I think this is shown crystal clear in John 5:45-47:
45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses(law*), on whom you have set your hope. 46If you believed Moses(law*), you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"
All of religions hope rested on keeping the law of Moses. This was the narrow earthly perspective; they were so shortsighted, so intent on keeping a list of rules and regulations that they missed the whole point of why the law was even given. It was given to show us Jesus, it was given to point to Salvation not to give Salvation to us.
What I find myself living from is the earthly perspective it leaves no room for love, no room for grace. The earthly perspective is out to get what is its own and earn what it perceives it deserves and doesn't care about anything or anyone else. This why Jesus is confronted in John, because He healed when he was not suppose to heal, he loved when he was not suppose to love. He stopped looking to earn another badge of merit and healed a crippled man. Jesus came to love the world, to lavish grace on the world and to give what we do not deserve.
So when it comes down to it the earthly and the heavenly are in direct opposition to each other. We as believers have been blessed with a heavenly perspective, the Holy Spirit has allowed us that. Let us not keep being shortsighted and selfish but look at things with the perspective of Jesus; that religion is not keeping rules and making sure we have what is rightfully ours, religion is Jesus and His love and His grace.
*my addition
2 comments:
Religion is Jesus...
I worry that's even too true. I hang on everything He says like a personal goal in life. I know that I'm making a religion out of Him, but I want a religion, and is making one out of the words of Jesus so bad?
If you are doing this like the psamlist when he says "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin agianst God" then I think you are right on.
As a Christian our only hope is in Christ and our perspective should mirror His. We need to hang on to every word he says it needs to be like honey on our lips. If you we don't have the Word what do we have. I do think we have be careful not to worship the Bible but rather our God and Savior who wrote it.
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