What Does it Mean to Be Religious?

There is a new survey out that attempts to relate information on what Americans think it means to be religious.  And, one component deals with whether or not a religious person lives a good life and does the right things OR if religion is basically about the right beliefs.

Here's what Paul said in Romans 4:
2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.3For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."4Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness...






I really do think the Scriptures teach it is a "both-and" scenario rather than "either-or".  The Bible is clear that we enter into a relationship with God through accepting Jesus as our Savior - we cannot earn our way into the Kingdom of God or do enough good things to "get in".   If we believe and confess, we're in.  And, then there is a Biblical explanation, I think, that we grow in our faith and our actions line up with the heart change. Actions consistent with our faith that produce fruit for the glory of God flow from the inside out.   As we are dependent on His Spirit, He will express His life through us and grant us the power to live a life that glorifies our Father.

In James 2, we are reminded that our faith in Christ is validate by our outward behavior:
14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,16and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without yourworks, and I will show you my faith by my works.

A new report by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, along with the Brookings Institution attempts to measure Americans' views on what it means to be religious.  Religion News Service reports that according to the survey, nearly six out of 10 Americans (59 percent) say that being a religious person “is primarily about living a good life and doing the right thing,” as opposed to the more than one-third (36 percent) who hold that being religious “is primarily about having faith and the right beliefs.”

Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI, said that Americans’ two views of what makes a person religious harken back to the Protestant Reformation and to the Bible itself.  He says that, “This has been a perennial debate through the ages in Christianity...The Pauline literature, especially in the Book of Romans, makes the case for religious justification by faith alone, while the Book of James seems to state the very opposite — 'faith without works is dead.'"

“We were curious to see whether this theological debate still has any traction in American religion,” Jones said. “And, lo and behold, it’s still with us today.” But he noted that one side prevails, with those who believe that action defines religiousness outnumbering by nearly 2-1 those who think the key element is faith.

The survey also used answers to a wide variety of questions, including views on economic issues, to construct a spectrum of religious thought and practice, dividing Americans into four groups: religious conservatives, comprising 28 percent of respondents, religious moderates (38 percent), religious progressives (19 percent) and the nonreligious (15 percent).

The gap between rich and poor, an issue raised in recent years most vocally by progressive religious groups, is considered the nation’s most pressing economic issue by 15 percent of those surveyed, coming in fourth behind the lack of jobs, the deficit and the rising cost of health care.

And, religious conservatives are aging, apparently: the survey shows that they are heavily represented among the oldest Americans (47 percent) but “make up a smaller proportion of each successive generation.”

There are some compelling storylines in this survey that can cause us as Christians to think more deeply.   For one thing, there is not a contradiction between justification by faith and the importance of works.   If we are people of faith, then what we believe will be expressed by our actions.   Our behavior is based on our identity, which is tied to our faith.   So, while we are saved by grace through faith and only through faith alone, that faith, as James points out, is expressed in the the way we live our lives.   But there is no amount of good works that can bring us into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The practice of Christianity is more than just a religious system.   There are those that treat Christianity as a set of rules to follow and we skew toward the works-based, "earn salvation", point of view. It's called legalism, and so many walk in bondage because they're just trying to keep the regulations, often in their own strength.  I've heard it said that Christianity is not a religion, but it's a relationship, and I think that's so true.   There was a book I owned called, "How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious".    Think about that - we can be so obsessed with keeping God's law that we lose sight of the relationship and the power in order to live a life pleasing to Him.

Ultimately, our worldview, or as I call it, our personal theology, will determine how we live.   We have to be grounded in what we believe, and I trust that would be centered on the Word of God.   If we claim to know Christ and seek to know and practice His Word, then that will affect us for the glory of God and hopefully draw others as they see how we trust Christ with our lives - daily.