Renewed, Not Just Religious
Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:23–24 RSV
We Christians are not to be conformed to the world spiritually. We are not to be conformed to the world’s definition of what it means to be religious, but are to make sure that we have met God’s requirements for discipleship.
No nation was ever more religious than Israel in Isaiah’s day. The Temple was filled. The altar ran red with the blood of sacrifice. The religious festivals were strictly observed, and the voice of prayer was heard in the house of God. But there was a lack of depth and true devotion in Israel’s worship. The nation was deteriorating morally, even though record crowds were attending the Temple. Speaking as God commanded, Isaiah said, “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot [endure]; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting” (Isaiah 1:13).
Then Isaiah told them how to regain the favor of God. These people who were members of the church—these people who had been reared according to the formalities of their religious laws, but during the week were not living a righteous life Isaiah warned of the judgment of God.
Then he told them how they could be cleansed from their sin. He said, “Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil . . . Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:16, 18).
There are thousands of people who do not give themselves to Jesus Christ, because they have conformed to the world. They are afraid of being called fanatic, pious, puritanical, or religious. A true Christian is a nonconformist. He does not conform himself to the worldly concepts of religion. Instead, he is to become a true disciple, a “follower” of the Lord.
Our Father and our God, cleanse me from all my impurity and unholiness. Wash me in the blood of Christ so that my sins are removed and I am as white as snow in Your eyes. Make me a true disciple in word and in deed. Give me the mind of Christ so that my eyes may stay fixed on You. In His name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).