Jesus vs. Religion- John 5:40 (ESV)

40 …yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Jesus was speaking to the religious elite. These were the ones who dedicated their lives to searching the Scriptures. They knew the Law of Moses inside and out as well as the traditions of the elders. They were the religious experts of their day.

After telling them that God the Father was his witness, He acknowledged that they search the Scriptures. He said it was because they would find eternal life in the Scriptures. He then told them that the Scriptures, along with the Father, testified of Him, yet they refused to come to him for life.

The same holds true today. Many people are religious but do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Church attendance and religious ceremonies and rituals will not get you eternal life. Eternal life is found only in Christ, as He stated in John 14:6 when He said that He is the way, the truth and the life and that no one may come to the Father except through Him.

Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. It is a relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. If like the religious leaders of New Testament times, you are religious and thinking that religion is the way to eternal life, you need to come to Jeus that you may be saved. It is your relationship to Jesus Christ, not religion, that grants you eternal life. Trust Him today.