This is something that has been on my mind for a while. Defining for myself the state of Religion vs Faith in my life.
I have heard someone compare Faith and Religion as the knowledge that a tomato is a fruit, but having the understanding that a tomato doesn’t go into a fruit salad…
In a fast-food society, who has any idea what that means?
Then I found out that there really, actually, is no such a thing as “vegetables”!? (And other crazy things botanists say…) which left me just a bit more confused than when I started.
And I think that is the same level of confusion that exists for anyone looking at us Christians from the outside in. In fact, Festus called Paul crazy in Acts 26 because of his beliefs, and I think it comes down to a culture of rules and following steps. Not that it is wrong per sé, just easier to follow the step-by-step guide…
As a group, humans like predictability. We like it when one thing follows another. We like ”cause and effect”. Plant a seed, water the seed, a few leaves pop out of the ground, a stem, a tree and then some fruit. The process repeats. It is built into the world. It makes sense.
We DO NOT like things that DO NOT follow an explainable path. Like Love.
A person may like me because I am nice to them and brought them chocolates on occasion. Cause and Effect.
But my wife loves me, and I can’t quite figure out why, because its not what I did or didn’t do, it is a million little choices (some good, but many bad, some mad) and experiences and stories and events that makes no individual sense but resulted in two people that will fight a lion for the other one.
This is what is so confusing to people about followers of Christ.
In religion, there are rules, there are steps. Do this, then that, and you have earned something.
In stark contrast, our Faith speaks of our Relationship with God. It is a relationship. We are growing old together. We speak, we argue, we enjoy the sunsets, and we get angry at the world. Sometimes we disagree, and sometimes we might even not talk to each other in utter frustration, but the love never breaks. It makes no sense… unless you are in the relationship. I may cry and God will wrap himself around me in compassion, and sometimes I will see someone and feel God’s heart utterly break for them, even though I do not know their story.
That is the essence of Faith. Not so much the Faith that God will give me the things I want (although surely, there is that too, for what father doesn’t want to shower his child in gifts, and what bridegroom doesn’t want to dress his bride in the finest linen?), but Faith in the relationship where God is a provider of the things I need.
Religion is knowing “the Lord’s Prayer” by heart and reciting it every day. Faith is understanding the conversation.
Religion is ticking off the to-do list of chores my wife gave me before she left for the morning. Once they are done, I am done, and off to play some golf! Faith is cleaning the kitchen and making things neat so that we can have a moment of peace when she gets home, where we can sit together with a cup of coffee and talk out on the porch steps while watching the world go by…
In other words:
Religion is rules, lists, activities and functions so that we can be classified as good and worthy in our own eyes and the eyes of those watching us, while;
Faith is us doing things, taking actions and making specific choices in life because we are grateful for what the King has already done, regardless of what society thinks or says.
Secular society tries to understand Love in a To-Do List context, and I think this is where we often get stuck as Christians as well. We wait for God to “tell us” to feed the poor, when in fact, our compassion should be such that we can’t walk past a hungry person with two apples in hand and not give at least one out of gratitude. God gave me two, how can I not give at least one away? (but it is also part of the process)
It’s often a shock to the system to realise that our relationship with God is not always as intense as a husband and wife who has been married for 40 years, and knows every mood and every sigh, but can also be more like a Father and a teenage son…From the Father there is unbelievable love, and the boy knows he is safe and cherished, but he generally only sneaks into the kitchen for food and to get his dirty laundry washed. Repenting on occasion because he forgot to take the bins out, or left the dirty dishes on the table. Make no mistake. The son loves the Father, but he would much rather be out and about, taking risks and playing games than doing a few chores at home.
(And no, the “chores” are not religious rules and tasks in this metaphor, it is learning to be a responsible member of society)
And here is the truth. The world sees a struggling relationship with hiccups and judges God and all other relationships accordingly. They would rather have fleeting moments of Hedonism with a definite end and on their terms than risk the sadness and anguish that inevitably marks, but also strengthens a true and enduring love relationship.
And although I probably shouldn’t, that is why I get frustrated when a non-believer points to a bunch of rules to try and explain to me why my Faith cannot possibly exist.
