I Do Not Have a Religion

I love God.  There is no question about that at all.  It is true that I try to serve Him with my whole life in every way that I can.  It is also true that I have no religion.

Upon meeting someone new or reacquainting with someone I've known for quite some time, for whatever reason the topic of God comes up.  Well as a matter of fact, I have quite a bit to say on the subject.  Sooner or later in these types of conversations (usually sooner) the question is asked “what church do you go to?”

“I don’t actually go to a church..”

HEATHEN!!

The fact is that I stopped going to mainstream Christian church about 7 or 8 years ago when my family and I decided to look into the origins of a lot of common Christian practices and holidays and didn’t like what we saw.  We couldn't find a church that we agreed with, so we didn’t go to one. 

As a result of lots of research that I've done on Christianity and the Bible and many different doctrines, I find it hard to call myself a “Christian” anymore, although I do agree on some very staple beliefs of the common Christian.

-Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah who died so that we might be saved

-Jesus is the Son of God, and is One with God and the Holy Spirit

- God is the creator of the universe and we all belong to Him

-The Bible is the Word of God

There are others, but these are the most basic ones that generally categorize someone as a Christian.

It’s been a long and difficult journey over the past 7 or 8 years, and the struggle has been real.  I (and my family too, I’m sure) am still learning every single day.  I observe the Sabbath on Saturdays (well, to be more accurate, it’s from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown), I celebrate what many consider to be the “Jewish holidays” but what I call the Biblical Holidays, I do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc., I keep Torah, I eat kosher (Biblical, not rabbinical), and (as a recent addition to things that make people think I’m weird) I wear tzitzit. 

When people learn this they ask me if I’m Jewish.

No, I’m not.

“Then why..”

“If you’re not..”

“But you should just..”

This is why I will say I have no religion.  What I will call myself is a Messianic Believer.  This is because it is not about religion.  Religion implies that I follow a set of rules because my religion is *insert religion here* 

I follow Torah because God told me to, along with everyone else who is a part of Israel, whether born in or grafted in.  (I tried to pick a verse reference to put here but there are so many…anywhere in the Torah – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy – that it says “throughout all your generations”…well, you get the picture)  

I do not follow man-made religious rules because God told me not to add to or take away from His Torah.  If He wanted it in there, He would’ve put it in there.  (Deuteronomy 4:2, 13:1, Ecclesiastes 3:14)

I still follow the Torah even after Yeshua (Jesus) died on the cross for my sins because He came not to do away with or destroy it but to fulfill and confirm it.  (Matthew 5:17)

I don’t celebrate “holidays” or traditions with pagan origins because God told me not to worship Him in the way that others worship(ed) their gods.  He told us how He wants to be worshiped from the beginning.  (Deuteronomy 12:30-31)

I guess what I am trying to say is this:  I do not have a religion, but I do have a God.  He is the One true God, and He knows how He wants to be worshiped by me and everyone else.  He has a plan for my life, He has a plan for Your life, and the answers to all of life’s questions and “how to”s can be found in His Word (the Bible).  Living that out is not a religion to me; it is life.