I never knew you
If Satan can’t stop you from worshipping God, he’s content to keep you worshipping the wrong one.
Jesus’ confrontation with religious folk in the Bible was always an epic showdown. Check out his encounter with the teachers of the law in Mark 7:7–9 (NLT).
Jesus had a huge problem with these guys. They invented many popular religious traditions and taught them to the masses as “God’s commands.” And how did the masses respond? Did they fiercely reject these unbiblical teachings and instead cling to God’s truth? Absolutely not. The people blindly followed their teachers, accepting without question that all they were taught was true. After all, religious elders can’t be wrong, right?
When Satan wants us to passionately worship the wrong God, he’d often use two things: 1) highly-respected people and 2) popular traditions that aren’t biblical.
The Pharisees and Jewish religious leaders were the perfect vessel. They were some of the most religious people that walked the earth. They spent hours poring over details of the Torah. Jews depended on their spiritual guidance and interpretation of the Law. They were so highly regarded that their opinion could turn the masses against a Roman King or a High Priest.
Now get this. The Pharisees weren’t inherently bad people. Many of them lived very morally upright lives. Some Pharisees were faithful followers of Jesus. Remember Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Paul the Apostle? So can we really blame the Jews? I mean, they innocently did as their trusted religious elders told them to. After all, if God didn’t have faith in their elders, He’s powerful enough to replace them, right?
To be honest, I sympathise with the Jews. It’s tough to accept that religiously pious people we highly respect can be wrong. It really is.
I grew up religious, and pretty much everything I believed about God came more from what I was taught or observed other religiously fervent people do — my uncles, aunties, pastors, deacons, and bishops. Or what I read in books I picked up lying around the house or in Papa’s library. I developed such strong notions about God and faith from pure observation without ever having a personal habit of studying the Bible on my own. I’d pick up the Holy Book when I had to, in morning devotions, or on Sundays, but studying to understand it? Nah, I left that to the religious elders to do that for me.
Without a doubt, there was a lot of good that came from imitation. I have many religious elders to thank for introducing the concept of God to me from a tender age. I’m beyond grateful for that. Many of them also modelled the importance of generosity to the poor — another thing I owe to them.
Instinctively, by the time I started leading Sunday Schools at 19, most of what I passed on was what I’d been taught. I was teaching those young, innocent minds my best imitation of what had been passed down. And so the cycle of imitation would continue with them, their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.
What I didn’t realize is that imitation also makes us vulnerable. Open to accepting both the good and the misguided elements of our spiritual guardians’ beliefs (i.e. a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.). It’s even more dangerous when we passively transmit those beliefs down to our children and their children’s children. Because we just don’t know any better.
That brings me back to the question I asked earlier. “Can we blame the Jews” for following their leaders unquestioningly? You and I may have differing answers to this question, but if we let the Bible answer, the answer is yes. We can absolutely blame them. Because on Judgement Day, we’ll all have to answer for why we hold the religious beliefs we’ve firmly clung to. Some answers that won’t be accepted are “This is what my mother taught me” or “My grandfather raised me this way”.
One of the scariest scriptures in the Bible is Matthew 7:21–23. It goes, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day, many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
My fingers are literally quivering just reading this scripture. The thought of blogging so much about God, talking to many friends and strangers about Him, attending so many Christian retreats, conferences, etc., only to have God tell me, “I never knew you”. It scares the lightbulbs out of me. All my religious zeal will count for nothing if my beliefs don’t align with God’s laws (aka the Bible).
What about you?
Do your beliefs and practices come from the Bible?
As a Catholic, have you ever questioned why babies are baptized despite no record of a baby being baptized in the Bible?
As a Baptist, have you questioned whether Baptism is optional or a fundamental requirement for Salvation?
As an Anglican, have you clarified whether grace alone without obedience saves us?
Questioning isn’t heresy, it is necessary. The Berean Jews in Acts 17:10–12 were very open-minded but wouldn’t accept Paul’s message until they could verify it agreed with the Scriptures. And the Bible looks kindly on these Jews for doing so, it records them as ‘noble’. The Bereans weren’t sold on Paul’s charisma and passionate speech unless the Scriptures backed it up.
Study the Bible to validate your belief system so you don’t get caught on the wrong side of truth.
If you’re down, I’m down. Let’s talk.
