God without Religion: Can It Really Be This Simple?

Do you remember when you first believed? Everything was great, because you knew all your sins were wiped out. You had a new life ahead of you knowing that you were completely forgiven. Then some time passed, you made some mistakes, and now it seems like God's patience with you is running out. After all, he did so much for you, and you're failing to repay him.Wait just a minute here! Who told you that? Might I propose that it's the law of Moses- "religion"- telling you that?The law isn't just a set of rules, it's a whole mentality. If you believe in Jesus, you're not just released from the rules of the law, but you should also be released from the mentality that the law brought. You should now be serving God in the new WAY of the Spirit and not in the old WAY of the written code (Romans 7:6). The law isn't just something that screws up your chances of getting into heaven, it's the "ministry of condemnation" (2 Corinthians 3:9). Are you feeling condemnation? You may very well still be under its ministry. Do you think there's no way you can be under its ministry because you believe in Jesus? Let me ask you, what do you believe in Jesus FOR? If you only believe in Jesus for salvation, then all your faith does is get you to heaven. But if you believe in Jesus, and him alone, for retaining your connection with God, for removing your unhealthy fear of God and those nagging condemning feelings, and for displaying the very personality of God to the world- all of which he was sent to do- then maybe he'll start doing them! And the way you can let him is to read this book, because it will remove one of the biggest obstacles to you letting him, which is a law-based, "religious" mentality of, "I can't be pleasing to God until I do something first." It's time to give Jesus the trust he deserves, and you can't trust him fully while you're at the same time trusting in your performance (or lack of it).God intended us to live out of the security of knowing who we are in Christ, and in this book, Andrew Farley talks about some of the most critical Bible passages and issues dividing the body of Christ today which cause us to not rest in that security while at the same time making us focus on our individual denominations instead of on the body of Christ as a whole. Let's be honest, a lot of our anxiety might be coming from the Bible itself. The Bible itself, however, was never meant to bring you that anxiety, and so if the truth sets you free (John 8:32), and you're not being set free, maybe the interpretation of the Bible you have isn't the true one. Andrew skillfully treats such issues as baptism, the confession of sin, tithing, and predestination, and shows that if we're making bigger deals out of them than God intended them to be, prioritizing them over living a life of love towards others and being joyful always (1 Thessalonians 5:16), maybe our understanding of them isn't the one God wants us to have. Furthermore, if these things are dividing us, knowing that Jesus as our head intends that the body of Christ be held together and not divided (Ephesians 4:16), it probably means that the law of Moses is still dividing between "Jews" and "gentiles" among the body of Christ today. Obviously we won't all have the same opinions on theological issues, but the law as a mentality can still lead to exclusion rather than peaceably disagreeing.Andrew not only backs up his points with the Bible, he frames them with stories in his life which make its truth come alive. His stories help you to remember theological concepts by attaching pictures to them instead of just Bible verses. While the Bible is Andrew's primary source of information- always a good thing- his stories illustrate it.Andrew Farley is actually "Doctor Andrew Farley." He clearly knows his stuff theologically. But at the same time, when you're reading this book, you never feel like this is some lofty theological mind that you can't connect with. You feel like this is someone just like you, writing not to a dissertation board but to you. He uses humor and his writing style is very easy to follow. You won't get lost reading this book.Make sure you read to the end because the final chapter really brings it home. Being dead to the law isn't the end in itself. We're dead to the law so that we can belong to another- Jesus himself (Romans 7:4). God's entire plan of history wasn't just to make us follow rules, it was to bring us into union with Jesus and himself. Giving us a great example to live by, which Jesus certainly was, wasn't enough to God. God didn't create you to perform better, he created you to be one with him. He doesn't want your performance, he wants you. In Christ, God united us with himself in an intimate union and our lives are now supposed to be lived out of that union. If you're not experiencing that union, or if the outside world isn't seeing that union being displayed in your life, do yourself and the world a favor and read this book.Now I'm not saying this book is a Magic Bullet that will change your life immediately once you finish reading it. What I am saying though is that hopefully it will change your mind regarding the thought in your mind that God is displeased with you or that you have to keep trying hard to stay on good terms with God. Remember that those feelings were supposed to be produced by the law, but only in order to lead us to Jesus. When you rightly see Jesus as the end, which this book should help you to do, everything else starts falling into place. You might start being less concerned with what you're doing wrong and start putting your eyes more on Jesus. And when you keep your eyes on Jesus, your view of yourself, others, and God will all change for the better.

This is a monument in the new movement of grace God is orchestrating in his church. Must read.For more thought on this subject read “Resurrecting the Cross” by Ernest Randolph.

i've noticed that a lot of people take offense to the idea that not all of Jesus' teachings are meant for Christians; that idea is in this book and it offends many people.one passage in particular that people have a problem with is the Sermon on the Mount (SOTM). but let me put this question to such people: for unbelievers, isn't everything that Jesus said in the SOTM very literally true?my understanding of what mr farley means is that... unless you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you MUST be perfect in every possible way. and the SOTM, read literally, is basically saying that you MUST be perfect in every single way. here are a few things to think about from that SOTM...without Jesus, do you not have to be PERFECTLY merciful to receive God's mercy?without Jesus, do you not have to be a PERFECT peacemaker to be God's child?without Jesus, do you not have to be PERFECTLY righteous to receive/enter the kingdom of heaven?without Jesus, can you make it to heaven while saying to anyone "you fool"?without Jesus, would it not be better to lose an eye than to burn forever in hell?without Jesus, would it not be better to lose a hand than to burn forever in hell?without Jesus, don't you have to give more than asked to be PERFECT?without Jesus, do you not have to forgive all other people of everything BEFORE God will accept you?without Jesus, how can you be possibly worthy of heaven if you're worried about your life and clothes and what other people think of you?without Jesus, how could you not be judged by God if you have judged others?without Jesus, is the gate not impossibly small and the road not impossibly narrow?...what i mean to say is that everything in the SOTM makes perfect sense if it is taken literally by an audience that is relying on the Law to make them righteous and good enough for heaven. it really does take away all hope in that Law for their personal righteousness. it should cause you to give up on that Law, and just look to Jesus Christ as the only hope.but, many will still think the SOTM is for Christians. how to you explain the part in the prayer/ the part right after the prayer that says you must forgive everyone BEFORE God forgives you? is that how it worked for you? did you forgive others and then God forgave you? or did He forgive you, and then, over time, you forgave SOME of the things that SOME people did to you? i highly suspect that you're a "SOME", just like all the rest of us.kind regards,cld

Carefully thought out and accessible through analogies, Andrew addresses some of the largest misconceptions at large in the mainstream church today. Read this book if you want a clear understanding of the beauty and life-changing significance of the Cross and the gospel of grace.

This book is easy to read; the illustrations from everyday life are delightful and engaging, the scripture quotes are very well chosen and included as text rather than as end notes, and by the time one reaches the end, every part of one's being is filled with gratitude to God and to the author who took the time and trouble to arrange wonderful truths into a readable format.

As a christian of nearly 40 years, I have become fed up and repulsed at what is being taught in the modern church. I have been looking for a real relationship with my heavenly Dad but had become so indoctrinated with 'getting right with God' or 'getting my life in line with the Bible' that I have come to the conclusion that I hate what the institutional church has become and the rubbish it is teaching.This book and 'the naked gospel' also by Andrew Farley has really helped me to clarify my thinking on the true gospel and helped set me free from negative mindsets and misconceptions of the character of God. This book clearly outlines what it really means to 'be in-Christ'. Two great points made in the book is the focus on the finished work of Christ and the fact that the New Testament should begin at the death of Jesus rather than the birth. This in itself clarifies a lot of misunderstanding around some of the teachings of Jesus, purely because his ministry operated during the old covenant.I would advise anyone who looking for a real relationship with God or just fed up with a religious mindset to read this book. One word of caution, be prepared to have your preconceptions of christianity shaken as this book teaches things that some churches would class heretical but, isn't this what the Pharisees' said about Jesus. Sometimes, the truth hurts!This is a great book and I highly recommend it. Read and be prepared to be set free by the truth of the gospel!Do I want God without religion? Most certainly!

You have become born again and have the life of CHRIST in you. You join a religious church and you start hearing "the gospel" . In time, deep within you, you know something is wrong! Only you can't place it. You hear and see glimpses of the truth from time to time and you keep searching. However the search is over!!!Thank you Andrew for helping Galatians 5:1 come to reality! God bless youI AM FREE

Good book. Too many religions think they've got God's sponsorship, I loathe organised religion and its history.