Are You Religious or Spiritual?
By
Gary Primo
Sept. 20, 2018
Some may wonder from the title of this article, “What is the difference?” Actually, there is a very big difference.
The following definitions come from Dictionary.com.
religious
adjective
1. of, relating to, or concerned with religion: a religious holiday.
2. imbued with or exhibiting religion; pious; devout; godly:a religious man.
3. scrupulously faithful; conscientious:religious care.
o
4. pertaining to or connected with a monastic or religious order.
5. appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances.
noun, plural re·li·gious.
6. a member of a religious order, congregation, etc.; a monk, friar, or nun.
7. the religious, devout or religious persons:Each year, thousands of the religious make pilgrimages to the shrine.
spiritual
[spir-i-choo-uh l]
ExamplesWord Origin
See more synonyms for spiritual on Thesaurus.com
adjective
1. of, relating to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
2. of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature:a spiritual approach to life.
3. closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.:the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.
4. of or relating to spirits or to spiritualists; supernatural or spiritualistic.
5. characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined:She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
6. of or relating to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.
7. of or relating to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
8. of or belonging to the church; ecclesiastical:lords spiritual and temporal.
9. of or relating to the mind or intellect.
My definitions are quite different. I will start with the true origin of the word (religion) Raw Legion, or Legions of Raw. This stems from the Egyptian worship of the pagan, Egyptian god, Raw. His followers were referred to as the Legions of Raw, or the army of Raw. Basically all of the worldly religions today are manmade in nature. They began with one man’s interpretation or misinterpretation of Yahuwah’s word. Some may argue that the Jewish religion should not be counted among them. However, today’s Jewish religion is a far cry from the original Hebrew – in that they place the Talmud (sayings of the rabbis) over the teachings of the Torah. All are counterfeits. All are false.
My definition of spiritual is a close up and personal relationship with the Creator, devoid of participation with any worldly religious organization. This is the relationship that I seek and encourage others to do the same thing. This is the one thing we should be seeking first; then seek fellowship with like minded individuals afterward. That way we will not be so likely to be taken in by imposters.
Worldly religions teach that their leaders are the only ones with a personal relationship with Yahuwah. And, that we follow YHVH by following those leaders. This is absolute nonsense. Yahushua opened the door for each of us to have a close up and personal relationship with the Creator Elohim. We are each personally responsible for our own spiritual condition which is contingent upon the worship of and obedience to ONE being only. That being is Yahushua HaMashiyack who was the Elohim of the Old Testament. Salvation comes through Him alone. No man living on the earth at any time can legally lay hold to this claim.
One thing that I cannot understand is why Yahuwah seems to call some and not others. I certainly have no idea as to why He called me. However, this is the relationship we have been called for. Yahuwah, who knows the end from the beginning, must see something in us that we cannot see. Some people simply cannot accept this basic truth and seek a foreign explanation that satisfies our carnal way of thinking and believing that the majority is always right. Well, the majority of this world definitely believes that one must belong to one or another earthly religion to qualify for salvation.
This is a total lie. The Christian religion is false. The Jewish religion is false. The Muslim religion is false. The Buddhist religion is false. We have only one true Teacher, Prophet and Saviour. His name is Yahushua HaMashiyack. His words have been preserved for us in the Scriptures – both OT and NT. They are clear and totally understandable. Any re-interpretation by man is totally unnecessary and illegal. Scripture interprets scripture. Here a little, there a little.
Pick any topic, then do a search of all verses dealing with that topic and, combined, the truth of that topic should be made clear. Far too many people take one verse out of context and run with it. Even amongst the various religious entities on Earth today, there is no agreement; which is why there are over 800 different Christian denominations. With the Muslims there is Shia and Sunni. With the Jews, there is orthodox and non-orthodox. Man is the author of confusion, not Yahuwah.
1 Ch 25:8 - And they cast lots, ward against ward, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
Hab 2:18 - What profit the graven image that the maker thereof has graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusts therein, to make dumb idols?
Joh 3:2 - The same came to Yahushua by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from Elohim: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except Elohim be with him.
Ro 2:20 - An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which has the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
1 Ti 2:7 - Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Mashiyack, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2 Ti 1:11 - Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
The One True Teacher is Yahushua. The job of any true preachers is to lead the people that Yahuwah has called to Yahushua for all instruction into righteousness. It is not to reinterpret the words of Yahushua to suit themselves.
The founder of the Christian religion was a fourth century Roman Emperor by the name of Constantine – not Yahushua HaMashiyack. He reinterpreted Yahushua’s words to suit himself and his inflated ego which led him to the deception that he was “god on earth”. He was, in fact both the False Prophet and the Beast. The proof of this claim lies in the fact that it was Constantine (at the Counsel of Nicaea - 324bc) who changed the laws and times. This is when the Christian religion began. They followed the dictates of Constantine rather than the clear commandments of Yahuwah, which made Constantine the god whom they worshiped in place of the True Elohim. And, since Constantine’s religion of choice was Mithraism, and since the Christian religion threw out all the commandments of Yahuwah, the entire Christian community, in fact, worships Mithras in place of Yahuwah. Aside from what happened in the Garden of Eden, this is the second greatest deception ever perpetrated on mankind.
One of the first things the Christians did was persecute the true followers of Yahushua. When did Yahushua ever persecute anyone into following Him? How is a forced conversion of any benefit to anyone? And, how could such a conversion be in any way pleasing to Yahuwah?
The heart is deceptive above all things. It is our hearts that Yahushua is trying to change. Since the Garden of Eden, man has had a heart that seeks after the way of Satan and is hostile against Yahuwah. Christianity basically teaches enmity towards the Creator in their doctrines concerning the Laws of Yahuwah. This makes Christianity the religion of the antichrist, rather than the Way of Yahuwah. Yet, as with all religions, they firmly believe that theirs is the only way of truth. The world clearly prefers the lie in place of the truth. In fact, they are drawn to the lie, like a moth to a flame. The lie offers instant gratification and immediate salvation. The truth begins with a seed that needs constant nourishment so that it might grow and blossom. Salvation does not come immediately with the profession of faith in Yahushua. It must be demonstrated and proven by our works. Otherwise such a profession becomes a lie. Our works involve living obedience to the Word of Yahuwah. The lie is merely the illusion that we are pleasing to Yahuwah when we are anything but.
In the Garden of Eden, HaSatan told Eve that what Yahuwah had told them was a lie. Yahuwah clearly laid out to the first man and woman what they must do to fulfill their destiny of becoming elohim. HaSatan told them that they were already elohim; and the human race has believed that lie ever since. They are so convinced of the lie that they reject the truth and anyone who teaches it. They see black as white and white as black. Therefore, they demonize and persecute anyone who presents the truth to them
The one unforgivable sin is for someone who is called into the truth of the light to return to the world of darkness. And, I have seen numerous examples of this during my spiritual walk. In fact, I have felt the pull of the darkness luring me back quite often. If we continue to resist the darkness and strive towards the light, the light will eventually overcome the darkness. The spirit of Yahuwah is the light. At baptism, a small glimmer of that light is placed in us. From that point on, it is up to us to feed and nurture that small glimmer until it fully takes over and consumes all and any darkness remaining. Only then will salvation be available to us. Yahuwah will not promote anyone into salvation if any darkness remains.
What I am talking about, of course, is the nature of Yahuwah. We must put away our nature (darkness) to take on the nature of Yahuwah (light). Many do not understand this, but even more reject the concept and buy into the lie that they can gain salvation without making any changes. Such are the lazy and slothful servants that Yahushua spoke of. Yet, they firmly believe that they are perfectly fine and that their salvation is guaranteed no matter what. They are in for a huge surprise!
So, let’s get back to the original question; “Are you religious or spiritual”? My definitions are quite simple. Being “religious” means that you adhere to and follow one of the false, man-made religions of man. Being “spiritual” means that you are seeking something beyond the limited, physical realm and are striving to understand and gain entry into the spiritual realm. Do not be discouraged by the names and accusations of those who are firmly in this world. Instead, be guided by the words of our only True Teacher, Yahushua and be fully prepared to suffer for the sake of the truth, as He did.
Yahushua warned us that we would, indeed, encounter many false teachers; and, indeed, there has been a plethora of them that have come and gone, both in OT and NT times. There is only one tried and true method of recognizing them; and that is by searching and proving all things on your own. If you are already doing this, then Yahuwah recognises and commends you. If not, Yahuwah still recognizes you, but condemns you.
We all dream about and profess a longing for the day of judgement to come quickly. Yet, I wonder how many really think and meditate on their spiritual condition and ask themselves what questions will be asked of them in that day, and what accusations our adversary (acting as some sort of prosecution attorney) will hurl at us? Any defence lawyer worth his/her salt will work tirelessly to build a defence for their client. We must do the same to prepare our own defence, We need to route around the smallest crevices of our soul to weed out and destroy any remaining darkness; so that when we present ourselves before the Judge, we are without fault and blameless, as was our Eldest Brother. His is the only example of perfection we have and if we do not follow in His exact footsteps, we will earn the condemnation we receive. Salvation is not for the lazy and slothful. It is as plain and simple as that.
Yahuwah Bless
G.P.