Christ is Versus Religion: Know Christ outside of Religion and Have Inward Reality

The Gospel of Matthew reveals that Christ is versus religion, the things of Christ and the things concerning Christ are outside of religion, and the Lord Jesus doesn’t care for religious tradition but for inward reality; may we find Christ not by seeking to be religious but by coming to Him as a living person!

Amen, Lord Jesus, may we be those who exercise our spirit today to come to You! We come as we are. We don’t want to improve ourselves or do things to better ourselves so that we may be pleasing to You. We simply want to touch You. We want to know You. May we find You and enjoy You. Oh Lord, save us from any religion and bring us into a living touch with You! Amen!

This week in our prayerful consideration of the crucial aspects of the all-inclusive Christ in the Gospel of Matthew we come to two wonderful matters: Christ as the Physician and the Bridegroom.

We may use the phrase, the all-inclusive Christ, without that much consideration; we may take so many things for granted in the Word of God and in the ministry of the age.

But when we touch aspect after aspect of the all-inclusive Christ, when we take Him as our wisdom, strength, and peace, we will realise that He is so vast and all-inclusive.

We are so thankful to God for our all-inclusive Christ. He is so wonderful!

We may have heard that He is the Physician and the Bridegroom, we may have touched something concerning these aspects of Christ, but we want to touch and know Him in a fresh way, even to make new discoveries of Christ in His word for our enjoyment and experience.

This means that we need to be unveiled. We need to be unveiled and unloaded from any veil of religion. May we not only be familiar with the word of God but have no heart for the Lord.

The priests and Pharisees at the Lord’s time, with the scribes, knew the word of God and the prophecy concerning the place where the Messiah would be born, but they had no heart for the Lord.

May we have a heart for the Lord, a heart that seeks Him. May we allow Him as the morning star to rise in our heart as we take heed to the prophetic word.

May we realise that Christ is outside of religion, and may we not bring in any religious thoughts or concepts.

As we seek the Lord to enjoy Him, we realise He’s outside the realm of religion and outside the realm of our natural mentality. May we open to the Lord and ask Him to give us a heart to seek after Him in a genuine and pure way.

Seeing that Christ is Versus Religion and the Things concerning Christ are Outside of Religion

In the Gospel of Matthew we see something quite interesting: Christ is versus religion, and the things concerning Christ are outside of religion. It’s almost as if God wanted nothing to do with religion in the coming of Christ and in everything related to Christ.

For example, if we read this Gospel, we see that the birth of Christ, the finding of Christ, the recommending of Christ, and the following of Christ were all outside of religion (see Matt. 1:18-23; 2:1-12; 3:1- 12; 4:12-22).

The birth of Christ was not in Jerusalem nor was it in a priestly home; it was by means of a poor lady from Nazareth, a despised city in Galilee. Christ was not born in Jerusalem, nor was He related to the service of the temple.

Rather, God sent His angel to a little town in a despised country, Nazareth of Galilee, to a virgin, a girl, in a poor family.

The birth of Christ had nothing to do with religion; it was accomplished absolutely outside of religion. Even more, the way people found Christ was not in religion or by means of religious practices; it was outside of religion.

The magi, the wise men from the east, did not seek God, did not have any religious thought, and did not read the Bible.

Rather, the star of Christ appeared to them and they followed the star to find the Lord.

They took a detour when they exercised their natural mind and went to Jerusalem, thinking that it is there that the King of the Jews should be born; this caused many young lives to be lost.

The scribes and priests in Jerusalem had the knowledge of the Bible and could point to the right verse in Micah 5:2 to instruct the magi to go to Bethlehem and find the Messiah, but they did not have the heart to find the Lord.

They had the knowledge of the Bible but they did not go to see Christ. Oh Lord!

The religious people in the Lord’s time knew the Scriptures, were for the Scriptures, and could accurately quote the Bible, but they were not for Christ.

Later in Matthew 3 we see how the Lord Jesus was introduced to the people in His ministry. He was not introduced by a priest in the temple but by a wild man in the wilderness.

John the Baptist introduced the Lord Jesus; he was born a priest, but did not remain in the priesthood, nor did he live in the temple or even in the city of Jerusalem.

Rather, he was in the wilderness, living in a wild place, dressed in clothes made of camel’s hair (which was an unclean animal).

John the Baptist didn’t teach people about religion; rather, he called on them to repent, have a change in mind and concept about religion and culture.

He didn’t ask them to do more things for God to please God; rather, he baptised them, burying them to terminate them.

And he said that he baptises them in water, but He who is coming after him will baptise people in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11).

The Lord Jesus was born, found, and introduced not in or by religion but fully outside of religion. He was recommended by this wild person who had nothing to do with religion.

This shows us that Christ is not in religion or for religion; as His actions later would show, Christ is versus religion.

In Matthew 4 we see how, after being introduced, there were some who would follow the Lord Jesus; these were not priests or scribes nor were they from the holy city but they were Galilean fishermen.

The followers of the Lord Jesus were from among those fishing in the sea or mending their nets; they were unlearned people who were drawn by Him and followed Him.

The Lord and His followers were not in Judea or in Jerusalem; they were in the Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. 4:15).

The Lord Jesus did not start His ministry in the city centre of Jerusalem, where He could introduce Himself as the Messiah; rather, He began His ministry away from the holy temple, the holy land, and the religious observances in the holy city.

It is so amazing to see that the birth of Christ, the finding of Christ, the introduction of Christ, and the following of Christ were entirely apart from religion.

It’s almost as if God wanted to do something new, and He wanted to do nothing with religion in this respect.

Christ is versus religion. Christ is outside of religion. To find Christ, we need to be outside of religion.

May we open to the Lord Jesus concerning this matter, for we truly want to find Him, follow Him, and be with Him, and He is outside of religion.

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see that Christ is versus religion! Save us from seeking You in a religious way. Save us from any religious observance or way of pursuing after You or serving You. Oh Lord, may we realise that Christ is outside of religion and finding Christ has nothing to do with religion. Oh Lord, we just want to see You, know You, and follow You as a living person. We turn our heart to You. Appear to us. We exercise our spirit to touch You. We stay away from any religious concept or observance and we just want to know You as a living person. Thank You for being so real and so available to us. Oh Lord, You are right here in us, where we are, and there’s no religious practice we need to observe in order to know You or touch You! Praise the Lord, Christ is versus religion! Hallelujah, for us to find Christ we need to be away from religion, for Christ is outside of religion! Amen, Lord, we love You and we worship You as a living person in us. We love You, Lord Jesus!

The Lord Jesus Doesn’t Care for Religious Tradition: He cares for Inward Reality!

The Gospel of Mathew and all the gospels show us that the Lord Jesus does not care for religious tradition: He cares for inward reality.

He didn’t come in a religious way, in a religious place, to bring in a religion, or to cause us to have more religion; He came as a living person in a living way for us to enjoy Him and be our inward reality.

In Matthew 4:5-7, we see that the devil tempted the Lord Jesus to do something miraculous in religion, but the Lord refused to do it. Any thought of doing things miraculously in religion is a temptation of the devil. Oh Lord Jesus!

We should not test the Lord our God in pursuing miraculous things. Oftentimes in religion, they exhibit miracles and miraculous things; this is to tempt the Lord our God.

People like miracles, but the Lord is not so much interested in the healing of sick and ill people. He cares for inward reality; Christ is outside of religion, and He wants to do something inward in all of us.

As the Physician and the Bridegroom, Christ is versus religion (Matt. 9:12, 15). He is the Physician to heal our illnesses and He is our Bridegroom to love us and court us in love; as such a person, Christ is outside of religion.

Christ has nothing to do with religion. Religion is actually a human invention, a product of the fallen human mind.

We can even say that religion is the best invention of human culture; however, concerning God’s economy, religion is God’s worst enemy.

Religion is absolutely against God’s economy. God has no intention of establishing a religion.

He wants to give us His holy word so that we may see Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in whom He delights.

He wants us to see Christ as a living person, receive Him as our salvation and life, and live for the fulfilment of God’s purpose.

The person who invented religion was Cain and his followers. Jude 11 speaks of the way of Cain, showing that many have gone in the way of Cain.

What is the way of Cain? It is to do good and try to please God and worship God by our own efforts, without Christ.

Religion is man’s own effort according to his own invention under the devil’s motivation to worship God and please God, yet without Christ.

God’s unique way for us to contact Him, know Him, and please Him is in Christ and by Christ.

Satan, however, has motivated and instigated many human beings to make their own invention, their own religion, to worship God religiously without Christ.

In a sense, the way of Cain – religion – is not bad, for it is the best invention of human culture.

It was the very first and foremost invention of human culture, according to the Bible, for Cain did his best according to his own efforts to please God, but without the shedding of blood.

It was not Cain, however, who invented religion; it was Satan as the motivator within him. Oh Lord Jesus!

May we all see this. May we realise that we’re not here to criticise religion or people in religion; however, we need to see that Christ is outside of religion, and our enjoyment and experience of Christ are not a religious matter.

We may be able to engage in religious things and do many good things, but these things can be a distraction from the person of Christ!

We may do so many great things for God, including things that save people’s lives and change their life to the better, but we may do it in a religious way, not by touching the living person of Christ.

This is not what God is after. God is not after a better religion or a better religious practice.

He wants us to know Christ, find Christ, enjoy Christ, and be one with Christ, and Christ is outside of religion. What the Lord cares for is inward reality, not outward religion.

Lord Jesus, we love You! We drop any religious concepts and thoughts, and we just come to You. May we find You by exercising our spirit. Save us from any temptation to do things miraculously in religion. Save us from seeking miracles and outwardly spectacular things for God. Oh Lord, may we know You as our Physician who heals us and as the Bridegroom who courts us and loves us. May we realise that Christ is versus religion, and may we seek Him in purity, even outside of any religious thoughts or observances. Hallelujah, the Lord Jesus doesn’t care for religious tradition but for inward reality! Amen, Lord, we care for Your living person. We care to know You, enjoy You, and partake of You in spirit. Purify our heart in seeking You. We want to know You and enjoy You as our salvation and life for the fulfilment of God’s eternal purpose. Save us from taking the way of Cain, the way of doing good, pleasing God, and worshipping God without Christ. Oh Lord Jesus, we love You and we give ourselves to You today!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ray Mulligan on this topic, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1970, vol. 2, “Christ versus Religion,” ch. 1, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The All-inclusive Christ as Revealed in Matthew (2025 Thanksgiving Blending Conference), week 2, Christ as the Physician and the Bridegroom – day 1.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Not a dead religion serving, / But in Christ as life to live; / Not theology dispensing, / But a living Christ to give. / Not the knowledge of mere doctrine, / But the message Christ should be; / Not the gifts, the forms, the teachings, / But God’s Christ—reality. (Hymns #908 stanza 3)
  – Yet religion—oh, how subtle— / In our blood is hiding out; / God must give us revelation, / All that unseen monster rout. / Lord, we still are too religious— / Down with our religious soul! / We would all release our spirit, / Let each meeting reach the goal. (Hymns #1281 stanza 3)
  – It is God’s intent and pleasure / To have Christ revealed in me, / Nothing outward as religion, / But His Christ within to be. / It is God’s intent and pleasure / That His Christ be wrought in me; / Nothing outwardly performing, / But His Christ my all to be. (Hymns #538 stanza 1 and chorus)