Playing at Religion
True faith is not just about saying the right words, but about obeying the Lord's commandments in hard practical reality.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true faith is demonstrated through obedience to Jesus, rather than mere verbal acknowledgment of His Lordship. He points out that modern Christians struggle not with understanding the Bible, but with allowing their hearts to accept its teachings and making Jesus the true Lord of their lives. Tozer warns against the superficiality of playing at religion, where one may appear sincere while still holding onto worldly desires and resisting Christ's authority. He calls for a genuine commitment to leave behind worldly influences and to pursue a real relationship with God, rather than just performing religious acts.
Text
When our faith becomes obedience to our Savior, then it is true faith, indeed! The difficulty we modem Christians face is not misunderstanding the Bible, but persuading our untamed hearts to accept its plain instruction. Our problem is to get the consent of our world-loving minds to make Jesus Lord in fact, as well as in word. For it is one thing to say, "Lord, Lord," and quite another thing to obey the Lord's commandments. We may sing "Crown Him Lord of all," and rejoice in the tones of the loud organ and the deep melody in harmonious voices, but still we have done nothing until we have left the world and set our faces toward the City of God in hard practical reality.
The world's spirit is strong and it can play at religion with every appearance of sincerity.
It can have fits of conscience (particularly during Lent)! It will contribute to charitable causes and campaigns on behalf of the poor, but all with its own condition: "Let Christ keep His distance and never assert His Lordship." This it positively will not endure!
Sermon Outline
- The Difficulty of True Faith
- Faith is not just understanding the Bible, but obeying its instruction
- The problem is not with the Bible, but with our hearts and minds
Key Quotes
“For it is one thing to say, 'Lord, Lord,' and quite another thing to obey the Lord's commandments.” — A.W. Tozer
“The world's spirit is strong and it can play at religion with every appearance of sincerity.” — A.W. Tozer
“This it positively will not endure!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- True faith requires obedience to the Lord's commandments, not just words of affirmation.
- The world's spirit can play at religion, but it will not endure true Lordship of Christ.
- Charitable contributions without a commitment to Christ's Lordship are empty and insincere.