I remember years ago I was leading a Bible study at a friend's house with a random group of people. It was Halloween week and we were discussing the concept and he and his wife shared that they believed Halloween actually belonged to Satan. It was strange to me. But I've noticed over time some things that are part of Christendom but not part of Christianity that seem pretty common. There is, for a lot of people, a ... Christian superstition.
You see it when we pray "... in Jesus' name, amen" as if the "incantation" produces answered prayer. That's not how Jesus meant it when He said, "If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:14). Asking in His name refers to asking on His behalf in His will (1 John 5:14-15). You see it when people use certain verses like magic spells. They might say, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Php 4:13) to bolster their efforts to ... complete a difficult task or obtain a specific goal. Maybe they quote Scripture like Christ did in the desert (Matt 4:1-11) to ward off evil. (Christ didn't ward off evil by quoting Scripture. He called on God by quoting Scripture.) Christians have long held affection for a "charm" in the form of a cross necklace. I've heard Christians "banish Satan" from a house or believe that an emotional feeling is the presence of the Holy Spirit. I know my friend is not the only one who believes that one particular day belongs to Satan.
Jesus warned against "empty phrases" and "many words" (Matt 6:7) in prayer. Instead, Jesus said, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (Mat 6:8). Paul wrote, "We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Rom 8:26). No ... not a "prayer language," but a spiritual intervention ... because our conversations with God are spiritual. In Acts 19, disciples tried to use "the proper techniques" to throw out demons ... with a bad outcome (Acts 19:11-16). Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent God had told Moses to make in the desert because the people worshiped it (2 Kings 18:4). Jesus said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign ..." (Matt 12:39). Scripture repeatedly warns against this kind of spiritual superstition and calls us instead to a living relationship with Christ, not some magical unreality. We should probably begin to practice what Hezekiah did ... removing seemingly good things that have turned into "false idols" and images and return to a relationship with Christ built on actual reality rather than superstition. It's built on trust, on relationship, on sincerity and humility, on an alignment with God's will and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Not silly magic.
1 comment:
Yes, there is a good measure of both blatant and subtle “spiritual superstition” practiced within the scope of the “Christian” faith. In my view, much of it can be attributed to association with teachers and/or groups promoting subpar and erroneous Bible teaching. Also, some of these superstitious people are not true believers but individuals or groups of people who adopt hyper-religious activities to appear “Christian” (this is very common among false teachers and cultists, in particular). As you point out, a religious spirit infiltrates every area of expression of faith and practice within Christendom, including worship, prayer, Bible study, and more. All of it emanates from efforts on the part of our adversary to keep people in spiritual darkness and to weaken the Body of Christ on earth.
Personally, I am persuaded that this is an immensely important topic of discussion and study--enough so as to keep numerous legitimate “discernment ministries” actively occupied in exposing and correcting erroneous beliefs and behaviors all too often pursued by otherwise sincere believers in Christ. It also strikes me as an area in which every conscientious believer (i.e. those who strive to worship God in spirit and in truth) should continually exercise vigilance and discernment--regularly examining their practices and positions for erroneous expression. I believe that the Holy Spirit presses different burdens and sensitivities upon the hearts of individual believers--tied to his/her particular background, temperament, and spiritual gifting; abhorrence for a religious spirit is one such conviction of my heart. (I can also see, from your mention of Halloween in this post, that persuasions about what exactly is superstitious or not is a highly personalized matter.)
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