Religion Vs. Faith

Religion of the Pharisees and Religious Leaders (Religion/Works-Based Righteousness)

Background: The Pharisees and many Jewish religious leaders in Jesus' time focused heavily on observing the Law of Moses (Torah) and on extra-biblical traditions they added as interpretations of the Law. Their approach to righteousness was rooted in meticulous rule-keeping and outward practices to prove their holiness and obedience to God.

Definition of Key Terms:

Law (Torah): The word Torah in Hebrew means "instruction" or "teaching." For the Pharisees, observing the Torah was the primary way to maintain a relationship with God.

Righteousness (Dikaiosunē in Greek, Tsedeq in Hebrew): Dikaiosunē in Greek and Tsedeq in Hebrew both refer to "justice" or "being in right standing with God." The Pharisees tried to achieve righteousness through outward works and strict adherence to the Law, as they believed these works made them acceptable to God.

Justification (Dikaioō in Greek): The Greek term dikaioō means "to declare righteous" or “aquitted.“ The Pharisees believed that righteousness was achieved by following the Law, but Jesus taught that only God can declare someone righteous, and that this comes by faith, not works as Romans 3:20 states, “For by the works of the law ⌊no person will be declared righteous⌋ before him, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

DAQUA INTERJECTS

Problem with Works-Based Righteousness:

Jesus frequently rebuked the Pharisees for their approach because their faith was more about outward actions than inward transformation. They emphasized rules but lacked love, mercy, and humility.

Matthew 23:23-28 Jesus says,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important matters of the law—justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these things ⌊while not neglecting those⌋. 24 Blind guides who filter out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean! 28 In the same way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

DAQUA INTERJECT

Scripture:

Matthew 23:27: Jesus calls them "whitewashed tombs," beautiful on the outside but full of dead things inside, illustrating how they focused on outward appearances rather than inward purity.

Romans 3:20 paul says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."

1 Samuel 16:7:

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Works-based religion led to pride and self-righteousness, as they saw their observance of the Law as their means of salvation rather than relying on God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

What is Pride?

hyperēphanía – properly, excessive shining, i.e. self-exaltation (self-absorption) which carries its own self-destructive vanity.

What is Self-righteousness?

A key term related to self-righteousness in Greek is δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne), which means "righteousness" or "justice." However, self-righteousness, as criticized in the New Testament, involves relying on one's own dikaiosyne (righteousness) apart from God’s grace. In practice, this often led people to believe they were righteous by their own works, and this attitude is especially seen in the Pharisees.41+

What is Grace?

In Greek, the word often translated as "grace" is χάρις (charis). This word conveys the idea of unearned favor, goodwill, or kindness, especially from God to humanity. In the context of God's grace, charis means a freely given, unmerited gift of love and mercy, extended by God to people who have not earned it and cannot repay it.

Charis includes both the meaning of favor and blessing as well as the active working of God’s kindness. It reflects a generosity that goes beyond what is deserved, revealing God’s character as loving and merciful. This concept of grace as a gift is central to New Testament teachings, especially in relation to salvation, emphasizing that people are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, not by their own works, but by God’s free, loving action.

What is God’s Gift?

In Greek, the word often translated as "gift" in reference to God's gift of salvation is δωρεά (dorea). This term specifically means a freely given gift or a gift given without any strings attached. It highlights the generosity of the giver, in this case, God, who gives salvation without expecting payment or anything in return from the recipient. When referring to the gift of salvation, dorea emphasizes that salvation is not something earned but is given out of God's abundant grace. It underscores the concept of salvation as an unearned, gracious gift from God, aligning with the idea that people cannot achieve salvation through their own efforts but receive it freely through faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith in Jesus Christ (Faith/Grace-Based Righteousness)

Background: Jesus taught that salvation and righteousness come through faith in Him, not by works(Ephesians 2:8-9). By believing in His sacrifice on the cross, we are saved and made right with God. This faith isn’t about achieving perfection through the Law but about trusting(have faith)in Jesus' finished work.

Definition of Key Terms:

Faith (Pistis in Greek): The Greek word pistis means "trust," "belief," or "confidence." Faith in Jesus means relying fully on His death and resurrection for our righteousness(being made right with God) and salvation, not on our own efforts.

Grace (Charis in Greek): Charis means "unmerited favor." Salvation is a gift we cannot earn but is freely given by God through Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.".

Salvation (Sōtēria in Greek): Sōtēria means "deliverance" or "rescue." Faith in Jesus delivers us from sin and grants us eternal life.

How Faith Works in Salvation:

Faith in Jesus acknowledges that we cannot meet the standard of God’s righteousness on our own. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins, and by trusting in Him, we receive righteousness as a gift. This approach focuses on inward transformation which is a by product of the Holy Spirit, leading to good works naturally as a result of a changed heart, rather than as a means to earn righteousness.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.”

DAQUA INTERJECTS

Scripture:

Romans 5:1: "Therefore, since we have been justified (aquitted) through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

James 2:22: 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he* offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected.

Works is a one way street from faith. Faith is made complete by the works, indicating that you cannot earn Salvation through works, because works come from faith. Faith doesn’t come from works. Faith has to come first in order to receive the Holy Spirit who produces the good works through you. Without having faith in Jesus Christ and what He did, we cannot receive the Holy Spirit, therefore the absence of the Holy Spirit means absence of the works.

Why is (Religion/Works-Based Righteousness) wrong?

In Galatians 5:7-9, Apostle Paul says to the Galatians, “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from the one who calls you! 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough.”

What is Leaven?

zýmē – leaven (yeast); (figuratively) the spreading influence of what is typically concealed (but still very dramatic). Leaven is generally a symbol of the spreading nature of evil, but note the exception at Luke 13:20:21 (parallel Matthew 13:32,33).

Leaven is a substance used in baking that causes dough to rise by fermentation. When mixed into dough, it spreads throughout, creating air pockets and making the dough expand.

In ancient times, leaven often referred to a small piece of fermented dough kept from a previous batch, similar to how a sourdough starter is used today. This piece of leavened dough was mixed into fresh dough, and as it fermented, it would gradually make the whole batch rise.

In the Bible, leaven is frequently used as a metaphor for how something small can spread and affect an entire group. Jesus and Paul often referred to leaven as a symbol for influence, particularly negative influence, like sin or false teachings, because of its ability to permeate everything it touches. Just as a small amount of leaven impacts a whole batch of dough, a small wrong influence can spread widely.

Teaching and believing that we have to earn our salvation, is teaching and believing in a false gospel. Works are a result of faith a by product of the Holy Spirit within us. Works complete faith, but faith comes first. Faith is the initiator of works, not the other way around. Just as James says, in James 2:18-19: “ I will show you my faith by my works.”

Summary: Religion/Works vs. Faith in Christ

The Pharisees’ approach: “I am righteous because of what I do” – this relies on human effort and outward behavior to achieve righteousness. Jesus’ approach: “I am righteous because of what Jesus has done for me” – this relies on God’s grace, received by faith, and leads to inward transformation and true holiness.

The focus shifts from external rule-keeping to internal transformation by the Holy Spirit. Faith in Jesus means resting in His finished work on the cross, knowing that salvation is a gift, not something earned. This leads believers to follow God from love, not from fear or duty.

The True Gospel:

But in the gospel, God, in His mercy, has provided that remedy, a substitute for us—Jesus Christ—who came to pay the penalty for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross. This is the essence of the gospel which Paul preached to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, he explains the three elements of the gospel—the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on our behalf. Our old nature died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him. Then we were resurrected with Him to a new life (Romans 6:4-8). Paul tells us to “hold firmly” to this true gospel, the only one which saves. Believing in any other gospel is to believe in vain. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” by which he means that salvation is not achieved by man’s efforts, but by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Because of the gospel, through the power of God, those who believe in Christ (Romans 10:9) are not just saved from hell. We are, in fact, given a completely new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a changed heart and a new desire, will, and attitude that are manifested in good works. This is the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in us by His power. Works are never the means of salvation, but they are the proof of it (Ephesians 2:10). Those who are saved by the power of God will always show the evidence of salvation by a changed life.

SCRIPTURES:

Ephesians 6:15 says, “And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. “

In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus says, “Now when* the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled at the same place. 35 And one of them, a legal expert, put a question to him* to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

In Galatians 5:5-6, Apostle says, “For through the Spirit by faith we eagerly await the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.” Meaning, walking through the spirit is walking through love.

1 John 4:7-21 says, 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God sent his one and only Son into the world in order that we may live through him. 10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we reside in him and he in us: that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. 17 By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as that one is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear includes punishment, and the one who is afraid has not been perfected in love. 19 We love, because he first loved us.

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this is the commandment we have from him: that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1 Parallels with Matthew 11:28-30, which says, “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to carry and my burden is light.”

Psalm 89:24-37, says “24 And so my faithfulness

and my loyal love will be with him,

and in my name his horn will rise up.

25 And I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27 I will also make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28 Forever I will keep my loyal love for him,

and my covenant will be reliable for him.

29 I will also establish his offspring forever,

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his sons forsake my law

and do not walk in my judgments,

31 if they defile my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

32 then I will punish their transgression with a rod,

and their guilt with wounds.

33 But I will not break off my loyal love from him,

and I will not be false against my faithfulness.

34 I will not defile my covenant,

or alter what proceeded from my lips.

35 Once I have sworn by my holiness,

‘I will surely not lie to David,

36 His offspring will endure forever,

and his throne as the sun before me.

37 Like the moon it will be steadfast forever,

and like an enduring witness in the sky.”

David in Hebrew is Dawid, which means “beloved.” So in Matthew 3:17 Jesus Baptism, Matthew 17:5 The Transfiguration, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35, and 2 Peter 1:17, God signifies that Jesus is His “Beloved Son.” So the spiritual meaning of David in this Psalm is in referrance of Jesus.

Now let’s reflect on the heart of what Jesus taught versus the mindset of the Pharisees. The Pharisees and religious leaders clung to a works-based righteousness, seeking to attain holiness through meticulous adherence to laws and traditions. Their approach relied on external actions, focused on appearances, and often neglected the weightier matters—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Jesus condemned this, exposing the hypocrisy of beautiful exteriors but dead interiors, likening them to whitewashed tombs filled with decay (Matthew 23:27-28).

Jesus came to free us from this burden of outward righteousness, showing us that true righteousness begins within, rooted in a transformed heart by faith in Him alone. Paul emphasized this in Romans 3:20, teaching that the Law reveals our sin but cannot save us. Our salvation is a gift, given by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, not through our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith in Christ isn’t about proving ourselves righteous by our actions but trusting in His righteousness, which becomes ours when we believe. The Gospel brings this profound truth: our standing with God doesn’t rely on what we do, but on what Jesus has done for us. The true Gospel is that God, in His love, sent Jesus as a substitute for our sins, paying our debt on the cross and conquering death through His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). By believing in Him, we are given a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17), one that produces genuine good works—not to earn God’s favor but as a response to His grace.

Let’s hold firmly to this Gospel, recognizing that it’s not our works that justify us but our faith in Christ. And as James reminds us, this faith is made complete by our actions (James 2:22)—actions born from love and transformation by the Holy Spirit. May we walk away from striving for approval and embrace the gift of grace that leads to genuine, Spirit-filled lives. Let’s live, not to earn God’s love, but in response to the love He freely gives through Jesus Christ. Amen.