Everyone is Religious

What is this thing we call Religion?  I spoke with a guy the other day that constantly referred to himself as "not a religious person."  Many would even place religion and reason at opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum.  Because of this culturally ambiguous treatment many theologians have labored to clarify its true nature.  In his Summary of Christian Doctrine, Louis Berkhof begins by laying out three important aspects about religion.

The Nature of Religion.  "The Bible informs us that man was created in the image of God.  When he fell in sin, he did not entirely cease to be the image bearer of the Most High.  The seed of religion is still present in all men, though their sinful nature constantly reacts against it...In light of Scripture we learn to understand that religion is a relation in which man stands to God, a relation in which man is conscious of the absolute majesty and infinite power of God and of his own insignificance and absolute helplessness."

Berkhof is saying here that, because man is created by God and in the image of God, he is not able, because of his nature, to be irreligious.  This fact flies in the face of the modern notion of neutrality - that a person decides, on a neutral ground, whether he is religious or not.  In reality this ground does not exist.  As a child does not decide his intrinsic relationship to his parents, neither does a person decide his intrinsic relationship to God.  Every person acknowledges God and is therefore religious.  The further matter is whether we kiss Him as Father or kick Him as Foe.

The Seat of Religion.  "Some think of religion primarily as a sort of knowledge, and locate it in the intellect.  Others regard it as a kind of immediate feeling of God...And still others hold that it consists most of all in moral activity, and refer it to the will...However, all these views are one-sided and contrary to Scripture...Religion involves the whole man, his intellectual, his emotional, and his moral life."

Because religious is what we are, it pervades all that we do.  All of our thoughts, motives and actions rightfully fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  We do all things unto the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).  Any action, therefore, that is called irreligious, the Scriptures would define as sinful.

The Origin of Religion.  Over the years, "repeated attempts were made to give a natural explanation of [the origin of religion], but without success."  Some spoke of it as an invention; some as the worship of lifeless objects, spirits, or ancestors.  In all of this the question still remains, "How did people ever hit upon the idea of worshipping lifeless or living objects?"  All of these theories start out with a man who is already religious.

In other words, all of the theories can indicate a religiosity in man, but they cannot explain where it came from.  Berkhof continues, "The Bible gives the only reliable account of the origin of religion.  It informs us of the existence of God, the only object worthy of religious worship.  Moreover, it comes to us with the assurance that God, whom man could never discover with his natural powers, revealed Himself in nature and, more especially, in His divine Word, demands the worship and service of man, and also determines the worship and service that is well-pleasing to Him."