The Traits Of Token Religion
Text: Phil.1: 3-11
Intro: Today I want to focus on the thought mentioned in the second half of Philippians 1: 10. Paul tells the Philippians that he was praying that their love for Christ might continue to grow, resulting in knowledge, discernment, and sincerity. The Greek word translated “sincere,” literally means “without wax.”(1) It makes reference to the practice of some unscrupulous sculptors of Paul’s day, who would fill in their mistakes with wax. The idea Paul is conveying is that the Philippian saints should mature in their love for Christ to the point that there would be no cover-ups or falseness in their Christian life.
I believe that if the apostle Paul were to stand before us today, he would voice this same concern. If ever there was a day that Christians needed to be renewed in their love and sincerity toward Christ, it is our day.
There is a terrible tragedy taking place in most churches these days: I call it “Token Religion.” “What is token religion?” you might ask. Simply stated, token religion is a form of religious activity that goes through the motions of worship toward God, but is in reality insincere, contrived, and devoid of real love and commitment. Token religion isn’t really worship at all; and sadly, it is being perpetrated Sunday after Sunday in many of our nation’s churches.
In this message, I want to point out some indicators of token religion. In doing so, it is my hope that we will evaluate our relationship with the Lord to see if we are truly worshiping God from a sincere heart, or simply playing church.
Theme: What are the traits of token religion?
I. TOKEN RELIGION IS STRICTLY VERBAL
A. Israel Practiced Verbal Assertions Without Committed Affection.
Ps.78: 36 “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.”
Isa.29: 13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”
NOTE: [1] In Psalm 78, Asaph recounts the ups and downs of Israel’s relationship with God. For a while they would serve God faithfully and sincerely from their hearts. After a time however, their relationship with God became nothing more than high-sounding words and religious flattery (insincere praise). They seemed to think that God couldn’t see beyond the confessions of their tongues to behold the corruption of their hearts.
[2] In Isaiah 29: 13, God indicts Israel with the charge of false worship. God accused Israel by saying that their lives did not back up what was on their lips (“…with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me…”). The word “fear,” found at the end of this verse, refers basically to Israel’s supposed worship or reverence of God. The Lord accused Israel of performing religious rituals merely because that was what they’d been taught, not because of any real love or commitment to God. They were mindlessly going through the motions.
This then is worship in its largest sense: petition as well as praise, preaching as well as prayer, hearing as well as speaking, actions as well as words, obeying as well as offering, loving people as well as loving God. However, the primary acts of worship are those which focus on God directly—and we must not imagine that work for God in the world is a substitute for direct fellowship with him in praise and prayer and devotion.(2)
B. Israel Practiced Verbal Assertions Without Confirming Actions.
Ps.78: 36 “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.”
Ezek.33: 31b “…for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.”
NOTE: The point of verse 37 is simply that though the Israelites professed their love for God, their practice of life proved otherwise, due to their obvious disobedience.
1. God’s children are to be committed.
1 Cor.10: 31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
2. Token religion comes from a heart that is corrupt.
Jer.17: 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Mark 7: 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
3. With the Pharisees, token religion was common.
Matt.23: 1 “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”
Luke 11: 46 “And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.”
4. For the Christian, profession and practice should not be in conflict.
Luke 6: 46 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
John 14: 15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.
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21a He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…
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23a Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words…”
Titus 1: 16 “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
NOTE: [1] King Saul is a prime example of a believer who practices token religion. They talk a good talk, but don’t walk a good walk.
1 Sam.15: 13 “And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
[2] Victorious Christianity is more than religious verbiage. Let me illustrate with the following:
Elisabeth Elliot, at Urbana 76, told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterwards.
One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, “But Mom, I want to sing.” His father stated, “It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient.”(3)
II. TOKEN RELIGION IS SHAMEFULLY VOID
A. It Is Devoid Of Spiritual Sincerity.
1. Token religion is often merely an attempt to placate God, because of fear.
2 Kings 17: 24 “And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.”
2. Token religion is often merely a matter of pluralistic formality.
2 Kings 17: 28 “Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.”
Deut.6: 4 “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
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14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”
3. Token religion is often merely a matter of insincere futility.
Isa.1: 11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
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13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I can not away with (“…God could endure none of them…”(4)); it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
John 4: 24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
NOTE: [1] The point here is that God does not accept insincere worship. Nor does God accept tainted worship. The observance of rituals does not necessarily equal worship toward God. The only worship that God recognizes is that which comes from the heart, and that which is in keeping with, and adheres to, His truth.
[2] What is real worship all about? I believe the following explains it well:
True biblical worship so satisfies our total personality that we don’t have to shop around for man-made substitutes. William Temple made this clear in his masterful definition of worship:
For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable, and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.(5)
B. It Is Devoid Of That Which Is Sacred.
1. Token religion denies God His rightful place.
2 Kings 17: 32 “So they feared (worshiped) the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places.
33 They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.”
NOTE: [1] These people were basically trying to play both sides of the fence. In their eyes, Jehovah was simply one of the many gods they sought to placate. They basically tried to put Jehovah God on an equal standing with their false gods. Obviously, God did not recognize or accept their spurious worship, for God does not share His glory with anything or anyone, for He has declared, “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” (Isa.42: 8).
[2] The Philistines once viewed Jehovah as a god instead of the God. God revealed to them in a dramatic way that He had no equal.
1 Sam.5: 2 “When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump (“the fishy part”(6)) of Dagon was left to him.”
[3] Folks the principle I’m speaking of here is still true today. You cannot honestly worship the one, true God, while sharing your allegiance with other gods, whether it is riches, people, power, pleasure, or recreation. Man’s devotion cannot be successfully divided.
Matt.4: 10b “…it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
Matt.6: 24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
2. Token religion disregards God’s plans and pronouncements.
2 Kings 17: 34 “Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;”
NOTE: [1] Modern-day society is much as it was in the days of the judges of Israel, of which it was said, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17: 6).
[2] When man rejects the Word and the ways of God, it often results in death, both physical and spiritual.
Prov.16: 25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
2 Kings 17: 30 “And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.”
III. TOKEN RELIGION IS SPIRITUALLY VALUELESS
A. It Does Not Close The Distance Between God And The Backslider.
Isa.1: 3 “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
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11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
……………………………………………………..
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I can not away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
B. It Does Not Cure The Disease Of The Backslider.
Isa.1: 5 “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”
C. It Does Not Curb The Desolation Caused The Backslider.
Isa.1: 7 “Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.”
Theme: What are the traits of token religion?
I. TOKEN RELIGION IS STRICTLY VERBAL
II. TOKEN RELIGION IS SADLY VOID
III. TOKEN RELIGION IS SPIRITUALLY VALUELESS
End Notes:
(1) Warren W. Wiersbe
(2) James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, July 1986, pg. 15.
(3) Elisabeth Elliot.
(4) AGES Software, Rio, WI, USA, Version 1.0, Copyright 2001.
(5) Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991; pg. 119.
(6) The Holy Bible, Oxford, Printed at the University Press, London: Oxford University Press; Center column, note 4, pg. 377.
