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I've heard the statement many a times how Jesus would be very Anti-Religion
Can somebody elaborate on this?
Thanks!
The idea is simply a different way of saying the same thing James said in 1:27, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The point is that all the ceremonies and singing and going to church and doctrines mean nothing if a person is not committed to the way of living that Jesus taught. 1 Cor 13 is also a good explanation of the thought.
Jesus frequently opposed the Sanhedrin (Sadducee and Pharisees), who represented the established 'religion' and law of the day in Israel. He did so because they based their 'religion' on rules and laws made by men; and because they only represented the laws of God as a means to promote their own position and authority, instead of the righteousness God seeks.
Even in this context, Jesus was not against 'religion' itself, but, rather, worship that was based on form and ritual, rather than Spirit and Truth. In John 4:23-24, He expanded on this thought when He told the Samaritan woman at the well (and us):
John 4:23 ...the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Funny, I was just preparing my notes for Sunday's sermon and was reading about the early church. The early church had an extremely narrow, conservative and traditional attitude towards doctrine. They pretty much repeated what they'd heard or read in whatever part(s) of the NT they had. A lot of the time they hadn't a deep understanding of what they were reading.
A 2nd Century worship service was three hours of standing with a structure something like this;
1. Opening greeting by the bishop.
2. Scripture reading.
3. Psalm or hymn.
4. Scripture reading.
5. Psalm or hymn.
6. Scripture reading.
7. Sermon.
8. Prayers
9. Lord's Supper
10. Benediction
Unbelievers were not allowed during prayer. The believers brought their own bread and wine for communion. The deacons would place the bread and wine on a table where it was symbolic of the congregation being consecrated to Christ. Of this Augustine would later write, "There you are,on the table;there you are in the cup." During communion the "kiss of peace" where men kissed men and women kissed women was followed by the "offertory" in which each wine flask was emptied into one large silver cup. The bread would be broken up by the bishop and deacons. Upon handing the bread the deacon or bishop would say, "This is the bread of heaven."
I've heard the statement many a times how Jesus would be very Anti-Religion
Can somebody elaborate on this?
Thanks!
Jesus was not "anti-religious" .... he was "anti" toward those who:
rejected him as their God
distort the scriptures
was work righteous
Jesus made it very clear that those who rejected or trap him (in Jesus' own words):
was going to be damned in hell forever
were children of the devil
were false prophets. (They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.)
were hypocrites
were whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
Jesus personally taught all the Apostles .... and despite those who distort the truth, that included Paul.
The NT church was very religious ... right down to being organized to having the first church wide convention between the Jews and Gentiles for the direct purpose to confront Peter with his falsehood practice of favoritism (recorded in Acts)
Jesus was about perfecting religion or anything else that was imperfect, for that matter. Where the way was winding He made it straight, where the way was dark He made it light, where the way was hidden He made it clear, where the way false He made it true, where the way was self serving He gave all.
I'm not sure who says it or why they say it. Jesus started a religion/church while on earth. If he was against it why did He start one? Believers need to come together to worship. We strengthen each other.
Jesus told the Pharisees from Matthew 23: 25-27......``For you make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortions and excess......cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter , that the outside of them may be clean also.....you are like whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead man`s bones , and of all uncleanness ........ See this is the spirit of religion of men clean of the outside and evil on the inside ..Just like some temples of religion which people entering the temple have to first go to the showers to clean before entering ....
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