God’s Creative Act: Genesis 1:1-2

 

Introduction:

Our Earth is neither billions nor millions but a few thousand years old.

Many Christian educators and pastors would try to convince believers there is an enormous amount of time between Genesis 1:1-2 (i.e., C. I. Scofield). The Gap Theory is where evolution and the millions of years in the past needed where the great dinosaurs lived and died. It was between Genesis 1:1-2 that Satan fell to Earth and destroyed it.

At this supposed point, God recreated the Earth Genesis 1:2, making God a liar for when He looked at ALL His creative work and stated in Genesis 1:31, pronounced it “very good,” it could not have been this way if the world fell into chaos.

Genesis 1:31 says,

God saw all He had made; behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Some claim a Gap between verses one and two; if valid, God would not have said His creation was ‘very good.’

Some removed the ‘AND’ between Verses 1 and 2

The chapter and verse divide in Scripture is a human invention from the 16th century for ease of memorization. Robert Estienne, known as Robertus Stephanus in Latin and called Robert Stephens by 18th and 19th-century English writers, was a 16th-century printer and classical scholar in Paris who number these separations. They completed the New Testament in 1551 and 1571 for the Hebrew Bible. The Holy Scriptures for 1500 years had no chapter and verse setting, as in the Bible we have today. (Wikipedia)

There are many English translations from Greek and Hebrew, and they are outstanding to read. However, many translations abandon this simple word, ‘and,’ substituting the word ‘the’ instead.

The Hebrew word וְ (the conjunction, ‘and’) starts the second verse. However, many translators removed (the conjunction ‘and’) from many English translations for the sake of the English language flow. The Hebrew word וְ (the conjunction, ‘and’), left off, has opened the door to many interpretations of these two verses. This little word וְ, the meaning “then, and, together with, that is,” shows a connection to the previous statement, not a whole new thought. Verse two starts with ‘the’ it, which could lead the reader down the wrong road as it has with many if they do not have even a basic knowledge of the original language.

Pastors and teachers should use Greek or Hebrew to prepare for the Sunday service or Sunday school. Doing this will give deeper meaning to the words used in Scripture. However, many Sunday School Teachers will just read from the little book provided to them instead of studying.

The Test of Man

Many individuals of the scholarly persuasion believe that Satan fell between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, and it was he, Satan, that caused the “darkness and void.”

When God placed Adam in the garden after his creation, God said everything was his to eat, except the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” However, even this tree had a pronouncement of ‘very good’ after God created everything. God only restricted the eating of its fruit.

Genesis 2:16-18 says,

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you will die. Then the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.

Adam passed his knowledge of the ‘good and evil tree’ to Eve because of the Scripture statement as she conversed with the serpent.

Genesis 3:3 says,

But from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. (Eve made this statement)

The actual statement is as follows.

Genesis 2:16-17 says,

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you will die.

Eve knew not to eat, yet her pride and lust for knowledge became strong desires. Where did she get to touch the forbidden tree, which meant death? One may see the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” as a test of loyalty to God. Adam and Eve failed this loyalty test of obedience God gave them.

The Test of the Angelic Beings

The obedience and loyalty of people and Angelic hosts experience testing to determine their loyalty and obedience to God.

Satan did not fall between Genesis 1:1-2 and the Earth, resulting in destruction. The author contends that Satan fell after Genesis 1:31 because God said everything He created was “very good.”

Adam and Eve had a test of loyalty with the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” Thus, would it be ridiculous to assume that Satan would also have a test to determine his loyalty to God, the creator, and knowing God took special care to create man?

The author believes that Satan’s test was Adam and Eve and his reaction to God’s creative act, and he failed and wanted to drag humanity down with him.

Conclusion

Interpreting Scripture based on these breaks can be misleading. The dropping of this small but mighty word “and” can and often causes much trouble.

One cannot stress this too much to study God’s word using the Greek and Hebrew language, even if one has only superficial knowledge.

Ezra 7:10 says,

For Ezra had set his heart on studying the law of the LORD, practicing it, and teaching His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

2 Timothy 2:15 says,

Be careful in presenting yourself approved to God as a worker who needs not be ashamed and accurately handles the word of truth.

To compromise Scripture for a smooth flow of language is to damage its actual meaning. One must study the original language to explain the word of God without error.

James 3:1 says,

Let few of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing we will incur a stricter judgment.

Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone

Sola Fide–By Faith Alone

Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone

Solus Christus–By Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone

Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)

 

Multiple Wives & Adultery

 

Jesus forgives her Adultery

Introduction

Do individuals who get divorced and remarried live in the perpetual sin of adultery? Does the Scripture say anything about this chronic adultery issue as sometimes portrayed and perpetuated by the Church as a reality?

Old Testament Heroes

Several Old Testament figures, including King David, Solomon, Joseph, and Jacob, had more than one wife at a time. However, Scripture teaches that a man should have only one wife at a time, especially if he were a leader.

1 Timothy 3:2 says,

An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife.

An example is God, bringing to Adam only one woman, Eve. So, the question is, did these men of old live in perpetual sin? However, we see from multiple wives a never-ending problem that plagued their lives. One wife wants this, another wife wants something else, and it goes on to the point of ad nauseam. God’s plan for the family and its unity has always been one wife; the home’s disunity comes with various wives simultaneously, as seen from the problems these leaders had after their multiple wives.

Genesis 2:18 says,

Then the LORD God said, It is not suitable for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.

Genesis 2:21-24 says,

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib He had taken from the man and brought her to the man. The man said,

She is now the bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; now she is a Woman because out of Man she came from his rib. A man shall leave his father and his mother and join his wife; they shall become one flesh.

God took only one rib, which could represent only one woman at a time. Unity can only be achieved in marriage, with one man and one woman together as husband and wife.

The Sin of Adultery

Matthew 19:9 says,

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.

If one discovers a spouse to be immoral, is the innocent party allowed to remarry without adultery consequences? If the answer is yes, why does the Church hold them back? Often, pastors who ended up in a divorce and the innocent party had to promise never to remarry if they wished to remain a pastor.

One can only wonder why the Church puts men in a situation to burn in lust. Is it to see them fail, and then the Church can say it is because of your divorce that you have failed? This author was a guest speaker at one Fellowship, and the head deacon and I were talking, and he told me that even having a divorced person in the Pulpit would contaminate it. This so-called contamination says that the individual’s salvation experience means nothing and that God has not forgiven them.

The Question Is

Why is it so easy for the Fellowship to forgive a murderer, a thief, a liar, a rapist, or any other sin, but they cannot pardon someone divorced and remarried? If individuals commit homicide, they will always be murderers; this will not change, even if they never do this crime again. It is the same with any sin against God; there are no exceptions. All people are sinners, yet each sin has a name, and we are that for the rest of our lives.

Arrogance in the Leadership

An example of this arrogance is the rude talk given by many Baptist Fellowship leaders about the Mormons at their Annual Convention in Utah several years ago; this is the same egotism of the Jewish Pharisees at the time of Jesus. They may try to deny this, but the proof is in the records if one but looks.

Luke 18:10-14 says,

Two men went into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself: God, I thank You I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get. But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner! I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Visualize being told that “you cannot have God’s best” because of divorce and remarriage; think of the mental anguish it would put you through. If this was true, then God would not forgive and forget what we have done, and the blood of Jesus would have been for nothing. This arrogant behavior by the leadership has kept many good men from doing God’s will. I tell you that every gift one receives from God is the BEST He gives.

James 1:16-17 says,

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Whatever God gives you will be His absolute best for you. The Church in America has many egotists who call themselves Christians or leaders. Who controls the Church with an iron-fisted dictatorship is one of the primary reasons for the Church’s weakness today. However, no one will voice this opinion, fearing being called a heretic.

God and Forgiveness

When one confesses their sin, God has forgiven and forgotten them.

Psalm 103:11-14 says,

As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward people who fear Him. As far as the East is from the West, He has removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion for his children, the LORD cares for people who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

1 John 1:9 says,

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

​Therefore, God says He will remove ALL our sins if we ask Him. The real question is, who do these leaders think they are when they block a man from serving God in the Pulpit or a woman serving as a Sunday school teacher when they are 100% forgiven by God?

Conclusion

God must forgive all individuals who wish to serve Him and not live in sin. The Church should not rule that a person is living in an adulterous state if they remarry because they may have asked for forgiveness from God. There is no Biblical evidence to support this beyond any reasonable question that a divorced person is ineligible to preach the Gospel. Please do not use First Timothy as the proof text, as I have shown why there should be only one wife at a time. This book says nothing about divorce and remarriage and serving God.

1 Timothy 3:2 says,

An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife.

That refers to one wife at a time. If a man’s wife dies and he remarries, he has had two wives, and according to the Church, he can no longer be a preacher.

Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone

Sola Fide–By Faith Alone

Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone

Solus Christus–By Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone

Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)

 

The Failed Test of Lucifer

 

Introduction

I wish to advance a theory of the fall of The Bright and Morning Star. This individual is Lucifer, but more commonly known as Satan. This writer does not believe that Genesis 1:1-2  resulted from Lucifer’s fall and the later re-creation by God.

Creation & Theory

There is a theory that God had to recreate everything He once created. This destruction lies between Genesis 1:1 and 2 because of the void and darkness on the earth. Some say Lucifer caused this emptiness on the planet. If one believes this theory of the gap resulted from Lucifer’s playing havoc in the Earthly and Celestial Heaven, one would have to think that God lost control of creation. God and losing power are not options for God to entertain.

Genesis 1:1-2 says,

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

This writer thinks this devastation between Genesis 1:1-2 is not valid.

Genesis 1:31 says,

God saw all He had made; behold, it was perfect. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Scripture is clear that when God looked back, He said, “Very good.”

Had they cast Lucifer out between Genesis 1:1 and 2, God the creator could not say it was “very good,” now could He?

It could be as simple as not having the exact words to describe the beginning of creation. Now, go to a place like Lowe’s or Home Depot. There is everything one must have to build a home. It just does not look like anything yet. One can go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and see only building supplies, yet a contractor can see a beautiful building. God did the same thing, gathering everything needed to create everything we see. Everything that God needed was there, but we cannot see the beauty in God’s mind.

Men present complicated theories about the creation and then miss the obvious in front of their eyes.

Testing of Man’s Loyalty

God gave man one rule for living in the garden. Do not eat from the Tree of “the knowledge of good and evil.”

Genesis 2:16-17 said,

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.

In these two verses, God let us choose for ourselves, which amounted to free will. With this new free will, we are now responsible to the person who gave it to us. Will we obey and do his bidding, or do as we please?

“The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” was the test set before all humanity. It was a test of our free will and of who we are. However, Adam and Eve failed the test and then passed the blame on to someone else, which is what we do today. One wonders what would have happened if they admitted their guilt before God for disobedience. What God would have done is an exciting idea to muse over.

We must admit our deficiencies without saying they made us do them. One can only speculate what God would have done if they had confessed to their sins.

Testing of Lucifer’s Loyalty

God tested man for his loyalty to the Tree of Good and Evil. God also tested all His Angelic creations for their devotion to Him. Maybe this trial was the man himself, and God, having created man by His hand, was Satan’s test.

Genesis 1:26 says,

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Man is God’s unique, creative act, as He made us in His image. God did not create Lucifer in His image. The human species were to rule over everything God created. When one thinks of this vast power God placed into our hands for safekeeping, our humility should bring obedience and awe.

Only man has the divine right of dominion over every creation God made. However, Lucifer assumed he could take this power over.

Man, given a great responsibility to care for God’s creation, maybe Lucifer’s jealousy and pride got the best of him. At this moment, Satan surrendered to his great pride and said, “I will make myself like the Highest.”

Psalm 8:3-6 said,

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

Man, favored by God, ran around in Lucifer’s head. Satan yielded to his pride and said, “I will make myself like the Highest.”

Isaiah 14:14-17 said,

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you and ponder, saying, Is this the individual who made the earth tremble, shook kingdoms, made the world like a wilderness, overthrew its cities, and did not allow his prisoners to go home?

Lucifer lost everything because of his PRIDE

Conclusion

God tested the loyalty of both man and Lucifer. Man was the test of Lucifer’s faithfulness, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the test of man’s loyalty, and both failed.

Think about a loyalty test you have had from a family member, friend, spouse, or boss. If there were no tests of loyalty, how could they trust you? God, our family, friend, spouse, or boss must verify commitment out of necessity to acquire confidence in that individual. Something placed before you is alluring to test you; if there were no fascination, the test would be mute.

Proverbs 16:18-19 says,

Pride precedes destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoiled with the proud.

Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone

Sola Fide–By Faith Alone

Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone

Solus Christus–By Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone

Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021, updated: ©2024

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)

 

The Day of the Lord

 Introduction

Laziness has blinded the Church in its study of God’s Word. The Church seems to believe it can quicken “The Day of the Lord.”

“The Day of the Lord” will not come without signs, so we must be vigilant in our faith.

Various Fellowships say that their missionary endeavor is to quicken the day of the Lord. Quickening, “The Day of the Lord” is a wrong motive for spreading the Word of God; saving the lost soul is the real purpose of missionary pursuits.

Matthew 24:4-14 says,

            And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must occur, but that is not yet the end. For nations will rise against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you, and all nations will hate you because of My name. Many will fall away, betray, and hate one another at that time. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

 Proclaiming the Word

The Church cannot hasten Christ’s return, as catastrophic events will happen, so Christians must prepare and never lose hope. Christ will come back according to God’s timetable. God will command his angel to proclaim the everlasting gospel to all humanity. God will complete the evangelism of the world, not the Church.

Revelation 14:6-7 says,

And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.

Why do Christians ignore or skate around these verses in Revelation? God will declare the gospel to all people and languages by the voice of an angel. Christians are only workers and cannot spread the Good News as commanded. God will perform this task at His convenience. Humanity will hear the truth through the voice of one who cannot lie.

Humanities Judgment

When the Lord returns, He will judge all humanity. The Lord will settle all accounts.

Romans 14:9 says,

Christ died and lived again to be Lord of the dead and the living.

Acts 10:42 says,

And he commanded us to preach to the people and testify that God appointed him (Jesus Christ) to be judge of the living and the dead.

God’s Day Approaches

Matthew 24:36 says,

But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father alone.

God’s day is coming, and one day this world will end. God will persevere only so far, then the end. Jesus commanded the Church to spread the gospel to all. But remember, one must keep one’s ego in check, so this work is not in the flesh. Many devout Christians fall prey to their ego in frustration because few souls will enter the kingdom.

Acts 1:8 says,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

Matthew 22:14 says,

For God called many, but few chosen.

One must be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ while still on earth. Eventually, God will be responsible for the delivery of the gospel to humanity. In Corinthians, God will cause growth, not man.

1 Corinthians 3:7 says,

So then, neither the one who plants nor waters is anything but God who causes the growth.

Our part is to plant the seed of life, or we water. It is God’s responsibility for the increase in His salvation plan.

So, the day of the Lord will come, and here is a question from Luke’s Gospel.

Luke 18:8 says,

I tell you, He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, will He find faith upon the earth when the Son of Man comes?

The Rapture

So, in Scripture, where is this secret delight where all Christians will avoid God’s wrath and not see the tribulation? Only this is possible with a stretch of the imagination or a blatant misinterpretation of the Word of God.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture started around the 1800s and had no early church fathers supporting this alternative. A clandestine joy is only a few hundred years old. This idea of a Secret Rapture may have developed in Scotland. Christians cultivated this belief that God would disconnect them from the persecution soon to be on earth.

The Origin of the Concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

2 Timothy 3:12 says,

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will see persecution.

Various believers only see this misery of seven years of sorrow and pain for the unbeliever. The book of Daniel shows the first half of these seven years as a peaceful time. We may understand the books of Daniel and Revelation through serious Bible study.

Many Christians embrace a Secret Rapture, knowing they will avoid suffering. Scripture teaches something different from the way men look at the end times. If one is God’s child, they will suffer persecution. Look at what is happening to the Christians in the Arab and African world today with their persecution. (see 2 Timothy 3:12) One should also look at what is happening in America today and see what the United States Government is trying to do by taking away our freedom of religion.

Christians alive during the tribulation will go through it, but it is the Wrath of God we will not go through when it comes. After opening the sixth seal, terror will fill the earth as it never was and will be again. Christians will not go through the Wrath of God because God will remove the Holy Spirit, and without the Holy Spirit, NO ONE could survive.

Revelation 6:12-17 says,

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when rolled up, and every mountain and island moved out of its place. Then, the kings of the earth, the great men, the commanders, the rich, the strong, and every enslaved person and freeman hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

Revelation16:17 says,

Then, the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”

There was no more hope for humanity, for the Holy Spirit was no longer on earth to convict humanity of unrighteousness. God gave them several opportunities to confess their sin, but they rebelled and cursed God. God destroyed man at the seventh bowl of wrath poured out.

2 Timothy 3:12 says,

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will see persecution.

However, true believers will not see the Wrath of God that will come upon humanity. But believers will see persecution in this life.

The Armor of God

As warriors of God, we must wear armor that protects us from harm. This defensive and offensive armor is honoring God through His Word.

Ephesians 6:10-17 says,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so you can stand firm against the devil’s schemes. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. So take up the whole armor of God so you can resist the evil day and, having done everything, stand firm. Stand firm hence, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with preparing the gospel of peace; besides all, taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Conclusion

Here is a question: are you awaiting the Rapture or the return of Jesus Christ? These two events are unique; one is cowardly, and the other brings joy. The one you choose will change how they understand the Word of God. Persecution will happen while in the Army of God on earth.

The Church must prepare for battle every day, awaiting the Lord's return. God's only protection is His armor, so use it well.

Fight the good fight, stay the course, and eternal life with Jesus Christ is the reward.

Even Jesus did not want to go to the Cross and suffer persecution, yet He did His Father’s will.

In Luke 22:42, it says,

Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours.

Jesus must suffer pain before going back to His Father. The Lord shows us we must endure to the end, and then we receive the prize.

Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone

Sola Fide–By Faith Alone

Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone

Solus Christus–By Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone

Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021, Update: ©2024

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)

Relationship v. Religion

 Introduction

The pitfalls of religion over a relationship between oneself and the Lord Jesus Christ of Creation must be supreme. Some people believe that religion is superior to a relationship. This author believes that a personal relationship over human-made religion becomes paramount.

Many will reject what I am saying to embrace a religious denomination, that my friend is their choice, and I respect what they believe, but I disagree with them about this choice. Religion will tie one’s hands, but a relationship sets us free.

Religion

During this stage, people in a crisis will turn to a religious denomination that comforts them. However, when this predicament ends, those same individuals who embraced religion will fall back into their old ways of life.

According to the dictionary, religion is a belief in some superhuman controlling person. This control could be why people run to faith when a catastrophe presents itself. Religion is a set of rules laid out by the founder of that religious sect, or today, we call them denominations.

List of Christian Denominations

Each has its regulations that the devotee must adhere to or face ex-communication.

James 1:26-27 says,

If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

It speaks of a “Pure and undefiled religion,” but not all human-made religions are pure or undefiled. Many religions seem laced with the beliefs of the Pharisees of old, with an extensive list of “do’s and don’ts.” A “Pure and undefiled religion” is a relationship between individuals.

Relationship

According to the dictionary, a relationship is how people connect or how individuals act toward each other. When one connects with the Lord Jesus, it is not about “do’s and don’ts!” It is about how one shows one's love and respect for each other.

If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, obeying Him will be easiest. Our first task should be as the scripture teaches.

Matthew 22:37-40 says,

And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And this is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. These two commandments depend on the whole Law and the Prophets.

If one loves the Lord, then all else will fall into place. There is no religion here, but a relationship between God and people. There are no “do’s and don’ts” to follow in a relationship because one does it out of love.

Husband and Wife

The first relationship was between God and Adam, out of pure love. Then God created a woman, and now, a relationship was among humans, and no religion was involved here.

Ephesians 5:25, 33 says,

Husbands love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. Still, each individual among you must also love his wife even as he loves himself, and the wife must see that she respects her husband.

It has always been important for relationships, not the human-made religion of today. If one has love and devotion to an individual, one will do anything to make them happy.

That is why a relationship is far superior to any religion.

Family Relationships

It is all about relationships with all humans, regardless of their color.

Ephesians 6:1-9 says,

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (the first commandment with a promise) so it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Enslaved people, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart and with good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether enslaved person or free. And masters do the same things to them and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The above passage is not about religion but the relationship of children toward their parents and vice versa; it is also about servants and their relationship to the master and how the master treats his servants. All healthy relationships are from the Lord and must be from the heart.

The author contends this whole passage is about relationships with other individuals. Religion will not work because it has too many rules.

The Ten Commandments

Relationships with others are so meaningful that even in God’s Commandments of Moses, most were to show how our relationship was to be with our fellow man.

Exodus 20 says,

Relationship Toward God

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make idols.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Relationship Toward Man

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet.

There are more commandments towards man than God; as God shows us, it is a relationship superior to religion.

Conclusion

The relationship is far superior to any religion. Religion only translates into denominationalism. Religion, denominationalism, or whatever one wants to call it, is a tool that has caused divisions in the body of Christ called the Church. Genuine relationships bring only one closer to each other in love and devotion.

Humankind has gotten so wrapped up in religion it has forgotten people. Do not let religion rule your life; commit to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and see the results soar to the next level.

God has no religion with us, but He has a relationship waiting if we ask.

Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone

Sola Fide–By Faith Alone

Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone

Solus Christus–By Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone

Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021, Updated: ©2024

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)