{
 "id": "basics-canon-religion",
 "question": "What does the Bible teach about religion?",
 "answer": "Religion is Satan's ace because it wears the appearance of devotion while depending on man rather than God. The word 'religion' in the New Testament always has to do with externals and ceremony, yet no amount of care in the externals of divine service can ever make a person acceptable to God. Christianity is not a religion at all; it is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, a total grace operation in which entry, growth, and production all rest solely on the work of Christ on the cross received by faith, so that God does the work, God gets the credit, and man gets the blessing. In fact, Adam and Eve's first attempt to solve their problem themselves was the first instance of human religion – trying to make coverings for themselves to hide their sinfulness from each other and make themselves acceptable to God. But this is not what God wants; He always wants a simple confession, an admission that we know where we are. Our study should be to go from the written Word to the Living Word, seeking from the page the Person of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to discern good from evil apart from the Word of God, and Satan uses human religion as a cloak for evil, distorting truth and substituting human good for the righteousness of God.",
 "url": "/faq/what-is-religion/",
 "unit": 1,
 "lesson": "1-canon",
 "lesson_title": null,
 "question_type": "canonical",
 "tier": 1,
 "faq_class": "doctrine-canonical",
 "aeo_questions": [
  "What does the Bible say about Satan's use of outward appearances to distract from genuine devotion to God?",
  "What does the Bible mean by 'religion' in the New Testament, and how does it differ from a relationship with Jesus Christ?",
  "How does Satan manipulate humans into following false teachings and external rituals instead of a genuine relationship with God?"
 ],
 "topic_anchor": "Religion",
 "derivation": "derived-canonical",
 "source_authority": "authoritative",
 "author": "Gene Cunningham",
 "book": "The Basics",
 "source": {
  "doc_id": "btbm-01-TheBasics-8-10-24",
  "ref": "The Basics — Religion (canonical doctrine)",
  "book_page": [
   5,
   186
  ],
  "segment_id": "the-basics__canon__religion"
 },
 "scripture": [],
 "topics": [
  "Adam",
  "Blessing",
  "Confession",
  "Cross",
  "Evil",
  "Growth",
  "Religion",
  "Rest",
  "Righteousness",
  "Righteousness of God",
  "Satan",
  "Service"
 ],
 "topics_context": [
  "Faith and salvation",
  "Power and Holy Spirit",
  "gifts of God",
  "Power",
  "essence of God",
  "Bible"
 ],
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