Does God really want relationship rather than religion?

Introduction

I have heard it said many times, "God desires relationship not religion." The moniker used today is Relationship over Religion. Does God really want that? What does it really mean to be called "religious" by people who value relationship over religion? Is there something in the Scriptures we can point to to validate that is what God is truly conveying?

Why do people have such an issue with religion?

The many different religions (people recognize belief system based off of external practice)

From the Christian standpoint: many denominations

Traditions (Greek paradosis: of the body of precepts, esp. ritual, which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence). Traditions are good and biblically sound. It is the traditions that expand beyond the Scripture and considered to be obeyed beyond equal reverence that are bad. (Matt 15:1-6; Mk 7:6-8)

Finally, some do not want to be held accountable to laws, commands, and/or regulations. Instead, they want to determine their own means of pleasing God.

It is often those who call people to be accountable to sound biblical doctrine who are called “religious.”

Where might the Bible suggest the idea God values relationship over religion?

Matthew 23:1–32 NIV

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 14 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

Pharisees are often vilified because people do not understand their role. Those men were supposed to be priests and teachers who kept, protected, and upheld the commands of God in order to remind the Israelites of Yahweh’s holiness and faithfulness, so they took can live in holiness and faithfulness towards Him . The reason why Jesus woes the Pharisees and the teachers of the law is due to their hypocrisy and traditions that made the Israelites way of life cumbersome, not religion.

Verses 1-4: sit in Moses’ seat as law givers, leaders, teachers and external examples amongst the Israelites. However, they were no more than hypocrites who Jesus says be careful to do what they say but do not do what they do.

Verses 5-7: They want others to see their righteousness and honor them for it.

Verses 8-12: Jesus is not saying He is against using the titles Rabbi, father, or instructor. He says what he says because these titles are titles of honor to identify teachers in their community. His main purpose here is to teach humility.

Verses 13-32: Jesus woes the Pharisees and teachers of the law 7 times (8 if you look at other manuscripts which include Mk 12:40), and calls them “blind” 5 times and “hypocrites” 6 times (7 times if you count verse 28)

Essentially, religion was not the issue here. It was the Pharisees and the teachers of the law being blind hypocrites!

What does God say?

Greek word threskeia is used 4 times Acts 26:5, Col 2:18, and James 1:26-27. It means: ritual act of devotion for a divine being. Refers typically to external ritual acts that display commitment to a god. As I taught last week, it is a word used to convey worship.

James 1:26–27 NIV

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Verse 26: Never says we should not but one who considers or thinks. That person must control their tongues because what is said matters.

Verse 27: Again, James points to religion (external act of devotion for a divine being. . . God in our case) that is pure and undefiled/blameless is one where you visit the orphans (bereft of a father, of parents) and widows, AND keep oneself from being polluted by the world (holiness).

Conclusion

Next time someone say we must have a relationship with God and not religion or in some way undermine the religious aspect of Christianity, stop them and teach them the biblical truth. Some believe there is a difference out of ignorance, while others do it maliciously. Regardless, give them the proper biblical teaching that the two cannot be separated. Our external acts of devotion is because of our love for Him who loved us first by giving His Son, LORD Jesus. Warn them that a person who professes such a thing as we must have relationship not religion and attempt to live in that way will essentially find themselves blind and living in hypocrisy like the ones Jesus rebuked.