RELIGION, CHURCH, CHRISTIANITY
Diversions From His Ways
After twenty-five years of independent Bible study, the truth has made me a non-religious, non-Christian, non-churchgoing, chosen member of the Body of Christ who studies the word of God and rightly divides the Word of Truth. Allow me to explain.
RELIGION
The word means “to be bound again”; bound again to some man’s creed. Religion equates tradition with God’s Word, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13). Jesus also said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”, (John 8:32) and “The Holy Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth”. (John 16:13).
The word “creed” is not found in the English Bible. The primary sense of the word “creed” means to ‘throw on’ or ‘rest on’ and is used to mean a system of beliefs that one rests on. As we study God’s Word and as we are given spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, our beliefs are continually refined as we come closer to the precise knowledge of the truth. This process is called ‘perfecting’ in the Bible. Therefore, “religious freedom” is an oxymoron. We can’t be free to expand our knowledge in the truth while being constrained to a fixed set of beliefs by religion. Freedom “from” religion is the goal.
CHURCH
Ekklesia refers to people and not a place. The English word “church” is not a correct translation of the Greek ekklesia. The Greek form ekklesia should be literally translated by the combination of ek (out) and kaleo (to call) to mean ‘called-out’. Those who God did foreknow, he did predestinate to be called out to be justified and glorified by Him to His purposes, callings and hopes. Ekklesia is a called-out body of people and does not mean a place of worship. There are more than one ekklesia in the New Testament. The true way for us to worship the Father today is defined and commanded in the New Testament by Jesus in John 4:20-24, “In Spirit and truth”. A “church” is not mentioned there. We are the Temple.
There is no commandment or requirement in the New Testament to “go to church”. The idea of “church” and “going to church” has its origin in the Tower of Babel: the first brick-and-mortar church. The word “church’ is derived from the name of a pagan goddess Circe and is associated with pagan religions. The pagan word for “church” was used in the first English translations of the Gospels by the Papal Religion for the Greek ekklesia. That is how “church” was introduced into the Bible.
CHRISTIANITY
The name “Christian” is only found in the Bible three times and is expressed in a derogatory sense each time. The Apostle Paul, who was among the first group to be called “Christians” at Antioch (Act 11:26) never used the term “Christian” himself anywhere in his fourteen epistles. The first “Christians” were Jews who believed in Jesus Christ to be their promised Mesiah and Saviour.
Neither the Apostle Paul, who wrote over half of the books of the New Testament, nor Jesus Christ, Who is the subject of the New Testament, would have ever established a religion like Christianity. Jesus Christ called Jews out of their religion and called Paul out of his Hebrew religion to be His witness. “Religion” was something contrary to the teachings of Jesus and Paul who both were put to death by the religious leaders of their day. Religion places human boundaries on truth. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Paul wrote in Gal 4:9, “How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
THE BODY OF CHRIST
The revelation of God’s secret heavenly calling, the mystery of the Body of Christ, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all, was given to the Apostle Paul after Israel was set aside at the end of the Book of Acts. Paul calls this ‘the high calling of God’ in Philippians 3:14, which he explains in more detail in Ephesians and Colossians. This is a noncovenant spiritual relationship with God in Christ to serve a heavenly purpose. It has nothing to do with a kingdom for Jews.
Because there are plural callings, Paul instructs us to ‘study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’ (2 Tim 2:15). Instead of trying to blend the whole Bible together, we must ‘discern the things that differ’ (Phil. 3:10). The Body of Christ is not a religion, nor a church, nor a denomination, nor the “Bride of Christ”. It is a post-Acts doctrine that is still a mystery to the religion of church Christians.
The more we understand God’s ways, religion and church are exposed as distractions and barriers to Biblical truth.
For it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, Who desires all men to be saved an to come unto the precise knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4).
Bible study for the truth and fellowship in the truth are more pleasing to the Father.