RELIGIOUS

rəˈlijəs/

This morning I asked our Journey congregation flat out if they thought I leaned more toward being rebellious or religious.

Which?

And in all the services someone answered out loud:  Religious.

OK, first of all - the question was rhetorical.  That means I didn't want you to really answer it so people could hear it.  I meant please just 'think' about which one I likely lean toward.

Sheesh.

But ... they were right.  I lean toward being religious.

I wasn't a bad kid growing up.  My list of offenses is relatively short.  My rebellious moments far and few between.  To this day I've never had a cigarette in my mouth (Aren't you proud of me, Mom?).

But I've been prideful about my own goodness.  I've been self-righteous about my morality.

And Jesus says both rebellion and religion are wrong and both kinds of people are lost.  He says, "My Gospel isn't about morality or immorality; it's about something else."

It's about putting your hope and trust in Christ.

Because you can be rebellious and be far from God.  Rebellion is about non-conformity.  It's saying: 'I'm not going to abide by the standards.'  It's about what's right for me.  It's about finding myself, it's about writing a rule book with my name on it.  Nobody can tell me what to do.  I'll decide.  So alternative sexuality and alternative spirituality and alternative personal ideology is all fine because it's all about self-expression, like that's a good thing.  But it isn't.

But you can also be religious and be far from God.  Religion is about conformity -- dress the same, act the same, talk the same, think the same, vote the same -- or you're out.  Religion is about tradition.  'This is how we've always done things and any other way is not only worse, it's wrong."  People who are religious like to say things like, 'I wish we could just get back to the good old days.'

With rebellion, the sin is visible and obvious.  With religion, the sin is invisible.  It isn't out there; it's in here.  There may not be lying and cheating and moral failure, but there's pride and self-righteousness in the heart.

And that was the basis of my question today:  Which are you?  Rebellious or religious?  Which am I? I'm not saying everybody is one or the other -- but our hearts each lean one way and we have to deal with that.

I lean toward being religious.

There's no such thing as a person who's sinless.  The Bible says we're born into sin.  There's nobody righteous, not even one.  All have sinned.  Everybody's missed the mark.

Salvation is called new birth for a reason -- old has gone -- new has come.  This is how you become saved from your sin -- whether rebellious or religious -- trust Christ, not you.

And be blessed.