A Resurrection Removed Or Reduced By Religiosity
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (KJV)
Are you grateful to our God that He rescued you from religion? I am referring to the religion that runs over you with manmade rules and regulations. The religion that teaches that if you trespass against their traditions it would be considered spiritual treason. The religion that Jesus Christ discusses in the Gospel of Matthew:
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. – Matthew 15:9 (KJV)
How about the type of religion that reads and reviews the Law, Prophets, Psalms, or Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Revelation but rejects the veracity and authority of the scriptures? This religion lobbies against taking the scriptures as literal truth.
Or maybe you are familiar with the type of religion described by Paul. This type of religion seduces you with superstition and locks you into legalism. It is fixed in a form of godliness but lacks power.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away…Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 2 Timothy 3:5 & 7 (KJV)
As I recall my initial years of religiosity, I remember being taught a song that included essential and powerful truth! However, the power of that truth was reduced and I remained trapped in the ropes of religiosity. The title of that song: “He Rose!” Consider the powerful truths behind the lyrics:
They crucified my Savior, and nailed Him to the cross;
They crucified my Savior, and nailed Him to the cross;
They crucified my Savior, and nailed Him to the cross;
And the Lord will bear my spirit home.
Refrain:
He rose, He rose, He rose from the dead!
He rose, He rose, He rose from the dead!
He rose, He rose, He rose from the dead,
And the Lord shall bear my spirit home.
We were encouraged to emphatically shout: “Yes, He Rose!” in the middle of the refrain: “He rose, (Yes, He Rose!), He rose, (Yes, He Rose!), He rose from the dead!”
I can still remember shaking the rafters of the church with our shouts of “Yes, He Rose!” However, as a five year old child, it was not clear to me what a Savior was or who He was. Nor did I know the great significance of crucifixion and His death and why it was important that He rose from the dead. In my limited understanding, this was just a song that we sang on Easter Sunday with the highlights of the day being that we all received a new outfit and engaged in an Easter egg hunt!
The truth of the scripture echoed in this song is simply outlined in the text for this week. In it, the Apostle Paul powerfully proclaims the heart of the gospel including the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ which I often refer to as the DBR. It also communicates an essential early Christian confession which the Apostle Paul described as a major and significant position of faith. This position of faith is built on two pillars of profession: Christ died for our sins and He was raised from the dead according to the scriptures and not the religious traditions of man!
Question: Is the reality of the risen Christ a reality in your heart and mind? Has the power and the reality of the Lord's resurrection been reduced in your life? Maybe its truth has been removed by your religion and the traditions of man. I encourage you to do a personal evaluation using the following four points of proof that point to the power of the Resurrection in our lives:
Regenerated: The old man is gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Overcomer: We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
Sanctified: We are being molded into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Everlasting Life: We are promised eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 3:16)
Yes, He Rose!
Not a Sermon But a Thought,
PBKSR