When Religion Opposed Christ In John 8:37 Jesus said: I know that - TopicsExpress

When Religion Opposed Christ In John 8:37 Jesus said: I know that you are Abrahams seed (religion of Judaism), BUT you seek to kill me...... It is quite a startling revelation when you realize just who it was the crucified Christ. It was religion. The Jewish religion are the ones who had the Romans crucify Christ. The Jews took great pride in the fact that they were Abrahams seed, the fact that they were Jewish, the people of God. God had indeed chosen the Jews to be the venue through which He would reveal Himself via His Son Jesus Christ. But the scriptures declare that Jesus came unto his own, and his own received Him not. The Jews thought they were special because God has chosen them as His people. They thought wrong. God is no respecter of persons. God does not love the Jews anymore than He loves Gentiles. God could have easily chosen the Gentiles to the venue of His revelation, and as a matter of fact God had to eventually use the Gentiles because the Jews dropped the ball in their rejection of Christ. When people think of the term religion they usually think of a system that is designed to facilitate the knowledge of God. But the term now finds its expression through many different denominational organizations. But religion has become a big business where men are so elevated that in some quarters they are just short of deification. And because of this misguided direction religion has taken it has become something that is in competition with Christ, instead of something that defers to Christ. Men are elevated way beyond what they should be. Men take these seats of authority, these seats or positions where they lord their authority over other men. A concept foreign to the Biblical understanding of authority. Jesus ran into this kind of competing religion that actually opposed the One who they claim to serve. Watch this. Jesus said yes, I know that you are Abrahams seed. In other words Jesus is acknowledging that they are Jews and are proud to be Jews. Then Jesus pointed out something that was in stark contrast to the true spirit of Christ honoring religion. Jesus said, BUT you seek to kill me!!! Yes, you are Abrahams seed, but you are trying to kill me. In other words Jesus was telling them that you are behaving in a manner that completely contradicts what you claim to be. Then Jesus explains to them why they are a contradiction to their claim of being Abrahams seed. Jesus said the reason you are acting in this contradictory way is because ....my word has no place in you. Jesus is telling them that His word, His teachings find no place in their heart and lives, because there is something already occupying their heart where Jesus words were trying to penetrate. Their hearts were already occupied by the man-made teaching of their religion. They already had their religion, they already had their gods (false) in place. So, when Jesus came asking for their allegiance they were offended because He was competing with their religion. Men get drunk on their religion. Men become intoxicated with a sense of their own importance in these high places of authority they have been placed. Men become addicted to the praise and acclaim of other men. So, when Christ comes along and demands the allegiance of the masses, those in authority will oppose Him with the venom of a viper. It was those religious leaders who stirred up the people and said give us Barabas, which led to the crucifixtion of Christ. I have no pleasure in telling you that if Christ came back today, it would not be the secular world of unbelievers that would crucify Christ, it would be religion. It would be religious men in high places that would crucify Christ today. You can take that to the bank. So, when I speak online with people I never tell them what religion I belong to, because I do not belong to a religion, I belong to Christ. I am in a relationship, not a religion. In the body of Christ men do not lord their authority over other men, but rather we are all on the same level, and that is why we call each other brother. Our authority as a believer is exercised against demonic principalities and powers, not over humans. So, what do you have today, religion or Christ?