Are you religious?

The other day, when I invited a friend to go to church with me, his response was, “I’m not religious.”

I’m not entirely sure what he meant by that, so I need to ask him. Here are some possible meanings to the word “religious:”

• Devoted to a particular religion

• Belief that church going is a sacred duty and that one is rewarded for church attendance

• Believing that one is rewarded for observing certain rituals and solemn ceremonies

• Believing in the mystical power of a particular church or its clergy

• Faithful devotion to an ultimate reality or deity

I think my friend would agree that this list is a summary of what it means to be religious. Generally, these features of religiosity conjure up in my mind a kind of superstitious devotion to mysticism; to respect for the vestments of the clergy or priests; to earning the god’s approval. Knowing my friend as I do, I would have to agree that he’s not particularly religious. I suppose that in these senses, I’m not particularly religious, either, although he may think I am.

I do consider myself a devout follower of Christ. How, then, does that differ from “being religious?” I can quickly think of two ways:

First, what’s important to me is not doing the right rituals or ceremonies or gaining the approval of the clergy. That, to me, seems like superstition. What’s important to me is my relationship to the living Creator, to Jesus himself. Rituals, ceremonies, church attendance, and other “religious” practices are only of value to the extent that they enrich my relationship with God.

Second, I really can’t earn God’s approval, certainly not by practicing any religious ritual, and that’s not why I do any of them, like going to church. I’m under no illusion that I can get God to like me or grant me salvation by doing any of those things. “For it is by grace you have been saved,” said the Apostle Paul, “through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) This is not a Protestant or a Catholic thing. It’s a foundational feature of the Christian faith. When Jesus healed someone in the New Testament, he frequently said that it was the person’s faith that healed them, not whether they were practicing their religion.

One thing I like about my friend is that he’s not religious. We have that in common. I am passionate, however, about loving Jesus and enjoying my relationship with him.

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