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The Peril Of Religion

(Mark 2:27-28) "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." It has been a problem ever since the fall of man that man has desired to add religion to God's Words. In the above verse Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day for placing the Sabbath above the everyday needs of man. The Sabbath was important to keep, but not at the expense of neglecting charity toward each other.  RELIGION MUST NEVER BE: 1) A substitute for God's Truth.  God warned man not to add to or take from his Word, and God's Word tells us that God is a God of compassion and mercy, but the Jew created a religion that would rather see a man starve than eat on the Sabbath or remain crippled than see him healed. Be careful not to leave God's truth for the way of religion. 2) A substitute for Christ. Jesus is "Lord of the Sabbath," meaning that as God himself his Sabbath represented more than just religiously resting one day in seven, for now under His Lordship every day once we're saved is a day of rest in Christ; For in Christ we now have "ceased from our works" (Heb.4:10), just as God did after creation. 3) A substitute for Grace. Having correct doctrine, knowing God's Word, having large crowds and worshipping in a nice building is great but without the practice of grace toward all men, all that can become just another empty religion! Religion is not the same as practicing the grace and love of Christ. Jesus didn't come to just start another religion. No, he came to us to help us find peace with God but also to teach us the importance of practicing grace one with another.


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