The Curse of Religyphus

January 11, 2014       *Notes Not Edited—Proceed at Your Own Risk

The Curse of Religyphus

Romans 2:17-29               

SIS—Religion is fatally flawed and only a real relationship with Jesus Christ will lead to satisfaction—now and in eternity.

Many years ago Solomon described the human condition and that description applies today as much as it did then.  Solomon wrote:

^{Eccl. 1:2} “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.

“Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”

This same human predicament has also been described in Greek mythology.  The Curse of Sisyphus refers to the penalty imposed by the gods upon the Greek King, Sisyphus, for chronic deceitfulness. (Obama came to mind but I digress). Sisyphus was sentenced to roll a large boulder up a steep incline and just as he reached the top, it would roll back down and he would have to start all over. This myth has had quite a bit of traction among writers and philosophers. The ancient philosopher, Lucretius applied it to politicians who were continually seeking power but being frustrated in constant defeat. Kierkegaard saw it a pertaining to anything one loves too much money and mistresses. Albert Camus the pessimistic actor in the theater of the absurd had an unusually positive view. He felt that, though life was absurd and a constant struggle, one should view Sisyphus as happy as “The struggle of life itself is enough to fulfill a man’s heart.” I am somewhat reluctant to take a more negative view than such a negative philosopher but I think Camus has it quite wrong. It is the “curse” of Sisyphus because Sisyphus is eternally frustrated in his efforts. Happiness and fulfillment are just beyond the crest of the incline that Sisyphus never reaches.

This same curse applies to religion as well. I call it the “Curse of Religyphus.” Paul addresses the frustration and lack of fulfillment that comes when man’s approach to God is religion, not a relationship. Having lived my entire adult life for the most part as a professional in a religious institution, there is a bit of a sting in this message. The chastisement of the ancient proverb spoken by our Lord rings in my ear, “Physician, heal thyself” (Lk. 4:23). Truth can be a bitter pill to swallow but remaining in a state of spiritual disease is much worse.

Frustration has plagued individuals since . . . well there were individuals.  Adam and Eve saw their aspirations melt like a snowball in the Sahara when they sought satisfaction in forbidden fruit.  Many has been eating that forbidden fruit for eons whether it be called by the name of fame, fortune, or pleasure. 

Some have chosen a different route around frustration, knowing the potholes plaguing travel down sensual routes.  Many seek to escape the human predicament through religion.  Such efforts inevitably lead to the same frustration.

St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo in the 5th century A.D., taught that the goal of faith is “beatific happiness.”  This meant much more than the momentary happiness that one could derive through the pleasures of life.  And, Augustine was well acquainted with worldly pleasures.  Before he became a bishop, he lived a very licentious life in open rebellion against his Christian mother.

This pursuit of happiness through seeking sensual pleasure did not fulfill Augustine—nor will it ever fulfill anyone; in fact, it cannot as we read earlier from Solomon.

I think it is quite revealing that Augustine jumped from the fire of sensuality to the frying pan of religion.  I’ve seen people do this many times in my ministry.  I’ve seen drug addicts get addicted to religion.  It is an addiction much less destructive physically, but no more satisfying emotionally or spiritually.  One simply cannot “climb the ladder of religion” in hopes of reaching beatific happiness. 

Washington, D.C. has many unusual traffic construction called, may roundabouts. If you miss your cross street off the roundabout, you just keep going around and around and around and getting nowhere. Ironically, this describes the work of our government—going around and around with endless politicking and getting nowhere.  Again, I digress.

This all reminds us of an old joke that goes something like this: A traveler on a country road comes to a creek where the bridge has been swept away by a recent flood. The traveler sees an old farmer standing next to where the bridge used to be and asks, "Is there a way to back track and find some where else to get across the creek?"

The farmer responds, "Yep. Just, go back two miles turn right and... No, go back one mile and turn left..." The farmer stops for a minute, shrugs his shoulders, scratches his head, and then says to the traveler, "Come to think of it, you can't get there from here."

1.  The Fatal Flaw of Pride (17-18)

¹⁷ Now if  you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law,  boast in God, ¹⁸ know His will, and approve the things that are superior,  being instructed from the law.

Paul refers to “resting (some versions say, relying) on the Law.”  The word, nomos, translated, “law,” and the corresponding O.T. word, torah, have an extensive range of meaning in the Bible.  Law can refer to: 1) God’s moral law, the Ten Commandments being a summary example; 2) the Ceremonial law involving the many ritualistic practices in the religion of the Jews; 3) health laws, such as what to eat, how to deal with disease, and such; and 4) the civil laws governing the nation of Israel. 

Here the reference is to the ceremonial law, or the practices related to the Jewish religion.  The moral law of God is eternal and good.  It is also, “unattainable.”  Nobody can keep the moral law of God.  In fact Paul gave the purpose for the Law in Galatians 3:24.  The King James Version gives a clear rendering of the verse:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The Law, basically the O.T., served two purposes:  1) to show what sin is; and 2) to show that no effort on the part of man, however sincere could ever solve the problem of sin.  It is within that context that Paul states in our text, verse 17 that the “very religious” Jews to whom he was speaking put their faith in their own ability to please God by keeping the law. 

Now if  you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, [and, the HCSB leaves this third ‘and’ out for stylistic purposes] boast in God.

Paul clearly wants to establish the fact that these people consider themselves “devout Jews” and they believe that their “religious” practice will gain them acceptance before God.  In fact, Paul says that they were “boasting about their relationship to God.”

We will see as we mover further through the text that those who “bragged about” their devotion to God, fell miserably short in living righteous lives.  Religion always leads to pride—“God, look what I am doing for you.”  Jesus described this religious pride in a story about two men (Lk. 18:10-14):

¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple complex to pray,  one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people —greedy,  unrighteous,  adulterers,  or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast  twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ ¹³ “But the tax collector, standing far off,  would not even raise his eyes to heaven  but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, turn Your wrath from me —a sinner!’  ¹⁴ I tell you, this one went down to his house justified  rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Religion is fatally flawed because it always leads to pride, and the Bible tells us that “pride goes before destruction” (Pv. 16:18).

2.  The Fatal Flaw of POINTING FINGERS (19-20)

¹⁹ and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression  of knowledge and truth  in the law

Pride is a horrible thing—add religion to it and it becomes an unbearable thing.  Religion breeds pride and pride always leads to
“pointing fingers.”  These “devoted religious zealots” saw themselves as gifts to humanity in four ways:  1) guides for the blind;  2) lights in the darkness; 3) instructors of the ignorant; and 4) teachers of the immature (referring to “common people”).  To say it succinctly:  they were “know-it-alls.”  They shined their spotlights of self-righteousness on others and pointed out everyone’s failure with surgical exactness.

Now, I want to be careful here.  There is nothing wrong with pointing out areas of weakness in the lives of those we love.  More mature Christians should instruct those that are less immature in the faith.  Devout followers of Christ should pass judgment on behavior in those that profess to follow Christ but do that which the Bible condemns.  Also, it is the calling of each Christian to stand up against the errors and evils of society. 

It is not so much what these religious “finger-pointers” were doing as it was the spirit in which they were doing it.  The Bible clearly tells us the spirit we should have when dealing with others.  Ephesians 4 says,

¹¹ And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,  ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son,  growing into a mature man with a stature  measured by Christ’s fullness. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching,  by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. ¹⁵ But [speak] the truth in love.

This is a good place to discuss one of the most misused Scripture texts in the Bible.  I’m sure you have heard someone say, “Judge not lest you be judged.” This comes from Matthew 7:1.  Usually people use it with the intended meaning, “humans should never make judgment in regard to others.  The problem with that interpretation is it contradicts verse 2 of Matthew 7. 

For with the judgment you use,  you will be judged, and with the measure you use,  it will be measured to you.

The issue is the word “judge, or judgment.”  It has a broad range of meaning and can mean “be critical.”  We are to judge the actions of others according to the Scripture for the purpose of “being guides and teachers” but we are not to have a “critical attitude” toward others. 

Religion has a fatal flaw of turning people into “religious know-it-alls” or “finger pointers.”  This is a sure way to lose friends and breed frustration.  I remember an older lady, the “know-it-all type” who ended up in court.  It went something like this:  small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial--a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the brains to realise you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."  The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defence attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, he has a drinking problem. The man can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him." At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counsellors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be in jail for contempt within 5 minutes!"

While I was still in college learning to be a minister, one of my professors reminded us:  “People do not care what you know until they know that you care.”  Religion breeds pride and pointing fingers and will always lead to frustration.

3.  The Fatal Flaw of PRETENDING (21-22)

²¹ you then, who teach another,  don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? ²² You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples?

In these passages Paul probes beneath the religious veneer of these Jews and indicts them by asking rhetorical questions.  They are rhetorical questions because the answer to each is obvious.  These Jews taught others, but did not listen to the teaching themselves.  They preached against stealing and adultery, but did that themselves.  They detested idols but robbed pagan temples.  That last accusation of hypocrisy is the “icing on the cake” so to speak.

Scholars debate how to interpret the word, hierosyleis.  It means literally “you rob temples.”  It could refer to the fact that they preached on giving to God’s work, but they themselves gave little.  It could mean literally they were “temple robbers” of any temple, sacred or pagan.  It is meant to show the greatest hypocrisy possible.  The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament points out that “the robbery of temples, originally the removal of sacred property from a sacred site, is in Greek, Roman and Egyptian eyes one of the most serious of offences. At times of amnesty, murderers and robbers of temples are of ten excluded. Temple robbery is generally classified with treason and murder. Those convicted are denied burial in consecrated ground.”  This was a devastating implication Paul was making in regard to these “religious people.” 

Now, keep in mind that Paul is really pointing out that none of us are without sin.  Our individual sins may very, but our depravity is equal as human beings.  Religion creates hypocrites—people who put on the air of being devout, but they are “pretenders.”  They may be so good at pretending that they have even fooled themselves.

This week I came across a stinging example of what it means to be a “religious pretender.”  There was a man in town by the name of Brighton.  He was a pompous man who was meticulous about his appearance, holding fast to many religious rules. He was a member of the most prestigious church in town and was very bothered by the behavior of the boys in his church so he decided to become their Sunday School teacher. On his first day of class, he decided to begin by teaching the boys the importance of living the Christian life so he asked them this question: “Why do people call me a Christian?” After an awkward pause, one young boy piped up and said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.” (Brian Bill, SermonCentral.com).

That’s what religion creates—Pretenders, full of Pride, and Pointing fingers at others.  But, that is not the most fatal of the fatal flaws of religion.  Religion has a much worse flaw.

4.  The Fatal Flaw of PROFANITY (23, 24)

²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

Once again we see Paul’s reference to pride—that ugly “Father of All Sins.”  In order to fully grasp just how devastating pride is—especially “spiritual or religious pride,” let us go back to the Garden of Eden.  That’s where sin was born in the hearts of Adam and Eve.  And, what exactly was so sinful about their act?  Let’s review it.  We will pick up the story with the pronouncement of the Devil:

⁴ “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.  ⁵ “In fact, God knows that when  you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,  knowing good and evil.”

“You will be like God!”  Thus, sin was sown in the soil of pride.  Paul mentions pride in the beginning of our text and here at the end.  It gives us the “book ends” for our lesson on the flaws of religion.  Religion is fatally flawed and will always lead to eternal frustration for two very important reasons: 

1)  It dishonors God by putting man on the throne of life instead of God.  Religion remember is man’s attempt to justify himself (herself) to God through our own efforts.  If we believe that we can contribute to our salvation in any way, then we are saying that Jesus did not need to die on the cross.  God made a big mistake.  The cross of Christ is made of “no effect.”  Religion empties the cross of its power and glory.  Paul in another passage dealing with “religion” (specifically the ritual of baptism) he states:

⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross  of Christ will not be emptied of its effect. ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.  ¹⁹ For it is written:  I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.

Religion essentially says, “Man is as smart as God.”  That greatly dishonors the very God that religion is trying to impress.  I see people nearly every day who are trying to “create their own religion.”  They pick and choose what principles they will apply and which ones they will disregard.  They do not obey the Word of God, but dissect it and debate it.  Religion is fatally flawed because it dishonors God.

2)  Second, religion Profanes God by leading others to “blaspheme God’s Name.”  Recall the flaws we discussed that arise out of religion:  pride, pointing fingers at others, and pretending to be something we are not.  Who is going to be interested in a “religious version of Christianity” with that much baggage?  There is a song I that really touches my heart.  It says,

You're the only Jesus that some will ever see

And you're the only words of life, some will ever read

So let them see in you the One in whom is all they'll ever need

'Cause you're the only Jesus, some will ever see.

There is no doubt that Christianity in America has lost its shine.  The media consistently portrays Christianity as bigoted, hateful, homophobic, uncaring and a list of other unflattering adjectives.  Where did they get such contempt for a belief system founded by Jesus Christ?  Jesus Christ is revered by in most religious systems—from Buddhism to Islam.  Yet, Christianity is so often bashed in public discussions. 

The story is told of a time when the missionary, E. Stanley Jones, met with Mahatma Ghandi, the great reformer and Hindu leader.  Jones asked him, “Mr. Ghandi, you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?” Ghandi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Turning Christianity into a religion did that.  Religion PROFANES the very Name of God by dishonoring the work of Christ on the cross and causing others to hold Christianity in contempt.

I wonder how many of us in this room today are guilty of “profaning” the Name of God by acting as if we can please Him with our own efforts?  I wonder how many of us are more “religious” than truly involved in a deeply devoted relationship with Jesus Christ?  It pains me to look at my life and see so much religion, and so little of a true relationship with My Lord. 

Remember Sisyphus?  He was condemned to “eternal frustration.”  He would push a boulder up a steep mountain only to have it roll all the way back down just before he reached the top.  Then, he started all over.  Is that what our relationship with God has become?  We roll the boulder of Sunday morning worship up to the crest of the mountain of ecstasy only to have it roll back down again?  We roll the singing.  We roll the praying.  We roll the preaching.  Then, seven days later, we do it all over again?  Could it be that we are living under the “Curse of Religyphus?”

Let’s break free.  Let us put aside any notions whatsoever that we can do anything to please God apart from loving and serving His Son, Jesus Christ, out of a heart overflowing with gratitude.  Let’s let the boulder of religion roll into the see of forgetfulness and pursue a relationship with Christ with a passion.

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