02 Nov Religious Trap #1 – Information not Transformation
Romans 2:12-13 – For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
How much biblical information do you know? How may sermons have you listened to? How much of the Bible have you read? How many Christian books are in your house? How many Scripture verses have you memorized? How many Bible studies have you been in?
One trap of religion is the belief that the point of learning is information but not transformation. The truth is, the more we know, the more responsible we are, and the more God will judge us for our failure to obey.
Unlike a lot of subjects we study in school, the goal of Bible study is not to pass a test but live a life. The goal is not to be merely hearers of the Word who amass information. The goal is to be doers of the Word who experience transformation.
What does it mean to be doers of the Word?
Jesus said that the goal of the Word was to love God with all our heart (emotional life), soul (spiritual life), mind (mental life) and strength (physical life) and love our neighbor. To state it simply, to be a doer of the Word is to have a healthy relationship with God and healthy relationship with others. To put it simply, you are not biblical unless you are relational.
Paul says the same thing in his layout of Romans. In Romans 1-11, the goal is how to have a healthy relationship with God. In Romans 12-16, the goal is to have a healthy relationship with others, which is why the book ends with people who are named and loved.
When our family planted The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona just over four years ago, I chose our mission statement for every ministry in the church as:
We open our Bibles to learn.
We open our lives to love.
God has been incredibly gracious as these two pedals on our bike have us moving forward at a fast pace. The key to Bible study is to have a growing, healthy, transforming relationship with God and His people. When that is the focus, the Holy Spirit is very happy to show up in power to accelerate life change, healing, joy, and unity among people.
Has your relationship with the Scriptures honestly been more about information or transformation?
To find the free Romans study guide for individuals and small groups, hear Pastor Mark’s entire sermon series on Romans, or find a free mountain of Bible teaching visit legacy.realfaith.com or download the realfaith app.
