Religion Vs. Church

     Society has put great emphasis on how religion is no good and church is "religious" therefore it is no good. Peter says that Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.^[b] For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  (1st Peter 1:22-23). We have been born again and should be loving one another deeply, how can we love each other deeply if we are not allowing ourselves to commune in the body of Christ. Peter was righting to the Jews who had converted, this doesn't seem to be significant except for that they already have the law and a basis of religion with the Judaio-God, so they don't need to be taught fundamentals. Instead Peter is trying to help them understand the trials the church will face, and how to grow as individuals. 

     The prime difference between church and religion is that in Christ, we are the living stones, the blocks that of which the church is built out of. In religion, man is seen as being part of some legalistic group which must systematically follow laws and is not concerned with anyone except for himself and his own salvation. It's so interesting to me that in the book of James it actually defines how God sees religion. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (James 1:27) For us, this is one of the most significant verses in the Bible. It means that every single command about loving each other, is not part of our religion. We are part of the entity that is the body of Christ. As a matter of fact we are the living entity that composes the body of Christ. 

     When the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. it marked the finishing of the covenant that Christ had sealed with his sacrifice. Religion had been done away with and the church had began. As it says "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." (Matthew 24:2) The religious institution was brought down. This doesn't mean that we should tear down religion, once again as I showed above it has it's place for organized humanitarian necessary efforts even in the body of Christ. Christ laid down the framework for us to rebuild God's temple in such a way that is pleasing and glorifying to him, and that is through us as individuals being that temple collectively. Notice how as Christ prophesied the temple being brought down, Peter gives us the inspired word that we shall be God's kingdom rebuilt. As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house^[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1st Peter 2:4-6). 
     The plan of God is being fulfilled by the church. We weren't a back-up plan, but the end result. The old ways of religion have been done away with, we do need community and congregation in order to be most effective and to become the building which is, God's Holy temple. We have been sanctified that we may be holy and do God's work. Let us not throw off and resist being a community. Praise God that we can be part of something greater. I'll end with this, that you may remember who we are, and what God has made us through Christ. 
      But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1st Peter 2:9-10)