At the heart of pagan religions is the idea that man controls God. You make offerings and sacrifices to make it rain, to get pregnant, to have a good harvest, or to keep the volcano from erupting. Man desires control, whether it is controlling people, events, nature, or even a god.
That desire to control God finds its way into Christianity on a routine basis. Some have the the idea that if we say a prayer a certain way or do a special activity along with that prayer, then God will have to grant our request, but that is no different than the ancient pagan rituals.
Christianity is based on God’s free gift. Christianity is about God’s gift, not His obligation.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Examples of this pagan Christianity (apologies to Frank Viola) abound: the notion that simply saying the sinner’s prayer obligates God to save you, that not going to work one day a week or giving God some percent of your income causes Him to bless you, that praying the stations of the Cross or of the Labyrinth will cause God to give you a special blessing. The list here could become endless. We become obsessed with creating our own special works that will exert our control over God. It isn’t up to our decisions and our efforts to obtain “more” of the Holy Spirit, God gives the Spirit in the manner and degree that He chooses:
I Cor 12:11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
I believe that the problem with all of these practices is not some worry about New Age philosophy tearing you away from Christ’s hand or that it leads to demon possession or the worship of other gods. The problem is more basic, it diminishes our God. It undermines His sovereignty, power, and grace. It replaces His gift with our works. God began the work in us; He will finish the work in us. He accomplishes this through faith, from our initial salvation continuing on through our whole lives; it is faith, rather than our efforts, that provides our security, our sanctification, and our entire lives in Christ.
Gal 3:2-3 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Phil 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
Rom 1:17a ” For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last” (NIV)
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Great point, Rick! “Pagan Christianity” diminishes God; it puts us in control over Him. It’s quite a beguiling deception; nevertheless, even if we think we’re pleasing God and therefore expecting to be blessed, our belief doesn’t make it so.
God reveals Himself to us as we trust Him and believe His word. We can’t get closer to Him by righteous works. We experience Him more personally as we trust Him and allow Him to make His word change us.
Thanks for a thought-provoking blog!