I believe it would be fair to
say that the natural man has a proclivity to believing that
there is a God. This is not in itself a spiritual
endeavor, but rather a logical deduction which is intuitive,
just as one observes the sky above one's head and the earth
beneath one's feet. In fact, David recognized this
when he said, The fool has said in his heart there is no God.
Out of this intuitive observation arises man's inclination towards
religion, which is found in every culture in one form or another.
Again, this is not a spiritual endeavor per se, but rather a
natural reaction to a natural observation. We see it first
manifested in Cain, who decided to offer the fruit of his labor
to God. He assumed he could worship God
according to a manner and method which seemed right in his own
eyes, and that God would be beholden to receive what he offered. Because
of the innate propensity of men in the flesh to satisfy themselves,
there naturally arises many and varied religions which are shaped
by cultural influences and largely become matters of convenience
and cultural acceptability. Solomon told us about them in
Proverbs 14, 12. There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. So we are not at all surprised
when men will defend their various religions, sometimes even with
carnal warfare, and seek to have them established by governmental
decrees, creeds, confessions of faith, orthodoxies, which
they define, of one type or another, or by hierarchies and elevations
of men above others in various offices and chief seats. Paul came to the proper conclusion
about all religion and its value when he wrote to the Philippians,
I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ. There has in times past only
ever been one carnal religion upon which the Lord put his stamp
of approval. This was the religion of the
Jews. Now if Paul, speaking of this religion, counts it as done,
then where do the other religions of men stand? The Jews' religion
was merely temporarily established by the Lord in order to set the
stage for the bringing in of that which is perfect. All that
had to do with Israel after the flesh was given in order to illustrate
and prepare the way of the One who was to come, as the Savior
of that true Israel which is not descended from Abraham after
the flesh, but from every tribe kindred and tongue upon the earth,
yea, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. They have
one orthodoxy, one head, and one confession. Neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved. For there is neither
Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,
bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. The natural man,
as he is descended from Adam, can learn the doctrines of Christ's
gospel. He can adopt a moral code which
is congruent with those teachings. He can compass land and sea,
making many sacrifices in order to gain converts and make disciples. He can, in outward fashion, seem
to be quite conformed to those things which are taught in the
scriptures, being baptized in water, taking the elements of
communion, and giving of his time, talents, and money. He
can study the Bible, pray, and even participate in what men
would call worship. Yet there is one thing that the
natural religious man can never do. Unless a man is born again,
that is, born from above, he can never see the glory that
is in Christ. This is that which the psalmist
speaks of when he says, for his name alone is excellent. He becomes
to those who have been awakened by the Spirit of God not just
the subject of praise, but the one object of praise. His name
is not just one which is mindlessly repeated over and over until
the participants are in a trance. Rather, He is that One who is
precious, giving life its true meaning, and standing as the
rock upon which all true and lasting hope is built. Christ
alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man can
come unto the Father except by Him.