False Religion Is Stolen Valor

False Religion is Stolen Valor: The Dangerous Path of Self-Righteousness
There's a sobering reality we must confront: false religion is dangerous. Not just mildly misleading or slightly off-track, but genuinely perilous to the soul. It masquerades as truth while leading people away from the very freedom Christ offers. Like stolen valor—when someone claims military honors they never earned—false religion claims spiritual authority without the transforming power of the gospel.

Escaping the Religion of Self
Before encountering Christ, many of us lived under a different religion entirely: the religion of humanism. This belief system whispers seductive lies: "You are your own god. You make your own way. Only the strong survive. Only the wealthy and famous deserve recognition. Only the intellectual should be revered."

Then the gospel crashes into our lives with a radically different message: "You are nothing without Jesus Christ."

True humility immediately recognizes this statement as truth. It doesn't bristle or resist. Instead, it breathes a sigh of relief and declares, "My Redeemer is my all and in all."
This transformation from self-worship to Christ-worship marks the beginning of genuine faith. But the journey doesn't end there. Growing in wisdom, knowledge, and freedom from old patterns requires ongoing commitment to biblical truth. As we mature, we move further from our old life without Christ and deeper into the newness of life He provides.

Beware of Dogs: Recognizing False Teachers
The Apostle Paul didn't mince words when warning the Philippian church about false teachers. He called them "dogs"—not as a casual insult, but as a vivid description of their spiritual condition. In that culture, dogs were mangy, flea-bitten street animals that roamed chaotically, eating anything they found, with no discipline or purpose.

This imagery perfectly captures false religious leaders: undisciplined, consuming whatever doctrine suits them, spreading spiritual disease wherever they go.

Paul also labeled them "evil workers" and practitioners of "false circumcision"—those who had the outward appearance of religion but hearts that had never been transformed by the gospel. They dressed impressively, walked with piety, and demanded special treatment, yet inside they remained unchanged.

The contrast is striking: "We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh."

The Danger of Confidence in the Flesh
Putting "no confidence in the flesh" challenges everything our culture teaches. We're constantly encouraged to boast in our achievements, trust in our abilities, and take credit for our successes.

Paul understood this temptation intimately. Before his conversion, he had every reason to boast by worldly standards:

• Circumcised on the eighth day, according to Jewish law
• Of the nation of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin
• A Hebrew of Hebrews
• A Pharisee who excelled in keeping the law
• Zealous to the point of persecuting the church
• Blameless according to the righteousness found in the law

His resume was impeccable. His credentials were unassailable. His passion was undeniable.

Yet listen to his stunning reversal: "Whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ."

Everything that once defined him—his education, his social status, his religious achievements—he now considered worthless compared to knowing Christ Jesus.

The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ
"More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

This isn't just religious rhetoric. This is the cry of someone who has encountered true treasure and recognized everything else as fool's gold.

The value isn't in what Christ can do for us or what benefits He provides. The value is in knowing Him personally, intimately, deeply. It's about relationship, not religion. It's about surrender, not self-improvement.

When we truly grasp this, joy floods our souls. Not because our circumstances are perfect, but because our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven through the cross. The joy of the Lord springs from salvation itself, from knowing we are reconciled to God through Christ alone.

The Fellowship of His Sufferings
True faith doesn't promise an easy life. In fact, Paul spoke of "the fellowship of His sufferings" as part of knowing Christ.

If Christ suffered, why shouldn't His followers expect the same? This question confronts our comfortable Christianity. Perhaps if we're not experiencing any opposition or difficulty for our faith, we should examine whether we're truly following Christ or just maintaining a religious facade.

Suffering for truth is actually one of the marks of genuine faith. When obedience to Christ brings a cost—when people turn against you for standing firm—take heart. You're walking the path of the faithful who have gone before.

Pressing Forward, Forgetting What Lies Behind
One of the most liberating truths in Scripture appears in Paul's declaration: "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Notice what he's forgetting: both successes and failures. Both accomplishments and sins. The past—with all its glory and shame—must be released.

Many believers remain trapped in yesterday's failures, unable to receive forgiveness or extend it to others. That moment of sin twenty years ago still haunts them. That relationship that fell apart still defines them. That mistake they made still condemns them.

But Christ calls us to confession, repentance, and then forward movement. Quick to confess, quick to repent, quick to receive forgiveness, quick to move ahead.
Living in the past—whether it's past successes or past failures—robs us of the abundant life available in Christ today.

Where Is Your Citizenship?
The ultimate question confronting every person is this: Where does your true citizenship lie?

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

If your mind constantly dwells on earthly things—status, possessions, achievements, pleasures—perhaps it's time to examine whether you truly know Christ in a personal, transforming way.

False religion keeps our focus horizontal, on what we can accomplish and accumulate in this life. True faith lifts our eyes upward, toward our coming King who will one day transform our humble bodies to be like His glorious body.
The choice before us is clear: Will we build our own kingdoms or seek God's kingdom? Will we boast in ourselves or glory in Christ alone? Will we put confidence in our flesh or rest entirely in His finished work?

May we choose wisely, walking humbly with our God, forgetting what lies behind, and pressing forward toward the high calling we have received in Christ Jesus.