Danger: The religious spirit

[Debp]

A Christian is one who has been reconciled to God through Christ.   This is a relationship as we now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and helping us to grow.   We are now considered a child of God.   This is contrary to having a religious spirit.   A religious spirit tends to emphasis works over grace.   Also, a religious spirit tends to be prideful.

Some other thoughts on what is the religious spirit...

 

• judgementalism
• self-righteousness
• religious pride
• criticism
• legalism
• perfectionism
• division
• error (doctrinal falsehood)
• unbelief
• doubt
• confusion
• argumentism
• false holiness
• salvation by works
• guilt
• condemnation
• fear of losing salvation
• fear of God (unhealthy, scared feeling)
• intolerance

[Tzephanyahu]

How provocative.

I struggle to see what good you hoped for in posting this. 

[branchesofHim]

Good points! Indeed it was the religious people that had Jesus crucified.

[Debp]

3 minutes ago, Tzephanyahu said:

How provocative.

I struggle to see what good you hoped for in posting this. 

Well, perhaps we all need to look at ourselves?   To take care that a religious spirit doesn't overtake us.

[Justin Adams]

21 minutes ago, Debp said:

intolerance

Did not quote it all but see the import of what you post.

I have seen it and probably did/are doing some of those things even as we speak.

Being spiritually saved and of a sound mind, does not eliminate the adversary and his henchmen from getting to you.

Many a righteous 'cause' begins with simple stuff and snowballs into a major issue.

John says, if you think you have no sin, then you at best delude yourself and at worst are a liar (my paraphrase).

[Don19]

26 minutes ago, Flowersun said:

 

If you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you....how could a religious spirit overtake us?

 

arent you resting in the Lord?

It is surely possible, as Paul warns about it in Colossians 2:

⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

⁹ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

¹⁰ And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

¹¹ In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

¹² Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

¹³ And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

¹⁴ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

¹⁷ Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

¹⁸ Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

¹⁹ And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

²⁰ Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

²¹ (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

²² Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

²³ Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Don19

[Behold]

34 minutes ago, Tzephanyahu said:

How provocative.

I struggle to see what good you hoped for in posting this. 

What Debp posted is a loving and deeply theological understanding of what happens when the Grace of God is rejected by "christians" after they are saved.

She is earnestly  helping Legalists or baby Christian  understand that the very same Blood of Jesus that saves you, keeps you saved.

See, when a Legalist does not believe that Jesus Saves, they end up trying to save themselves., and following that they teach this as their Gospel.

This is the  Gospel of "self saving"....and this denies the Cross by replacing it with "SELF".

And that mindset produces a "religious spirit" that wants to attack Grace, because it reject the "gift of Salvation".

Debp is a sweet person who has a deep understanding of the Gospel that Paul gave to the Body of Christ.

[Behold]

43 minutes ago, branchesofHim said:

Good points! Indeed it was the religious people that had Jesus crucified.

Its that same "religious spirit" which is a denial of the TRUTH =  that the same Jesus who saved you, keeps you saved.

Its an interesting situation, sadly so, that many Christians are trying to keep themselves saved, by doing works that you can do before you are saved, that could not save you to begin with, yet now teach that these same "filth rags" have to be done to keep the Blood Atonement active.    

Not only is this not Logical, its utterly Grace rejecting.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Behold

[Behold]

38 minutes ago, Flowersun said:

 

If you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you....how could a religious spirit overtake us?

 

arent you resting in the Lord?

Here is what a "religious spirit" will preach or teach...

""""Do not tell me that Jesus alone keeps me saved...I will show you verses that say WORKS MUST BE DONE ALSO, and that the BLOOD of Jesus IS Not Enough."""

""""Do not tell me that ETERNAL LIFE is ETERNAL......its not.....its temporary.....let me show you Matthew 4, and Matthew 24-25, and Hebrews 4,6, and 10...Let me prove that God does not keep you saved, He just starts your salvation, and you do the rest or you LOSE your salvation". """"

That is how the "religious spirit" (Legalism) Sounds when it teaches or preaches what is not true.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Behold

[Behold]

33 minutes ago, Justin Adams said:

 

John says, if you think you have no sin, then you at best delude yourself and at worst are a liar (my paraphrase).

If you are born again, Jesus has your sin.  Its on the Cross.

Jesus has your sin, and you have Jesus's righteousness.

If this is not so, we are not truly born again.

An Apostle will never tell a born again person or group that they are sinners.

He would be lying, and denying the "finished work of Jesus on the Cross'

But an Apostle will say you are a sinner if you are an unbeliever..... and He will tell you that there is no more sacrifice left for your sin, if you WILLFULLY reject the only Sacrifice that God has sent to the Cross that can save you.

He will tell you that....and did in Hebrews, and in Acts 28., and any other place in the NT where an Apostle is dealing with unbelievers. 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Behold