{"id":2050,"date":"2017-01-29T08:27:36","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T21:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2050"},"modified":"2017-01-29T08:27:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-28T21:27:36","slug":"why-faith-is-better-than-religion-29-01-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2050","title":{"rendered":"Why Faith is better than Religion 29-01-2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
Why Faith is better than Religion.<\/strong><\/span>
\nMicah 6: 1 \u2013 8; 1 Corinthians 1: 18 \u2013 31; Matthew 5: 1 – 5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span>
\nIs what we do the litmus test of our faith?<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThese texts mark the difference between religion and faith.\u00a0 The prophet Micah distinguishes between religious practices, such as sacrifices, and faith practices, such as living the values of faith.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
It is important to distinguish between religion and faith, and yet understand their relationship. People think you are religious for coming here this morning. In fact they are right. They are wrong if they think we are just religious.\u00a0 Religion refers to the organisation and systemisation of faith.\u00a0 For example, the ancient religious practice of Israel involved sacrifices.\u00a0 Faith on the other hand is trust in something or someone. For the Christian, faith is trusting in God and God\u2019s self-revelation in Christ Jesus.\u00a0 People of faith come together and develop a way of worshipping and a way of being a community. This organisation of their faith is religion. Faith leads to religion and religion helps us keep our faith.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Now people both in a religion and those who claim not to be religious take religion as a negative term.\u00a0 Basically this negative attitude sees religion as something meaningless.\u00a0 So we get people claiming not to be religious. This is a false distinction. It isn\u2019t helpful. It is best to understand that faith leads to the development of a religion and religion helps us maintain and grow our faith.\u00a0 But here lies a bigger problem.\u00a0 We can mistake our practices as faith. We can let our regular religious practices take the place of our faith. I think we do this when we make certain practices so important that they can\u2019t be changed or challenged. Though religion and faith are inter-dependent they also must be distinguished. We should always be checking whether our rituals and liturgy have replaced our faith. It is our faith that gives rise to religion.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
The prophet Micah, not using our language and concepts, is making the same point. He sees people being religious. They come and offer sacrifices. They even offer the extreme sacrifice of a firstborn child. The size and cost of the sacrifice is mistaken for the depth of loyalty to God. This happens even today. We honour people who give much. We name buildings, rooms and put plaques on walls in honour of people\u2019s faith, or is it their religion. I know I might be close to offending some, but do we really think through such naming. In one sense it is right and noble, in another unhelpful if we think the gift marks the true quality of their faith.\u00a0 What marks their faith is the spirit in which the gift is given.\u00a0 But Micah goes further. He says that the true litmus test is whether we practise justice, kindness and humility. The reason for justice, kindness and humility being the litmus test is that they arise out of faith and not religion.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
The prophet is not unique in his thinking. He merely captures very succinctly the essence of the teaching of the Law, Jesus\u2019 teaching and that of the followers of God. The keystone of the whole Leviticus law is love your neighbour [Lev 19:18]. Jesus reinforced this. Jesus made it clear that to love others, to give to the poor, to do the right thing was an essential part of following God. It was more important than conforming to and practising the rituals of religion. Jesus said that seeking reconciliation with others first was more important than religious practice. As the writer of 1 John says;\u00a0 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.\u00a0 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. [1 John 4: 7,8] There it is. It\u2019s in black and white. Love is the true expression of our faith and love will be expressed through justice, kindness and humility.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Justice is the expression of love we show the wider community. When I became the CEO of an organisation I asked God, how can I love these people? At the time I had 60 staff and 4000 volunteers. I knew that loving was not liking. I knew I could not be a friend with all of them. I knew that being friends was not even the answer. It became clear to me that I had to offer justice to all. That\u2019s what I did. That\u2019s what some remembered me for. The way I was going to love them was by being just. That meant I showed no favours. There was equal access to all resources and to me. Even those I found painful and those who were painful, I made sure they had the same access to resources and my office. It wasn\u2019t about the likeability of each individual, but that the individual was part of the whole.\u00a0 Justice is that. We should ensure that all have justice regardless of whether they are likeable or not; or whether they are part of our group or not; or, whether they are worthy or not.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
I ponder what justice means in our society. I think of the homeless and wonder, what proportion of those in the city are using the system and what proportion are just homeless? Then I wonder about all our enterprising commercial and professional opportunists who milk the system for their own ends. What\u2019s wrong with the poor taking advantage of systems when the rich do it?<\/strong><\/span>
\nI ponder about the police pursuing that driver and the saddening deaths of people. I think if the police had forcibly stopped that car after 30 minutes and in so doing shot the driver, would there not be a hue and cry about the police\u2019s hastiness? But now they took their time and five have died. Where\u2019s justice here. I know what I want. I want a police force that can act. But I don\u2019t want a shoot-first-ask-questions-afterward policy. Some of us have hamstrung our police.<\/strong><\/span>
\nI am saddened by the imprisonment of desperate migrants driven from their homes by politics and violence; of the destabilising of other countries which we have contributed to by our action or inaction. Where is justice?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span>
\nI think of this planet ruined by our greed for more wealth. We take and use resources at will adversely affecting the environment and then deny we have any responsibility for \u2018climate change\u2019.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know the degree of responsibility we have, but the 7-fold increase in human population over the past 100 years and the increasing wealth of the wealthy, which incidentally we are part of, must have a bearing on the use of our resources and their effect on our planet. Where is justice?<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Let us not think God is not angry. Let us not think that God does not expect more from us. Let us not think that God doesn\u2019t need us all to be actively involved in seeking justice.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Kindness is the expression of love to the individual. When I was a CEO there were rules that applied to all. I occasionally set them aside when the individual\u2019s need exceeded the general need of the organisation. Kindness is love expressed to an individual. It is hard. The decisions are not easy, but we are expected to be kind. Jesus\u2019 story of the Good Samaritan is an example of love expressed through kindness, and the kindness bringing justice to the victim. Kindness is the companion of justice. We need more than justice; justice needs to be blended with kindness.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
We have faith in God who has been extremely just and kind to us. We are not worthy of God\u2019s love. However, God was comes to us in Christ Jesus and invites us into a relationship of love. God\u2019s gift of love to us is an extreme act of kindness. God\u2019s love, we generally call it grace, comes freely and undeservedly to us. We don\u2019t deserve God\u2019s love. As much as God\u2019s love comes to us freely it does come with an expectation that we love others in return. And we show that love through practising justice and kindness: justice to all and kindness to those in need. We don\u2019t need to spell out what kindness is, but we should recognise that kindness arises out of a deep sense of being loved by God.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
So we come to the third aspect of what Micah recognises as a true expression of faith \u2013 humility. Humility is the recognition that one is dependent upon a transcendent power. Humility is the recognition that it is not the \u2018I\u2019 in the \u2018me\u2019 that makes me what I am, but all the other people and things that have contributed to my life. Above all else, there is the Creator God whose image we bear and who has touched our lives in this person, Jesus. Submission to God is one of the most important paradoxes of life. To submit to God is the beginning of strength and freedom.\u00a0 Surrendering to God is the most difficult thing to do, but it is the beginning of a new freedom. In contras, trying to remain in charge of one\u2019s life is a subtle form of slavery to the things of this world. That is why the words of Jesus are so true.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Deny yourself, take up your cross, and you will have life. [Mark 8: 34]<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Seek ye first the kingdom and all else will be yours.\u00a0 [Matthew 6: 33 ]<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>
\nSome questions:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Do you see yourself as religious or a person of faith?<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
What questions does this sermon raise for you about being a Christian?<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
When you hear the Church speak about justice what is your reaction?<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
*******<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\nPeter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC:\u00a0 29\/01\/2017<\/strong><\/span>
\npgwhitaker@tpg.com.au<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Faith is better than Religion. Micah 6: 1 \u2013 8; 1 Corinthians 1: 18 \u2013 31; Matthew 5: 1 – 5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is what we do the litmus test of our faith? These texts mark the difference between religion and faith.\u00a0 The prophet Micah distinguishes between religious practices, such as sacrifices, and faith practices, such as living the values of faith.\u00a0\u00a0 It is important to distinguish between religion and faith, and yet understand their relationship. People think you are religious for coming here this morning. In fact they are right. They are wrong if they think we are just religious.\u00a0 Religion refers to the organisation and systemisation of faith.\u00a0 For example, the ancient religious practice of Israel involved sacrifices.\u00a0 Faith on the other hand is trust in something or someone. For the Christian, faith is trusting in God and God\u2019s self-revelation in Christ Jesus.\u00a0 People of faith come together and develop a way of worshipping and a way of being a community. This organisation of their faith is religion. Faith leads to religion and religion helps us keep our faith. Now people both in a religion and those who claim not to be religious take religion as a negative term.\u00a0 Basically this negative attitude sees religion as something meaningless.\u00a0 So we get people claiming not to be religious. This is a false distinction. It isn\u2019t helpful. It is best to understand that faith leads to the development of a religion and religion helps us maintain and grow our faith.\u00a0 But here lies a bigger problem.\u00a0 We can mistake our practices as faith. We can let our regular religious practices take the place of our faith. I think we do this when we make certain practices so important that they can\u2019t be changed or challenged. Though religion and faith are inter-dependent they also must be distinguished. We should always be checking whether our rituals and liturgy have replaced our faith. It is our faith that gives rise to religion.\u00a0 The prophet Micah, not using our language and concepts, is making the same point. He sees people being religious. They come and offer sacrifices. They even offer the extreme sacrifice of a firstborn child. The size and cost of the sacrifice is mistaken for the depth of loyalty to God. This happens even today. We honour people who give much. We name buildings, rooms and put plaques on walls in honour of people\u2019s faith, or is it their religion. I know I might be close to offending some, but do we really think through such naming. In one sense it is right and noble, in another unhelpful if we think the gift marks the true quality of their faith.\u00a0 What marks their faith is the spirit in which the gift is given.\u00a0 But Micah goes further. He says that the true litmus test is whether we practise justice, kindness and humility. The reason for justice, kindness and humility being the litmus test is that they arise out of faith and not religion. The prophet is not unique in his thinking. He merely captures very succinctly the essence of the teaching of the Law, Jesus\u2019 teaching and that of the followers of God. The keystone of the whole Leviticus law is love your neighbour [Lev 19:18]. Jesus reinforced this. Jesus made it clear that to love others, to give to the poor, to do the right thing was an essential part of following God. It was more important than conforming to and practising the rituals of religion. Jesus said that seeking reconciliation with others first was more important than religious practice. As the writer of 1 John says;\u00a0 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.\u00a0 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. [1 John 4: 7,8] There it is. It\u2019s in black and white. Love is the true expression of our faith and love will be expressed through justice, kindness and humility. Justice is the expression of love we show the wider community. When I became the CEO of an organisation I asked God, how can I love these people? At the time I had 60 staff and 4000 volunteers. I knew that loving was not liking. I knew I could not be a friend with all of them. I knew that being friends was not even the answer. It became clear to me that I had to offer justice to all. That\u2019s what I did. That\u2019s what some remembered me for. The way I was going to love them was by being just. That meant I showed no favours. There was equal access to all resources and to me. Even those I found painful and those who were painful, I made sure they had the same access to resources and my office. It wasn\u2019t about the likeability of each individual, but that the individual was part of the whole.\u00a0 Justice is that. We should ensure that all have justice regardless of whether they are likeable or not; or whether they are part of our group or not; or, whether they are worthy or not. I ponder what justice means in our society. I think of the homeless and wonder, what proportion of those in the city are using the system and what proportion are just homeless? Then I wonder about all our enterprising commercial and professional opportunists who milk the system for their own ends. What\u2019s wrong with the poor taking advantage of systems when the rich do it? I ponder about the police pursuing that driver and the saddening deaths of people. I think if the police had forcibly stopped that car after 30 minutes and in so doing shot the driver, would there not be a hue and cry about the police\u2019s hastiness? But now they took their time and five have died. Where\u2019s justice here. I know what I want. I want a police force that can act. But<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Leighmoor.Master","author_link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/author\/leighmoor-master"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Sermons<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Why Faith is better than Religion. Micah 6: 1 \u2013 8; 1 Corinthians 1: 18 \u2013 31; Matthew 5: 1 – 5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is what we do the litmus test of our faith? These texts mark the difference between religion and faith.\u00a0 The prophet Micah distinguishes between religious practices, such as sacrifices, and faith practices, such…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2050"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2051,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050\/revisions\/2051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}