Religion Vs. Relationship

Whenever you hear of the word “religion,” what comes to mind? Perhaps attending a church service, someone worshipping a Buddha statue, a baptismal service, someone reciting a chant or prayer, someone fasting, people praying to the east every hour, someone making an animal sacrifice, or someone meditating? Each of these things involves some form of “action.”

Whenever you hear of the word “relationship” what comes to mind? Perhaps a husband and wife, walks on the beach, dinner for two, stargazing at the lookout point, writing love letters, and talking on the telephone. Each of these things, while some of them require action, involves “spending time” with someone getting to know them better.

Religion involves action and doing; while relationship involves spending time with someone you love and care about. In our walk with the Lord, religion can become a distraction by always doing and by always coming and going; however, a relationship can draw us closer to the Lord as we are able to take the time to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

This morning I wish to take some time to contrast religion and relationship; and hopefully, by the end of this message you will be able to see that religion is not something to be desired, but that a relationship with Jesus is to be highly treasured. I believe you will also be able to see that religion brings about death, and relationship brings about life.

Religion Is Very Burdensome (vv. 1-4)

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The first thing to point out about religion is that “religion is very burdensome.” Religion weighs down the heart and takes away one’s passion and joy. We read here of how the Pharisees gave people orders concerning religious observances, and they were sometimes very “hard to bear” (v. 4). They were so difficult that the Pharisees themselves would not attempt to hold these observances, and that is because they could not uphold them at all, and neither could anyone else for that matter.

These observances that the Pharisees placed on the people were their “rules,” “regulations,” and “laws.” Henry Drummond says about the laws placed on the people by the Pharisees, “In those days men were working the passage to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments, and the hundred and ten other commandments which they manufactured out of them.”(1) There were so many rules and regulations that people could not possibly uphold them all. Remember how James said, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

Too many rules and too many laws lead to a loss of freedom and cause people to feel enslaved and burdened; which ultimately leads to a desire to escape and run away. Religion distances people from a relationship with the Lord, and it causes people to see God as a slave driver, ready to lash out at them should they mess up one single time. Instead of experiencing the joy of the Lord, people only experience drudgery and heaviness of heart.

Religion is absolutely condemning. It is based on things that are often not found in the Bible, but are instead the inventions of men (Mark 7:7-8); and religion becomes condemning as it leaves no room for mistakes; and thus no room for God’s grace. If someone fails to uphold a certain rule or regulation, condescension and criticism occur way before forgiveness.

Allow me to give some examples of religious beliefs that can become burdensome: If you do not read a particular version of the Bible, then you are not led by God; if you raise your hands in worship, then you are a holy roller; if you believe that the Lord wishes to bless us, then you are self-centered; if you are sick all the time then you are living in sin; a woman cannot speak in church, for the man was made before the woman; if you believe in miracles you have been deceived by the devil, for miracles ceased after the apostles; if you aren’t a Baptist then you are not saved – and I could keep going.

Jesus is not about religion. In fact, Christianity was not even started as a religion, but as a movement; and this movement of God was called “the Way” (Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, 23; Acts 24:14, 22). It was turned into a religion when Emperor Constantine made it the official religion of the Roman Empire; and thus, utilized this new religion as a form of governmental control over the people. Jesus, however, is not about religion; and that is why He spoke out against the Pharisees in this passage. Jesus is all about relationship!