How many times do Christians say, “We don’t have a religion but a relation. We are freed from religion and don’t have to anymore.” They are proud that they don’t adhere to a religion like previous generations and must do things and be bound by rules, but that they have been made free through Jesus Christ and have a relationship with God. Religion is related to legalism; keeping the law, having to, Furcht, condemnation, and punishment, and they are freed from that. They don’t ‘have to’ anymore but are redeemed and live in freedom. It all sounds so pious and wonderful and of course, we have a relationship with God by faith and regeneration in Christ instead of a dead religion. But to many, these words of having a relationship instead of religion is a disguised form of pride and rebellion against God, because they are not willing to submit to God and His Word and His commandments and don’t want to be told what to do, but they want to live their own lives and make their own decisions, without God and His Word being part of it. They say they have a relationship with God, but from their daily lives, their relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is hard to find. Because what does their relationship look like and consist of?
Flesh vs spirit
Das sage ich dann, Wandeln Sie im Geiste, und ihr werdet der Begierde des Fleisches nicht nachkommen. Denn das Fleisch begehrt gegen den Geist, und der Geist gegen das Fleisch: und diese widersprechen einander: damit ihr nicht tun könnt, was ihr wollt. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law (Galater 5:16-18).
“We don’t have to do anything anymore. We don’t have to keep the commandments of God, we don’t have to pray, we don’t have to fast, we don’t have to study the Bible, we don’t have to tithe, we don’t have to … (fill out the blanks)”.
NEIN, you don’t have to do all these things to be saved. You can’t earn your salvation by your works and/or by keeping the law of Moses.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Denn wir sind sein Werk, geschaffen in Christus Jesus zu guten Werken, die Gott zuvor bestimmt hat, dass wir darin wandeln sollen (Epheser 2:8-10)
Salvation is the gift of grace of God, which He has given, first to the Jewish people (His carnal covenant people) and then to the heathen.
God has given everyone the ability to be saved and be redeemed from the power of the devil and the kingdom of darkness and to become a new creation; ein Sohn Gottes (Dies gilt sowohl für Männer als auch für Frauen). Everyone makes their own decision to believe in Jesus Christ, der Sohn Gottes, and be saved by Him or not.
The new man shall establish the law
But the secret of regeneration is, that if you are born of God and have become a new creation, ein Sohn Gottes, and have received a new nature, Gods nature, and Christ abides in you by the Holy Spirit and the law of His Kingdom reigns in your heart, you shall fulfill the law of the Kingdom of God, genau wie Jesus, Who walked after the Spirit and fulfilled the law (Lesen Sie auch: ‘How do you establish the law?„).
You shall fulfill the law, because you love God with all your heart, Seele, Geist, and strength and yield yourself to Him and live after His will.
From your love to God, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, which doesn’t mean that you accept the sins and idolatry of your neighbor, but that you, Zum Beispiel, don’t covet the things of your neighbor and therefore don’t commit fornication and adultery and divorce, don’t cheat, don’t steal from your neighbor, don’t lie against your neighbor, don’t kill your neighbor, but forgive your neighbor and be faithful and so on.
If you are born of God and have received God’s nature and the Holy Spirit abides in you, then the law of God, which represents the will of God is written in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, Seele, Geist, and strength and the law of the Spirit is in you, you shall yield to God and His Word and do His will (Oh. Jeremia 31:31-34, Hesekiel 36:26-27, Römer 2:14-16, hebräisch 8:8-13).
It’s not a matter of ‘have to’ but ‘want Zu‘
Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm, if a man love Me, er wird meine Worte halten: und Mein Vater wird ihn lieben, und Wir werden zu ihm kommen, and make our abode with him. Wer mich nicht liebt, hält meine Worte nicht: and the word which ye hear is not mine, aber die des Vaters, der Mich gesandt hat (John 14:23-24)
If you are born again and walk after the Spirit, then it’s not a matter of ‘have to’ but ‘want to’. You are reconciled with God and united with Him and don’t do things concerning God and the Kingdom of God out of legalism and an obligation, but out of your love for God.
Jesus Christ has redeemed you and your love for Him and your gratitude towards Him should become visible in your life through your faith and your works.
Your life as the new creation; Gottes Sohn, should be different than your previous life as the old creation, when you belonged to the devil and the devil was your father.
You are no longer an enemy of God and you shall not exalt yourself above God anymore and walk in pride and rebellion towards God in obedience to the will of the flesh, which has the nature of the devil and in which sin and death reign.
But through the death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, you are delivered from the power of the devil and sin and death and you are reconciled with God and have become a son of God and therefore you shall live in obedience to your new Father and from your relationship with Him after His will.
Your life no longer revolves around yourself and pleasing your flesh, but around Jesus Christ and pleasing, honoring, and exalting Him and God the Father.
The spirit wants to spend time with God, the flesh doesn’t want to spend time with God
Über welche Dinge sprechen wir auch?, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; spirituelle Dinge mit spirituellen vergleichen. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: denn sie sind ihm eine Torheit: Er kann sie auch nicht kennen, weil sie spirituell urteilsfähig sind. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Korinther 2:13-16)
If you have become a new creation, ein Sohn Gottes, then you love God and want to spend time with Him. Not because you have to, but because you want to.
Your spirit wants to pray to the Father and study His Word and be taught, corrected, Und chastised durch den Heiligen Geist, not for selfish reasons and selfish gain, but to get to know God and His will and spiritually mature into the image of Christ, so that you please, honor and exalt God through your life.
But the flesh doesn’t want to isolate and spend time with God. The flesh loves itself and wants to feed its lusts and desires and wants to be entertained by (the things of) the world and have fun with friends.
The flesh doesn’t want to be alone and can’t be alone and abhors reading the Bible let alone studying the Bible, since the words of God are foolishness to him and the Word reveals and condemns the works of the flesh and the flesh doesn’t want that.
The flesh wants to be pleased, unterhalten, and fed by the world and receive what the flesh wants. And so the flesh reigns as king and the flesh keeps reigning as king in people’s lives.
What defines a relationship?
Bedauerlicherweise, in this day and age, the definition of a relationship has been distorted and taken on a path of its own. How many people claim to have a relationship, without spending time with a person.
How many times do sons and/or daughters say, that they have a good relationship with their parent(S), while the parent(S) think otherwise, because sometimes there are weeks in between that they speak and/or visit their parents. And if they contact or visit their parents it’s many times out of obligation or because they have problems and/or need something, but not because they long for their parents and want to be with their parents and spend time with their parents.
In their mind, they think they have a good relationship without visiting the parent(S) and without spending time with the parent(S) and think they treat their parent(S) well, but the reality and their works say something else.
Their works say and prove that don’t really have a relationship and don’t love their parents, because if they would truly love their parents they would want to spend time with them and do what pleases them and not leave them to their fate.
They would be interested and would listen to their parents and don’t do things that hurt them or make them sad. And the same goes for the faith.
Many say, they have a relationship with Jesus Christ, während in Wirklichkeit, they don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ; das Wort, but have a relationship with an imaginary Jesus, who they have created in their minds and who thinks, speaks, and acts like them (Lesen Sie auch: ‘Ein falscher Jesus bringt falsche Christen hervor’).
They think that they walk after the spirit and love God and know Him, while they spend their time to the things of the world and find that more important than spending time with The Father in prayer and reading and studying the Word.
The spirit wants to pray, the flesh doesn’t want to pray
And when thou prayest, Du sollst nicht so sein, wie die Heuchler sind: denn sie lieben es, in den Synagogen und an den Straßenecken stehend zu beten, damit sie von den Menschen gesehen werden können. Wahrlich, ich sage euch:, Sie haben ihre Belohnung. Aber du, when thou prayest, Tritt ein in dein Kämmerlein, und wenn du deine Tür verschlossen hast, bete zu deinem Vater, der im Verborgenen ist; und dein Vater, der im Verborgenen sieht, wird dich offen belohnen (Matthäus 6:5-6)
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Er (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed (Markieren 1:35)
Und er (Jesus) withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed (Lukas 5:16)
And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God (Lukas 6:12)
How much time, do believers spend in prayer daily? Of course you are connected in the spirit by the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ and God the Father and you communicate through the spirit with God, but you will also set time apart for prayer and isolate yourself. That’s not legalism, but that’s because you love God and because you want to spend time with Him in prayer.
Schau dir Jesus an, Jesus was connected by the Spirit with the Father, but Jesus withdrew Himself often from the people to spend time in prayer with the Father.
Praying is essential in the life of every son of God. A son of God can’t live without prayer and if someone truly walks after the Spirit, the person shall spend a lot of time in prayer. Not because the person has to, but because the person wants to and desires to be together with the Father, since the person has a relationship with the Father.
As long as someone doesn’t want to pray or can’t spend time in prayer, this proves that the flesh is still alive and reigns, because the flesh can’t pray and won’t pray (Lesen Sie auch 'The flesh can’t pray”).
The spirit wants to fast, but the flesh doesn’t want to fast
Aber die Tage werden kommen, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days (Lukas 5:35)
The flesh doesn’t want to fast, because if people fast the flesh is not being fed and the flesh doesn’t get what it wants. There are believers, who love food and try to avoid fasting by coming up with all kinds of excuses and pious alternatives.
Zum Beispiel, they say that the new creation is not required to fast. But if Jesus, Who was the New Creation, did fast shouldn’t we follow His example and fast also?
Some also come up with pious alternatives, which they have devised and set up themselves, and say that they fast by not watching television, or by not gaming, or putting away their cell phone for a few hours. But that’s not fasting! Because the flesh still gets what it wants, namely food.
Fasting is also not meant for (personal) material breakthroughs in the world and provisions for the flesh. But when you fast, the flesh becomes weaker and your spirit stronger and therefore it’s no wonder that the flesh is not willing to fast (Lesen Sie auch: „Was ist Fasten??')
The spirit wants to give, but the flesh doesn’t want to give
Perverse Disputationen von Menschen mit korrupten Köpfen, und der Wahrheit beraubt, in der Annahme, dass Gewinn Frömmigkeit ist: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Denn wir haben nichts in diese Welt gebracht, und es ist gewiß, daß wir nichts ausführen können. Und da wir Speise und Kleidung haben, laßt uns damit zufrieden sein. Aber die, die reich sein werden, geraten in Versuchung und Schlinge, und in viele törichte und schädliche Begierden, die Menschen in Verderben und Verderben ertränken. Denn die Liebe zum Geld ist die Wurzel allen Übels: die zwar von einigen begehrt waren, Sie sind vom Glauben abgeirrt, und durchbohrten sich mit vielen Leiden (1 Timotheus 6:5-10)
You’ll be amazed, at how money is a stumbling block for many. They say that money is not evil, but that the love for money is evil. Jedoch, if people don’t want to give, it proves that they have a love for money. They can’t and won’t give their money to God, but want to keep it for themselves, and again, come up with all kinds of pious excuses.
Some say, we don’t have to tithe, because tithing is part of the law and the Old Covenant and we don’t live in the Old Covenant under the law but in the New Covenant under grace. Because they believe in this lie, they don’t tithe to the church, but keep their money in their own pockets and spent it on their own kingdom instead of God’s Kingdom.
But before the institution of the law, the people already gave a part of their income to God and Abraham tithed to Melchizedek.
Others say, we don’t have to tithe because everything we possess belongs to God. Wieder, this sounds so pious, aber leider, it only stays with these words, and these words are not turned into actions. Because if they would do what they confess, they would give their whole monthly income to the church. But we don’t see that happen.
There are many more pious lies, that are used to not tithe to God (Lesen Sie auch: ‘Geld, Geld, and money„)
The spirit of greed reigns in the flesh
All these pious lies have one thing in common and that is that the spirit of greed, who reigns in the flesh is obeyed and fed and therefore believers don’t tithe to the church, but keep their money in their own pockets.
As a result of obeying the spirit of greed, many churches fail to maintain the church and can’t pay the bills and churches must be sold.
Many churches are in ruins, both spiritual and natural, because the flesh reigns, and people refuse to submit to God and obey His will, die im Wort, and change the situation.
If someone is not willing to tithe, next to the offerings, it only proves that the person is rebellious and not obedient to the Word, and because of that the person is looking for a way out and comes up with all kinds of excuses so that (S)he doesn’t have to tithe.
But if you have become a new creation and have God’s nature and you love God and have a relationship with Him, then you are grateful and thankful to God and you will tithe, and don’t make a fuss out of it. You don’t give because you have to, or in order to receive, but because you love God and you want to.
The spirit acts out of faith, the flesh needs steps and methods
The new man is spiritual and walks after the Spirit and because the new man has a relationship with God and knows the will of God, the new man acts by faith in God and His authority and power.
The new man discerns the spirits and has insights into the spiritual realm and lives from the Spirit and does the works in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Since the new man has an experiential relationship with God, the new man doesn’t need preprinted prayers and/or prayer strategies and doesn’t have to follow steps, Methoden, and strategies to get things done or to achieve something.
The new man knows God and believes in God and has faith in the Name of Jesus Christ and the Person behind the Name and acts from his position in Christ and his relationship with Christ and not from the faith in preprinted prayers, steps, Methoden, and technics, which derive from the flesh (the human mind).
But the flesh does need these things, since the old man is unspiritual and doesn’t have a relationship with God and because faith is not present in the flesh.
The flesh is sense-ruled and believes in steps, Methoden, and strategies in order to get things done and achieve something and needs preprinted prayers and prayers strategies to get the desired result. Just like the world, which uses steps, Methoden, Technik, and strategies to solve problems, be successful, get things done, and achieve the desired result.
The new man has a relationship with God and relies on God, the old man has a religion and relies on people.
The spirit hears the voice of God, the flesh needs others to hear the voice of God
Wenn ihr mich liebt, Halte meine Gebote. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:15-17)
Diese Dinge habe ich zu euch gesprochen, Und doch bei dir präsent sein. Aber der Tröster, der der Heilige Geist ist, whom the Father will send in My name, Er wird euch alles lehren, und bringe alles zu deinem Gedächtnis, was auch immer ich euch gesagt habe (John 14:25-26)
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:12-15)
The new man has a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit and not only hears His voice daily, by spending time in the Word and prayer, but also during the day.
The Word and the Holy Spirit shall teach the new man and make God’s plan known and reveal the future, causing the new man to stay awake and watchful and discern the times.
The old man is unspiritual and needs others to hear and understand the voice of God, just like in the Old Covenant, where God’s people were carnal and needed prophets.
Because many believers are not born again and don’t hear and understand the voice of God, many go to prophets to find out the will of God for their personal lives and what their future will be like, and sometimes they even pay for it. It’s actually the same as the world. They go to fortunetellers and pay them to find out specific things regarding their personal lives and future.
And so there are many more examples to provide, that show that people say that they don’t have a religion but a relation with Jesus Christ and God the Father through the Holy Spirit but their lives prove otherwise. Their walk with God looks more like a religion than a relation.
Do you have a religion or a relation?
Do you have a religion or relation? Are you born again in Christ and do you have received the Holy Spirit and do you know Jesus Christ and the Father experientially or do you know Them by hearsay and by visiting a church? Is God your life and have you yielded yourself unto Him and do you spend time with Him and do you live in His will or is the faith just an addition to your life and do you only serve Him when it’s convenient for you or if you need something?
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father? What would Jesus answer, if you would ask Him how He sees your relationship with Him?
„Sei das Salz der Erde.“’
