Dead religion and worldliness

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

John 5:39-40

"It's about relationship, not religion." The message of this true slogan which is now so popular was described by Jesus a long time ago.

Religion:   
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Relationship:   
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Just like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, who made a pretense of long prayers and made a show of their fasting, mere religion will leave a person internally corrupt and unchanged in their hearts. Without a relationship with the Son of God it's unfortunate what lengths some people will go to to uphold a form of godliness, without having the power of it (2 Tim 3:1-7). There is a certain sort of intellectual satisfaction that may come from being able to carry on a conversation on Bible matters; or perhaps attending church and getting involved in church activities is a moral salve of sorts, or mere habit because of upbringing.

Some people know they do not know God, and know that outside of public observation they neither pray, pursue, nor spend time earnestly with God. They have some ulterior motive for which the facade is necessary. Others think they have eternal life. Perhaps they once said a 'sinners' prayer' but without true faith, which is evidenced by obedience from the heart. Consequently there is no heart-conversion or bearing the fruits of repentance, but no one has taught them the truth about this. These struggle to live in the way of a changed life. They banish the nagging evidences of an unconverted heart from their thoughts by associating with others who cheapen God's grace, or who are in the same predicament as they are. The truth is, religious people who do not know God are actually very worldly.

Worldliness refers to being increasingly conformed to the ways, values, and perspective of those who are still in spiritual darkness and separated from God - enemies of God (see Eph 2:1-3; Rom 12:2). A worldly person has their mind set on the things of this world - it is not occupied by God. A worldly person has desires for the things of this present world, which will turn them away from the God who calls them upward in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 4:10; Php 3:14). The worldly heart that remains despite the practice of 'religion' is a heart not filled with the Spirit of God. While such a person may appear to be a good person because of some things which they 'don't do', they make no true repentance. They cannot go on 'to do' what God commands from the heart.

"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"
James 1:27 (emphasis mine)

A true religion that arises out of true conversion, will produce good works motivated by love. This is most clearly found in serving the weak, needy and oppressed - those who have no ability to repay us - for God's pleasure and glory. The verse above is often quoted with emphasis on the widows and orphans. The second part of that verse is often left out or ignored, but a true religion will also produce a holy lifestyle. God requires that His people be 'unspotted from the world', and 'without blemish', 'without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing' (see Eph 5:27).These statements just do not leave room for a mixture of worldliness and dead religion in our lives. Rather than put on a show, however, Christ has told us we may come to Him and find eternal life, and find power to become sons of God (John 1:12). This is what will make all the difference.

Dead religion is a tedious chore. It gets tiring trying to be something one is not, and trying to squelch ungodly desires which proceed from an unchanged heart. It is in relationship with God that we are satisfied and transformed. This enables us to live authentic lives without the frustration of never-satisfying performance. We will be able to give our attention to the things of God, and put the strength we must against resisting the devil and temptation. Pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ is the antidote to dead religion and worldliness.

For more information:
~  I found a great (pdf) article online called 'What is Worldliness' by Dr. Jack L. Arnold. I recommend you download it or read it via quick view (powered by Google Docs).
~  I highly recommend the book 'Wordliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World' edited by C.J. Mahaney. This is a tiny book, divided into useful sections covering lifestyle issues such as media, music, stuff, and clothes. It concludes with a chapter on how we are to love the world.