Humans were made to be companions for deity (Genesis 1:26; 3:8). When man sinned in Eden, that connection was broken (Genesis 3:6–7, 24; Isaiah 59:1–2). God is holy, and holiness demands separation from sin. God is just, and justice demands punishment. God is also merciful and wants to forgive man. Thus the divine dilemma.
The only way the righteous God could receive man back was for a sufficient price to be paid. The price was named; Christ paid it. God gave His Son so He could adopt us as sons and daughters (John 3:16; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; 8:9).
What does God ask in return? Love. Worship. Gratitude. Commitment. Righteousness.
Church enables participation in the worship God longs for in the way He wants it (John 4:24). Worship is man’s outlet for thanksgiving and praise for the indescribable gift of Jesus (2 Corinthians 9:15). Honoring Jesus and pleasing the Father are what church is about (John 4:24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:9).
God does not approve of do-it-yourself religion. Worship must be given as God wants it, since it is for Him. Listening to a favorite preacher’s podcast at the gym or worship songs around the house does not replace giving God His Sunday a cappella concert, heartfelt prayer, and sincere gratitude around His Son’s table.
While Christianity is a personal, heart-felt religion (Matthew 15:8; Romans 6:17), it is not meant to be practiced alone. A part is done in secret (Matthew 6:6), but discipleship is not meant to be secret (John 12:42; 19:38–39). Shouting the gospel “on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27) is better done in a public assembly than in a private residence.
Man may think he can worship on his terms in his own house, but God is not obligated to honor man’s whims. Man is obligated to follow God’s wisdom (James 4:7). In the days of the judges, every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25), which produced the dark ages of Israel. Moses forbade Jews doing “whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8). Paul later noted: “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, [they] have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
The church is not a human invention; it was God’s idea (Ephesians 3:10–11). He spent four thousand years planning, organizing, establishing, and building it (Galatians 4:4–5; Acts 2). Although men have spent the last two thousand years trying to change it, God’s original church is still here. We should not abandon it. The church (kingdom) is the only thing God will salvage from this cursed world (1 Corinthians 15:24). We must be in it when that happens (Matthew 25:1–13).
I’m Giving Up on Organized Religion
CHURCH IS WHERE WE CONNECT WITH GOD ON HIS TERMS.
Humans were made to be companions for deity (Genesis 1:26; 3:8). When man sinned in Eden, that connection was broken (Genesis 3:6–7, 24; Isaiah 59:1–2). God is holy, and holiness demands separation from sin. God is just, and justice demands punishment. God is also merciful and wants to forgive man. Thus the divine dilemma.
The only way the righteous God could receive man back was for a sufficient price to be paid. The price was named; Christ paid it. God gave His Son so He could adopt us as sons and daughters (John 3:16; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; 8:9).
What does God ask in return? Love. Worship. Gratitude. Commitment. Righteousness.
Church enables participation in the worship God longs for in the way He wants it (John 4:24). Worship is man’s outlet for thanksgiving and praise for the indescribable gift of Jesus (2 Corinthians 9:15). Honoring Jesus and pleasing the Father are what church is about (John 4:24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:9).
God does not approve of do-it-yourself religion. Worship must be given as God wants it, since it is for Him. Listening to a favorite preacher’s podcast at the gym or worship songs around the house does not replace giving God His Sunday a cappella concert, heartfelt prayer, and sincere gratitude around His Son’s table.
While Christianity is a personal, heart-felt religion (Matthew 15:8; Romans 6:17), it is not meant to be practiced alone. A part is done in secret (Matthew 6:6), but discipleship is not meant to be secret (John 12:42; 19:38–39). Shouting the gospel “on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27) is better done in a public assembly than in a private residence.
Man may think he can worship on his terms in his own house, but God is not obligated to honor man’s whims. Man is obligated to follow God’s wisdom (James 4:7). In the days of the judges, every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25), which produced the dark ages of Israel. Moses forbade Jews doing “whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8). Paul later noted: “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, [they] have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
The church is not a human invention; it was God’s idea (Ephesians 3:10–11). He spent four thousand years planning, organizing, establishing, and building it (Galatians 4:4–5; Acts 2). Although men have spent the last two thousand years trying to change it, God’s original church is still here. We should not abandon it. The church (kingdom) is the only thing God will salvage from this cursed world (1 Corinthians 15:24). We must be in it when that happens (Matthew 25:1–13).
(Part 2 in a 5-part series by Allen Webster)