Having an Outward Name
Having an Outward Name
Religion has an outward name (2:17). Re cently, I went to the barber shop for a haircut. The barber talked about attending Christmas Mass. He said, "You know, this is just a religious duty. Some people attend Mass only once a year at Christmas time." Here we see an example of the vanity of religion: attending Mass once a year as a religious duty in order to keep the name of being a Catholic. What kind of believer is this? A believer with a mere outward name. If you lack the reality and simply keep the outward name, it means nothing. It is vanity.
Knowing God in Outward Knowledge
The second aspect of the vanity of religion is knowing God in outward knowledge (2:17-18). It is vain to know God merely in external knowl edge, in outward letters. We need the inward knowledge of God in our spirit that spreads into our whole being. We need such an inward and subjective knowledge of God.
Having the Scriptures Outwardly
The third item of the vanity of religion is having the Scriptures outwardly (3:2). Both Jews