Faith is Not Religious

Pastor Jeffrey Smith

Religion can loosely be defined as the traditional routine of being a Christian where there are certain ways to behave and certain things to do. In contrast, faith is born out of true belief and trust.  

We read in Matthew 8 where a Roman captain had a servant that was on his deathbed. The captain heard that Jesus was around, so he sent his leaders to ask Jesus to come heal his servant.  

They found Jesus and said something like, “You know, this guy's servant is awesome and the captain is asking you to pray for him.” While Jesus was on his way to see the captain but still far away from the house, the captain sent his friends again to meet Jesus on the way and tell him that he doesn’t have to go through all this trouble. 

He said, “I'm not even that good of a person. I'm embarrassed for you to come to my house. I’m a mess. I need a miracle for my friend. I'm not worthy to be around somebody as wonderful as you, but I believe that you can heal him. 

“I understand authority cause I'm a person that is in authority. So just say the word right where you are. You don't have to come because of me. Don't finish the trip. I've got enough faith to believe.” 

Matthew 8:10 states that Jesus was taken aback remarking that he hadn’t come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who were supposed to know who God is. 

When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well. Remember, this was a Roman captain, a non-Jew, who knew nothing about God's plan of redemption, yet he had so much faith in Jesus. He didn’t have religion; he had faith.

We may say, “I come from a rough background. I don't know how to pray. I don't know anything about church, but you're talking about Jesus and that speaks to me.”

When we pray, “I need you, God. I need a miracle in my life. Help me,” Jesus listens. Real faith is from the heart, and it’s not religious.