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The spirit of Religion Despises Grace and Mercy and Manifests Only in False Righteousness

The spirit of religion is an extremely wicked spirit which appears holy and righteous on the surface, but is extremely wicked and evil. Likewise, the people who are under it appear holy and righteous, but they are inwardly full of nothing but wickedness and evil. Religious people love to point out how evil and wicked others are, but cover up their own wickedness, by all manner of excuses, twisting of Scripture and lies. Yet, not many people can see how wicked and evil this spirit is, because of its affirmation of righteousness not only by their tongues, but also their actions.

It is not the affirmation of righteousness by one's lips that makes one righteous, or even one's actions. For a person's actions may be simply done with evil motives (Proverbs 15:8; 21:17). It is one's heart that determines whether one is righteous, as manifest in one's spirit, not one's actions.

Religious people think that it is their actions that are evident of righteous, equating actions with deeds that others can see. This is deception. Deeds, as referred to in the Holy Scriptures does not equate to outward actions. It equates to both actions in the manner of spirit in which they are done. Every outward action that is manifest for others to do has a manner of spirit in which it is done. 

Religious people are unspiritual, even if they are truly saved. and only focus on the outward actions. They do not perceive the spiritual, the manner of spirit behind a person's actions. They also do not perceive the manner of spirit behind a person's words. This is because they themselves are not spiritual, and focused on works, not spirit. They are works-conscious and sin-conscious, not grace-conscious or Christ-conscious.

Owing to their focus on adherence to the law by their works, and focus on sin, their view of righteousness is totally distorted. They think that righteousness is a matter of adhering to the Law of God, treating the Law of God as rules to be followed. That is the tragic mindset of the religious person. He or she may talk about grace, and even proclaim himself or herself to be sinner who needs God's Grace, but such talk is nothing more than mere lip service. All their proclamations about themselves being sinners and who need to be saved are of the spirit of hypocrisy, without any true spiritual power. Those who are truly spiritual react to, the making of such statements in that manner of spirit, with revulsion because of the inauthenticity and hypocrisy of the manner of spirit.

Despite their attempts in their flesh to acknowledge Grace, they are unable to do so wholeheartedly, because they are still in bondage to the Law of God. This brings a curse upon them, in being still under the Law (Galatians 3:10-12), for adhering to the Law not only requires one to keep it in full in outward actions, but to have the right manner of heart in doing so. Since the human heart is just desperately, this is absolutely impossible: 

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?


(Jeremiah 17:9).

It is because of the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked that all of one's actions that one does in the flesh do not and cannot please God, for it does not love God. As long as any action has no love for God, it is sin. 

The Law brings a curse as referred to in Galatians 3:10, that is, a condemnation on oneself, precisely because one cannot keep it. One tries to keep it but one will fail, but yet if one does not one is justly headed for an Eternity in Hell. This is exactly why it is a curse. The only way to redeem this curse is that a Person, who is Jesus, keeps the Law on our behalf for us, and dies for our sins, so that our sin can be transferred over to Him, whereby He dies in taking the punishment our sins justly deserve, and rises again so that the curse of death which is owing to sin is defeated. The Resurrection of Jesus, both physically and spiritually, not just spiritually as some heretics say, is absolutely critical to our faith as followers of Christ. As the Holy Scriptures say:
 
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 


(1 Corinthians 15:12-14)

It is the Resurrection after having died for our sins that defeats sin. Sin brought about death, and so the Resurrection after dying for our sins in taking on our just punishment, defeats the curse of sin which is death. For a sinner must die for the just punishment to take place, giving death its power, so the Resurrection defies that death, cancelling the penalty and power of death over the life of those who turn to Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the Resurrection which should be the focus of the true Servant of God, that Jesus has done a complete Work in taking on the punishment of all our sins, past, present and future, and destroying the power of death that comes from sin. Oh, how glorious of the Death and Resurrection of Christ who died so that we might live! This is all summed up in that famous verse John 3:16 which says:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


The spirit of religion not only quenches, but kills the working of the spirit of grace in a person. It is especially dangerous for new believers because it will destroy his or her embrace of grace. To discourage or hinder a new believer to embrace grace is absolutely and worthy of all condemnation, a sin of the most serious kind! It is to make him stumble in the most serious and most wicked way possible! As the Holy Scriptures rebuke:

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
 
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  For it is written:

As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”


So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

(Romans 14:1-13)

If causing a person to stumble in faith owing to things which are a matter of conscience is already condemned, how much more will those who cause a person to stumble in faith owing to confusion, or rather, a doctrines that undermine grace, from which comes faith, be condemned? In response to those who insisted that people were saved by circumcision as well as grace, Apostle Paul says "And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would evencut themselves off!" (Galatians 5:11-12).

If anyone says that we are saved by grace, as well as anything else, that person is not only a liar, but calling God a liar Himself! What blasphemy! Yet, there are many such people in the professing Church today who are precisely doing that, teaching all kinds of legalistic doctrines, saying that they must marry and have a family to be holy and righteous before God, and that a person who is not married and not in full-time ministry cannot be truly saved! What despicable blasphemy! What despicable, abominable legalism! So, Daniel was unrighteous because he was a government official, not an apostle, and was single? So, Luke was unrighteous because he was doctor, not an evangelist, and was single? To Hell with all such legalism!

For it is impossible that we can be saved by grace and anything else, for that would render grace to be no longer grace, but work altogether. That anything else, if there is anything else apart from Grace for Salvation, must necessarily be work, because grace is that which is diametrically opposed to work, whatever it may be, including even spiritual fruits, such as love, faith or forgiveness. For Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Grace and work cannot co-exist at all, whatsoever, and work is the antithesis of Grace. Grace by its very nature is that which is not earned nor can it be earned at all. The Work of Jesus Christ is imputed to us, by which it works through us once we have a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). The good deeds that we are called to do after receiving the free gift of Salvation (Ephesians 2:10) can only be done by abiding in Christ, for it is Christ Himself working through us by Grace:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

(John 15:1-8)

The finished work is in Christ. He has forgiven all our sins, past, present, and future. We who live by faith, not the law, are no longer under any bondage, because we rely on Christ, trusting in He who had come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He had to fulfill in our place so that we can gain this perfect righteousness of Christ. Anything that falls short of perfect righteousness is sin (Matthew 5:17-20), and so that is why all of us who were born in Adam, born in the flesh, the entirety of humanity, must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God to be saved:

 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:23-26). 

Jesus is He who is the Propitiation for our sins. He is the Only One who can be the Propitiator of our sins because He is the Sinless Lamb of God.Once one has received Salvation, one must continue to abide in Christ so that one may produce good fruit, for one cannot do any good works apart from Christ (John 15:4-8). It is the power of Christ that works in us once we have received Salvation so that we can do good deeds, the good fruit that God will judge as good.

The spirit of religion seeks to do good works apart from Christ, in one's own strength. It desires to take the righteousness of Christ so that one can gain Eternal Life, but yet not wanting to give all the credit to Christ. Instead it wickedly seeks to take credit for itself, in thinking itself righteous. Owing to its self-righteousness, it loves keeping the Law of God, and despises Grace and Mercy that God offers to sinners. For it understands neither Grace nor Mercy, but loves the condemnation of others under the Law of God, so that it may feel righteous. It takes pleasure in the death of others because it has no grace or mercy, but believes that the Law is the Law. 

Yet, it has no true righteousness in seeking the law because it does not love God, but hates God, by not loving God, and hence loving others. It does not seek righteousness out of a fear of God, but out of a desire to justify itself. This is evident in how those who are under the spirit of religious are carnal and seek to pervert Scripture to justify such desires. It loves only the condemnation and judgment of others, and is smug about its own false righteous. It thinks itself holy and righteous, but is extremely evil and wicked, despite all its righteous word and deeds. For it acts righteously only outward and speaks righteously only in tongue, but the manner of spirit is one that is neither out of a fear of God nor love for God. 

The spirit of religion is one that only puffs up the flesh, pretends to be righteous, but is not righteous at all. This explains why there are many professing 'christians' who are not true Christians at all who are nothing but wicked, diabolical people, practicing forms of sexual perversion that even unbelievers who fornicate on a regular basis do not practice, all justified under the canopy of marriage. There is nothing the spirit of religion loves, but the supposed loopholes in the Law of God, to satisfy its own carnal desires. As if that was not already vile enough, it loves to push its perversion of Scripture onto others, causing all kinds of division in the Body of Christ:

But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. 

(Jude 1:17-19)

Salvation comes only by Christ alone, by Grace through Faith. It cannot be earned by works. 

Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ. 













 



 


















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