be drawn to worship of Christ, for He is worthy! 

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."  ~  Ephesians 2:14-22

This passage does not abolish religion, but rather does away with the enmity between the "circumcision" and "uncircumcision". This does not agree with the thought that Jesus came to abolish religion, either. Rather, Jesus brought down the dividing wall between the Jewish nation and the Gentiles who also came to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Religion is not the problem here folks. Perversion of the pure and perfect work of Christ, making it useless (abolish) by trusting in our works rather than faith in Christ, that is the problem. On the other end of this, keeping traditions without the proper spirit of humility and grace toward others, can make religion void of God's power.

What then are we to do? Walk in the spirit, following the commands of our Savior, not as a means of salvation or favor with the Lord, but as our hearts are filled with love for Christ we walk in His ways and speak His truth. If we are known for holy lives that are filled with love for the Lord, it will pour out toward others and give an open door for the Gospel to go forth. The Gospel preached will encourage Christians and convict sinners. That is what I see as pure religion, one that walks the talk and does so only for the glory of God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.

"I hate religion, even though Jesus established religion"

Even the Catholic church has stepped into the fray on the "I hate religion, but love Jesus" video. Though I don't agree with the way Catholics seem to be able to make a tradition out of about anything, you have to agree that they do take seriously the command of Jesus in regard to the Lord's Supper. I qualify this by saying the Bible does not agree with transubstantiation at all, as that was added in much later. Still, the man makes a point with the following article, which is witty and informative.

Read the entire post here, or check this quote below:"It's one thing to ignore Christ's statement to 'eat my body.' It's another to ignore his command to “do this in memory of me.” Christcommanded that we have ritual. The early church followed this ritual, they obeyed his command to “do this in memory of me.” We know this because Paul says: “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”

I have to clarify again, that I do not believe in the theology of this author or the article, but appreciate some of his insight into the video. The Roman Catholic church has enough problems of its own, but I have not nearly enough time to deal with all that in this post. Maybe some day!

Behind the message: "I hate religion..."

I found this article, which does a good job sharing the good and bad of the video 

"I hate religion, but love Jesus" 

Check out the full article here. Here is an excerpt. 

"It’s well and good that he’s making claims from the outside, but when he says he’s not here to judge, that’s simply disingenuous. Also, he begins to hedge even these bold claims by saying he still loves the Church, while hating religion. There are even other videos online of him “preaching” in church. So if we’re going to cast stones, let’s decide which side of the wall we’re aiming for.

But all of this doesn’t get at the heart of my biggest issue with his spoken word piece. What bothers me the most is that, despite stretching out toward a post-religious understanding of Christ, he then falls right back into the same old lexicon of substitutionary atonement language...

So my questions is this: though he seems to be bent on tearing at the fabric of at least the evangelical Christian church, if not organized religion as a whole, why does his central message sound pretty much like every evangelical altar call I’ve ever heard?"

I don't hate religion Nope, but I do love Jesus!

A Facebook friend shared this encouraging message with me. I wanted to share it with you all, as I believe I was not wrong to disagree with the video "I hate religion, but love Jesus" See below for my brother's comments.

"Mark, your review is correct and should get more visibility. Don't feel compelled to slack off.
If the poem said "*false* religion" every time he used the word "religion", he would be saying what the Bible says.

But by neglecting this one word, he creates confusion, further propagating the idea that all religion is bad. This is not good, and is certainly not Biblical. Furthermore, whether he intends to or not, he's also catering to the "iGeneration", where people think they can follow a Christ of their own imagination and ideas, and not be bound by the terms, definitions and practices of Scripture (aka, "religion").

Yet this problem is nothing new: people were doing that in Jesus' day! They didn't want the Messiah as revealed in the Scriptures (which is why He constantly said "Have you not read...?"), and therefore they didn't recognize Him as Messiah when He appeared - yet still claimed to be children of God! Jesus exposed all of them (not just the Pharisees!) for their *false* religion and false faith (John 8) while still telling people that they should emulate the correct practices of the Pharisees:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. **These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others**. (Matt 23:23)"

Do you agree with this man, disagree, or are you just tired of talking about this? I appreciate your input, and look forward to sharing some of what the Lord does in our upcoming trip to Tampa area. We will be gone for a week or so, then home for a few days, then moving to Maine. Will try to keep up with blogging in the interim, but I can't promise anything. 

"I hate religion, but love Jesus" video

See related post here 

I watched a few more of this man's videos, and feel that the reason we find error in his "religion hating" is that his definition of grace is also flawed. A friend shared this comment on Facebook, which I believe sums it up well. I have collected a few things here to try to hit on more of the caution necessary before people embrace this video. Some have said Jesus died so we could sin freely. Others have said that this video reminds them that their church is not good enough. While the content is good to view, I cannot stress enough the need to get back to God's Word instead of just regurgitating the vernacular of the world.

Did Jesus come to abolish Religion? The Bible doesn't say that!

God's Word holds the truth, not any video or even blog post. 

Please read Romans 6-8, 1 John 1,and James 1 & 2 to see more of what God's Word says about religion, grace, and how one should live as a Christian. 

Dont' cheapen grace, and don't defy the holiness of the true and living God.

See comments below

The good, bad, and ugly from Facebook regarding this video

From Todd Caverly- my 2 cents- food for thought, remember to see what the Bible says on these subjects. Paul, referred to himself as a bondservant- not a free man, we are instructed by Luke to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, etc. I think this is catchy because many of us are frustrated by what the "Church" has become- the problem is that WE are all to blame. WE get to busy to be involved in people lives with the Gospel, WE place doing "fun things" or "me time" above carrying out the commands of Christ.

So, yes, I do not want what is sold as American Christianity, but am I going to complain about how it is wrong, or pick up my cross and do what Christ instructs?

This video drastically misrepresents religion. I hear a man telling me that I shouldn't develop the mindset of the New Testament Pharisees. I agree. God commands me not to. But please don't say that all religion is vile because Christianity IS religion. Yes, it's a relationship, but it is also a religion. It has a concrete law, clear-cut guidelines, and very important standards. Follow the Bible that God was gracious enough to provide us with. Not whatever makes your heart feel good.

I totally agree with Brenna...This guy does have it wrong. So here's another viewpoint on this video...

I disagree with his choice of a couple words but I couldn't agree with his message more. Please just give it a listen.

This video reminded me of a verse from Jason Gray's song: "Cause all religion ever made of me was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet. It never set me free. It's gotta be more like falling in love than something to believe in. More like losing my heart than giving my allegiance."

Mark I read your blog and while I do agree from your perspective, as I think so myself. However, what you've gotta realize is that many people that are seeing this video have shrugged off God because of "religious hypocrites". Yes, the term "religion" is defining denominations and not the James/Biblical terminology of it. Frankly, I don't think people who have watched "religious hypocrites" are gonna bother in fact-checking the Bible. I know you may you not like it this way, but this video may show some bitter and jaded viewers that it wasn't all about repetition, rituals and rules. That Jesus is the ONLY way. I'd like to recommend a book called "Hiding God: The Ambition Of World Religion" by Warren Henderson, published by Gospel Folio Press. I think Warren's idea is where the video author was getting at. As sad as it is, this word says: Religion=Denominations=Bible Thumping Hypocrites. I wouldn't be surprized if some viewers open a Bible for the first time because of this...and isn't that what we as a collective church of believers, truly want?

I have read Warren's book, and it does a great job at this. I do suggest watching the video, but caution Christians not to embrace a hatred for religion. It is important when speaking for Christians (as this man seems to) that we are accurately portraying Jesus's own words, which the very first line is contrary to Jesus's message. He pulls a Rob Bell and speaks with authority while asking a question. Neat trick, but deceptive. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the heart of the thing, and that is why I am also promoting it... with caution attached.

Amen to that Mark, and sharp pickup on the "Rob Bell-type" spot, I didn't quite catch that.

I noticed a lot of my friends are posting this as such a great video, and I know their intentions are right but there's just something wrong with his view that needs to be clarified.

In this video, I think he is using the word "religion" as synonymous with "legalism." So I guess it is all in how you define your terms. :)

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

And I do agree with your point about how he does not emphasize post-conversion works for Christians (which is incredibly important), but I do believe that he is trying to reach a different audience: those people who are putting their faith in their works as opposed to Jesus Christ. These are excellent points, Maggie, and I am not trying to just explain them away. This video is not perfect at all just as the man in it is not perfect. Thanks for posting. ;)

Defining terms is not something we can just do. The Bible uses the word and so we ought to be careful to not redefine it with common vernacular. Thanks for the insight, ladies! Legalism= bad. Pure and undefiled religion= good!

I liked the video a lot! However, a red flag popped into my mind about hating religion so much.
I can't really explain why the video didn't sit right. Guess it is time for a Bible study!

In conclusion (for now) I have to agree, it is all how you define your terms. Unfortunately, the English language isn't up for redefining words overnight. As long as major translations of the Bible use the word "religion" in its proper context, it is well to stick to this definition. 

Youtube philosophy- UPDATED

I want to give you the happy ending before the whole story. Check this out, say a loving word to help a brother see more clearly, and the Lord will make it work out for His glory. This video was uploaded 2 days ago and has 177,990 hits and counting. I submitted it to Mashable's Viral Video of the Day.

Jefferson  Bethke has now taken this post off his wall, presumably as it may be seen as bad publicity.

Mark Sara CowperthwaiteJefferson Bethke

Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the message on the video, but caution the use of terms improperly. See my blog post at http://cowperthwaitefamily.blogspot.com/2012/01/video-worth-sharing-with-few-cautions.html to see what I meant. No ill intentions, really, I hope you understand my heart and my caution when it comes to speaking for Christ Jesus our Lord.

 ·  · 7 minutes ago · 

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    Mark Sara Cowperthwaite Jesus didn't come to abolish religion. He fulfilled the Mosaic Law and began a true, pure, and undefiled religion as mentioned in James 1:26,27. Sorry if this got you bad press, I think we got you some Youtube visits, LOL.
    

    5 minutes ago · 
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    Jefferson Bethke agreed brother!!! I'm 100% with ya on that one. just using a word in order to contrast my point
    

    2 minutes ago · 

This video has been circulating on social media sites, and is popular among my friends. I have a lot to say on this, though I feel many would see my thoughts as skeptical. I am trying to be fair to the writer and also true to the message of God's Word, the Bible. Check it out for yourself.

The title is "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus"

I like the idea of this video, but feel that it needs clarification. I define religion differently than this man does(by using a dictionary instead of common vernacular), and often you could insert the word "flesh" where he uses "religion". Be cautious in interpreting this video, as James 1:26,27 speaks of pure and undefiled religion as something good. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses, not abolish it. While the sacrifice is done(It is finished, praise God!), we are exhorted in God's Word that "If you love Me [the Lord Jesus Christ] you will keep my commandments"

Religion as the man in the video defines it, is man searching for God, but that does not agree with the dictionary, which says, " 1. The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.2.Details of belief as taught or discussed." With all these things in mind, let the message stir you, but don't throw out anything that God designed just to sound cool. I was considering also the idea that we are to obey God because we love Him. Again, this is Biblical, not man made or religious. Jesus' major objection with "religious people" was those whose self righteousness made religion a sham.

OK,I need to shut up now. I have now watched the video for the 3rd time and I think terminology is the major issue that needs to be defined. This man claims that Jesus hated religion and spoke against it. Jesus spoke against hypocrites, not religion. The religion was what Jesus Himself practiced, but the Pharisees didn't really know God, they just used God as a means to prop themselves up and feel superior. They devoured the widow's houses, while James 1:26,27 tells us to care for the widows and orphans if we want true and undefiled religion. Overall, I like the video, though I wish it was clearer, containing terminology that was more Biblical.

On a more personal note, I resonate a lot with this message of playing church. This was my life for the first 17 years. I was saved by God's grace at 25 years of age, and now see that no faking it or obeying the rules without the relationship will do. Praise God for grace that made a debtor of me, to love and mercy in Christ Jesus my Lord.

Updated- Facebook is blowing up with this video

Some Facebook comments are given below, pardon the choppy nature of the writing here

The book of James says earlier in chapter 1 that we are to be "doers of the Word and not hearers only". He goes on to say that those who hear only "are deluding themselves". See also James chapter 2 with faith and works. Telling someone to be warm and filled, but doing nothing to help them get warm, not feeding them, that is defiled religion. Religion is not bad, empty and vain religion is bad.

We DO encourage folks to watch this video as the message is really challenging. His claim to hate religion and place that hate on Jesus is in error. I believe the desire was right, the terminology was wrong. When using Bible terms, one must be cautious, so as not to be found on the wrong side of God. Pure and undefiled religion is something God seems to promote.

English: Religion
Strong's Reference:G2356
θρησκεία thrēskeia
From a derivative of G2357; ceremonial observance: - religion, worshipping.

This word is used to describe the Pharisees in Acts 23:5 but also is in James 1:26,27 in a positive way. Religion in and of itself is neutral from my understanding. Empty, vain, or say-so religion is useless, as is a faith without works is dead. Still, you cannot say you love Jesus and hate religion without encountering serious interpretive difficulties.

Regarding Jesus's supposed hatred of religion:
Jesus didn't say He hated religion. He chastised hypocrites, but then went to the Temple and never mentioned religion being bad. He scolded them for making the Temple (His Father's house of worship) into a money making place.