Religion is not a bad thing. In fact, even the Bible tells us about true religion. As we perform the true works of God, we will practice true and undefiled religion. This means that we will help the widow, the fatherless, and the disenfranchised, while keeping ourselves free from empty rituals. Even though Godly religion is good, there is a form that hinders our spiritual progress. Because of this, overcoming religion is an important part of our walk with God.
As Yeshua walked the earth, one of His main objectives was to teach us how to truly live by faith. True faith in God is not merely performing a set of customs, but living from a place of spiritual truth. This means that beyond trying to show an outward appearance of goodness, we will become good, as God our Father is. It means that we will live from the heart and thrive from the inner core of righteousness.
In this blog post, we will look at what it really means to practice Godly religion. We will also look at how we can overcome religion as the world knows it, and live a life that truly exemplifies righteousness and holiness. We will discover that freedom from religious rituals is the doorway to true Godliness. Let’s learn together.
What Does It Mean To Overcome Religion?
Religion is a system of beliefs, practices, and rules that people follow in an effort to honor or connect with the divine. It often includes worship, rituals, moral codes, and traditions shaped by human understanding of God. Godly religion goes far beyond these human customs. In Christianity, it is customary to attend church on a weekly basis, close your eyes when you pray, and lift your hands in reverence and worship. Yet, these customs are futile unless they come from the heart.
Overcoming religion means we put our actions where our heart is. It means that when we pray, we do not pray to impress others, but to impress God. It also means that our acts are true representations of our heart and not merely rituals and customs. To overcome religion is to rise above man-made traditions and live out a genuine relationship with God, where love, compassion, and obedience flow naturally from the heart. As we seek to practice Godly religion, we must focus more on good works rather than good intentions.
The book of James summarizes this very well. It 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 hardest truths I had to face in my life was the fact that religion had shaped me in a lot of ways. I was constantly trying to please others, forgetting that I must only please God. For some, missing church one day is like committing a spiritual crime. Yet for these same people, they will walk past a homeless, hungry man on the street while on their way to church. Consider the hypocrisy in this act.
A New Spiritual Awakening
I believe that God is calling us toward a new spiritual awakening. Yeshua teaches this very well. He teaches us that it is the heart of an action that truly matters. For example, He taught that murder begins in the heart rather than in the mere action. If you hurt your brother in your heart, that is where the sin begins. As we seek to overcome religion, we must begin to live from a place of a new spiritual identity. We must be more concerned about the inner man rather than focusing on outward appearance.
Consider the man who gives ten dollars to the church, and consider another man who gives ten thousand. The man who gave the ten gave all he had, yet the man who gave the ten thousand only gave a very tiny fraction of his millions. Who gave the most in this scenario? Many might say the ten thousand is more than the ten dollars, but imagine giving all you have. Isn’t that more than a man who gives only a fraction of his possessions, regardless of the amounts in question?
Overcoming religion means we dive deeper into divine understanding of the nature of things. It is when we understand that pleasing God is not about following rituals, but actually doing the good works that He Himself would have done. There is a scripture where Yeshua explains that as much as you do good to people on earth, you do it unto Him.(Matthew 25:40) This is the place from which we live in our divine identity and become the god that the Bible says we are.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” — Matthew 25:40 (KJV)
What the Bible says about religion
Yeshua was not afraid to speak out against the human religiosity of His time. The Sadducees and Pharisees were deeply religious, having an outward appearance of righteousness but an ungodly heart. As He sensed this, Yeshua condemned their customs and pointed them to the truth.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” — Matthew 23:27–28 (KJV)
There are many other scriptures that speak directly and indirectly about breaking free from religion. Whether it be Paul, James, or Isaiah, they all found that human customs are far from God. They also found that Godly religion is the only true form of worship that God accepts. Because of this, their messages were simple: “Walk by faith, and free yourselves from religious rituals.”
Here are the top 15 Bible verses that speak on the topic of religion:
🌿 Top 15 Bible Verses About Religion (KJV)
Here are verses that reveal God’s heart about true and false religion.
1. James 1:27
“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.”
2. Micah 6:8
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
3. Matthew 22:37–39
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
4. Matthew 15:8–9
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
5. Colossians 2:22–23
“Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”
6. Matthew 23:27–28
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
7. Isaiah 29:13
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”
8. 1 Samuel 15:22
“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
9. Romans 12:1
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
10. John 4:23–24
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
11. Galatians 5:1
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
12. Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
13. Hosea 6:6
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
14. Matthew 6:1
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”
15. Titus 1:16
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
Concluding Thoughts
In today’s society, there is a constant religious war. Whether it is Christians condemning Christians, Muslims condemning Christians, Jews condemning Muslims, or vice versa, we see religious conflicts all around us. Yet, the true religion of God is love. Love is the universal religion that connects all people, regardless of our different beliefs and perspectives. When we love one another, we fulfill the law of God and live in our true divine nature.
Overcoming religion is regaining freedom from the customs that separate us. Customs and rituals are not completely bad, but when we allow them to divide us, they become agents that hinder our unity and our coming together as God intended. Godly religion teaches us that it is better to help the widow and the fatherless than to go to church only to clap and sing. It also teaches us that God looks at our heart — and this is where we must live from.
In the end, overcoming religion simply means returning to the heart of God — where love is the truest form of worship.
