“I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites.” (Psalms 26:4)
When my wife and I met, it didn’t take long for me to realize that her faith was very important to her. “You’re pretty religious, aren’t you?,” I asked her on our first date. I’ll never forget her answer: “No, I’m not religious at all. I’m a Christian.”
I couldn’t understand why she had a problem with being labeled as religious, at least not until I became a Christian and could understand the difference from the inside out. The fact is there is a big difference between someone who is religious and someone who is a Christian.
Jesus had another word which He used to describe those among us who are religious. He called them hypocrites. In fact, the word, hypocrites, is used 16 times in the NIV Bible, 15 times by Jesus. And each time our Lord used that word, He was pointing out that religious actions and customs have nothing to do with God.
Every time Jesus used the word, hypocrites, he was speaking to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the largest and most influential religious-political party during new testament times. Ironically, they, too, were Jews, believed that God would send a messiah, and that God’s messiah would indeed rise from the dead. Sadly, they didn’t recognize Jesus for who He was, but Jesus recognized them.
Jesus once told the Pharisees, and the Scribes, who were charged with the task of recording all of the rules which the Pharisees developed to practice their religion: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27)
Jesus wasn’t just talking to the Pharisees. He is also speaking to those among us who practice religion instead of Christianity. They may look like a Christians on the outside, but Jesus knows differently. That’s why He says, “…Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’.” (Mark 7:6)
The Christmas season has become a religious season and has lost a lot of it Christian influence. Just think about it. Have you ever seen the word, Xmas? Our world has allowed the Christmas season to become Christ-less. Just like the Pharisees, all style and no substance.
Jesus’ point is that we should never mix religion with Christianity. It’s a dangerous combination, which is why He says, “…You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice a much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)
Isn’t it great that we can celebrate Christmas instead of Xmas? Frankly, we should celebrate Christmas everyday instead of just one day each year. But Christmas isn’t celebrated under the tree, or measured by how much we spend on one another. Christmas, and Christianity, too, for that matter, are celebrated on the inside, from the heart.
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