GETTING FREE FROM A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 2:3 (NIV 1984) I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
The person with a religious spirit would have a hard time admitting that they were weak, fearful, and trembling because it would disrupt their primary goal of protecting their appearance of spirituality, yet here the Apostle Paul, a true leader and spiritual man, had no trouble admitting vulnerability. A person with a religious spirit can devastate the testimony of a church and do serious harm to the tender soul of a new believer; it is quite possible all of us who have walked with Christ have carried this spirit at one time or another. Let me be clear, religion in itself is not bad. The statement, “Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship,” may sound good, but it is ridiculously not true. Christianity is a religion, and religion in itself is not bad; in fact, James tells us that there is such a thing as pure religion, one that helps the orphan and widow, and, pertaining to worldly seductions, is incorruptible (Jms 1:27). However, the existence of pure religion implies the existence of its opposite, impure religion, religion that over emphasizes rules and appearances of godliness, or religion that becomes corrupted by worldly philosophies and seductions. We see both the stuffy church, locked tight in wonderfully conservative values but dead in spirit, and the “relevant” church, modifying doctrine and practice to seem inviting and in touch with culture. Neither offers salvation because both have sacrificed a life-changing gospel for a neutered one that fails in delivering genuine inner-transformation. We’re left to embrace a harsh gospel of legalism instead of one of hope and liberty, or a weak gospel of modification that incorporates worldly orientations instead of a gospel of mortification that eradicates unrighteousness.
First, when we are operating in a religious spirit we can get overly aggressive with others concerning less important things. For instance, we can’t reconcile that some Christians drink alcohol on occasion; and, we question the faith of believers whose language, shall we say, is lacking in sanctification. We may look down on a believer who doesn’t go to church as much as we do, and on and on it goes. We can make such judgments and completely misread the heart of the person who actually may be very devoted to the Lord and have a vibrant spirituality. This is not to say drinking alcohol and cussing are not serious issues for conversation, but there are many other more telling signs about whether a person has an authentic faith or not.
Second, when we carry a religious spirit we tend to become too harsh with ourselves. We have no patience with the process of God’s work of sanctification, unable to value the immature but growing virtues in ourselves and other believers. When we sin, we are appalled, shocked, and surprised that we could do such a thing because we think we are more advanced in the faith and should have been immune to such temptations. We also become obsessed with hiding our faults and maintaining a facade of holiness that we thought we had. It becomes an issue of status. We desire for others to think of us in certain ways: innocent, pure, solid, and incorruptible. While God may be appalled, He is neither shocked nor surprised. He knows us. He knew what He was getting when He redeemed us. And this brings us to the third point.
As believers, when we view ourselves and others with a religious spirit, we primarily minister out of that place. The Apostle Paul puts is this way: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” (Rom 12:3). When we have a religious spirit we tend to minister out of our strength, or rather the perceived strength of our own character, and when that character fails, and it most certainly will, we are pressed to either hide the failure at all costs or modify our theology to accept the failure as normal behavior. A truly spiritual person does not have to pose as a super-saint, constantly reinforcing a veneer of something they are not, nor do they have to change their doctrine and practice to accommodate their failures. A truly spiritual person can be vulnerable, weak, even trembling, in themselves but strong in God, living in the power of His might (Eph 6:10). A truly spiritual person strengthens the testimony of a church and gives hope to young impressionable believers that victorious, abundant living is indeed possible, something a person with a religious spirit can’t do.
See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5; Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 9:22; 2 Corinthians 11:28-33; 2 Corinthians 12:3-6; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; 2 Corinthians 13:9-10
