You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39-40
I believe that many people who profess Christianity, especially in the western world have a very “religious spirit”. What do I mean by that? What does a religious spirit look like?
It focuses a lot on the outward verses the inward:
- The head knowledge, bible degrees, title, charisma publicly looks great on the surface, but actual relationship with God is lacking on the inside. Pride vs. humility.
- Attending weekly bible study, church, getting your child dedicated & baptized, taking them to youth programs, but at home, during the week, not communing with God and repenting on a regular basis.
- Making it a point to tell people how many years you have grown up in church and have generations of it in your family, but not knowing Him personally.
- You focus on other people’s shortcomings more than your own introspection.
- You try and check a box of reading your bible every day because you “have to” instead of desiring and wanting to.
- You worship God by singing songs at church, but never worship at home.
- You have a hardened heart about sin and justify it by thinking “well everyone else struggles, so I am stuck in it forever and don’t need to change”.
- You won’t change your theology or take correction even though you could be wrong, especially if its coming from someone younger in Christ or age who doesn’t have “credentials”.
- You can’t recognize when your kids are just going through the motions when they want to get saved or baptized, and excited about sharing it publicly to family, friends, or the church instead waiting for them to have a genuine, sincere, true heart change.
- You rarely/never reach out to people when you genuinely are struggling or need help
You can always tell a tree by its fruit. Jesus called out the religious pharisees regularly. This is why many struggle in leadership. Sometimes it can be “easy” to hide sin, but eventually it will come out. God knows everything and at the end of the day, He is our judge. This has happened to many leaders in the body of Christ, like Carl Lentz or Ravi Zacharias. My question is, did Ravi make it to heaven if everything came out after he passed? I personally have struggled with a few of these points. The important thing is, is to recognize them, repent, ask God to help you overcome and move on.
