Brother T. Austin-Sparks once said: “…’The Christian Faith’ embraced as a religion, a philosophy, or as a system of truth and a moral or ethical doctrine, may carry the temporary stimulus of a great ideal; but this will not result in the regeneration of the life, or the new birth of the spirit.”
Brother describes religion as soul’s self-satisfaction, either in the form of asceticism or aestheticism, but Satan’s best deception.
In this world which has abundant religion but rarely has true faith, the words of our brother demand us to take heed.
What I’ve learned is that distinguishing true faith and religion is necessary (as brother Sparks did here), but a mere theoretical distinction itself doesn’t solve the problem.[……]