Religion and How Christ has Shattered it

I am inclined to believe that religious dogma and rules are not designed to shrink men's brains and dampen their ability to think, rather it was designed exactly because men's brains are so limited and tiny that it cannot even comprehend the grandeur of God's own mind. Because we ourselves being mortal, cannot even fathom His work, we try to digest His greatness and His plans by simplifying it. We make lists of what we should or shouldn't do. And while it's important that we try to understand God through His spirit and His word, it's crazy to think that we have Him all figured out, that we comprehend fully His ways. We never should reduce God to something lesser than who He is.

In today's sermon at Christchurch Durham, Pastor Tony Jones' message really reminded me of Jesus' dynamic and radical teachings. The passage of Mark 2:21-22 has always been a challenge for me, but now it's been given fresh resonance and meaning. I'm reminded of how Jesus' new teachings and plans, how God's kingdom, authority, and power cannot be accommodated by the limited and constricted thing we call religion. Just like the old cloth and old wineskins, our "religious checklist" will explode and be completely shattered by the truth in Jesus, His infinite grace, His glorious sovereignty, His holy righteousness, His incomprehensible love.

When people ask me what religion do I believe in, I say Christianity, but in my heart I feel twinge of restlessness, wanting to tell others that Christianity is simply more than just a religion. How do you explain something that is fundamental to who you are? It's like trying to tell others your entire identity, your entire life, your entire reason to live, your hopes - all in one word. How can you even begin to conflate what Christianity means to me into one simplistic sentence?

What is Christianity then? It's about believing that by Christ's sacrifice on the cross, by His blood shed in our sake for our salvation. But we can't call ourselves Christians, or Christ-followers just by acknowledging that truth, but by entering into a personal, intimate relationship with Him. It's calling Him King, Father, Friend, Lover, Leader, Brother, Lord, Saviour. It's not compartmentalizing God to one aspect of our lives called "religion", but bringing Him in and letting Him reign over every part of our lives. Our work, our human relationships, our rest time, our church. We can never ever comprehend Him fully, but that's fine. Because what God wants is for us to want to learn, to seek Him, and have our love and knowledge of Him stretched and expanded.

What God wants is not a clever mind, but a teachable heart.