Is Religion Necessary to Be Saved?

Many preachers today have become so reckless and irresponsible that they hardly care if the teachings
that they make people believe and accept are no longer in conformity with the teachings of the Lord
Jesus Christ written in the Bible.

An example of which is their teaching that religion is no longer needed for man to be saved. What is
needed, they say, is for man to have faith in Christ, accept Him, and presto, he will be saved.

That is a big lie! It is not true that religion is no longer needed. In fact, the Bible mentions a pure and
undefiled religion which the Lord Jesus Christ taught to the apostles. This only means that religion is
necessary and important; otherwise, the Lord Jesus Christ would not have taught it.

However, not all religions are pure and undefiled; many of them are filled with impurities, filth, and
pretenses. Hence, their followers are not made holy but instead, they are turned into a bunch of
hypocrites. Such are the religions that can be considered futile or useless, for they fail in making their
members become worthy of salvation. The Bible describes these religions as vain.

James 1:26 (KJV) says,

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart,
this man's religion is vain.

If anyone seems to be religious yet does not restrain his or her tongue and even deceives his or her own
heart — the religion of that person is considered vain or useless.

But the pure and undefiled religion that the Lord Jesus Christ taught the apostles is definitely not vain
and no-nonsense. Therefore, it should not be rejected nor should it be regarded as unimportant or
unnecessary.

James 1:27 (KJV) says,

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

One of the hallmarks of a pure religion is that it cares for the widows and orphans — and those who
practice this religion keep themselves unspotted from the world. That is, they do not involve themselves
in vices like gambling, drinking, drugs, and other earthly matters. They accept the Lord Jesus Christ and
they follow His teachings.

Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ should not only be lip service. In accepting Christ, you have to accept His
words and teachings, too, because rejecting His teachings is tantamount to also rejecting Him.

As it is written in John 12:48 (KJV),

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last days.

It follows that if you reject the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ about religion, about the Church, and
about worshiping, you are, in effect, rejecting Christ. And if you reject Christ, you will not be saved
because He is the Savior.

The pure and undefiled religion taught by Christ to the apostles is being practiced in the Church built by
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So, if you hear pastors and preachers say that the Church is also no longer
needed, you can be sure that such preachers speak ignorantly because the Bible tells us that the Lord
Jesus Christ built a Church (Matthew 16:18).

Are they implying that the Lord Jesus Christ built something which has no use or relevance to salvation?
And what gave them the right to nullify, or declare void, what the Lord Jesus Christ had established? The
fact that Christ built a Church only means that it has a vital role in the salvation of man.

Now, to justify their stupid claim that religion and the Church are no longer needed to attain salvation —
because according to them faith in Christ is enough — these preachers are citing the story of the thief
that was crucified with Christ. They would say that the thief just believed in Christ, he did not practice
any religion, and he did not join the Church, yet, he was promised paradise.

However, these pastors did not realize that believing in Christ, specifically in His words, was the only
thing that the thief could do because he was already hanging on the cross and was about to die.

Apparently, before his final hour came, the thief got the chance to hear the words uttered by the Lord
Jesus Christ while they were on the cross. And because of what he had heard, he believed.

Meaning, the thief’s faith in Christ was prompted by the words that he had heard from Him and not by
His physical appearance. Because during that time, there was nothing majestic about the physical
appearance of Christ as He was bruised, bleeding, and was naked.

Remember, the Jews played lots on His raiment, and according to Hebrews 6:6 (KJV), they “put him to
an open shame,” implying that He was put in a very disgraceful and embarrassing situation. And what
else could be more embarrassing and disgraceful than having your naked body exposed to the public?
But because of the words that he heard from Christ while they were on the cross, the thief believed in
Him, and so he said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42, KJV) And
unto him, the Lord Jesus Christ replied, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise.” (Luke 23:43, KJV)

Considering the thief’s condition — he was helplessly hanging on the cross and was dying — and the
very short time left for him to live, the thief could no longer afford to join the Church or to practice
religion. But had he been freed and given the chance to live longer, without a doubt, the thief would
surely have joined the Church built and headed by the Lord Jesus Christ and become His servant.

But it has to be understood that the enviable fortune that came the way of the thief can never be
enjoyed or be availed by those who deliberately reject and disregard the teachings of the Lord Jesus
Christ — even if they claim that they have accepted Him.

May God bless us all!