Toxic Religion is Destroyed through Inner Balance

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Lack is at the root of addiction. Feeling like something is missing and trying to fill that gap with toxic substances or behaviors is the engine for addiction. We see that same cycle in religion. Religion is the king of causing you to feel like something is missing. Under religion, you’re never good enough and you can never do enough to keep God happy. Most people never say it this clearly but they believe that God’s happiness is based on your behavior. This lie is the root or toxic religion.

Toxic religion is the mindset that acceptance or rejection with God is based on how good or bad you are. Religious folks would never say they’re good because of their behavior, but they might say they’re bad or unrighteous because of sinful behavior. That’s just as self-righteous and toxic as thinking you’re righteous because you kept the commandments.

The solution to breaking the addiction to toxic religion is to find a place of inner balance that’s rooted in Christ’s finished work. Your true, spiritual, eternal identity is complete already. Your standing before God doesn’t change. Only toxic religion believes otherwise, and if you believe God changes his mind about you based on your performance, it’s time to detox from religion.

Homeostasis

In the substance abuse treatment world, the goal is to help people develop homeostasis. Homeostasis is when a person has a healthy inner balance that does not react to environment or triggers with toxic behavior. The medical world realizes that freedom from addiction is a healthy inner condition of peace and control.

Once the body’s dependency on the chemical substance has run its course, the substance abuse rehabilitation world seeks to help the person to develop a healthy balance of emotions and choices inwardly. This is called developing a “constant.” A constant is a healthy state of inner existence that voluntarily and involuntarily responds in a healthy way regardless of environment or triggers.

The goal is the same for the religious addict. We know that the strength of sin is the law. Humans are always seeking justice, even within ourselves, so when we encounter God’s standard, it only serves to reveal our lack. If the person agrees with what the law says they will continue the destructive, sinful behavior. They will take on the identity of a law-breaker in their heart and continue in their sin.

But if that person can admit that they’re powerless over their sin and discover a power that’s greater than sin, they can actually transcend the lure of sin and therefore break their addiction to religion as well.

Religious addiction is rooted in an erroneous belief about God and themselves. For instance, if a Christian still believes they have a sin nature they have an excuse for their sin and will allow themselves to choose sin because they simply think it’s in their nature. But a believer that’s free from the faulty belief of a dual-nature will look to God for a strength to transcend their sinful behavior.

If you believe you’re a sinner by nature, you will continue in sin. If you believe you are righteous by nature, you will choose righteousness.

Christ As Our Constant

“Christ as our constant” sounds like a nice line from an old school hymn but it’s much more than that. It’s a deep psychological statement that touches the core of our identity. The final frontier for the Christ follower is mind-renewal, specifically in the area of who we are in Him.

Consider the following passages from Colossians 2, this is a warning from Paul about a deceitful teaching that’s going around…

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

He then gives the proper perspective to correct the error of this “deceitful” teaching…

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. 10 And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 In Him you were also circumcised in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.

To say you’re complete, lacking nothing, already righteous, holy and sanctified is blasphemy to the toxic, religious mindset. That’s because it bases “completeness” on behavior. In now way am I permitting the continuance of sinful behavior, by the way. I’m simply placing the destiny of the believer squarely where Paul does, which is in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

The circumcision that Christ performs in you is not on your physical body, it’s at the core of your being as a human. He cuts away the spiritual death, the spiritual cancer that has you destined for eternal separation from God and casts it aside. The truth is he took upon himself that spiritual death for you, which is what actually gives him the power to remove yours.

Staying Free

Your victory over sin and death is found in Christ’s surgery on you. He performs the ultimate procedure and cuts away the very aspect of you that was at enmity with God. He changes you, at your core, forever. Christ gives you a new constant, an eternally healthy condition of homeostasis. Our role is to allow this procedure to affect the rest of our soulish and physical being. The work of Christ within us can permeate and transform those temporary aspects of our being through the spirit he places within us at the time of this spiritual surgery ensures a new identity that can forever desire what God desires unto manifestation. But it can never work the other way around.

Never let toxic religious teaching or thinking, rob you of the work of Christ within you. You can live from this place of power and never again give into the lack and depravity in the world.

Living Forward

Here is a suggested process to take ownership of the work of Christ’s hands within you:

1. Pick an issue where you struggle physically, mentally or emotionally.

2. Admit you’re powerless on your own over the issue.

3. Admit that Christ in you is powerful over the issue.

4. Ask yourself, “does Christ, who is in me, struggle with this issue?”

5. Ask, “what do I need to believe about myself to be free from this issue.?”

   1. In other words, what is it that you would believe about yourself if that issue had no power over you? For example, “I’m not afraid of anything.” Or, “I’m not the kind of person that looks at pornography.” Or, “I just never get anxious over anything.”

   2. Identity the healthy belief, as it relates to your new identity in Christ, and own it. Put it on in your mind and emotions. See yourself as the kind of person that doesn’t have that struggle.

The truth is you’re not the kind of person that struggles with sin, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, having already been cleansed by God (sanctified) and brought to a place of holiness (purity). Who you are at your core, after the surgery of Christ within you, doesn’t have those issues. When you assume that identity, your voluntary and involuntary responses to any given environment or triggers with always consider God and apply his wisdom.

You are truly God’s masterpiece, a testament to the nature and miracle-working power of God. Own it!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Oneness and Peace in Christ. Ephesians 2:10

What Does “Willful Sin” mean in Hebrews?

To understand a letter or a book, it’s best to read the whole thing, especially when it comes to the Bible. It’s important to know how an author defines certain words and who he is speaking to. Take this verse for example…

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27

Do you know what he means by “if we go on sinning deliberately?” Most folks will say “it’s obvious, he’s talking about adultery, drunkenness, immorality and sexual sin.” Except he isn’t. Let me explain.

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AUDIENCE

The author of Hebrews is speaking to a group of Christians who know the Mosaic Covenant and have placed their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. We know this because…

1. He references the Levitical priesthood and its details regarding atonement as if they understand what he’s talking about.

2. He repeatedly quotes the Psalms and the Prophets in areas regarding the history of the Hebrews as if they know them.

3. He frames his entire point around the nation of Israel’s experience in the wilderness as if it's their own history.

We're left with the conclusion that he's writing to Hebrew Christians.

THE CASE FOR JESUS

The author gives an overview of the importance of the law, the covenant with Israel and its sacrifices for his Hebrew listeners, to show that he knows what he’s talking about. He goes to great extent to explain that scripture points to Jesus as the prophesied one, the son of God through which salvation comes.

It seems he's seeking to remind them that there is no salvation other than faith in Christ and how even the former covenant testified of a new covenant put in place by the Messiah.

DEFINING SIN

Fortunately, the author is very clear about his definition of sin, here's his progression or his exegesis…

1. He makes it clear from Hebrew writings that Jesus is God.

2. He makes it clear that Jesus is their sacrifice for sin and the only way to receive righteousness.

3. He warns against falling away from faith in Jesus.

4. He compares the Hebrew’s disobedience in the wilderness to falling away from faith in Jesus.

5. He defines this disobedience as an unbelieving heart.

6. He again warns against an unbelieving heart toward Jesus.

I encourage you to read through Hebrews, noticing this progression.

In that day and age, Christians were being brutally tortured and killed for their faith. There was great persecution against Hebrews that left the sacrificial system and placed their trust in the Christ. For some, it was easier to live like a Jew rather than a Christian. It was easier to go back to the old way and abandon the new. The author is reminding them that there is no other way but Christ, hold fast, keep the faith.

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

For the author of Hebrews, SIN = UNBELIEF, plain and simple. This is important when you get to this passage...

Hebrews 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

In context, he’s warning against disobedience/sin and defines it as drawing away from Jesus, back to animal sacrifices as their righteousness. He warns them to not set aside trust in Christ for their righteousness and likens it to setting aside the Law when they were under it.

This is not a warning to Christians about losing their salvation through willful sinful actions, this is a warning to Christians who are willingly rejecting Jesus as their righteousness and are returning to animal sacrifices as their righteousness.

Look at it this way, imagine walking up to God with a dead goat and saying, "this is my righteousness." He would kindly remind you that he gave you Jesus, which is a much better sacrifice, able to cleanse you eternally in a way that no animal sacrifice could. And you say, "I don't want him anymore, I reject his blood and want you to accept me based on this goats blood." Do you see how offensive that would be to God? That's profaning the blood of Christ, that's drawing away, that's an evil heart of unbelief, and THAT is the willful sin the author of Hebrews is talking about.

Because we don’t have a temple nearby and we don’t have hundreds of years of offering animal sacrifices for atonement in our culture, we miss the gravity of rejecting Jesus and returning to the blood of goats and bulls for atonement. An honest read on Hebrews leaves you with one conclusion, don’t reject Jesus, to do so is willful sin and there’s nothing left but judgment for you if you do so.

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CONCLUSION

So, should we continue in sin since we can't lose our salvation through sinful actions? Nope, that's not a good idea. Don't sin!!! But if you do, remember that Jesus is your sacrifice for sin, turn your heart toward God in that area, allow his forgiveness to cleanse your soul from those evil desires and keep the faith!!