False Religion

Man has superimposed a false religion over the true religion. Baptists do it as well as anyone else. The formalities and order of worship are a template that we use to structure our time together and keep things organized. Such things are not all bad unless they become the substitute for worship and true religion. True worship comes from the heart. True religion has positive, tangible effects in the lives of others as we minister to them in Jesus name. (James 1:27)

False religion is: Thinking that going to church is about you. Expecting services rather than serving. Accepting worldliness as a “normal” part of life. False religion is also: Superstitious (Acts 17:22-23), Superficial (Mat 23:23-28), Superfluous (Isaiah 40:19-22), Superimposed, Supersedes, Super social… However, it is not Superior to real worship (though often Preferred).

If you can come to an assembly of believers and sing the same songs, hear the same message, pray at the same time and say Amen to the same things and leave this place forgetting what manner of man or woman you are and unprepared to obey God and His Word then your religion is false. Your hypocrisy betrays you. But God is not mocked.

False Faith:

There may be those who in a given worship service, before they pass through the doors of that place are already planning their next sinful activity. Theirs is a false faith.

Maybe you are of the “freedom to fornicate” religion. Maybe you are of the “no drug is too bad” religion. Maybe you are into the “alcoholics anonymous” religion or the “Gamblers anonymous”, “I love my car”, “Money, money, money” or the church of “I’m better than you are.” The thoughts and intents of the heart are the very measure of one’s faith. If your heart is distracted from God, though you may be a believer, you cannot be actively living, walking or professing godly faith. Your faith is false (just for show) and God is not unaware.

False Doctrine:

In false religions you can go to church, read your Bible, pray the prayers, be saved, be baptized and be a member – as long as the church tolerates it. As you grow in the Lord and in His Word you may discover the things being taught are not the things being practiced. If you do not practice what you teach, even if you teach the truth, you are practicing a false doctrine.

God has given us His Word. It is to be our standard of Faith and Practice. It is the unique source of Divine Wisdom and Knowledge. All other sources are to be proved by it. We are expected to learn the things taught in the Bible with the leadership of His Holy Spirit. If we in any way question God’s Word, only believe the parts we want, strive to adapt the meaning to our own preconceived notions or willfully deny the expressed truths found therein we are teaching false doctrine.

In false religion you can believe, teach and do just about anything you please – but you cannot please God because you are serving the false god of self and the flesh and not the true and living God who paid the price for you sin on the cross. God is not impressed!


False Worship
To sing, pray, perform the religious ceremonies without love or passion for the True and Living God who gave His only begotten Son for our sins is false worship.

Real Worship and Religion are not the same: 1) Real Worship is an expression of our love for God to God. 2) Real Religion is practicing your love for God, love for one another (as God loves us), serving one another and obeying God (“If you love me, keep my commandments”).

If your worship is false you have nothing to authenticate your religion. Religion without worship is works without faith. When James spoke of faith without works being dead he was encouraging True Religion: Works based on Faith. If you have Faith (empowered belief) you shall have True Religion and Real Worship.


Real Religion

Real Faith (empowered belief), True Doctrine (believing, teaching and practicing God’s Word), and Real Worship (expressing your love for God) are the foundations of Real Religion.

Faith, without which it is impossible to please God, leads to knowledge and Wisdom of God which leads to real worship in Spirit and in Truth which leads to real religion that is true, undefiled, loving, ministering, giving and nurturing.

Jesus Christ (He is God) is the answer. Faith in Him is the healer of all our infirmities. His Word empowers our minds. Worship secures us emotionally. Real religion strengthens our character and gives us the ability to handle the challenges of life without fear from… being awakened in the night, that phone call, that bad news, that troubling conversation, that stabbing pain you felt for the suffering of another, the brokenness of personal failure, the sense of loss, that day when the Devil tried to take you apart piece by piece and you felt there was nothing you could do to stop it…

RLH