Is it possible to hate Religion but love Jesus?
The famous video on YouTube called “why I hate religion but love Jesus” by Jefferson Bethke has over 35 million views. In my opinion, it seems that Jefferson's intentions were good, but he seems to be misguided and unintentionally led his listeners to believe certain heretical ideas. Moreover, it appears that his teachings did not align with the teachings of the Bible, which could cause confusion among his audience.In the first minute of the video, he claimed that Jesus came to abolish religion. However, Jesus actually came to fulfill the old law and bring forth a new law. He came to fulfill the old and establish a new religion. The problem is that Jefferson is confusing man-made religion with religion given by God. In the paragraphs below, I will provide my argument for why you cannot love Jesus but hate religion, as they go hand in hand.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now the phrase “I believe in Jesus Christ but not religion”. You’ll even sometimes hear this at a non-denominational church-which at this point is its own denomination in and of itself.
Let’s look at the word ‘religion’. The google definition is, “the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.” So by definition if you believe in God, you have a religion. Next let’s look at where the word religion comes from. The Latin root for religion is ‘religare’ which means “to bind”. Religion is what binds us to God. Another way to put it is that it ties us to him and secures us.
The argument that religion is man-made and “not of Christ” is a faulty one due to Jesus himself starting the church and putting in place the apostles, with Peter as the pope to lead the church.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:19”
The church's leaders were instrumental in imparting the authentic teachings of Christ, while also instructing on how to properly worship Him and avoid heretical beliefs. It's crucial to keep in mind that during this time, there was no Bible to guide us - even the Bible itself was bestowed upon us to strengthen our relationship with God. As the early apostles themselves acknowledged, they were indeed practitioners of a religion.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - James 1:27”
James also provides a set of beliefs that clarify a religion. How is that the apostles believed in having a religion but some people who claim to be believers in Christ do not? The apostle Paul states in his first letter to Timothy that Christianity is a religion.
“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: - 1 Timothy 3:16”
Even someone who claims to be only a Bible-based follower of Christ has to acknowledge this due to the evidence in the scriptures. Religion is the binding force that connects us to God. By following His instructions and participating in the sacraments that He has instituted, we can draw closer to Him. God has given us religion to help us understand Him better and to steer clear of sin. Consider the Ten Commandments, which were given to us as a way to remain in God's covenant.
“Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, - Exodus 19:5”
By practicing religion we are drawing closer to God and becoming the person who God intended us to be from the very beginning. We are called to be Christlike and religion gives us that guidance in that journey of imitating Christ. Religion not only teaches about avoiding sin, but also provides a way back to God after separating ourselves from him. By being religious we are also making this world a better place to live in by doing the will of God. By following these religious teachings we are giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, supporting widows, and sharing the love of God for example. We should all strive to be more religious so we may bind ourselves more to God.
Now I understand that another argument is that the church has been changed and has traditions that are not mentioned in the Bible. In another blog I will discuss whether the Catholic Church is still the original and true church of Jesus Christ. I will also be discussing the term “Sola Scriptura”, meaning “scripture only” vs the Catholic belief of ‘scripture and tradition’. In this blog my main focus is to point out that if you claim to be a believer in Christ then you have a religion and to say that religion is necessary for every Christian.
