Christian Faith: Form or Force or Both?
Holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. (II Timothy 3:5)
II Tim. 3:1-7; I Sam. 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Dan. 12:9
What Is God Saying?
God's Word spells out in exact detail the apostasy and corruption that will be rampant in the last times. One must feel that our current conditions are a mirror held up to Paul's writing. Paul's catalog of wickedness personified is amazingly accurate. The picture rocks us back on our heels. We scarcely need to repeat Paul's list as found in II Tim. 3:1-7. It is found in news items and television programs every day. Feeling the impact of evil, we join the chorus of Christians who say of Jesus' promised return, ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’
One of the aspects of these troubled and godless times is that religion will keep going on with its forms and traditions, and still be void of power. Services are held in churches, people go through the motions, traditions are duly honored, but the Holy Spirit is absent. The form is present. The power is absent. That is a picture that speaks with singular accuracy in our world of prevailing wickedness today.
How Does This Apply To Us?
The form of religion (the form of godliness KJV) has its good points. Organized religion has been responsible for immeasurable good through the centuries. It has also written some of history's darkest pages. It has been, and still is, the creator and perpetrator of war and vengeance. We are indebted to the works and writings of sincere believers across the centuries who have been deeply involved in religion. Their forms, their prayers, their creeds, and their great places of worship have made us rich in faith and grounded in love, but form is not enough. A good illustration is that of a steam locomotive and the power that is generated by the steam in its boiler. The engine is the form. The steam is the power. The engine without the steam is dead. The steam without the engine is pointless. True Christian faith is not form or force. It is both.
Pray With Me
O God, we have been called to worship You in the beauty of holiness. I am thankful for the form of religion. I thank You for the beauty of temples made with hands. I thank You for prayers that have risen from sensitive hearts. I thank You for the boldness of ancient creeds. I thank You for the majesty of deathless hymns. I thank You for the form of religion. Nevertheless, keep me from the danger of growing too fond of form. It is a poor substitute for the living power of a personal relationship with Christ. If I hold the form of religion, uplifted by its beauty and strengthened by its order, let me not forsake a constant communion with Your Holy Spirit. Your promised companion, O Christ, is pure and purifying. He is vital and vitalizing. He is holy and sanctifying. Without His assistance, all form, however beautiful and cherished, is empty and vain and even deceitful
Lord, I want to maintain such fellowship with You as will keep alive in the Iiving power of true faith. I would permit no obstacle in the way of Your will for my life. I am tired of having often dammed the flow of Your power in me and through me. Inspire every desire. Control every impulse. Guide every thought until my life displays and does not deny Your power. Replace mere form with mighty force. Fill ancient prayer with living power. Let good become the best, until, living by the power of faith, I shall hold in true perspective its worthy and cherished form.
To the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer must never become just a ritual. It is good that we have forms that provide direction in prayer. We should be grateful for written and classical prayers if they help us to express our true feelings and needs. They are worse than useless if, in repeating them, we are mouthing empty words. The habit of praying is good but if praying is only a habit it is bad. The best form of praying is to pray that ‘Christ may be formed in us’ (Gal. 4: 19). There is our power. That is how mere form is transformed into a mighty force.
