Religion Is The Worst Thing That Ever Happened

Matthew 15:7-9, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

My biological father Arnold Leonard Stewart (1933-2010) was a Christian and a Skid Row Preacher for over 30 years. I know very little about him. My Dad grew up very poor during The Great Depression in the 1930's in Escanaba, Michigan. My Dad was one of 11 children siblings. They were put into an orphanage at a young age. At age 15 he was adopted by a Christian who lived on a farm. He ran away, got into gangs and crime, but in his late 20's turned his life around. That's about all I know. He never wanted to talk about it. I wish I knew more about my father's life. At age 13, my mother (Barbara Jean Josephson) came from Sweden with her grandmother to America. Since my grandmother was an officer in the Salvation Army, my parents were both involved with the Salvation Army. I was dedicated to the Lord at age one by my parents at the Salvation Army.

Having said that, my father used to say: “Religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world.” That is his most memorable quote. As I thought about writing this article, my father's quote came to mind. Religion is dangerous! May I say, with all Biblical authority, that no religion can get you to Heaven my friend. You can join any or all religions on earth, and yet still go to Hell in your sins. Jesus said in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Salvation is not found in any religion, but in a person—the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

Dear reader, you cannot get to Heaven through religion. The Roman Catholic church does religion right, just like Kentucky Fried Chicken does chicken right. From the cradle to the casket, Roman Catholicism has a religious package for you! They'll provide for your every religious need, right up until you burn in Hell for all eternity without Jesus Christ! You cannot get to Heaven through manmade traditions, rituals, ceremonies and the oracles of man. You must be born again! How do you get born again? 

First, you must know that you're a guilty sinner. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” 

Second, you must know that there is a penalty for your sins, which is death. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This includes the second death in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Third, Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, Who died on the cross to pay for your sins. Jesus was buried, and after three days He miraculously resurrected physically from the dead. ... 

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” 

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 

Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”

If you admit that you are a guilty sinner deserving of Hell, and you see your need for the Savior. All you need to do to be saved is BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply take God at His Word as recorded in the Scriptures, receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins. It's that simple. You don't have to turn away from your sinning to be saved. You must turn away from your unbelief as a guilty sinner. Whatever changes God desires to see in your life He will attend to after you are saved, but to receive God's free gift of eternal life, all you need to do is cease from your own self-righteous works and rest completely in the name of Jesus Christ. ...

John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” 

Simply REST in Jesus Christ, placing all your confidence in Him alone, to forgive and wash away all your sins by the precious blood that He shed on the cross to pay for them. ...

Hebrews 4:9-10, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” 

Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” 

1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

My father was absolutely right, and the older I get the more I appreciate his wisdom in the matter. Religion wants to fit you with glasses, but the Lord wants to open your eyes! Religion is man trying to reach God through human effort, but Christianity is God trying to reach man by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved. Dear friend, going to Heaven when you die is not a matter of YOUR faithfulness, it is strictly a matter of GOD'S faithfulness to keep His solemn promise “TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE” (1st Corinthians 1:21b). 

The heathen world is continually speculating about the afterlife, eternity and the mysteries of beyond the grave. Well there is no mystery or speculation if you believe the inspired King James Bible. God only authored one Book, not two, certainly not hundreds. Yet today we literally have hundreds of English Bible revisions, all claiming to be the most accurate, but none agree. That is Satan, the author of confusion. God is not the author of confusion (1st Corinthians 14:33). God has kept His promise in Psalms 12:6-7 to keep and preserve His pure inspired Words in the King James Bible forever. The modern corrupt Bibles remove this promise. Dear friend, I am telling you THE TRUTH.

Jesus, please don't leave earth without Him. There is no other way to be saved according to Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 

If you want God's free gift of eternal life, it only comes wrapped in the package of Jesus Christ. If you reject Jesus Christ, you don't get the gift. It's that simple. If you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you get the gift with Him. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” I hope and plead with you friend, that you will receive Jesus Christ now if you've never done so. Simply put your faith in the Scriptures, believing the record which God has given of His dear only begotten Son, the Christ, Who was crucified on the cross for your sins and mine. But Christ is not dead, HE IS RISEN forevermore! Trust Him now! Rest in the name of Jesus and you will have eternal life immediately and forever!