During lunch the other day a new friend and I were enjoying time together and chatting when he said something that would make a Sailor blush. As soon as it came out of his mouth you could see the horror on his face. Recognizing what he had said, and that this kind of communication would clearly be inappropriate around most church people, I laughed off his comment and concern and said “It’s okay, no worries.”

He quickly apologized and said “I’m sorry, I know you're a religious guy.” Not realizing that now he had really stuck his foot in his mouth, and that his later statement was way more distasteful than the previous one. I shared with him that I wasn’t a “religious guy” but a spiritual one. He looked at me quite puzzled and said “What’s the difference?”

I quickly shared the difference with him and then we went on to enjoy the rest of our time together. But this simple exchange got me thinking, wondering how most Christian people would have responded? Would they have been more offended by the first off color comment and completely comfortable with the second, or vise versa like me? Now, why would I even ask such a question? Well one, his reaction and response was very interesting, and two, being religious and/or being spiritual are two very different things whether we recognize it or not. In fact, if we look at both words in scriptures we clearly see a distinct difference, one that is way more than simple semantics.

The word “Religion” is used five times in the New Testament; two of them talking about the Jewish faith of Judaism or a life lived under the Mosaic Law, while the other three deal with ceremonial observance. If we then looked at the word “Spiritual” which is found twenty-six times in the New Testament (perhaps and indicator in and of itself); we would see that all are the same word and defined as non-carnal or supernatural, regenerate. Now that’s a major difference for me! For my Christian life is neither based on a set of rules or that of ceremony, but firmly founded on God’s grace, through faith, by which I am supernaturally regenerated, via His Spirit.

The book of John, chapter 4 verses 23-24 communicates this pretty clearly when John writes; ““Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”” Look at that - a time is coming and has now come. That time is now! Those who truly worship God are not those who are trying to fulfill a set of rules and regulations or live a life of ceremony, but those who live in a real relationship with a living God - by His Spirit.

So if this is true, why did my friend respond the way he did? Why was he so concerned about offending me with an off colored word or phase? Without even knowing it he may have testified about the impurity of our modern day Christian “religious” experience. You see, many in the church today live a life governed more by the Law of Moses, than they do the Life governed by Love and lead by the Spirit of Jesus! What I mean to say is that much of the modern church focuses more on what not to do, than on what they should actually be involved in doing. They live under the Law, which again is a set of religious rules and ceremony - instead of living by the Spirit of Jesus. Unfortunately, these misinformed folks not only live a “religious” life for themselves, but they project that life to others as the way Christians are to live.

This is a real problem! For if you are truly a “religious” person, you probably shouldn’t even call yourself a Christian. I know this is a strong statement, but God’s Word is crystal clear - No one is made righteous (or connected to Him) by the Law. So trying to live with God by keeping a set of rules doesn't work. Why? Well, to fully understand this truth we must grasp the real reason the Law itself was implemented by God and its ultimate purpose. According to scripture, the Law was not established to save us, but to lead us to a full recognition of our complete and utter sinfulness. It was never intended to make anything or anyone righteous, but instead to clearly show the people their sin, and ultimately hold them accountable before God for their life of sinful unbelief.

Let’s look at a few verses to help clarify this thought . . . .

Romans 3:10-20 (NIV) As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

From this short passage we see and understand a couple of very important things:

• No one by their actions is righteous - no not one. vv10-18
• The Law brings an accountability and a reckoning before God. v19
• The Law does not bring righteousness, but a consciousness of sin. v20

So since no one is pure, trying to live a rule keeping life cannot lead us to a God-Centered, God-Approved life. For the Law itself does not have the power to remove sin - never did, never will. In fact, the only thing the Law has the power to do is show you the continual sin in your life (1 Cor. 15:56) and the fact that you need a savior.

Now that we have a better understanding of the Law’s true purpose and that it cannot save, let’s look at how a God approved righteousness is actually obtained. In the same book of Romans, Paul writes a couple of incredibly powerful sentences that forever declare God’s plan to make His children right before Him.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Here Paul, who was a former “super religious” guy, masterfully defines and delineates this new Christian experience that brings life:

• First and foremost - There is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! We are given and granted Absolute Righteousness - from and in Him!!
• In verse 2 we see a new law introduced: the Law of the Spirit - and its power to supersede the Law of sin which brings about death.
• The Law of Moses was powerless to obtain real righteousness for us - because of our fallen, sinful nature. v3
• God deals with our sinful nature by sending Jesus to be THE one-time, for all-time sin offering ultimately condemning sin in sinful man. v3
• He does this so that the righteous requirements commanded by the Law of Moses, could be fully granted and given to us. v4
• This righteousness is applied to our lives when we stop living according to our sinful nature, (wherein we try to be good by following the rules and ceremony) accept His sacrifice, and begin living according to His Spirit. v4

This makes me want to sing - Out Loud!! God by His great love, makes a way for me, where I could never make a way for myself, and therein lies the difference.

No longer do I “got to”. Now I “get to”! I get to live with Him and love those around me - even when it’s clear that they, like me, don’t deserve it! You may be asking, “If this is true, why would anyone choose a life based on religion when they could live a spiritual life based and built on an intimate relationship with the Father?” Well, the only answer I can come up with is they just have never heard this truth. Now while that may seem highly unlikely, my friend’s statement proves otherwise. He thinks Christianity is all about rules, regulations and ceremony. Where did he - a pre-believer - get such a notion? He wasn't taught it in school or at work, nor was he instructed at church . . . he doesn’t go! No doubt he learned it from someone who calls themselves a “Christian”. They lived their religious life before him, and wittingly or unwittingly shared their “religion” with him, inspiring his ill informed opinion. The statements from Paul found in his writings to the Romans and Corinthians could never be more true; When speaking to the Jews, the “religious” people of the day, he says; As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." Then when talking to the Corinthian believers he informs them that they are a “letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.”

As I stated earlier I’m concerned that many church going people who call themselves “Christians” may be more religious than they are spiritual. I’m concerned that they may have lost connection - or never had it - with the Head who is Christ. But along with this, I am also concerned that they are living and sharing with their world what Paul in the book of Galatians calls a perverted gospel.

So what should we do? Well, while knowing the difference is certainly the first step, step two must be that we start living the difference. Those who know the difference must stand up and fight the war of hypocrisy that this religious belief system fosters. They must begin living and sharing their spiritual life with everyone in their sphere of influence. Now while this may seem difficult, it's really not that hard. In fact, you could start right now by by sharing this blog with a friend - whether they profess to know Jesus or not - let them hear the Good News from you, someone who Knows The Difference.