Religion and Revelation

 

 

By which are you walking?

Which is your guiding light?

Which one do you use

To determine what’s wrong or right?

 

Religion and Revelation

Are both prominent in the church,

One will lead you aright

The other could land you in the lurch.

 

Some set store by a religion

In search for spiritual satisfaction

But there is no eternal salvation

To be found in any religion.

 

In the life and times of Jesus

He spoke out against religions,

Even then there were numerous

But none could give salvation.

 

Religion is a human creation

That regulates man’s search for God

But in such there is absolute failure

Along with the human applause.

 

Human leadership thrives on such

They take over the control

And often like the demigods they are,

They can be outrageously bold.

 

 

Religion adds to the Word of God

And subtracts from the deity of Christ,

Some even question his humanity

As well as his sacrifice.

 

It multiplies salvation’s requirements

That’s another thing religion will do,

It divides loyalty between God and leaders

Which obscures their members’ view.

 

Religion is like the Tower of Babel

That was man-made in every sense,

Far from benefitting the followers

God saw it as an offense. 

 

In religion a few mostly benefit

Usually that few is at the top,

You can call them leaders if you like

But in my view, not that lot.

 

 

Revelation on the other hand

Is the revealed word of God,

It is not to be confused, of course,

With lies that come from frauds.

 

The devil heads up religion

I know this may sound quite harsh,

But when religion obscures our view

We are swallowed up by its marsh.

 

Ever sinking and not realizing

Religion thwarts spiritual discernment

And in our quest for spiritual gain

We often end up in torment.

 

 

God’s revelation is solid ground

Religion is cleverly covered quicksand,

It takes revelation to expose religion

And reveal God’s guiding hand.

 

Revelation opens up the eyes

Which religion had shut up tight,

That prevented the genuine seeker

From coming to grips with the Light.

 

Often with much brainwashing

And by coercion and veiled threats

And sometimes too, with promises

Of rewards one never gets.

 

Some mix up religion with revelation

Religion that was revealed to someone,

Usually some venerable leader

Or someone long dead and gone.

 

That is the error that many make

They see men walking like trees

And until they receive the second touch

Their eyes remain diseased.

 

Then there is none so blind

As he with sight but refuses to see,

That leads others to their doom

And the only beneficiary is he.

 

Religion is a mix of truth and lies

With the object to deceive,

The few that doubt it, hide the truth

From the many that believe.

 

Truth mix with lies becomes a lie

Since the truth is purposely obscured,

And none truly benefit from a lie

I trust that you concur.

 

 

So skip to God’s word and dig in today

And grasp its life giving truth,

There, see religion for the sham that it is

As God’s revelation supplies the proof.

 

Stewart Russell (c) October 2019