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)

Society today

     We become so exhausted and rushed in our society today, we forget to slow down and thank the one who made us. We have been created in an image of a perfect being, not that we are made like him, but in the likeness of him. This means that we are not perfect as he is, but may strive toward that perfection. We can and are creative, have desires and are able to love. Man cannot evolve consciousness, although we do have a desire to seek something higher, man is not the ultimate authority and we tend to forget that. When we try to make God in our own likeness in our minds we forgot his true nature and authority. We can't help but to curse him when we are in trouble, and forget him in our times of plenty. He does not change, just because we change and our circumstances change does not mean that he does. Evolutionists try to explain away God with Christianity's "lack of proof" when in reality Christianity doesn't claim that we can "prove" God. However, atheists cannot prove their own THEORIES (not laws) and attempt to hold religion to the same standard, even though it does not claim it. This does not discredit creation theory, but weakens evolution's foundation. Once again though, we become so absorbed in culture and society that we tend to forgot our purpose and what brings true joy and peace. Knowing God, alone can give us such a sense of meaning. If this wasn't true, not that Christians don't sin or make mistakes, but even the people who reach near god-like positions in their own minds, such as professional athletes, artists, or politicians will not feel the hole inside their being filled with such vain pursuits. I cannot help but to think that we are eternally blessed every moment we take a breath and are allowed to exist in a universe where we can know our creator.

     Something to think about, if you ever met someone who was extremely famous, or had an untouchable amount of power would you not listen to their every word and attempt to learn all you can from them? How much greater is the one who gave knowledge and power to them.
-Be blessed.