DIY Religion

Matthew 5:48, Hebrews 12:14, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Proverbs 3:5

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Are you a do it yourselfer? I know about a year ago I decided to take on the project of rebuilding my deck. A few boards were rotten and I wanted to fix the problem. And I didn’t want to hire a contractor because I thought that cost too much. Now, I ended up replacing about 75% of my deck and it maybe doesn’t look the prettiest. I’m sure there isn’t perfectly square angles or perfectly precise cuts, but I think it’ll do the job as long as no one looks too closely. I’m hoping that my do it yourself project is going to last me another five years.

Now there are some things that we can do it ourselves. Maybe it’s rebuilding a deck. Maybe it’s something like changing the brakes on your car, or maybe wiring a new socket for a light bulb. Certain things that we can watch YouTube videos for, to understand how to do, and probably do an OK job with them. Without wrecking them too terribly.

But there’s other things that we better not do it ourselves. Think about heart surgery. It’s probably not enough YouTube videos out there to watch that you’re going to feel confident to perform heart surgery on someone, nor should you. No, for that you need to have proper training. You need to trust the experts who know what they’re doing. Put your life in a doctor’s hands rather than in your own.

Sad to say I think there are many people that are do it yourselfers, not in the medical profession, or not even in the construction profession, but concerning religion. Many people that want to make their own way when it comes to what they think is right concerning religion. And so maybe they think “I think I got it figured out. As long as I do enough good things I’m certain that God is going to find me as acceptable. Or at least if I do more good things than bad things certainly he can’t prohibit me from coming into heaven. Or as long as I just try to be better than everyone else, yes God will let me in.”

But the problem with this do it yourself approach is that we really don’t consider the big question “how good is good enough?” And realize that if we’re talking about being right in God’s sight and getting into heaven then we shouldn’t be asking ourselves “what do I think is good enough?” But “what does God think is good enough to get into heaven?”

Think about what Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 48

“So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Think about what the writer of the Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 12:14

Pursue peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

God reveals to us in his Word that our best won’t cut it. In fact we need to be perfect. We need to be holy, without that we won’t see the Lord. How important it is then to pay attention to God and His Word, not turn to ourselves for the way of salvation and religious truths, but to turn to God. To turn to his Word. God provides the solution to our problem. The way to make us right with him, the way to know that we are going to heaven, he says this in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. It says

God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Scriptures talk about one who had no sin, yet who became sin in our place for us. That, of course, is talking about Jesus Christ. And yet it says because Jesus took our sin upon himself, bore it in his own body, suffered and died on the cross for us, that he gives to us righteousness, holiness, perfection is ours through faith in Christ making us acceptable before God the Father.

Yes, when it comes to do it yourself projects, there’s maybe some things that are OK if we try to do on our own to save a little bit of money. But don’t try to do it yourself religion. How important it is instead to turn to God and His Word and to find His truths there for the way of salvation. It says in Proverbs 3.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Let us pray, Lord God help us to always trust in you and not in ourselves for salvation. In Jesus name we pray, amen.