CanTherebeUnity
life; more profession, but less holiness." (Thomas Hall, on 2 Timothy 3:5, 1658). What would this good man have said if he lived in our times? 1. We learn first, that "formal religion is not religion, and a formal Christian is not a Christian in God's sight." What do I mean when I speak of formal religion? This is a point that must be made clear. Thousands, I suspect, know nothing about it. Without a distinct understanding of this point my whole paper will be useless. My first step will be to paint, describe, and define. When a man is a Christian in name only, and not in reality—in outward things only, and not in his inward feelings—in profession only, and not in practice—when his Christianity in short is a mere matter of form, or fashion, or custom, without any influence on his heart or life—in such a case as this the man has what I call a "formal religion." He possesses indeed the "form," or shell, or surface of religion, but he does not possess its substance or its "power." Look for example at those thousands of people whose whole religion seems to consist in keeping religious ceremonies and ordinances. They regularly attend public worship. They regularly go to the Lord's Table. But they never get any further. They know nothing of true heartfelt Christianity. They are not familiar with the Scriptures, and take no delight in reading them. They do not separate themselves from the ways of the world. They draw no distinction between godliness and ungodliness in their friendships, or matrimonial alliances. They care little or nothing about the distinctive doctrines of the Gospel. They appear utterly indifferent as to what they hear preached. You may be in their presence for weeks, and from what you hear or see on any week day, you might easily assume they were atheists. What can be said about these people? They clearly profess to be Christians; and yet there is neither heart nor life in their Christianity. There is but one thing to be said about them—they are formal Christians. Their religion is only a FORM.
Look in another direction at those hundreds of people whose religion seems to consist of a lot of talk and profession. They know the theory of the Gospel with their heads, and profess to delight in Evangelical doctrine. They can say a lot about the "soundness" of their own views, and the "ignorance" of all who disagree with them. But they never get any further! When you examine their inner lives you find that they know nothing of practical godliness. They are neither truthful, nor loving, nor humble, nor honest, nor kind, nor gentle, nor giving, nor honourable. What shall we say of these people? They claim to be Christians, and yet there is neither substance nor fruit in their Christianity. There is but one thing to be said—They are formal Christians. Their religion is only an empty FORM. Such is the formal religion against which I wish to raise a warning voice this day. Here is the rock on which multitudes of people from every part of the world are making catastrophic shipwreck of their souls. One of the wickedest things that was ever said was this: "Don't worry about your religion, but only the appearance of it." Such notions are from the earth. No, rather they are from beneath the earth: they smell of the pit. Beware of them, and stand on your guard. If there is anything about which the Scripture speaks expressly, it is the sin and uselessness of FORMALISM. Listen to what Paul tells the Romans: "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical" (Romans 2:28). These are strong words indeed! A man might be a son of Abraham according to the flesh—a member of one of the twelve tribes— circumcised the eighth day—a keeper of all the feasts—a regular worshipper in the temple—and yet in God's sight not be a Jew! In the same way, a man may be a Christian by outward profession—a member of a Christian Church—baptized with Christian baptism—faithful in receiving the Lord's Supper—and yet in God's sight, not a Christian at all.
Hear what the prophet Isaiah says: "Listen to the Lord, you leaders of Israel! Listen to the law of our God, people of Israel. You act just like the rulers and people of Sodom and Gomorrah. "I am sick of your sacrifices," says the Lord. "Don't bring me anymore burnt offerings! I don't want the fat from your rams or other animals. I don't want to see the blood from your offerings of bulls and rams and goats. Why do you keep parading through my courts with your worthless sacrifices? The incense you bring me is a stench in my nostrils! Your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath day, and your special days for fasting—even your most pious meetings— are all sinful and false. I want nothing more to do with them. I hate all your festivals and sacrifices. I cannot stand the sight of them! From now on, when you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look. Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen. For your hands are covered with the blood of your innocent victims. Isaiah 1:10-15 These words, when examined, are extraordinary. The sacrifices which are here declared to be useless were appointed by God Himself! The feasts and ordinances which God says He "hates," had been prescribed by Him! God Himself pronounces His own institutions to be useless when they are used formally and without heart in the worshipper! In fact, they are worse than useless; they are even offensive and hurtful. Words cannot be imagined more distinct and unmistakable. They show that formal religion is worthless in God's sight. It is not worth calling it religion at all. Hear, lastly what our Lord Jesus Christ says. We find Him saying of the Jews of His day: "These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:8-9). We see Him repeatedly denouncing the formalism and hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, and warning His disciples against it. Eight times in one chapter (Matthew 23:13) He says to them, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" But for the worst of sinners He always had a word of kindness, and held out to them an open door. But formalism, He would have us know, is a desperate disease, and must be exposed in the severest language. To the eye of an ignorant man a formalist may seem to have a very decent "quantity" of religion, though not perhaps of the best "quality." In the eye of Christ, however, the case is very different. In His sight formalism is not a true religion at all. What shall we say to these testimonies of Scripture? It would be easy to add to them. They do not stand alone. If words mean anything, they are a clear warning to all who profess and call themselves Christians. They teach us plainly that as we dread sin and avoid sin, so we ought to dread formalism and avoid formalism. Formalism may take your hand with a smile, and look like a brother, while sin comes against us with drawn sword, and strikes at us like an enemy. But both have one end in view. Both want to ruin our souls; and of the two, formalism is the one most likely to do it. If we love life, let us beware of formalism in religion. Nothing is "so common." It is one of the great family diseases of the whole race of mankind. It is born with us, grows with us, and is never completely cast out of us till we die. It meets us in church, it meets us among the rich, and it meets us among the poor. It meets us among educated people, and it meets us among the uneducated. It meets us among the Roman Catholics, and it meets us among Protestants. It meets us among the leaders of the church, and it meets us among the newest member. It meets us among Evangelicals, and it meets us among those who go through many rituals, like the Liberals do. Go wherever we will, and join whatever Church we may, we are never beyond the risk of its infection. We will find it among Quakers and Plymouth Brethren, as well as among the Roman Catholics. The man who thinks that there is no formal religion in his church, is a very blind and ignorant person. If you love life, beware of formalism. Nothing is "so dangerous" to a man's own soul. Familiarity with the form of religion, while we neglect its reality, has a fearfully deadening effect on the conscience. It brings up by degrees a thick