Religion Is Not Enough (Episode 34)

Christianity is based upon a personal relationship with God. That relationship is made possible only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sad but true, many churchgoers fail to ever move from the point of mere religion to relationship. In this episode, Frank King explains why religion is not enough.

The story of Judas the disciple should serve as a warning that mere religion is not enough.  Think about it. Judas had the greatest Preacher and Teacher in the world as his minister. He heard perhaps every message Jesus delivered. He saw the miracles Jesus performed. But in the end, Judas died apart from God.

It appears that Judas was just, as we say, playing church. Even near the end of Jesus’ public ministry, the Bible reveals some troubling things about Judas. For one, he went to the religious leaders and promised to betray the Lord for money (Matthew 26:15). From that point on, he sought the opportunity to betray the Lord.

At another place, the Bible referred to Jesus as a thief (John 12:6). This man was hand-picked by Jesus. He left the affairs of his life to follow Jesus. For three years he came to every service Jesus held. He heard every sermon Jesus preached—or at least he was present. He witnessed all the miracles Jesus did.

But for Judas, all of the above amounted to nothing but religious activity. And that will get you know where with God. Judas' demise is a tragic reminder that mere religion is not enough.

According to the Bible, the devil put it in Judas' heart to betray the Lord (John 13:2). But that wasn’t the only voice speaking to Judas. The Lord was speaking to him. He heard Jesus preach about hell and how terrible it was. He heard Jesus preach about the need to repent, and how to be saved. Judas saw Jesus rebuke and cast out devils, etc. Yes, Judas had many opportunities to be saved.

The same is true for those who are lost today. There are several voices out there. They include the voice of this world, the voice of the devil, the voice of our flesh, and the voice of the Lord. They are all trying to get our attention. One must choose to obey the voice of the Lord.