The Evolution of Religion

 

The Evolution, of Religion 

Evolution - Definition

1.     the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

2.     the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form.

Why is religion so hard?  Why does it take so long to understand?  To answer this

as with every form, in the process evolution, we start with the most primitive and basic nature.  Here is the most primitive and basic part of religion:

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created, the heavens and the earth. 

What does this simple, ten-word text establish?  Is this verse as simple as we believe?  First, this introductory sentence describes an actor, an action, a time frame, and the subject matter that is being acted upon.  This simple declaration demonstrates who, what, when and where, leaving us only “why” and “how” to uncover.  In one sentence we find all most every principal needed to complete an article or story.  In one sentence we find all that we need for worship in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden.  This beautiful verse establishes two things, a Creator, and His authority. 

In the beginning, religion was simple, God created the heavens and the earth.  This sentence clearly establishes God as the Creator.  Definition of Creator - a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor (one who establishes a new endeavor).  So now we see that God, as the Creator, established something that did not previously exist, the heavens and the earth.  According to this text, this clearly makes God, the Creator. 

In law, we find that there exists a relationship between Creator and creation, and certain rights and privileges exist between the Creator and their creation.  These rights and privileges can only be established to exist with the specific creator, upon the specific creation, unless those rights or privileges are transferred, either thru change of ownership thru title, or the transfer of simple possession of the subject matter, without title or transfer or ownership, creating a bailee and bailor relationship.  Therefore, the fact that God created “the heavens and the earth”, infers upon God certain rights and privileges over “the heavens and the earth”.  One such right and privilege inferred upon God is, Authority.  

Websters Definition of Authority – 1. The power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior. The source from which the citation is drawn.  2. One who creates something, has the sole authority of all that they create.  3. One who is in command.

Therefore, under this definition, the One who creates, holds the sole rights and authority, to control the thoughts, opinions, and behaviors of that which He creates. 

Do we have evidence of this authority?  Genesis 1:3 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  Here we have clear and concise evidence of this relationship between the Creator and His creation.  God commanded of nature, and nature obeys.  This establishes the link of Authority of the Creator, over His creation.  So now we have established the “how” in the story, God commanded, and nature obeyed.  So now our story has who, what, when where and how, all that is required to complete the story is why?

So, religion, in its simplest form (Garden of Eden), in its perfect form has a Creator, God, and One with authority, a King.  The relationship between the creation, “nature”, and the Creator, God, is that nature exists subservient to the Authoritarian, King.  This is a simple relationship, and is the essence of Religion, and worship.  Nature gives homage to its Creator and King, the WORD.

Here we find that the “Word” of God is both “Creator” and “King”.  

 John 1:1-3 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 The same was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 

Give me that Old Time Religion, a simple perfect religion.  

Now let us look into the “Evolution of Religion” and what caused it to occur. 

Genesis 3:1-7

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made (creation). And he (serpent) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (partial truth) 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst (Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil, and Tree of Life) of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it (addition or self-deception), lest ye die.  4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely (instantly) die: 

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5 For God doth know (esoteric knowledge) that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened (lust of the eyes), and ye shall be as gods (pride of life), knowing good and evil (lust of the flesh). 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh) and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat (sin-perfect religion evolved), and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (sin-perfect religion evolved).  7 And the eyes of them both were opened (esoteric knowledge-perfect religion evolved), and they knew that they were naked (unrighteous-consequence of the perfect religion evolving); and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (righteousness by works-perfect religion evolved).  

 

Here we find evidence of what lead to the “Evolution of Religion”.  Nature, in the form of Adam and Eve, intentionally deny God of his inferred rights and privileges of being their Creator.  They usurp, or steal from God, that which is only His right and privilege to have (the knowledge of sin) and Authority, or right to influence knowledge, thoughts or behaviors..  They decide to honor and homage themselves, as they were supposed to honor and homage God, and God alone.  Exodus 1:4 - Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Adam & Eve, attempted to increase themselves, from Bailees having dominion (without title) over the earth, to ownership (with title) and granting themselves ownership and authority over the earth.  This is transgression of God’s commandments.  Exodus 20:15-17;    ¹⁵ Thou shalt not steal. ¹⁶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. ¹⁷ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Therefore, we know that these commandments existed at least 1500 years before Mount Sinai, since proof of their existence is inferred thru the Creator’s creation relationship.  This truth negates the false notion of dispensationalism.   

So, we can see, that God has ownership, title and authority over heaven and earth.  But what is the source of God’s title?  It is also spelled out in His Royal Law,

Exodus 20:8-11; ⁸ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  ⁹ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:¹⁰ But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy

manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  But we find evidence of this law, again, before Mount Sinai.  Genesis 2:2-3; ² And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Again, we see that God’s Law is eternal, and everlasting.  Just as God Himself, it has no beginning and no end.  Because God, His Word, and His law are constant, we can have complete faith, and utter dependence upon them, and every single precept and concept that they aspire. 

So exactly why did religion evolve?  What is the consequence of this evolutionary change?  How did it affect God Himself? 

As we witnessed above, the bible clearly exposes the intentions, and reasons that the perfect religion (God as Creator and King) evolved.  Satan attacked mankind’s emotions, leading him to a state of selfishness.  Eve was tempted thru the lust of the eyes, the lust of flesh and the pride of life, and she failed.  She wanted to be as, or a, god.  This is exactly what Lucifer had gone thru in heaven before he became Satan. Job, also a perfect and upright man, faced a similar attack from Satan.  He was attacked thru the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and he held victorious, but he failed on the pride of life, attempting to make himself righteous thru his works.  Jesus Christ in the desert, was the only human, that ever overcame Satan’s brutal attacks, thru the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.  It was “it is written”, how God’s word, enabled God’s Word, to overcome sin.

Because of this evolution of religion, or sin, God was separated from His creation.  God’s infinite love for His creation caused a change in the God Head, He could no longer be Emmanuel, or God with His creation, God with us.  The Word, God, was willing to lower His awesome presence and be placed into a little box, the Holy of Holies, so that He could be near His beloved creation.  Due to God’s awesome desire to love His children he was willing to put on matter, to be with them. 

Since God’s Royal Law is infinite and everlasting, it could not be changed, even though God’s desire to be with His creation was so strong.  Satan knew this, and this is how he attacked the Word, Jesus the Christ, in the desert.  Years before this, God wanted a means to bring His children back to Him, but the law could not be

changed, and the price for breaking the law must be paid.  Therefore, God, thru His

Word, created a system, where man could learn of the price of sin, and how costly it was.  God created the Sacrificial System.  In this system, there had be an atonement for sin. Definition of Atonement – reparation (price paid) or satisfaction for an offense or injury, the reconciliation of God and humankind thru the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.  The Sacrificial System was two part in nature.  First there was the
Priest, man’s intercession between God and man.  The priest would do the actions or rituals, that would lead the sinner, symbolically back to God.  The priest would offer man’s prayers, offerings, and sacrifices, so that the sinner could understand the price of sin, separation from God, and the mechanism for redemption (death) back to God.  The second part to the sacrificial system was the sacrifice, or the symbolic atonement for the sin that man offered.  The Sacrifice was supposed to be the absolute best of their belongings.  An unblemished, perfect, beautiful creature was to be offered as a sacrifice.  The most valuable creature was to be ritually killed.  Their most prized possession was to be lost, this was the cost for their sin. 

Remember, the Sacrificial System by Moses was a symbolic gesture, to atone for the sins of humanity, it was never the actual act.  For the Actual Sacrificial System, it had to involve the Godhead Itself, because all earthly creation was tainted with sin, and a sinful creation, cannot remove the blemishes of sin.  Therefore, the Evolution of Religion caused a change in status (position or rank) of a member of the Godhead, but not the unchanging nature of it.  John 1:14-15; ¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh (MAN), and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.  Here, when John the Herald, to the King, states that the Word, or Jesus Christ is preferred before me, John is stating that Christ is greater than he.  When John the Baptist states, “for he (Christ) was before me”, John is stating that Christ existed before everything, and is therefore God, the Creator.  We see the restoration of the “Perfect Religion”.  But, in order to restore the perfect religion, the wages of sin must be paid.  So our loving God, Creator, and King, comes down to this pathetic blue planet, and becomes our Priest, and Sacrifice.  When Christ, the King of Kings, Creator of the Universe, becomes the perfect unchanging Priest, and Perfect Sacrifice that belongs to the Godhead, this new religion, transfers from Judaism, to perfect Christianity.  This perfect Christianity stands before the throne of God, between God and the Twenty-Four Elders, and the sea of humanity.  

 

Conclusion:

Revelation 4:6-9 ⁶ And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst (middle) of the throne, and round (surrounding) about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. ⁷ And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him (Seraphim); and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. ⁹ And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

In the beginning God created man and there existed a perfect balance between Creator (EAGLE) and creation, and King (LION) and citizens.  One day, the citizens were tricked into believing that their God was unfair (His Law did not apply to Him), and that He kept secrets (Esoteric).  This attack on God’s character was unfounded and false.  Amos 3:7 - Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.  Because of this attempted coup, a new nature (disobedience & faithless) was caused to exist, that did not previously exist (trust & obey).  This new nature in man, cause a wedge between Creator (EAGLE) and creation, as well as between King (LION) and citizens.  This separation between the source of life (WORD) and those that required the source to live (mankind) caused the wages of sin (death) to exist, that did not previously exist before (man derived eternal life thru the Word). 

Because of this separation, the perfect religion, between Creator and creation, and King and citizens, no longer bound.  Therefore, one glorious day, a little over 2000 years ago, the Word came down to His earth, giving up His royal place in heaven, so that He could find a way to restore the once perfect religion.  Matthew 1:23 -Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  This strange love, agape, which Christ (EMMANUEL), the Creator, held for His creation, was strong enough to beat back the ruthless attack of Satan, in the desert.  “It is written” was the essence of this agape.  The Word became living flesh (MAN) for His fallen creation and citizens.

Unfortunately, even this selfless perfect act, was not sufficient to restore the perfect religion that previously once existed, for the price of this treason had not been paid.  Therefore, this beautiful, perfect unblemished Lamb of God (CALF) had to pay the required price, and Himself be sacrificed.  Only thru this ultimate act of love was the

perfect religion, between Creator (WORD) and creation (mankind), and King (WORD) and citizen, restored. 

As we can see, it took God (WORD), to become Man (WORD), so that He (WORD) could be the Sacrifice (WORD), and the only acceptable atonement for our (world) sin.  

Let us not forget, this most precious Gift of God.  Let us understand that Christ is all things, to all man.  Let us rejoice for He is returning soon.  Amen.