religious spirit at work
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
(Ephesians 6:12)
As we begin to express the life of Christ in our working lives, we need to be aware of another set of Satan’s deceptions, namely the religious spirit.
The religious spirit can best be defined as an agent of Satan employed to prevent change and maintain the status quo using religious tools. Religious sentiment seeks to distort the real move of God through deception, control, and manipulation. This sentiment operates from outdated religious structures and attempts to maintain the status quo, favoring tradition over a real, close relationship with God. It influences believers to live the Christian life based on works rather than grace. similar to
In Greek thought, religious sentiment depends on human effort to attain spiritual knowledge and God’s grace.
In the years before the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther’s greatest challenge was to root out religious sentiment. His religious teachers had told him that there were strict requirements to receive God’s favor. “Remember Martin, praying alone is not enough. The Church must also pray for you. Even when the priest has asked that you be forgiven, God will not listen unless you do good works. The more gifts you give to the Church and the poor, the more trips you make to Rome and Jerusalem, the more pleasures you give up, the better your chances for heaven will be. The best and safest way to do all this, and the one that is most pleasing to God, is Leave everything and become a saint.” The essence of Martin Luther’s struggle to obtain God’s grace still resonates with many Christian activists.
Religious sentiment takes away the importance of the faith and grace that has been given to us through the work of the cross. You cannot get God’s approval by doing anything. Accept their selfless love for you today.
*Frederick Nohl, Luther (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), p. 26.
