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. 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. (Jas 1:26-27)Religion is not Judaism nor Christianity. Religion is so trusting that one's belief system is the truth so much so that it is their life, behaviors, and attitude. Beliefs and behaviors mold the attitude. Saul was religious but he was wrongly religious! Why? Because his fervor was not in truth. Saul was zealous for wrong reasons. He was a zealot for the religion of Satan.
Judaism is not of Satan. It is of God. The misunderstanding or misappropriation of Judaism is of the Devil. Jews always believed in the Christ who is the Messiah they always expected. The problem with Judaism is that only the patriarchs seemed to know that Jesus would be God. Only a few Jews understood God at that level. Pure Judaism is indeed Christianity! Abraham knew that and so did Moses. Even Nebuchadnezzar discovered that when he alone saw Jesus in the fiery furnace. He saw what others did not see. Nebuchadnezzar, before that was questioning, but after he saw Jesus, he was humbled (Dan 3)! Before Nebuchanezzar questioned God and made himself a god. He was King, why not be a god? After seeing Jesus, Nebuchadnezzar was a changed man. He ceased being king and became a beast, eating grass like the oxen do (Dan 4).
Nebuchadnezzar's (for brevity - Nebu) beliefs and behaviors changed! He came to understand that he was not really a god but Jesus is! Nebu lifted up God as he diminished himself. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fire with Jesus, but were saved from perishing. However, Nebu was destroyed. He was the one burned up in the fiery furnace. It was not his flesh that was consumed by fire but his conscience seared! Nebu, I believe, was born-again! He changed because he saw Jesus. He went from questioning who had the power, to humbling himself to God because of Jesus.
Nebu was a type of Saul, and very much like those in modern times who are very religious. James wrote to demonstrate love and be undefiled (Jas 1:27), and to do otherwise is for the religious to deceive themselves. I often feel quite Christian-like but God's Spirit checks me. I'm am being very much like the "god" ME! I have the attitude of a zealot but it's often has little to do with Christ. I work hard to focus on Jesus. Like the others around Nebu, they did not see Jesus. God allowed Nebu to have a peek at Jesus. When I esteem myself too highly, I judge myself, and finally see Jesus in the fire in my place. That "fire" was on the cross!
Now move forward a thousand or so years in time. Saul had overseen the killing of Christians. Jesus had just been crucified and resurrected. Saul failed to know Jesus but as a zealot for Judaism, he was very religious. He was prototypical Jew. Sinfulness had dimmed the spiritual eyesight of most of them. Saul perceived that he did good, but it was evil in the sight of the Lord. Rather than helping the fatherless and widows, he was killing in God's Name. That was taking Jesus's death frivolously (violation of the Third Commandment - taking the Lord's Name - Jesus - in vain).
In the Book of Acts chapter 9 can be found the parallel between Nebu and Saul. Saul chose who would die and who would not (Acts 7). Saul "played" God thinking He was doing God's will. He was questioning God by assuming for himself only the authority that God has!
Nebu had been spiritually blind, God allowed him to see "his face". I like the best translation of the First Commandment, not to have other gods besides me, but in my face! Nebu had a god made with his own face. God showed Nebu His own face. He didn't die but lived-on spiritually thereafter. On the other hand his flesh died when he became a beast! His attitude changed.
Like Nebu, Saul was also spiritually blind. God gave Nebu the ability to see into the supra-natural. God did that for Saul as well. God opened Nebu's eyes so that he could see, but he blinded Saul that he might. Saul saw the face of God as well, with his physical eyes blinded but spiritual eyes opened. Sacred scripture calls those "bright eyes" and are for those with "bright natures". Saul's nature changed as he saw with new eyes what those around him could not see. The others heard Jesus but only Saul saw him! Like Nebu, Saul saw God's face and lived!
After Saul's nature changed (his attitude - his heart), he became a new creature. Like Nebu, he diminished himself and elevated God because he too saw God's face! Because Saul was born-again and had a new nature, God gave him a new name: Saul became Paul in identity and attitude. The name Saul means questioning, and the name Paul means humbled! Just as Nebuchadnezzar, Saul was humbled.
Nebuchadnezzar means Nebo protect the crown, but God afterward called him servant (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6). Nebo was the moon god of the Babylonians and the son of the sun god. Nebu went from questioning who God is and who he was to a servant. He was questioning just as Saul was and humbled in the same manner!
What is important is that when both saw Jesus, their attitudes changed. Scripture refers to that change in attitude of nature as "circumcision of the heart". Paul explained that with the following:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom 2:29)Saul quit being religious but became a real Jew! With circumcision of the flesh already presumably accomplished when young, Saul had his heart circumcised right there on the road to Damascus. He became true "Jew" because a new Spirit replaced the old! He changed!
If you claim to be religious or even a Christian, and there is little change in your nature, perhaps you didn't really see Jesus. When anyone sees Jesus and recognizes his face, that person will change. They will quit being the questioning one and be humbled. That requires serving God as both Nebu and Saul did after they saw Jesus. Serving is loving, and it indeed is a hard task. Those two killers did, and so can you!
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