February 12, 2012

Religion is not just about outward performance, but inner purity. The outer life flows from the inner, as a tree that produces fruit of its own nature. Our study of the Sermon on the Mount has highlighted the importance of inner holiness. Our bodies are the temples of our spirits, and within our spirits is an inner “Holy of Holies.” Spiritual discipline is a special kind of “good housekeeping.” As important as they are, what makes a person religious is not as much the ideas he or she believes, nor the deeds he or she does. The hidden measure of a person’s religion is deep inner purity; a plum-line that only God can hold. The texts for Sunday will explore Naaman’s resistance and final surrender (2 Kings 5:1-14), and the healed leper who couldn’t keep his mouth shut (Mark 1:40-45).