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Chapter 1: Religion I never know how to start these kinds of things. I think it's easier to speak to someone outside of such formal means, so forgive me if at times this seems a little less conventional of a book that is meant to grow your faith. I took a class right outside of high school that was meant to take my belief in God to a whole other level. What does that look like? To be one-hundred percent honest, I can’t really tell you. All I know is that I grew in ways that may seem weird to some, off putting to most, and down right amazing to a very small few! For the next few chapters I want to take you through the number one thing that they taught me. This is the principal part of Christendom. This is the principal part for growing in your relationship and ultimately your religion. I know that’s a nasty word, but let me try to break it down in a way that seems a little less icky to the laymen church goer. Religion is defined most recently as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies usually involving devotional and ritual observance and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Another definition is something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience. The bible defines pure religion as this: take care of those who can not take care of themselves and to keep yourself clean from the dirt that is in the world. This can be found in the book of James chapter 1 verse 27. Now what that means for the average person can look a little different. The connotation that has been brought about due to various wars and societal woes caused by a false understanding of what Christianity and other religions are, makes it seem as though religion is something that is on its face a terrible cancer on human existance. That can’t be further from the truth. Everyone practices a religion. Everyone is trained to follow a religion. Even the most prominent viewpoints of anti-religion become so ingrained in the individual who practices those beliefs that it can only be viewed as religious. (I’m looking at you atheist.) So what are we going to define religion as? In order to be on the same page and for you to get anything out of this journey I need you to understand my terminology. Religion is the culmination of all of your habits. Simple right? Everything that is done habitually is your religion. I know that isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when religion is discussed. Because of such there is a bad taste that forms when any kind of religious rhetoric is brought up in normal conversation. We hear religion and think of the crusades or the local church assembly bashing our fellow humans. We think of suicide bombers and ritual sacrifices to gods and beings above human comprehension that may or may not even exist. We may even think of a “get to paradise free” pass or something that is so out of reach that it's impossible to accomplish, but it’s simply your habits. If we think of religion as the habits that we form then the nasty taste becomes less flavorful. We can then find out how to practice good religion. We can connect with others on a deeper level than what we previously thought possible. Human beings strive for understanding. We crave it. With lack of understanding comes confusion. With confusion; fear. With fear comes hatred, and with hatred comes theft, death and destruction. Fear is a byproduct of a lack of understanding. This confusion that leads to fear opens the door to allow enemies to slowly dismantle their foes from the inside out. We have an adversary. That should be agreed upon by most denominations. This is clearly stated in the bible and his methods of action are also clearly stated. Based on the bible we know that he comes not but for to kill, to steal and to destroy. We know that he is the father of lies and the author of confusion. So, then I ask if he is the father of lies and author of confusion what can we do to combat such a foe? We strive to receive understanding. American Church Society has conditioned American Christians to believe that religion is of the devil. We are taught to believe that anyone practicing religion is missing the point of God’s grace. If this be the case, then why would the divinely inspired word of God tell us how to practice pure religion, if religion is an abomination in the sight of an immutable God? This causes confusion. We lack true understanding of what religion is. Jesus was religious. Why does that matter? We as christians are to take on the life that Christ gave us. There were religious practices that Jesus followed so that he could accomplish what needed to be done. In order for the redemptive work to be done we needed a pious Jew to open the door for the rest of the world. Now as much as I would like to assume we are all on the same page concerning this, I won't take this opportunity for granted. We are saved by grace through faith and that alone. No amount of works you do will ever win you the unadulterated favor of God, and on the flip side of that coin no amount of works can release you from the covenantal relationship God forms with you upon accepting His free gift. God set it up this way so that no man can boast on themselves or try to rally favor with God. At the barest of levels we are all equal. At the barest level God sees me and you as he sees Jesus. We are His children whom He loves dearly. Taking that into consideration, what is it that Jesus did that we as the church are having an issue with? There are a lot of answers that fight snugly within the question. The main thing was the habits he formed due to his strong belief in what His Father, God, called him to do. Many people who attack the idea of Christianity being attached to religion by way of works tend to point towards Jesus’ baptism at the hands of John. This was down before he started his earthly ministry. God opened the heavens and announced ”This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.” Case closed. Jesus had not done any works until this point. God being pleased was just because of who he is. Okay. Parents, what makes you pleased with your child? Is it the fact they are breathing that makes you pleased with them? Is it that you just looked at them one day and just were overwhelmed with pride at what you created? Probably not. Most parents see the things that a child does and then sing their praises. Well what did Jesus do? For 30 years Jesus lived a sinless life prior to entering into the ministry. As a child, Jesus did what was needed of him to fulfill the master plan laid in front of Him by God. How do we know? Because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be eligible to be the sacrificial lamb needed to redeem all mankind. Leading up to the point in which we hear God speaking of Jesus in that baptismal, the world around him saw Jesuse religiously follow every command laid out for him. All of the Jewish laws set up for man to be perfect in God’s sight were followed by child Jesus, teenage Jesus, and adult Jesus. If there was any swaying from this religion there would be no redemption of man. I ask now is God’s love for us greater than his love for Christ? Did God’s expectation of His children change as more and more came along? To put it bluntly, no. The same expectation God had for Christ is the same expectation He has for you and me. The difference is that now we have an advocate in Christ when we fall short. The goal should be to not fall short. How do we accomplish the goal of not falling short? Religion.