The self-righteous religionite would gladly do almost anything to earn eternal life - Anything except coming to JESUS CHRIST as a guilty sinner, and receiving HIM by Faith into their own heart. But according to the Gospel of the Grace of God, a sinner cannot contribute one speck of human goodness or feeling to his own salvation. Fallen sinful man would rather trust in his own efforts than bow before the Savior in helpless dependence. Yet the Gospel of the Grace of God declares that salvation is not earned, purchased, assisted, or completed by human merit. The sinner contributes nothing to his Justification except the sins that made his Justification most necessary.
The confused religionist places his confidence in convictions, ceremonies, experiences, duties, ordinances, and countless religious "its." He looks to things he has done, things he has felt and experienced, places he has visited, and rituals he has performed. Anything but Christ Jesus alone.
Human nature loves second-hand superficial religion dearly. The natural man loves a religion which consists in a great measure of outward forms, emotions, traditions, visible observances, and feelings. The lost worldlings delights in any religion that is shrouded in mystery - A religion system that it cannot fully comprehend, one they can hardly understand and never figure out, and one that impresses the senses and flatters the flesh. The lost man is fond of an outward formal worship (solemn or emotional) and religious pageantry, sacred objects.
The carnal mind that cannot endure heart worship or believe the simple Gospel. They must have a clergy man of some sort dressed up in his religious garb; they must have an earthly human priest, smoking thuribles, fancy garb, magnificent architecture, gilded altars, exquisite oratory, holy days, sacred places, sprinklings, ornate garments, impressive cathedrals, strict observances, right forms, crucifixes, chancel, relics, organs, pomp, rosaries, candles, elegance, holy wafers, holy water, holy wine, holy oil, and every variety of outward religious nonsense. They must have something with a crucifix on it to make them feel like they're closer to God.
The lost religionite loves a human priest to think and pray for him, and do his religion on his behalf. Vain man has invented mechanical forms and dead modes of religion in order to get away from the Necessity of really and personally receiving Christ into your own heart. The religionist loves dead worship, and goes through the motions, listens to a homily, go to the mass, takes the sacrament, without any real thought personal Trust in the SAVIOR.
The carnal mind cannot endure the simplicity of the Gospel. It cannot tolerate the necessity of coming directly to God through Jesus Christ. Instead, it seeks earthly mediators, religious specialists/proxies, and elaborate systems designed to stand between the soul and God. Sinful man would rather have another person think, pray, and worship on his behalf than personally humble himself before the Lord Jesus Christ.
To escape the necessity of truly receiving Christ Himself into the heart, lost religionists have invented countless forms of mechanical religion. They attend services, listen to sermons, observe sacraments, repeat prayers and vain repetitions, and perform their religious duties, all while remaining strangers to real saving Faith in Christ Jesus. They go through the many religious motions without ever personally trusting on/receiving the Savior.
The natural man loves complicated ceremonies and human mediaries, because they allow him to remain religious in the sight of man without being SAVED in the sight of God. They like the priest/minister to stand up before them like some superior being, and deal with God for them. Lost men want a man-made religion, that does not interfere with their sinning throughout the week. He desires a religion that leaves his heart unchanged and his sins undisturbed. Human nature prefers a faith it can begin, maintain, and complete by its own strength. The unregenerate man delights in religious creeds, traditions, denominational loyalties, while neglecting the very Words of Eternal Life straight from the Living God. They have no INWARD LIFE deep within them, that comes from above, but they are most zealous for outward observances/ceremonies.
The Conviction-ite loves a vain worship of show and garb and endless religious regulations. Men must have a religion they can see, hear, feel, and taste. The Religionite lives a vain outward show; he will not eat anything but fish on Fridays, but he cheats his customer or neighbor on Saturday, and then commit acts of injustice in his daily business, and filthy deeds in secret. Friendly Reminder: Your most secret thoughts and deeds are all known to the All-Seeing God (Proverbs 15:3) The religionite is very careful about ceremonies, but very careless and thoughtless about his Soul and Christ saving Him from the wrath to come. They display religion publicly while cherishing sin privately. They may observe religious regulations, attend sacred services, and maintain a respectable appearance, yet harbor dishonesty, pride, lust, envy, and unbelief within. Yet the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3).
The carnal mind (the flesh) loves a religion that permit him to lust, cheat, and swear as he pleases while preserving respectability. The religionist loves the glories of a ceremony, the splendor of the mass, and gorgeously appareled priests. Men will kneel down many times, and for a pretense make long prayer, perform public Acts of devotion to be seen and heard of men, yet REFUSE the secret worship of a broken and contrite spirit before God. Human religion refuses to enter the closet, close the door, and in secret, bow at an unseen altar and worship the invisible God in spirit and in Truth through Jesus Christ. Human nature forgets God, neglects Christ Himself, and disregards the Holy Spirit all day, all week, all month, all year long. He neglects God throughout the week and imagines that occasional religious observances compensate for his daily rebellion. The natural man has a self-destructive thirst for the sewage of Sin and Vice, and refuses godly sincerity and inward purity. The Cain-ite seeks acceptance with God through his own efforts. He wants a religion that he can achieve and control. He wants a righteousness that get by his own works and efforts. Religionists want their priest/minister to deal with things pertaining to Eternity and for them to remain abstract and distant rather than personal and Urgent. He outright refuses to go to God personally through Christ Jesus. Your Sins are not an abstraction, but your Sins will ruin your life, harden your heart, and if you're not careful, your Sins will soon doom and damn your Soul Eternally.
Human nature clings stubbornly to man-made ceremonies, and depends upon itself. The carnal mind can never tolerate a personal God, the plain naked Truth of the Gospel, and Simple Faith in the Savior's Finished Blood Atonement for lost sinners. Men hate to change their religion, and refuse to abandon their false beliefs, because they DO NOT want to be changed inwardly. Human nature thinks it's pretty good, and that it can earn its own forgiveness and acceptance with God. If you still love your sins privately, you have a religion you'd better get rid of. Natural religion resides in the head, but never reaches the heart. The religionite loves a surface religion with no Grace and Purity deep within the inward parts of his heart. He imagines himself to be good enough to earn God's favor, while Scripture declares, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Natural religion produces much self-righteous activity without LIFE, form without POWER, and profession without POSSESSION OF CHRIST. It creates religious people who know about God, but do not know God personally/inwardly; they have a false "form of godliness", but deny the POWER thereof.
The Ittite will tell you this: "You know, you must live IT to get to Heaven." Yet he can never clearly define what "IT" actually is. His superficial faith rests upon an undefined standard of personal performance. The Ittite worships an "IT" of his own devising, and he winds up in hell with his "IT" for all Eternity. He trusts in a vague system of self-improvement rather than in the Finished Work (ATONEMENT) of Christ. Such religiousness is built upon unpredictable human effort and sustained by human energy (carnal show and excitement) —a flimsy house of cards that cannot withstand the judgment of God.
The self-righteous religionite has little room in his thoughts for the Sinner's Savior, the Justifier of the ungodly, Who laid down His life for sinners, is nothing to them. The religionite imagines salvation is primarily for the respectable, the morally upright, and outwardly religious; not harlots, drunkards, inmates, thieves, adulterers, and fornicators. The respectable religionite who keeps his denomination's set of rules imagines he has no need to lay hold on THE CROSS covered in GOD'S OWN BLOOD. The religionist loves surpliced choirs, colorful banners, glorious processions, pompous ceremonies, enchanting music, and bewitching incense. The religionite supposes his own righteousness can be mixed with Christ's spotless RIGHTEOUSNESS to help save him from his innumerable sins and secure his acceptance before God. Lust destroys millions, but self-righteousness destroys billions of souls. You desperately need the Righteousness of Another, that will pass the Inspection of the great Judge of all the Earth at the last day. Poor sinner, never imagine can assist Christ in saving your sinful Soul. Beware of trying to mix your works with Christ's Finished WORK (ATONEMENT), the Full Price of Redemption. Nothing of yours will ever be added to Christ's Atoning Sacrifice of HIMSELF.
Every day God sees all the things you do, and ALL the things you fail to do. You need GRACE indeed, for you are Guilty indeed; You need MERCY indeed, for you are Filthy indeed. JESUS was perfectly GOOD, and you are NOT. JESUS lived sinlessly for 33 years, but you can't go 33 seconds without sinning against God in thought, word, or deed. Eternal Goodness (RIGHTEOUSNESS) can only be credited freely to your Soul's account based on what JESUS did FOR YOU, not on what you have done, or ever will do. Christ's Righteousness alone satisfies ALL the demands of divine justice. Humble yourself, and admit to God, that you're no good at all.
Look honestly in the mirror of The Holy Bible, Look unto Jesus Christ Himself directly into His face, and see yourself in truth, compare your thoughts, motives, words, and deeds of the past to the Holy Law of God and to the sinless Life of Christ. JESUS did GOOD for you, and He will give you His GOODNESS, if you will repent and abandon all confidence in your goodness righteousness: TRUST Only to CHRIST. You must be saved freely just like the old janitor lady nobody notices, or the young school boy who can't read or write yet.
Jesus did for sinners what sinners could never do for themselves. JESUS lived the sinless life you have failed to live; HE died the horrible death, that you deserved to die, and rose again victorious from the dead over sin and death. God freely offers CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS to all sinners, whosoever will repent of their own way, and trust in Christ Alone shall have Eternal Life.
For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ the RIGHTEOUS. Your good works are good for nothing. Whosoever believeth in JESUS is not condemned, but whosoever believeth not on JESUS is condemned already. JESUS is able also to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by HIM, seeing HE ever liveth to make intercession for them. Trust Jesus Only, and HE will save your Soul completely, immediately, and eternally.
