Journal of James's Journey with Jesus

Religion Or Relationship With God?

We’ve heard it all before. The cliché saying that Christianity is a relationship with the Almighty God and not a religious system of do’s and do not’s.

Our overuse of this statement of faith without fully meaning, or perhaps comprehending, it has diminished the impact of this significant truth to believers and non-believers alike.

More often than not, churches are deeply religious and unaffected by the Scriptural basis that we are redeemed by grace through faith. While it is liberating to be loved unconditionally and forgiven completely, our mindless doubts about ‘free lunches in the world’ hinder us and others from understanding and approaching Jesus.

I have observed this bizarre phenomenon of Christians who claim they are saved by God’s grace but then gradually turn to good deeds to justify themselves. If it was a case of personal convictions that did not affect others, I would not have written this post.

But I write this article because modern Pharisees and blind leaders of the blind attempt to force others to love God, as if Jesus Himself would be pleased with involuntary worship. The Apostle Paul agrees with me in Galatians 2:19-21 about this issue.

For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

The moment people get serious in building a relationship with the Almighty God, they are faced with an overwhelming conviction that they are sinners and need God’s unconditional love and boundless forgiveness to wash away their sin.

In that moment, the process of God’s transformation and the person’s reformation begins. The person suddenly finds himself being transformed involuntarily in great measure and is surprised. He also begins to reform because he becomes more aware of the contrast between God’s goodness and his evil nature.

But from this moment on, he no longer does good because of what people think is good or because of a set of inculcated moral values and principles. He has died to the law at this point, being a living sacrifice trying to please a God he loves.

He has understood that motivation for doing good is not to score perfect marks in a report book but rather to obey the commands of One he loves deeply. He goes from an all-rules mentality to living free in the blood-soaked victory that Jesus had won for him.

He may fail in his endeavour to reform at times, falling into sin. But every time he does, he is met with the realization that God intentionally sent His Son for this very reason. To provide the grace that encourages righteous living.

He is then lifted up from his sorrows, determined by Christ’s victory over his multitude of sin to soldier on in his fight against sin. The whole process starts up again, with God’s transformation at the helm and the individual’s own reformation following soon after. In a few years, his life is totally changed and he becomes a new creation in Christ.

This is the description of the life of a truly victorious Christian. Someone like the great Apostle Paul, who did not set aside the grace of God but humbly accepted that he will never be perfect in this earthly life. He knew the limits of his own reformation so he rather depended on God to transform him.

He was a person who gave other people time and grace to change because he received the same from God. This is the man I imitate as he imitated Christ. But I have found that Christians in authority seem to compel their followers to do more than what even God expects of them.

They have tried to make their fellow brothers and sisters conform and meet up to their standards, expectations and ideals. I have taken it upon myself to examine common issues and church practices contradictory to our faith by using the Bible as the standard of right or wrong.

Quiet Time, Church Attendance And Accountability

Luke 5:16 says,

"So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed."

Churches like to use this verse to stipulate daily quiet time as a form of spiritual exercise to maintain our spiritual health. We call it our daily bread and we conclude that since we need to eat everyday, communion with the Lord must be a daily affair as well.

But after looking at the verse, I realized that there was no specific guideline that was laid out. How would you define 'often'? Is it daily or a few times a week? I often brush my teeth, I often visit the gym and I go to Malaysia often. Often is not one and the same for every activity.

The reason why Jesus kept the regularity of quiet time subjective was because He never meant to force us to come to him. He wanted us to be drawn to Him by natural affection, not compulsion.

It is common sense that even the dimmest person on Earth would know when he’s hungry and would seek out his daily bread. To force feed someone, even with spiritual food, is a terrible waste of time and effort and rather puts him off eating than enjoying it.

If you were in love with a girl, would you not call her everyday just to hear her voice and chat for hours without end? Would you not try to go out with her regularly just so that you can spend some time with her face to face?

People tend to think of love for God as a strictly platonic one. A relationship whereby feelings and affections are not indicators of how much we love God. It’s always about doing more good deeds, obeying more commandments and spending more quiet time with Him.

But does not the first commandment tell us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? It's funny that three-quarters of loving God is done in an intangible and unquantifiable fashion, with the last quarter showing our faith through deeds.

To me, doing quiet time a few times a week is sufficient. Quiet time is not an activity or job whereby we have to clock in a few hours everyday. It is rather about the quality of the time spent and the bond built between God and man.

Great people of the faith like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses had little or no Scripture to read, and some of them were even illiterate. God appeared, spoke and taught each of them about Him with these experiences.

The only common characteristic in them is that they believed in and thus, revered and obeyed God and His Word. He loved and justified them, not regarding their faults.

Quiet time is a good thing but implementing too much of a good thing is impractical. Would it not be ideal if we stayed at home all day and did no work except memorizing the pages of the Bible and praying to God above? But God would not be pleased with our religious antics as they would have no impact outside the four walls of our homes.

The thing that really irritates me is the 'have you been doing your quiet time daily?' question. We have a tendency to interrogate people regarding this issue and then display displeasure, however mild, when they honestly say they did not.

We ask this question and put them on a guilt trip so often it makes them feel like they are bad Christians, if even qualified to be a Christian in the first place. We set our standards on them, not caring whether they are stressed out or busy with exams, projects, work or just life itself. We say they have no excuse whatsoever not to keep quiet time a sacred habit.

When we do that, we are being critical and judgmental and are no longer loving the person as Christ does. We claim to follow the Bible 100% but what happened to the verse about love being patient, kind and all the other godly traits we apparently don't believe in?

Next, let me discuss about the regular attendance of church.

Hebrews 10:25 says,

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

When I read the verse above, I do not sense compulsion. I only see that it is a bad habit to skip church; it's not a sin. Depending on circumstances, it might even be a valid excuse to skip church. The only thing this verse tells me is that one must not skip church too often. And again, it does not imply how often is often.

We often put people on guilt trips when they want to be excused from church for a week or so because they have a holiday, social gathering or event. We say the person who skips church now and then does not honour or love God.

We use Eric Liddell's testimony of how he forgoed his specialty, the 100m race, because it occurred on the day when his church service was held. We say he subsequently won the 400m race, which he had not participated previously, because he honoured God and was rewarded for it.

Just so you know, I believe too that God honoured him for his extraordinary faithfulness. But we make it seem like God would be angry with and would not love Eric Liddell as much if he went for the 100m race. If God got angry for such a little thing, then it would not be consistent with His merciful and loving nature.

And the impact of Jesus’s death would be nullified to the point of negligibility. It would be likened to an Old Testament animal sacrifice that can only appease God’s anger momentarily. But rather, it is we ourselves who have taken as much grace as we want from God and have offered little to others in return.

And Eric Liddell was not some untrained athlete who was out of his league on the running track. Thus, the theory that God will only love and bless you if you come to church regularly holds no water. This is an issue of personal convictions, not a one-size-fits-all commandment.

Again, many of the patriarchs have never joined a synagogue, church or religious community to be called sons of God. If attending church or cellgroup every week is compulsory to be loved, forgiven and justified by God, then many of the persecuted Acts church members and those who are disallowed by their parents to come into a church have no hope of salvation.

Accountability has always been about open communication because of trust between two or slightly more individuals. It is like having a mini-support group where we watch each other’s backs and disagree when one of us does something wrong. If we need to report every single matter to the leadership, is it rather not like an audit of a spiritual life?

Accountability in church today means reporting your friend's misdeeds to the pastor and being brainwashed to think that a betrayal of trust and spilling the beans about things said in confidence is okay because your friend does not know better.

Doing such only destroy accountability further as people become fearful and guarded when it comes to sharing about their life. When the pastor has to play the role of the policeman and the member is the thief, are we still living in grace? And you even override men's birthright that is upheld by God; the power of free will, speech and action.

When accountability becomes keeping accounts and church attendance and quiet time become required time, we have gone in the wrong direction. No matter how good our intentions are, our ends do not justify our means.

If we truly believe in letting go and letting God do His job, we would not set in controls and measures to ensure people are doing spiritually well. We seem to be overly concerned with the details as to what would please God, even when He did not specify such.

If you believe that doing one more hour of Quiet Time or attending every single church service and cellgroup meeting would please God or make Him love you even more, you’re sorely mistaken.

Christ loved us when we were still sinners and He loves even those who would not ultimately become Christians. When He died, He died that all may have a chance to be set free. God did not love or die only for those He foreknew to be Christians or had the potential to be the good, obedient and well-trained Christians in our churches today.

If that was the case, He would only amount to be a hypocrite, who only loved those who loved Him. But His love and grace is without condition. The only reason He wants us to come to church is to learn about the depth of His love and build the foundations of our faith in a community of love-filled Christians.

Am I Doing Well Enough To Please God And Be Forgiven?

We talk about being good testimonies so much that we start criticizing some Christians as bad testimonies and half-baked Christians. We monitor and label people as doing spiritually well or unwell. Is that biblical? The apostles only identified heretics because of the extreme nature and consequence of their behaviour.

I never knew we could be doing well or unwell. I only knew that accepting God's grace saved me, receiving His love touches me and loving Him makes me reform.

To me, the only way a person can do unwell spiritually is to reject the grace and love of God because of pride. Because then, he would be left alone for the Devil to devour without any aid.

Philippians 2:1-4 says,

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,

then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

We're in a race, but we're not competing against each other. We are running side by side, trying to spur one another on towards love and good deeds.

Labeling people to be doing unwell isn't very encouraging, is it? If someone runs slower than you, it does not necessarily mean they are not running with all the energy they have.

Do you regard yourself the same as a weaker brother? Or do you pride yourself because you think you’re doing better? And if you know your brother is not doing well, do you look to his interests? Do you seek to encourage him in a way that he is receptive to, instead of plainly giving him loads of ‘loving rebuke and unconcealed love’?

Salvation was never performance based. We were never supposed to judge one another. Nor are we to make another brother feel small and unspiritual so that we may feel like giants of the faith.

One interesting question is how you are going to face a half-baked brother who made it to Heaven after all, if our salvation is really based on deeds? He made it without your love or help because you were too short-sighted to see how a little love goes a long way.

Do we really believe in God’s boundless grace or do we believe accepting too much grace cheapens it? I’m astounded certain churches think this way. Accepting too much grace, without ever intending to repent, only cheapens yourself. It cannot affect the grace of God, which is larger than life and any individual’s sin.

God’s boundless grace is extravagant and He is not some petty past-digging historical gravedigger looking for skeletons in your closet. His forgiveness is instant; not gradually meted out as you fulfill certain requirements.

Instead it is us, who convert non-believers by convincing them that God's grace is so infinitely great and then chide them for every single and small mistake they commit as Christians.

Just so you know, choices are important. It's better to make a good choice than a bad choice. But we must realize that not every choice has an eternal consequence. Some bad choices lead to temporary suffering or disadvantage on our part. But the greatest lie is that you will miss out on the great things God have for you.

If God knows you before you were born, He formed you for exactly the purposes He has set you for. No matter what you do right or do wrong, you cannot do more or less than what God has made you to do.

You can stray from the path but all is not lost. If you’re willing to let His Word be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path, restoration is infinitely possible. We should be given room for mistakes. It's not the end of the world if you commit mistakes; they teach you obedience the hard way and the wisdom of obeying God in the future without asking why.

Furthermore, do you know that ill comments or looks of disdain make people never want to do well? It is not the law which draws men to God, it's the Cross of grace that brought men to the foot of humility and obedience.

When you ostracize and segregate someone like this, they get further from God and fellowship. It has become a system when the well do better and the not-so-well only do worse. Is it not kind of like the poverty cycle?

When our systems look so similar to worldly and unjust systems, perhaps we should re-examine ourselves if we're leading with the world's ways or God's way. Because people interested in true fellowship accepts you as God accepted you.

We talk about the kind of fellowship the Acts Church had; the selfless love that enabled them to give up even their own lives for one another. Let's just say that if we cannot even accept our brothers and sisters as they are, we would not be able to die for them when the opportunity arises.

Even if we somehow found the courage to do so, we would not have died for love's sake. We would have died for self-glorifying honour and a chance for our names to be go down in the books of church history.

From the way we treat people, we make it seem as if Christ never redeemed us. You can talk about grace, love, hope and freedom as much as you want but they will stay as ideals if we do not practice them.

Do not let Christ’s death be in vain by not fully rendering to each one the love, grace, hope and freedom that Jesus won and intended for them.

It's no wonder Neil T. Anderson, renowned for writing Bondage Breaker, carried on to write another book entitled Breaking the Bondage of Legalism: When Trying Harder Isn't Enough.

Victory and freedom in Christ does not come from following the law strictly. It comes from knowing our identity in Christ; that He has redeemed us and called us brothers. It is a blessed assurance to know that we have mercy for our mistakes.

Personal Convictions

Romans 14:2-13 says,

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written:

“ As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

When you honour God in your personal conviction, God is pleased by your worship even though what you did may not be stated or recommended by the Bible. God will even honour you because you honoured Him.

For example, if you say grace gratefully before your meals, know that God is pleased with you. But it is erroneous to think that because of that, God is then displeased with those who do not give thanks before consuming their meals.

It is judgmental to say that such a person is not thankful and you shall be judged for your contempt. So be careful not to stumble others because God will definitely hold you accountable.

Some people just find it a cliche, overused and religious ritual which no longer holds any meaning. I actually know a person who regiments saying grace for dinner and then giving thanks for dessert shortly after. Saying grace has become a legalistic item on his hyperspiritual to-do list.

In any case, it's good to have personal convictions. But have them to yourself. You can say grace all you want and I will never despise you. Just don't expect me to do the same.

Matthew 18:6 says,

"These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be drowned in the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. (God’s Word Translation)

"But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse—and it's doomsday to you if you do. (The Message)

Listen and read the lyrics of this song. Let it convict you and bring you to a state of self-examination.

Without love, we have no impact. Without impact, all we have is youth.

If We Are The Body by Casting Crowns