Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me. John 5:39
Do you know any Christians who have memorized large quantities of the Bible? We all have some verses memorized, but some people have actually memorized chapters, and a few have committed entire books to memory. It is a wonderful thing to store the Word of God in our minds, improving the ability to hid it in our hearts, that we might not sin against God. But none of us have managed to memorize and study the Word of God as extensively as most of the Jewish leaders who were constantly attacking the Lord Jesus. They knew their Bibles! They had a tremendous grasp of the Old Testament. But there was something seriously wrong with the way they were using the Bible. Instead of using the Bible to get closer to God, they were using the Bible to get closer to the Bible. They had become an empty religion. That’s a pitfall we need to avoid today.
We see plenty of empty religion all around us. We see those who have drifted away from Scriptural principles and no longer have anything but an empty form. We see those who have seized on specific portions of the Bible, ignoring other portions, and have developed doctrines that are warped and dangerous. Still others have perverted the Word of God, changing it to whatever suits themselves, and then claiming to follow it rigidly. We call them the cults. There are even some places that are faithful to the Word of God in their doctrines, clearly adhering to the fundamental principles of the faith. But their pride in doing so has destroyed any effectiveness they might have. Knowing the truth, they neglect to do the truth, and are condemned. Do we know and hold the truth? We trust so. We need to be sure, because there are many who say we don’t. But is our focus on holding the truth based on ourselves or on our desire to know and serve our Lord?
Our Assemblies have specific ways in which we do most things. We conduct our meetings according to a regular pattern. We use a particular version of the Bible. We speak a common language concerning spiritual things. Why? Are we following the party line, or are we following Christ? Do we know and understand the reasons for the things we do? If we don’t, we are little more than a religion, carrying out observances for the observances sake, and not for the Lord. If we do know and understand, we bring glory to Him.
The Lord Jesus never came to earth to set up a religion or to found a denomination. He came to see and save those who were lost. And He came to draw us unto Himself, to bring glory to God and not to a human organization. -Jim MacIntosh