Religio

Consider with me the meaning of the word “religious.” Like “ligament” its root is the Latin, ligio, which my dictionary defines as “any tie or bond.” Religion, then, can be defined as the creating of bonds again and again (that’s the re part) between man and something. 

One thing that made the teachings of Jesus so extraordinary was his invitation to the Jews to abandon the very lesson God seemed to be teaching them for two thousand years--i.e., the way to "bond" with God was through external words and actions such as animal sacrifices, participating in Feasts, keeping the Sabbath, etc. Furthermore, the way to please God was to practice those words and actions as perfectly as possible, using the yardstick of minute religious traditions and teachings! How could this so-called Messiah be brushing aside the importance of their sacred practices to focus instead at what was actually going on in their hearts?!

There were hints in the Old Testament pointing to this revolutionary shift—verses like “man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” and “as [a man] thinks within his heart, so is he.” This inside-out reality wasn't fully realized until the Gospel, which unequivocally reveals that I can only bond with God by grace through faith---NO amount of actions and words will create the heart connection I long to have with the Divine. My life, my value, and my legitimacy are now “hidden with Christ in God,” and I get to operate on an invisible planet (His Kingdom) as alien and stranger to the world of external measurements.

For us Christ followers, religion is now about those little choices in our hearts that are noted—measured, if you will—by our Father who sees in secret. What we choose in our heart is what binds us to our God, and each little ligio becomes part of a tapestry that glorifies Him and gives life to me. Will those choices translate into something tangible? Yes, of course--faith without works is dead! Our bond with the Father will show up in our love for others, and intimacy with the Spirit will create fruit that others will see and experience...the radical freedom of the Gospel comes when I believe (really believe!) that how my actions and words measure up to well-intentioned religious yardsticks is no longer of concern to me.