Monday: The Mastery of Religious Paraphernalia
WEEK 5
MONDAY
THE MASTERY OF RELIGIOUS PARAPHERNALIA
Galatians 3:1-5
We saw yesterday that many try to go into all the world and solve all problems there instead of starting with their own Jerusalems. Many do this through an initial mental dishonesty, which through rationalization now seems mental honesty. Others shy away from their Jerusalems because they are confused as to the solutions offered or because of the feeling of sheer hopelessness of any solution.
That leads us to consider another mastery that came into being in the Acts. It was the mastery of religious paraphernalia. Since religion is humanity’s search for God, it has manufactured ways of finding God. All sorts of things are intruded between us and God and proclaimed necessary if we are to find God. Paraphernalia is built up.
For instance, our Roman Catholic friends say that the Roman Catholic Church is necessary to find salvation, to find God. If you come to Christ, you must come through that church. A system is interposed between you and God. Without that system no salvation.
Others interpose a rite or ceremony between the soul and Christ. You cannot get to God without going through that rite or ceremony. For instance, baptism. If you do not take baptism from that particular group in that particular form, you are outside salvation.
Others would say that if you are outside a particular line of succession, the Holy Spirit is not mediated to you; you can find God only as specially prepared hands are laid on you. That special preparation is found within an unbroken line of succession from the apostles down to the present moment. Grace is mediated to those in “line.”
Still others would say that you cannot get to God unless you come repeating a creed, a creed well defined with special accents. A creed is interposed between the soul and God.
Now all of these may contain something worthwhile. But according to the experience of the Acts, not one of them is required as absolutely necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon this waiting body of believers, they were going through none of these things. They were undergoing no rite or ceremony, no hands were being laid on them, they were joining no church. There was nothing between.
O Lord, I thank you that the way is open to you and there are no hurdles. For you are coming to me, in Christ. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Nothing will keep the living Christ out except my own wrong attitudes.