TRUE AND FALSE RELIGION
Discerning the Difference
There is a teaching that is currently very popular -- and has been popular for the last century -- that 'religion is bad' and 'Christ is good', as though they were somehow opposites of one another. But what is the truth of the matter?
True Religion
The apostle James wrote:
"Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim (God) and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (Jas.1:27, NKJV).
In short, true religion is something to believe and do if it leads us, and others, to the source of salvation, Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).
The Bible is full of religious practices. Basically, true religion either:
- (1) Points us to Elohim (God); or
- (2) Provides a channel for expressing our relationship to Him.
Both the Old and New Testaments are full of religious law, principle, belief, and ritual. True religion is therefore action or conduct indicating belief in, reverence for, and a desire to please, Elohim (God). True religion in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) is defined as:
- (1) An apostolic tavnith or pattern of doctrine and belief (Titus 2:1);
- (2) Shared experience (Ac.2:37-47; Heb.10:25); and
- (3) Outward show of inner faith (1 Jn.3:17-18).
False Religion
What, then, is false religion? False religion is worthless religion, and worthless religion is that sort of religion which depends on external actions to make us right with Elohim (God). Whether before we receive Messiah (Christ) as Deliverer (Saviour), or afterwards, no amount of religious knowledge or action can save us. Knowledge or action can only give us a way of expressing our personal emunah (faith) in Messiah. Thus every true Christian/Messianic must avoid:
- (1) Attempts to earn salvation (Eph.2:8-10);
- (2) Any thought of perfecting ourselves (Gal.3:1-3); or
- (3) Anything that displaces Messiah (Col.2:6-8).
Religion can be dangerous not because it is bad per se but because it is often good enough to turn away our trust away from Yah'shua (Jesus). Our human tendency is to reject confidence in what Yah'shua (Jesus) can do and replace it with something that we can do for ourselves.
The New Covenant Teaching on Religion
Our religion is the outward sign of our inner emunah (faith) but it can be approached in a right way or a wrong way. Right from the beginning of this ministry we have warned people of the dangers of 'churchiolatry', or the 'worship of the church'. NCAY is distinguished from many other Christian/Messianic denominations by its storehouse of spiritual knowledge, Hebrew traditions (e.g. festival-observance), banner ceremonies, etc.. Because of these things there are some who have said that this is just 'religion' and nothing to do with Messiah.
But the apostles and nevi'im (prophets) of NCAY have only ever taught one doctrine concerning Messiah and religion: that religion is an outward sign of our emunah (faith) in Messiah, not the object in itself. That some of our people have, in the past, looked to NCAY for salvation instead of Messiah, or a mixture of NCAY and Messiah, is not the fault of NCAY but of wrong perceptions by men. Go to any Christian/Messianic denomination and you will always find some people who love religion more than the Master and trust in religion more than in Messiah.
The goal of everything we do in the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh is Messiah. Everything we do and teach points to the complete sufficiency of Messiah in salvation. NCAY is not the mediator of this salvation -- it is but a divinely revealed and authorised set of pointers.
Qualifications for Salvation
Let us be quite clear, then that the qualifications for salvation are as follows (to cite some of the most important ones):
- (1) I can cite no merit of my own;
- (2) I have been a sinner from birth with sinful tendencies even though I have not always been conscious of these tendencies;
- (3) I am coming not in my name but in Yah'shua's (Jesus');
- (4) I believe He is the Son of Elohim (God) and my Deliverer (Saviour);
- (5) I have accepted His sacrifice for my sins;
- (6) I believe He rose from the dead;
- (7) I have put my trust in Him to save me;
- (8) I am daily repenting of my sins and trusting in the atonement of Messiah to cleanse me of those sins explained in the Torah (Law), shown to me by the written Scriptures and Yahweh's living apostles, nevi'im (prophets), evangelists, etc., who illuminate my faults and stimulate a desire within to repent, etc.
Let us be quite clear what the qualifications for salvation are not:
- (1) My belief in Elohim (God);
- (2) My doctrinal beliefs;
- (3) My good life;
- (4) My baptism;
- (5) My confirmation;
- (6) My partaking of the Lord's Supper;
- (7) My attendance at NCAY meetings;
- (8) My paying tithes;
- (9) My good reputation;
- (10) My membership in the truest Church I can find on earth;
- (11) My faithful obedience to the commandments and covenants, etc.
None of these things can save me unless I am doing these things in love as a fruit of the saving work of Messiah in my soul.
A True Understanding is Essential
Anyone who tries to earn salvation by merit will sooner of later come unstuck. Many false religions like Buddhism, Mormonism, Catholicism, and others teach that good works save. They don't. Messiah saves. But it is equally dangerous to say, as some groups do, that there is no need for religious observation at all. The truth is you can't separate the two, because true religious observation is a fruit of true emunah (faith) in Messiah.
This page was created on 9 October 1998
Updated on 6 December 2018
Copyright © 1987-2018 NCAY
