True Religion
“For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.” Mark 7:3
The religion of the Pharisees was not about love towards God, or about their attitude, character, and conduct, but it was all about certain ceremonial traditions which they upheld with great zeal.
They washed their hands up to the elbow before meals, however, they took no effort to cleanse their hearts of evil or unkind thoughts and feelings toward others. They washed when they came in from their shops but they were not careful in their dealings with others to be just, honest, and true. They saw that every pot and dish, and all household utensils were ceremonially cleansed, but they did not stop to look within their own hearts to see if all was clean there for God’s Spirit.
We all need to watch against having our religion consist only in forms of worship. We may pray many times a day, and read a regular number of Bible chapters, and go through many devotions including this one, and yet not have true religion because we are truly religious only in the measure in which we have the spirit of Christ in our attitude, heart, and character.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you should love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” John 13:34
Loving God and our fellow men is the sum of all we are required to do. Unless we have this twofold love in our hearts, manifested in life and character, our profession of religion is in vain. Clean hands and well-maintained appearances will never please God if there is no love in our hearts for Him and no love for men.
“Pure and undefiled religion before the God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation; to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27