Unleavened Faith

Introduction

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27

To begin a study of God’s word, it is best to start by finding our place within the world of religion in general. It is affirmed by some, saved by the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that they do not have a religion; they have salvation. I would agree with that to an extent. Salvation is obtained by a belief. Religion will be looked at here in this broadest sense as simply beliefs held. An examination of religion on this level will lead us to a noteworthy truth.

The world contains different beliefs on God, spirituality, theology, etc. By any loose definition, there are hundreds of distinct belief systems. Below are illustrations of some of the more prominent.

Catholicism

Judaism

Islam

Buddist

Hindu

Biblical Christianity

In searching for the right one as opposed to the wrong one, the vast number of religions is a huge stumbling block. There are just too many to represent here, too many for the common man to manage. Just two are needed, one or the other, to be able to choose; this leads us to the study of comparative religion.

Comparative Religion

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Deuteronomy 30:19

There are those that actually spend their time in the pursuit of the study of comparative religions. Be thankful for them. Whoever these fine fellows hap-pen to be they have performed a tremendous amount of work for us in having tracked and stud-ied the religions of the world comparing, categoriz-ing, and organizing them into twenty-two groups.

Here are the groups listed by the number of adherents.

1. Christianity: 2.1 billion
2. Islam: 1.5 billion
3. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion
4. Hinduism: 900 million
5. Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
6. Buddhism: 376 million
7. primal-indigenous: 300 million
8. African Traditional and Diasporic: 100 mil-lion
9. Sikhism: 23 million
10. Juche: 19 million
11. Spiritism: 15 million
12. Judaism: 14 million
13. Baha’i: 7 million
14. Jainism: 4.2 million
15. Shinto: 4 million
16. Cao Dai: 4 million
17. Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million
18. Tenrikyo: 2 million
19. Neo-Paganism: 1 million
20. Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
21. Rastafarianism: 600 thousand
22. Scientology: 500 thousand

Although all the religions of the world have been categorized into twenty-two categories, it is still far from what the average student of religion or Bible is able to distill in determining the right one from the wrong one, the one from the other.

In a final attempt to narrow the distinctions be-tween religions, those resolute undiscouraged fine fellows have reduced that number to five major groupings containing all the religions of the world based on the criteria of how they perceive or con-ceive of God.

• Hindu Type—Polytheistic, many gods and/or goddesses
• Buddhist Type?Atheistic, no God
• New Age Spiritualistic—Man is or will be God
• Islamic Type—God is Unknowable
• Christian Type—God is Knowable and de-sires to be known

These can also be listed as the following using the criteria of how God is perceived or conceived of. It may be determined as one deems fit to place a particular religion into any of the five categories.

• Many Gods
• No God
• Man is God
• Unknowable God
• Knowable God

Who did the original research is unknown; certainly, they were not all Bible-believing Christians? Nonetheless, their work turns out to be rather miraculous in that these five groups are the five categories of religion found within the Scriptures.

Five Major Religions groups referenced in the Bible:

1. Many Gods
   Jeremiah 11:13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah;
   Isaiah 2:8 Their land also is full of idols;
2. No God
   Psalms 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
3. Man is God
   Ezekiel 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
4. Unknowable God
   Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
5. Knowable God
   Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

It is far easier to deal with five than hundreds and much better than twenty-two. However, our quest is to narrow our choice down to two, the right one and the wrong one. Meditating on this conun-drum without the vast number of choices a dividing line can be seen between these groups; using different criteria these five can be combined into two. Now two is a number that can be handled as we are looking for just two religions—the one or the other.

If the criterion is changed from their perception of God, which gave us five categories to their scheme for progression, the number of categories can be reduced. By progression, I mean their meth-od for moving up, whether it is termed salvation, nirvana, becoming one with the universe, obtaining a better reincarnation, etc. In biblical terms, what is their plan of salvation? Under this criterion, there are only two choices.

The first choice, by man’s own efforts, his works, his self-righteousness, earned or received as payment for a debt owed to him. The second, by the grace of God, received as a free gift, without works.

You could use different terms to denote the two columns:

For our purposes, the column heads used from here on will be the biblical terms “works” versus. “grace.” It is evident, that the two theological extremes are mutually exclusive.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

Where does faith come in?

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;

If you are graciously given a free gift with a pay-ment book attached, it is not gracious, free, nor a gift. Adding works disannuls grace, free, and gift.

Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Romans 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Biblically, works refer to establishing self-righteousness denoted by keeping the law of God, doing good, etc. There is a teaching that putting faith in Christ would be a work; therefore, faith cannot be internal but the gift of God. This is totally unbiblical. Biblical definitions must be used; in the Bible, works and grace/faith are mutually exclusive. Putting our faith in Christ is not works as defined by the Scriptures.

There are two facets, two sides of the same coin, when it comes to the religion of works. Both equate to self-righteousness: (1) keeping the law, (2) proclaiming innocents, having done nothing to be condemn for. It is often expressed as pure self-righteousness, “I’m a good person. I’ve never killed anybody. I treat others as I want to be treated. Why should God condemn me?”

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Then there is the expanded definition of works that of doing penance, voluntary self-punishment, to pay for or cover one’s sins, or to atone for some wrongdoing. This can take on many forms from reciting prayers to substantial self-abuse. Penance is a large part of religion by works. When comparing the world’s religions by the parameters of their individual plan or method of progression, salvation, upward mobility, or whatever term is used, it becomes obvious that the progression of biblical Christianity—by grace through faith and not of ourselves not of works?is a religion that is unique among the world’s religions. It stands unequaled, distinct, unparalleled, among all the world’s religions, which are works based. Biblical Christianity is exceptional, uncommon, peculiar.

One or the Other

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15

Success, all religions of the world have been concentrated down to two. There are only two religions in the world―the one or the other, the wrong or the right. They are quite easy to tell apart. The one is based on man’s works; the other is not of man’s works. The one says to rely on yourself, find yourself, heal yourself, clean yourself. The other says you are lost, incurable, filthy. The one says you have time; it will all work out in the end. The other says today, now. The one is a struggle, a constant effort; the other is a gift bringing peace, the product of grace and mercy. The one will make a few allowances, nobody is perfect; the other demands the sinless perfection that you can never provide and—provides it for you.

The one or the other, the wrong or the right one; how to choose? The easy answer to that question is to look in a mirror.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

It is your decision, your choice. Are you righteous, holy, clean, pure? Contemplate just your thoughts over the last week. If you are able to make yourself pure, choose the one; if you are not able to wash yourself clean and pure of your sins, choose the other.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works” is a singular unique religion separate from all the religions of the world. This is where the contention arises. All the religions of the world can come together without condemning each other as they are all the same religion; that of man’s own efforts. On the other hand, you have a religion that condemns all the rest?by grace through faith.

At this point, it must also be noted that there are those that pervert the gospel of grace through faith and teach a doctrine of works in whole or in part as Christian doctrine. This will be covered later in our studies. Suffice it, for now, to say that as much as they try to mix Christianity with and make it just another religion of works, they are sadly mistaken. As reference earlier, grace and works are mutually exclusive.

By grace through faith is not the only thing unique about the other religion. Its God is also unique among the gods, one true living God, ever existing, knowable and wanting to be known, gracious and merciful. There is also one unique book that leads us in the way of all truth. The Bible is unique among all the world’s religious writings. There is also one unique Bible among all the contenders for the title of God’s word—the AV 1611. This is covered by many in other studies and books, but to show its uniqueness one point to remember is that no one will say that they are holding in their hands the inerrant persevered word of God unless they are holding an Authorized Version of 1611.

In closing, it would be beneficial to look at the world’s religions from another vantage point and see some of what the God of the Bible has delivered us from.

Catholicism – Flagellation

Islamic Flagellation

Hindu – Penance

Hindu – Penance

African – Scarring

African – Scarring

The above are on the extreme end of works usually found where the religion is not only dominant but holding political power as well as the culture of an area. The extremes have not been seen in the USA up to now for that reason.

As stated above, all the religions of the world, except for biblical Christianity, are all the same: a religion of self, self-righteousness, and self-glorification. They are just the opposite of biblical Christianity’s glorification of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

It is the religion of works that the God of the Bible has saved us from. The God of the Bible forbids the practice of self-mutilation and physical abuse as penance or a show of earnestness in one’s devotion. It also forbids many other practices like widows being burnt alive along with their husband’s corpse, sacrificing children, crawling on your hands and knees over rough stone, and many other religious/cultural customs that permeate the religion of works. Most importantly, the religion of the Bible relieves us from the impossible requirement to obtain and maintain self-righteousness and gives us God’s righteousness.

1 Kings 18:28 (Prophets of Baal) And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

When questioned about other religions, it is safe to say that there are only two: one of works, the other of grace. This is as far as reason alone can take us; to grow further in the knowledge of God and his ways the light of his revelations must be relied upon. So we begin our series of studies of the Bible, its religion, and the true intent and meaning of our faith, unleavened, to obtain a greater understanding and to fulfill our place as children of the Most High.

Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees;

That leaven is the theology of works.