Yesterday I posed the question, “What are the implications of the fact that the demons knew who Christ is and the religious leaders did not?” Been thinking about that for most of the past day and a half and heard a sermon that touched on that this morning. Not sure what you came up with but my conclusions have changed somewhat.
My first response was and still is that the religious leaders, the scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees, were just that, religious leaders. They were committed to reaching God through rules, regulations, tips, and techniques. They were not only committed to reaching God through that system but were committed to propagate, protect, and enforce that system as well. Religion’s fail, always, and completely. Religion is an attempt by man to reach God. These men were face to face with God and missed it. Why? Because He was there seeking relationship and they were there seeking to follow a system.
My second response has generated a few more questions. The demons, unclean spirits in the text, had a relationship with Christ. They knew Him, from a distance, in the case of the Gerasene, Christ asked who the spirits were, He did not know specifically who they were, they knew specifically who He was. So they were closer than the leaders to Christ in the sense that they had a “right” understanding of who He was. But that knowledge did not save them.
It seems it is not enough to know Christ is God, or to acknowledge His lordship, the demons do that, James 2:19, and shudder. Relationship seems to indicate more than knowledge about. It seems to hint at following, loving, pursuing, thirsting for time with, being able to discern His voice. A close friend yet more, not a religion.
I detest the question, “Religion?” That is why on my facebook status the answer is, “In a relationship.”
My second response has generated a few more questions. The demons, unclean spirits in the text, had a relationship with Christ. They knew Him, from a distance, in the case of the Gerasene, Christ asked who the spirits were, He did not know specifically who they were, they knew specifically who He was. So they were closer than the leaders to Christ in the sense that they had a “right” understanding of who He was. But that knowledge did not save them.
It seems it is not enough to know Christ is God, or to acknowledge His lordship, the demons do that, James 2:19, and shudder. Relationship seems to indicate more than knowledge about. It seems to hint at following, loving, pursuing, thirsting for time with, being able to discern His voice. A close friend yet more, not a religion.
I detest the question, “Religion?” That is why on my facebook status the answer is, “In a relationship.”
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