Jesus did not come into the world to bring another religion. Christianity, in fact, is not a religion at all. Religion is all about rules, laws, and codes of conduct. In other words, religion tells you what you must do to make yourself acceptable to God. The gospel, on the other hand, tells you what Jesus has already done to make you acceptable to God.
Religion is man-made. It first appeared in the Garden of Eden. After Adam sinned, he realized he was naked before God and he was ashamed of his condition. To remedy his situation he covered himself with his own works, and made a fig-leaf apron. Like Adam’s fig-leaf apron, religion is man’s well-meaning, but ultimately ineffective attempt to remedy his own situation and cover his sense of inadequacy with his own works.
When God gave the Law to Moses he made explicit and plain just how futile it is to try to have a relationship with God by your own religious effort. Contrary to popular assumptions, God did not give the Law or the Ten Commandments in order to give us rules to live by. He gave the Law to show us the utter impossibility of living up to his standards. The Apostle Paul writes that the Law was given for a single purpose: “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God”. To make it more explicit, he also wrote, “All who depend on the Law are doomed to disappointment…”.
When Jesus came into the world, he did not bring religion; instead, he brought reality. He came to deliver, in actual fact, what the Law pointed to, but could never produce: a relationship with God. He did this by fulfilling all of the righteous requirements of the Law on our behalf, and then suffering on the cross to pay in full the penalty for all transgressions of the Law.
Instead of giving us more religious activities, labor, and work, Jesus said, “Come to me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Here is how this verse appears in the Message translation: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
If you find that your spiritual life is more labor than rest, it may be that you have embraced religious activity instead of simply embracing Jesus. He is not looking for your performance; he is not asking you to do anything for him. He is only asking you to embrace him and trust in what he has already done for you.