4314 - RELIGION | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 9, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 22.

4314 — RELIGION

What does the word "religion" mean, and from what is it derived? W. G.

The word "religion" is derived from the Latin religare, to bind fast. As commonly used, it means any system of faith or worship. There are numerous heathen religions, and other cults which do not recognize the predominance of the great omnipresent God, which all come under the class of religion.

But the "pure and undefiled religion" is more than a system of ethics. It is the love of God which is placed within the heart of the regenerated man, and which bears fruit in deeds of benevolence and charity. It is the conscientious devotion in practise which accompanies the outward profession. Love is the basis of God's government, and love to the brethren is the token which proves the reality of our religion. 1 John 2:9-11; 3:10-24; 4:7-12, 20, 21. This love of God, which is the basis of the pure and undefiled religion, is imparted to the believer by divine power. It comes in answer to faith, through a study and an absorption of the divine Word itself.